Cautionary tale

[Handloader109]

Caught your eye I hope I like a story and this is a cautionary tale for all of us and it does have a happy ending at least at this point.

My wife has a couple of best girlfriends back in Mississippi. Been wanting to visit, but one's move to ne corner and other in central part of state. Wife has her own medical issues, heart arythmia, hbp, two bad knees, one semirepaired ankle and other one going same way.. so she drives and walks very short distances. We're an 8 hour drive from closest one. So it comes to pass my daughter is in Little Rock for a while. Friend in CMS can drive to LR and they can meet up and go back down to MS. I'll go down and get her or friend with bring her back to LR and daughter can bring her home on weekend.

Plan made for Sunday. Wife talked to friend Saturday night. All a go. See you at 2pm.....
Daughter and wife head down. 2pm comes and goes, 3 pm , at 4 pm, wife is getting upset. Friend's phone goes to the off message. They try to reach sister thru mutual friend who is in TN. Sister's phone rings, no answer, leave messages, plural! The expensive apt that the friend rents has no one answering phone on weekend.... so At 5pm wife decided to travel down. Stops and state with my mom, can't really anyone connected to friend. So next morning she goes over to apts, gets mgr to go in an they found her friend in middle of living room floor, undressed, unresponsive but alive.

EMTs transport her to hospital. Luckily next door.
Diabetic, almost full coma, blood sugar was in low 20s.

After a couple of hours, she's awake, doesn't remember anything after hanging up with my wife Saturday night. Appears she tried to cook something, but thankfully didn't get range turned on.

So, they released her late Yesterday afternoon, feels ok. They think main cause was she's lost weight lately, didn't adjust meds! And she's a nurse!
F8nally got sister, she was ignoring phone calls from anyone she didn't know. And doesn't check messages!
The Good Lord sent my wife on down there to take care of her. That I can surely say. A few more hours and he frien would have been in irreversible coma and died.

So a few observations, go with your gut with your friends and family. If something doesn't seem right,it probably isn't.
Police will make wellness check. Use them if you are a long way away, it would have been hard, wife didn't know apt number, never been there but try anyway.
If you are diabetic, please keep eye on your health, if you lose or gain weight, check meds.
And, if you have phone, answer it! Especially if you are getting repeat calls and at least check your messages!
And, lastly, thank your friends for caring about your *******!

Thanks for reading! Take care

[Echo]

Wow - Your wife gets a big Way To Go!

[Handloader109]

Yep, I was about to push her hard to head back, but something told me to let her go.......

[CraigOK]

Crazy how things work out some times. Glad she didnt turn back

[DerekP Houston]

Crazy how things work out some times. Glad she didnt turn back

Yep, good on her for looking out for a friend. I'm guilty of ignoring the first random caller that hits my number but if they keep calling back something is up.

[bedbugbilly]

Glad your wife's friend is O.K. and that things worked out the way they did. Your advice is right on and as you say, if something doesn't seem right - ask for a wellness check by PD.

I've been a diabetic for 51 years - Type I - and I take very good care and control of it - BUT - for someone in my position who has had it so many years, things change. I have always had insulin reactions and that goes along with the whole process. I could always tell when my blood sugar was too low - didn't feel "right" - get shaky, etc. After i had triple by-pass twenty one years ago, for some reason that no doctor can explain, I no longer felt a lot of those things when my blood sugar was getting to low. And yes - I check my blood glucose levels on an average of six or so times a day. In the last five years, I have had several episodes where my blood sugar just dropped drastically for no real reason. Fortunately, my wife has been there and has gotten me to drink apple juice, etc. or given me a glucose injection. For the past year, I have been wearing a "Constant Glucose Monitor" - involves applying a small mechanical holder with a hair like probe that a small transmitter fits in to on my abdomen - change it every seven days. It transmits to a small receiver about the size of a thin cell phone that I carry all the time. I can look at the "graph" and see what my blood sugar is doing and set it to for an audible alarm as well as setting it for the receiver to vibrate when my blood glucose drops below or raises above a pre-set level. At night, if my blood sugar drops too low, it will wake me up as well as my wife so I can get some juice and a snack to get the blood glucose higher. My endocrinologist is on top of it all and after fifty some years, I know how to adjust my insulin.

Unfortunately for some folks, you can get what they used to call "brittle" where your blood glucose levels can spike or drop for nor explainable reason. And stress can also be a factor. Today, there are many who suffer from Type I and Type II diabetes - and some do not let their friends know for one reason or another and many, who do not have it or know someone who does, are not award of the daily struggle to maintain good blood sugars.

Sorry to make such a long post - but there is one thing to remember for those who are not familiar with the disease. Many have the false thinking that a diabetic should NEVER eat anything sweet, have sugar, etc. If you have a friend who has diabetes and they are not acting right, suddenly get agitated or lethargic, have unexplained sweating or shakes, unable to follow the conversation or appear to be confused, etc. - the chances are that they may very well be starting to have a drop in their blood glucose levels. The best thing you can do for them is to give them sweet juice, honey, sweetened soft drink etc. or if they are able to chew and are "with it", some sweet candy such as a candy bar, etc. - anything to get the blood glucose level back up in to a safe area. In a few minutes they should start to show some improvement. If not, give them more juice, etc. and if they don't respond to it, call for a rescue or ambulance. Most of them will usually have "glucose pens" on board and can give an injection with that to bring the out of it. Some may worry about getting the person's blood sugar too high but it is important to get the blood glucose levels up to where they are not having symptoms which, if left untreated, can lead to the person passing out or if left untreated long enough, into a coma. Blood sugars that are elevated too high as a result of giving a diabetic sugars to bring them out of an insulin reaction can always be brought down with insulin administered by the individual if they are experienced enough in their treatment or their doctor, etc.

Handloader109 - your post is an excellent reminder to us all and I'm glad things worked out. As you say, God was watching over your wife and her friend. A good reminder to us all to look out for others and to trust our instincts. If you have an elderly friend or neighbor, know someone who has health issues, etc. - it takes very little time to give the a call and check up on them or to just stop by for a quick moment to see if they are alright . . . the world needs a little more of folks watching out for other folks. Thanks for your post and may God bless you and your wife, family and friends.

[Plate plinker]

Good to read a story that was not all negative. Take her out for a victory dinner she deserves that in spades.

[Blackwater]

Good post! In a time when we seem to want/need to be TOLD what to do, it's good to see someone who still lets their "gut" dictate their responses! Glad it worked out this well. Sorry it happened as it did, but .... a friend in need is a friend indeed!

[Handloader109]

Got my girl back today. Friend still doesnt really comprehend how bad off she was. Awoke in hospital with my wife over her and said what are you doing here? Was cramped up with knees to her chin. At any rate, at this time she's ok. Btw, been diabetic about 4 or 5 years. And was not checking her levels at any regularity...
She is now.

[woodbutcher]

Yep.The big D can be a real killer if you don`t keep a check on the blood sugar level.Twice in the last year,I had a friend call the local cops to check on me when I did`nt answer the phone.The phone service went down and I did`nt notice.It`s very nice to have friends that care.God bless em for sure.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[w5pv]

I am a diabetic and when my blood sugar goes south I can not function but when it gets down to around 89 I start hunting something sweet.What scares me the most is if I am asleep and it goes down too much I am almost in a comma.My answer to this is to eat a small amount of honey or some other sweet at bed time.