When everything seems to align... to test you!

Yesterday I experienced one of those situations that, if you have diabetes, you will probably understand perfectly.

I had met a friend for dinner.Before dinner I had a physical therapy session to continue recovering from a calf injury I suffered three weeks ago.It was a distal elongation that kept me on crutches for two weeks and practically without doing any type of exercise or sport.

I left work and walked to the clinic.Between the walk and the recovery exercises (almost all strength exercises), after 30 minutes I was already fully lowering my glucose.The kind that you notice coming clearly.

A few glucose pills, wait a few minutes... and solved.Well, solved in quotes, because there is always that strange feeling in the body after hypoglycemia.

Dinner was about 30 km from home, so I went by motorbike on the highway.Very hot, quite windy... and although it may not seem like it, it also involves a little physical effort.

As soon as I arrived at the restaurant I began to notice the symptoms again.I looked at the sensor... another down arrow.

Second hypoglycemia of the afternoon.This time several cookies and some more glucose pills fell to help us get back on track.And here the fun part began... or not.

As some of you know, I wear a YpsoPump insulin pump.Before leaving home I had already seen that the insulin cartridge was almost empty, so, as a precaution, I put a new cartridge in my backpack to change it when the time came.

Well, that moment came as soon as we sat down at the table.The cell phone started ringing with the alarm indicating that the insulin had run out.

I thought: "Nothing happens, I change the cartridge and we continue."

I opened the backpack... took out the replacement... and found the cartridge completely broken.

The insulin was scattered inside the bag.Something like this had never happened to me.I imagine that, among the things he had in the backpack, some put pressure on it and ended up breaking it.

And there came that moment of blockage that I'm sure many of you know."What do I do now?"

For a moment I thought about canceling dinner and going straight home.But while I was trying to decide what to do, all the glucose I had taken to overcome the second hypoglycemia began to take effect... with no insulin available to correct.

220 mg/dl...

250mg/dl...

275mg/dl...

And the head starts to go too fast.Not because a glucose level of 300 mg/dl for a while is an emergency, but because you know you can't do anything to stop it.

I explained the situation to the person I had arranged to meet.And here came what surprised me most of the whole night.Without particularly knowing diabetes, he reacted with enormous calm.

He told me that we could go to a pharmacy to get a replacement, or even that there was absolutely nothing wrong if I preferred to go home for another cartridge and resume dinner later.

There were no strange faces.

There was no rush.

There was no typical "well, you'll get over it."

He just tried to help and make me feel comfortable.

In the end I decided to go home and get another cartridge.

And honestly, until I had a new one in my hands and the pump working again, that feeling of overwhelm, stress and even a little anxiety didn't go away.

I think those of us who live with diabetes know that many times it is not just glucose.It is the feeling of losing control of a situation that we normally have very little control over.

Luckily, everything remained an anecdote and dinner could continue.

Of course... since yesterday it is clear to me that, in addition to the spare cartridge, I will probably start carrying two, and better protected ones.

Has something similar ever happened to you?

Have you had a breakdown with the pump, a mistake or any unforeseen event that made you think: "Now I really have a problem"?

I would like to read your experiences.Many times sharing these situations helps others to be better prepared when we have to experience something similar.

Greetings,

I don't have an insulin pump.But a few years ago, once I went to dinner with some friends when I went to get a flat tire mid-meal.The pen was broken, it didn't work.And what I did was take a taxi and go home.

It is very appreciated that when faced with a situation in which we panic, those around you do not tell you eat, get flat, go walk, sit, get up, fly, jump, sing, eat.....hehe and instead tell you what I can do to make you feel better????Or simply listen to what is happening to us.

Your friend @fer is very nice

Pff well a scare, I don't know if a pharmacy could have solved it sooner, even if it was with a quick pen..

Well yes, and several times I have panicked because I didn't have insulin.

Once I went to see my parents, to eat with them.Different community, CLM.I make food and when I go to get the insulin, my bag is empty.I had left it at my house, 70km away.I ate what I could and went to a pharmacy on Sunday to buy insulin.Since it was not the first time, I have insulin every 15 days on the prescription, so you can buy a new box of 5 vials.

Well, this episode happened to me again 2 weeks ago, this time my vial was almost empty, my parents in their town 200km from my house this time.Going 20km to the capital to get insulin and crossing my fingers because CyL has a lot of problems with cards from other communities.

It has also happened to me with needles, going on vacation, and without needles.... pharmacy and crossing my fingers.Not all of them have vials.

I don't learn and I'm the typical person of just in case, in case, in case... I always carry everything.

I've always thought Murphy was diabetic...

In my 32 years as a diabetic, the 2 times that my pens have broken have been in complicated situations (outings in which I had just enough and I had met people with whom I did not trust, etc...)

I would have a thousand and one anecdotes, but one that I haven't forgotten is that when I still had a machine to measure blood glucose, the ONLY time I had to throw away several strips because I stained them minimally with water (I ALWAYS washed my hands before taking the tests) was during a trip through Central America in which, also, due to circumstances, I had just the right strips...

3 years ago, on a trip from Madrid to León, upon arriving at the hotel, I realized that I had forgotten the Tresiba insulin at home (the Fiasp had it with me, with enough charge). I'm looking for a pharmacy and with the S.S. card. They provide me with Tresiba. Advantages of civilization. I don't know what would have happened if the same thing had happened in Albania or Cameroon.

[[NO-TRANS]]

fer said:
@fer dijo:

Ayer viví una de esas situaciones que, si tienes diabetes, probablemente entenderás perfectamente.

Había quedado para cenar con una amiga. Antes de la cena tenía sesión de fisioterapia para seguir recuperándome de una lesión en el gemelo que me hice hace tres semanas. Ha sido una elongación distal que me ha tenido dos semanas con muletas y prácticamente sin hacer ningún tipo de ejercicio o deporte.

Salí de trabajar y fui caminando hasta la clínica. Entre el paseo y los ejercicios de recuperación (casi todos de fuerza), a los 30 minutos ya estaba en plena bajada de glucosa. De esas que notas venir con claridad.

Unas cuantas pastillas de glucosa, esperar unos minutos... y solucionado. Bueno, solucionado entre comillas, porque siempre queda esa sensación rara en el cuerpo después de una hipoglucemia.

La cena era a unos 30 km de casa, así que fui en moto por autopista. Mucho calor, bastante viento... y aunque no lo parezca, también supone un pequeño esfuerzo físico.

Nada más llegar al restaurante empecé otra vez a notar los síntomas. Miré el sensor... otra flecha hacia abajo.

Segunda hipoglucemia de la tarde. Esta vez cayeron varias galletas y alguna pastilla más de glucosa para remontar. Y aquí empezó la parte divertida... o no.

Como algunos sabéis, llevo una bomba de insulina YpsoPump. Antes de salir de casa ya había visto que el cartucho de insulina estaba casi vacío, así que, por precaución, metí un cartucho nuevo en la mochila para cambiarlo cuando llegara el momento.

Pues ese momento llegó nada más sentarnos en la mesa. El móvil empezó a sonar con la alarma indicando que la insulina se había agotado.

Pensé: "No pasa nada, cambio el cartucho y seguimos."

Abrí la mochila... saqué el recambio... y me encontré el cartucho completamente roto.

La insulina estaba desparramada dentro de la bolsa. Nunca me había pasado algo así. Imagino que, entre las cosas que llevaba en la mochila, alguna hizo presión y terminó partiéndolo.

Y ahí llegó ese momento de bloqueo que seguro que muchos conocéis. "¿Y ahora qué hago?"

Por un instante pensé en cancelar la cena y volverme directamente a casa. Pero mientras intentaba decidir qué hacer, toda la glucosa que había tomado para remontar la segunda hipoglucemia empezó a hacer efecto... sin insulina disponible para corregir.

220 mg/dl...

250 mg/dl...

275 mg/dl...

Y la cabeza empieza a ir demasiado deprisa. No porque una glucosa de 300 mg/dl durante un rato sea una emergencia, sino porque sabes que no puedes hacer nada para frenarla.

Le expliqué la situación a la persona con la que había quedado. Y aquí vino lo que más me sorprendió de toda la noche. Sin conocer especialmente la diabetes, reaccionó con una tranquilidad enorme.

Me dijo que podíamos ir a una farmacia a buscar un recambio, o incluso que no pasaba absolutamente nada si prefería volver a casa a por otro cartucho y retomar la cena después.

No hubo caras raras.

No hubo prisas.

No hubo ese típico "bueno, ya se te pasará".

Simplemente intentó ayudar y hacerme sentir cómodo.

Al final decidí volver a casa a buscar otro cartucho.

Y, sinceramente, hasta que no tuve uno nuevo en las manos y la bomba funcionando otra vez, no desapareció esa sensación de agobio, estrés e incluso un poco de ansiedad.

Creo que quienes vivimos con diabetes sabemos que muchas veces no es solo la glucosa. Es la sensación de perder el control de una situación que normalmente tenemos muy medida.

Por suerte, todo quedó en una anécdota y la cena pudo continuar.

Eso sí... desde ayer tengo claro que, además del cartucho de repuesto, probablemente empiece a llevar dos, y mejor protegidos.

¿Os ha pasado alguna vez algo parecido?

¿Habéis tenido alguna avería con la bomba, un olvido o cualquier imprevisto que os haya hecho pensar: "Ahora sí que tengo un problema"?

Me gustaría leer vuestras experiencias. Muchas veces compartir estas situaciones ayuda a que otros estemos mejor preparados cuando nos toque vivir algo parecido.

Saludos,

No es más que otra evidencia más de esa "normalidad" de vida que podemos llevar y tanto venden. Ironía aparte, está claro que la diabetes va ligada a planificación y cautela, y pese a ello al igual que con los valores glucémicos hay circunstancias que lo pueden alterar o llevar al traste. Con esta enfermedad no hay respiro alguno, somos calculadoras operando en todo momento y situación, valores glucémicos, unidades de insulina, raciones, actividad física, etc. A priori todo muy cuantificable y aparentemente fácil, añade los circunstanciales y la bonita ecuación planificada para el día fuera de casa, se va a la mierda. Hay algo a reseñar y es lo que nadie sin parecer diabetes jamás podrá entender y es ese cuerpo, esa bomba nuclear interna que sufres cuando te baja la glucemia y luego recuperas los valores normales, no es tomar azúcar, Cocacola o lo que sea para recuperar y listo, ese cambio brusco se acusa de tal manera que ya eres otra persona. Llevar una normalidad es difícil, porque una vez sales de tu casa y esa comodidad, tener todo previsto y planificado es todo una lotería y con la diabetes siempre toca algún premio, llevar insulina + insulina de repuesto, agujas, glucómetro, tiras y lancetas, sensores, azúcar, geles o lo que sea, con sus medios de refrigeración, etc.. Ya es una maleta de mano de los aviones, al final una salida a cenar, se convierte en una excursión.