The description for today's blogging subject is: Tell us about your favorite way to treat a low. Juice? Glucose tabs? Secret candy stash? What’s your favorite thing to indulge in when you are low? What do you find brings your blood sugar up fast without spiking it too high?
Since I'm not the one who has to shove fast-acting crabs* down my pie hole, I think I'll let L answer this one on her own. She's participating in World Diabetes Blog Week (as she called it), though her first post was cut short due to bedtime last night.
*Late one evening I composed an email to friends explaining the treatment for low blood sugar, which is administering 5-15 grams of fast-acting carbs. However, in my haste, I neglected to notice that I had misspelled "carbs". We have called them fast-acting crabs ever since. COMEDY!
I will take this moment to relate a frustration that L runs into occasionally, when she is at school or a soccer game, and she gets a low blood sugar and has to treat it (usually with Skittles or jelly beans). Invariably, one of her peers will say, "Oh my gosh, you get to have candy? YOU ARE SO LUCKY!!!" This is even after she has previously explained to them that it's not a treat but a medical intervention. She came up with a comeback, which goes a little something like this: "Oh yeah! I sure am lucky! Maybe one day, due to diabetes, I'll have my feet amputated, and then I can be in a wheelchair and jump to the front of the line for rollercoasters! LUCKY!"
As you can see by the length of her retort, it's kind of clunky and doesn't roll off the tongue. Also, slightly mean-spirited. So, I was wondering, have any of ya'll encountered similar situations? And if so, what do you/your kids say?
Oh... *evil grin* Let's see. Some of these won't work for L... When I was 4 and complained that I was sick of people asking "what happened?", for example, my dad told me to tell them my parachute didn't open. So I did. Not understanding, but quite enjoying, the looks of abject horror.
ReplyDeleteBut when people tell me I'm "lucky to ride everywhere" or "lucky cause riding everywhere is fun" I usually counter with "yeah, the problem is I have to go *up*hill, too," or, "Yeah, and I get the good parking, too - only cost me 5 surgeries and counting! Want me to hook you up?" That usually gets people (even kids) to realize they're being just a tad shortsighted, without making it sound like I don't have a sense of humor.
For L, I would suggest something similar... "Yeah, jabbing myself with needles is fun too - see, the way the infusion set goes in is *first*, we..." (let her get as graphic as she wants, here... the boys will think she's cool, and the girls will be awed)
Or, "Yeah, it's great when my parents wake me up at three in the morning to correct my BG, too. We're going to make a zombie film when we're sleep deprived enough."
Or "I know! And guess what else! I get to weigh my food, and I don't get to eat at restaurants unless I know the carb count!" *said in a "isn't that AWESOME!" voice*
Or whatever else applies. She has the right idea, she just needs to refine her technique. ;)
Ahahaahah, I should have known you'd check in with the evil grin. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite was the zombie idea. Also, the parachute thing is so twisted. I love it! :)
I made the good parking joke to my prom date (a nice Irish born friend of the family) unprompted, and he was *horrified*. "I... that's not why I asked you! I would never! Do people *do* that? Mother of God..."
ReplyDeleteAnd you can tell L that they don't even let the people in chairs skip the lines anymore. It is a profound injustice, I tell you. ;)
The parachute excuse died a swift death about a year later when I told the sweet old lady at the bank. She blanched, mom stepped on dad's foot, and I got told to *never, ever* say that again, no matter how funny dad thought it was.
So of course I just never said it in mom's *presence*. ;) I still pull it out once in a while when someone who's old enough to know better hits me with the "what happened" gem (as opposed to "why are you in a chair," which I don't mind - but "what happened?" makes the assumption that a) something did happen, and b) that they're fishing for a cool story, instead of curious. Although, "I was born" confuses the "what happened" people too, and might work for L in certain circumstances (nosy and impolite adults)!
I think the zombie one is my fave too.
haha - I can just see your non-type 1 knowledgeable friends going, huh. what's a fast acting crab?
ReplyDeleteand I like L's sass. When Matt gets "off" comments he normally just says "it's because of my diabetes!!" in the tone that you would tell someone "you are such a damn moron!"
Next time someone tells her low lucky she is, she could ask if they want a piece of candy too - but they have to stick a needle in the tip of their finger first and squeeze out some blood and then stick another needle in their arm or leg for good measure. Fair is fair!
M - ahaha, your poor prom date. If he was a friend of the family, you'd think he'd be on to your sense of humor already.
ReplyDeleteOh snap, no jumping to the front of the line? Well, what's the POINT then? ;P
Brainsssss. I wonder how many fast-acting crabs are in brainsssss.
FDM - The best bit about the crab thing was that at the time I emailed it, a group of my friends were all hanging out together, so it was read aloud to everyone. Everyone cracked up, how could they not?
ReplyDeleteAnd dude, I love your fair is fair idea. I think she would get a kick out of delivering the terms of candy consumption!
from seeing her in her video, think she would deliver the terms in a beautiful way. :) Smile and all.
ReplyDeleteha ha ha ha! Crabs! I love it!
ReplyDeleteI kinda love your daughter's response (though as an adult and parent, I am totally offended... j/k). I think L and I would get along famously.
fdm - aw, that's sweet of you to say. thanks. :)
ReplyDeleteJoanne - She kinda loves her response too! I'm glad you got a kick out of it. Some folks are just a little 'off'. It's great when you find others who are weird in the same ways! :)
Remarkably, I have an adult friend (she really is a good person), who has made similar comments. I have simply told her, no one is lucky to have diabetes.
ReplyDeleteI think this is why Caleb prefers glucose tabs in school. He has told me he doesn't want other kids to feel left out and that the tabs seem more medicinal.
thisiscaleb - I think somehow they are trying to make the PWD feel better, but it so doesn't work. And oh, what a nice thought by Caleb. Empathy! Our kids have got it, I think.
ReplyDelete