Scary Evening

I left today without my computer bag and didn't realize it until I got to my desk. Later a check of my car showed that I had, in fact, left it at home. Unfortunately I remembered that I needed to plug in my monitor...but I couldn't because the charging cord was in my computer bag. I didn't panic too bad because I figured I had enough to make it home and plug it in for an hour before taking it to band practice. Oh yeah, and I can plug it in at band practice. I was cool with that. But I was stuck in the depths of PowerPoint hell today with Lent manager. This is one of my sources of animosity toward him. He is technically lame. I have been tutoring him since the year 2000 in using Microsoft Office products, and I'm still having to build presentations and worksheets for him. Buy a vowel dude, take a class. These are critical skills for your profession. It is as important as being able to manage projects. Master it and move on. I wonder how much extra he gets paid for my ability to format. Any way, I had to hang out at the office until 6:45 to be available to help him with this presentation, watching the battery on my monitor slowly die.

Laura had called first thing in the morning to tell me that the blood work from yesterday showed that my sodium level isn't rising. She wanted us (me) to stay off the hydrochlorathiazide and continue to drink sports drinks and come in next week to repeat the blood work. I told her that I had contacted Dr. Cn and would see him on Wednesday. So the plan right now is to stop antagonizing my electrolyte balance and wait for my sodium level to naturally rise.

After leaving the office I was anxious to make it home in time to plug the monitor in, and my heart was pounding most of the ride home. I noticed at one point that my hands were very pale. I was also making poor choices like just following the truck in front of me across the intersection with out noticing that the light was about to turn red. I was also very distracted by things around me. When I got home I stopped at the mail box to pick up the mail and noticed that I was staggering around as if I was drunk. I felt light headed and faint and a little nauseated. I thought that I was having another low so I decided to check it as soon as possible. When I got into the house my sister told me that I was very pale and asked me if I was alright. I lied and said that I was just tired and went into my bedroom. Once in their I attempted to check my blood sugar but was distracted by everything in my purse. It must have taken me 10 minutes to find my kit. Then I decided I was hungry and went to the kitchen to look for something to eat. I saw my jar of bullion and decided that was what I wanted for dinner. Then remembered that I needed to check my blood glucose so I went back to my bedroom. I found my kit opened and the bottle of strips sitting upright on the bed, unused. So I attempted to get a strip out of the bottle and spilled them all out accidentally. I had one in my hand when I remembered that I hadn't made my bullion and wandered back into the kitchen. On arriving I couldn't find where I'd moved the bottle of bullion and noticed the test strip still in my hand. I remembered that I needed to check my blood sugar so I stumbled back to my bedroom. I found the meter on the bed and lanced my finger. My blood sugar was at 130. Not great, but not a major concern either. My fears of being low were eased. But what was causing this stupor? Then I remembered that my sodium levels must be low and I was craving bullion, so I went back to the kitchen and was unsuccessful in finding the bullion. I finally decided that salt water would be okay. I didn't even wait to heat it in the microwave. I just took the hot water from the tap and added salt. Believe it or not, that salt water tasted so good I thought, I should just add a can of chicken and a can of vegetables to this. It felt like an original idea.

When my head cleared enough to think strait, I realized how dangerous this is. I am amazed that I didn't total my car. And I could go into a coma before I remember that something is wrong with me. I should have alerted my sister that I needed help. Also drinking the salt water, even though it made me feel better, was a dumb idea. Unlike glucose replacement for a blood sugar low, raising the level of sodium in the blood too fast is dangerous. I should have alerted my sister that I needed help so she could call for help. I doubt my sister would have understood the severity of the situation and I know for sure that she wouldn't have called for help anyway.

The layer of fog is slowly lifting as the layers of sleepiness are taking hold. The honest truth is that at this point I'm afraid to go to sleep because I'm not sure that I'm out of the woods yet. I am very fearful of this evening. The outcome could have been so much worse and I didn't have the judgement to perceive the danger of it. I have to have a better plan than this.