Totally MY Fault, I Can't Believe It!

Picking up Walmart supplies.

I'm running out of time to get ready for the trip to Oklahoma. My personal belongings are mostly packed as far as clothing and things INSIDE the house. Next on the list should be things in the garage like my tools and camping gear. Aside from the necessities, I am trying to take additional bulk items to lessen the load for our final move in a month or two.

As I pulled up in front of the house yesterday, Sis came running out to meet me with the words "Macky passed out in the hall!"  My puzzled looked provoked another quick statement from her: "She's laying on the floor in front of the bathroom..." Crap! The ER code bell rang out in my head.

I bolted into the house dropping Gatorade bottles along the way to narrow my focus on whatever I was about to walk into.  I darted around the hallway corner to find Macky laying fetal on the floor but her eyes were open. Five female voices began to explain to me what had happened all at the same time.

"One at a time, please!" I directed.  The abridged version is that she had just got out of bed and was headed for the bathroom. She thinks she called out "Mom, mom!" before she passed out. Wifey, who was only a few feet away in the living room heard no such words. She landed on the floor with a thump and luckily for her, there was a folded blanket to cushion her noggin as it landed. Primary and secondary survey showed no major injuries. She complained of a severe stomach ache with nausea.

After using the restroom, I sat her on the couch and went in to hospital mode. I retrieved my blood pressure cuff and instructed Wifey to go get her glucometer. Wifey had gestational diabetes during her sixth pregnancy and became intimate with the monitor. Macky's blood pressure was normal, as was her pulse (albeit a little slow) and respiration  but her FASTING blood sugar was 161. "Oh No, not NOW," I thought.

Mack was pale & clammy. Poor girl.

I was set to leave for Oklahoma in the next 48 hours. I can't leave if there is a health problem in the house.  Wifey will already have her hands full tending to six girls on her own while I'm gone. Figures that I've had insurance for the last umpteen years and we have a daughter in possible need of medical attention during the 30 days that I DON'T have insurance. A quick assessment proved that we didn't need to seek medical attention immediately.

Although I am set up for starting intravenous fluids at home, I opted to super hydrate her by asking her to drink lots of water. As her sugar level descended, I got her a high protein meal (chicken breast) and gave her a talk about nutrition. Note for you preppers out there: it is because I stocked up on medical supplies that I was able to assess her immediately. If I had needed to wait for an ambulance to arrive, it may have turned out worse. Take the time to establish a good first aid kit and routinely used medical supplies, along with a BLS (Basic Life Support) or ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certification. Should you EVER need it, you WON'T regret having the knowledge.

If you have any questions about setting up a medical kit, email me OrangeJeepDad@gmail.com. I'll be happy to help.

Macky has a very close friend with juvenile diabetes and is very aware of the lifestyle. I could see the worrisome look on her face and provided verbal comfort. IF she did have diabetes, it COULD be resolved with proper diet and exercise. Both of which she practices NEVER. This will be her wake up call. At 14 years of age, it's time for her to start exercising and eating more healthy. Our move to the country may turn out to be another blessing in disguise for Macky. No fast food joints within easy access, limited convenience stores, and we'll begin growing our own food very soon.

It was sometime during all of this commotion that I realized "Shame on me." For over a year I had somewhat chastised Macky for being lazy. She sleeps all the time and hates to exercise with a passion. Two things that a lot of teenagers express, I rationalized. In hindsight now, I think she was expressing the signs of early diabetes and I, the healthcare employee didn't recognize it. Shame on me. I vow to pay more attention to the children.

I made the mistake of sharing that thought with Wifey in front of Macky. Now, as probably ANY teenager would do, Macky is armed with the guilt ammo with which to nail us with any time she wants something. I'm sure she'll start firing it at us soon...she has been wanting a new cell phone case. I can hear it already: "Remember all those times you called me LAZY and it was really my diabetes???" Ugh, LoL.

Anyway, she was miserable for a few more hours but her blood sugar dropped to 107. I would like to see it lower but I'll take that for now. While I'm gone, Wifey has been instructed to check Macky's fasting blood sugar every day for the next week and log it. If necessary, she'll visit a clinic and get an hbA1C bloog sugar test done. She's a smart cookie. She has already curbed her soda consumption and I know she will be much more responsible with her diet. She has accepted my request to go for walks in the morning with Jade, our female German Sheppard. (Sweet! That's why I got Jade in the first place! Personal protection dog.)

~OJD

Next: Final packing during last 24 hours with my family.