Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Glucagon: A First for Everything


So it seems that after 8 years of being with Vince, I am still experiencing some things for the first time. It was a Sunday morning and I had planned on going to the gym for some much needed me time, and my niece was going to be joining me. I awoke to the sou d of a text from her saying she was to tired and didn't want to go that day. I then discovered Vince who slept on the couch, which is a norm these days. He tends to sleep where ever he can get comfortable. I woke him up to say good morning and ask him to go to bed but he wasn't able to talk to me. I had assumed that he was having some side affects from a new medicine, as it had been happening off and on that week. I told him just go back to sleep and I sat with him there on the couch for about 45 minutes. Normally I would have jumped right up to get his meter and test him to be sure all was well, but with the new medicine causing some of the same symptoms, i checked his sensor and it was reading 105 so I just let him be. Well, eventually it was time for me to get ready and go to the gym, and I thought, maybe I should let him be and sleep it off but something finally told me to check his sugar. After 5 finger pricks, and what seemed to be a broken meter, I got his back up and finally got a reading of 30. At this point I panicked as that is very low, and I knew almost an hour had already passed. I ran to the kitchen to get him ice tea and put a straw in it, hoping he could sip it. Unfortunately he was to out of it by this point so I had no choice but to resort to the Glucagon emergency kit. For those that don't know what this is, it is a emergency kit of a syringe and vial of sugar water that can be injected in case Vince is unable to eat or drink on his own. I have always known how to use this but it was pretty frightening to have to stick this large needle into my husbands leg. Well, once I got it into his thigh, and started to inject the solution he felt the stick and started jumping around. I quickly pulled out the syringe and realized I didn't get all the solution in him. I contemplated trying a second time but was just to scared to try again after he jerked around. I went back to the ice tea and tried to nurse him back. Apparently I got enough of the solution injected into him, because within five minutes he woke up and was coherent. He asked me right away why his leg hurt and I told him everything that had just happened. I felt so bad that I hurt his leg and now it had set off his neuropathy pain. He however told me over and over that I had done everything perfect and thanked me profusely as always for being on top of things and "saving his life". I was so thankful I decided not to leave but I was so upset that I didn't get to have my me time. All of the stress finally got the best of me and I was a mess most of the day. This happens every now and then but I always seem to get through it. Thank God I didn't decide to let him sleep it off.

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