Of a Insulin Reaction Victim
 Having Diabetes for 30+ years has given me many experiences to share with you. I sometimes think my page will never be done. As I was going over my page and others, I had noticed that there was nothing letting people know what goes through the mind of a person that is actually having the insulin reaction. When having an insulin reaction, (this is because of to much insulin and not enough food.) a person becomes very confused and many times does not know where they are or how they have gotten there. You also must know or be aware of the fact that a person in an insulin reaction can say things that might make you mad or hurt but they do not know what they are saying. I can give you many instances of times that I have had reactions and that is what this page is about. Some are scarey and some are funny but they are all serious. As a child I cannot recall to many, there are a few I can tell you about. All of my reactions as a child happened late at night so it soon became a ritual for mom to check in on me. I can remember one time when I was very little maybe 6 and I woke up one morning but was not able to move I was lying in my bed and I wanted to get up and my sister tried helping me up but I could not move at all. My mom came in and she pulled me up and sat me up (kind of like a puppet) and said there, you are up! Well I just kind of fell over. LOL I tried to walk but could not. Even after eating I was unable to function so we went to the hospital when we got there I had regained use of my legs and was able to walk for the doctors and after awhile we got to go home. Im not sure if we ever knew at that time what was wrong but now I believe this was an insulin reaction, as I have had similar symptoms as an adult. At about age 10, I can remember my family moving from our mobile home to our new house it was very big. I can assume that with all the excitement, this played a huge part in my night time reaction this day. This night I remember waking up (or coming to) in the middle of my kitchen floor covered completely with sugar. (this was moms specialty) Now as I said I am not able to recall the exacts about most of childhood reactions but there is another that I can give more details. This one started out as everyone thinking I was having a bad dream. My sister and I shared a room for many years (poor Shell) and I guess she had gone to get my mom, they got me up out of bed and I could not talk, not a single word. I just kept motioning like sign language or something but since I was alert they were still thinking a bad dream The calmed me down and put me back to bed and then I started seeing sharks shoot out from the corners of the cieling (hallucinations) this is terrible side effect of a reaction. Well again, mom was up with the sugar can and I again was candy coated. Mom has always been there to save me. (Thanks mom) Now I dont recall having many reactions as a teen at least none to go into detail about. My teen years kind of lulled out and I didnt have any serious reactions again until my pregnancy when I was 20 years old. This was like returning to childhood. While I dont remember this as a child I am told that I had many seizure type reations and this is what I had returned to during my pregnancy however as an adult, I remember them. When in a reaction, your mind goes in and out of awareness. I use the word "awareness" because even though a person having a insulin reaction cannot talk to you or has their eyes closed, Does not mean they dont know whats going on around them. You may slip into the reaction not knowing it ever hit you but then kind of come to and realize you are in a reaction but not be able to help your self or do anything about it. I have had many where I may start off knowing I am having a reaction and then have it progress so fast I didnt have a chance to get myself straightened out and I may wonder around the house or sit down not knowing at all what I am doing but then there will be moments of awareness that I think to myself, I need to get something to eat and I may get half way there but fall back into the reaction and forget what I was going to do. Its the adrenalin that bring you out but only for a minute (if that long) your body will do all it can to get you out of it. Now as I said during my pregnancy was a very hard time. I had reactions that included seizures and included me hitting and beating paramedics and my then husband. This was/is not due to hatefulness, but the adrenalin trying to get your body to snap out of it. A person in an insuin reaction is very strong and many times very aware of what is going on around them even if they cannot talk to you or if there eyes are closed. Never under estimate the strength of a diabetic having an insulin reaction. I have had people kind of slap my face or my arm to try and bring me around and I in return have sat up and punched them right in the face. not on purpose but because of the rush of adrenalin. You will fight so hard to make yourself talk and it is so frustarting not to be able to. To give you an idea of the strength I can have in a reaction, during my pregnancy I was maybe 5 months along and had a very bad reaction and the paramedics and police were called. (2 of each) I went into a seizure and had all of them plus my husband and mother-in-law holding me down and I threw them all off of me. (I am 4'11 and at that time weighed 125) Sadly, I have had 2 reactions that have caused me to have car accidents. The first one while I was pregnant. There was no warning and again, I was in and out of awareness the whole time. I drove a stretch of road about 5 miles bouncing on and off the guard rails occasionally becoming aware and thinking to myself, I have got to pull over but then out again, I went and on down the road. Once even thinking to myself if I can get on the highway and get to my moms, I will be ok. Finally I hit head on with a much larger car and was taken to the ER. there were no serious injuries but I did not drive again during my pregnancy My second car accident was a couple years ago. I had eaten lunch and had to go to the store, but while in the store, a reaction hit me. Now, while I was in the store, I remember clips of shopping and picking out things even talking to a friend but I dont remember paying for whatever it was I bought or getting into the car and driving down the highway and eventually driving off the highway and down a large hill into the forest. Keep in mind, I had conversation with people and they didnt know any different, They let me leave the store without a second thought. (this is not their fault) But so you know that these things are possible with a person having a reaction. Its not always just shakiness and sweats. Aside from a few scraped and bumps I was again spared any major harm. God has been very good to me. I had another reaction I remember at the store. I had gone shopping (again) and finished when I realized I was having a reaction. It again came on very fast but I was aware of it and tried to get a soda from the machine but sadly the machine did not take pennies, (LOL) which is what I was putting in. Luckily for me hubby thought I had been gone to long and came looking for me and found me trying to put pennies in the machine. He ran in the store and grabbed candy off the shelf and brought it out to me and saved me. (He is wonderful) I have had many reactions as an adult that I can tell you everything that was going on around me. What was said, who said it. and I have so many times wanted to try and help the people trying to help me. It can be very much like being behind a 2 way mirror in the aspect that you can see and hear everything but no one can hear you. In your mind you might be screaming but your brain doesnt allow you to be heard. (heres a funny one) It is very frustrating not being able to help the people that are trying to help you. and it is awful to come in and out of awareness and think you know what you are doing and how you got there but not remember all of what has gone on. It sometimes is like you are watching a movie and you just keep watching wondering when its going to be over. I cant say that all diabetics have these same affects during an insulin reaction this is what I go through, and the older you get the more that the reactions will change. This is due to your body physically changing and your lifestyle. Your best bet? Become aware of how your body becomes more or less sensitive to situations. check and recheck your bloodsugar when driving. Yes I know its a pain but it is worth it. I speak from experience. Its not only your life when your diabetic and you get behind the wheel of a car. This is not to scare you, I do drive, but precations have to be taken. I have never let my diabetes get the best of me or keep me from doing the things I want to do. If there is an extra step to keep my life "normal" then I take it. My strength and protector now is my very loving husband. He came into my life only a few years ago and new almost nothing about Diabetes and all of its ups and downs. He has had to accept and tollerate a great deal but never complains about any of it. I have scared him to death with my reactions and worried him silly with hospital stays but he is always there to look after me and keep me on my feet. (literally) He works nights and always comes in to check on me when he gets home to make sure I have not gone into reaction. This is not a nessecity but I think he has been scared so much in the past that he does it out of habit now. I love him with all my heart and I could never ask for a more loving or understanding husband. Not many men would take on what he has had to or take the time to learn about my Diabetes just so he would know what to do if needed. He is my "Rock" If I sound to you like I am laughing at all of these reactions, I am. If I didnt I would worry myself to death and have no life. Dont get me wrong I do realize the seriousness of them. I have had to make alot of changes in the past few years, I have to check my blood alot more eat alot more small meals through the day but I will not let this get the best of me. I intend to live my life like everyone else, and so far I have. Never give up because you have a setback. You will have many but, you can control your life and your diabetes. So live it up but live it safe. If you have had a similar type of reaction or some other kind of experience during a reaction email it to me maybe we will share it with others. It doesnt matter how silly or serious, this is how we learn and teach.
Aarons Reactions: I just read your web page which concludes, "If you have had a similar type of reaction or some other kind of experience during a reaction email it to me maybe we will share it with others. It doesnt matter how silly or serious, this is how we learn and teach." Because I have been wanting to write and share my diabetes experience I will do just that. Often I sense that some activity that is easy for me is now extremely difficult. So difficult that I can't do the usually simple activity of office work or phisical coordination. Once I stood by the window for hours at my friends house until my friend came home, told me it looked like I had a problem, "What are you doing?". To which I responded, "Thats right, I've got to eat something." Finaly making the mental connection. I believe it is a requirement, diabetics must continuously monitor through quiet, thoughtful observation of how they are feeling and coping. For many years that was how I controlled my diabetes without testing sugar. Even before diabetes as a pre-teen when I was woken up to do something I would jump out of bed fully alert racing off to whatever chore. After diabetes insulin reactions in the night awaken me and I race to the food. If I don't know where a fast acting food source is the insulin reaction will stick around for a while. Sometimes reactions are uncomfortable with the push of adrenaline. If not then I'm lulled into, "If I think long enough and rest my brain for a while the activity I am pursuing will become clear again." My worst insulin reaction was on a high school camping trip. I was running out of Snikers bars, my chocolate wraped medicine kit in those days. My group decided we would climb the mountain and spend the night up there so a few of us would first go food shopping. I insisted but was not allowed on the food run. My request for candy bars was dishonored. They told me after the insulin reaction they hadn't known how serious my condition was. I did have squeeze tubes of jelly jam. I felt low blood sugar at bed time and I ate as much of the jelly, by itself as I could. That night "in my mind" we endured a blizzard with such bone numbing chill I marveled at my compatriots brawn for not crying out, fortifying our shelter or abandoning camp. I snuggled as close to the leader as I could, thinking the entire camp would soon be sardine packed for warmth. But oh the brawn, I was not allowed to draw warmth from those around me. I soon fell asleep and felt something on the side of my face like a spoon and in my mouth and people holding me. They said my eyes were open with a blank look. To one leader I had carefuly explained how to care for me in an emergency. So I started to say, "I told you what to do just in time." But first I asked, "Did you know what to do from our conversation last night?" He said no, we asked your twin sister what to do. She didn't know but she said maybe giving him sugar will bring him out of it. My single parent family had as much interest in diabetes as in moon rocks. I fly to friends house. There's only time for a bowl of cereal for breakfast before second friend's wedding. I haven't eaten cold cereal in a decade because I feel sick after eating it. So I take a heavy insulin dose to cover it. Soon I get this constant "battling the insulin reaction", eating whatever I've got, ancious for enjoyable food to become available. I drive us over to the reception early to help set up. As soon as my friend says, "Why are you driving so slow." I know and respond, "I've got to stop driving now and get my glucose from the trunk." One other time driving alone on familiar streets I thought it felt remarkably like a carnival thrill ride and then I realized, " 'ground control', we have a problem." I get a tired, anxious, don't want to continuing what I'm doing feeling even with something as fun as talking with friends. Then I wonder how coeherent was my conversation. Before I started testing sugar I'd eat never really knowing if it was a reaction. Insulin reactions are like bad dreams, easily shaken off "big if" if you know it was a dream. Aaron Hello, Mark Bradley
Remember to email me with any questions or problems or experience. I look forward to hearing from you. mlmb92@sbcglobal.net
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