Another shaky Thanksgiving

I said it wouldn't happen this year.

But, oh, it did.

Next time I claim I will control my blood sugar on a holiday, don't believe it. Counter to what most people with diabetes undergo, my problem always is low not high blood sugar. 

On Thursday, I went through an episode of low blood sugar while eating Thanksgiving dinner. It happens more often than not during holidays. Either before or during dinner, I get "shaky," and it's my own fault. Each year, I anticipate undergoing unrefrained gluttony on holidays. No food is off limits. I'm going to eat anything, desserts included. For that reason, I take extra insulin usually about a half hour before I think we're going to eat the big feast. Well, once again, my estimates were off. We didn't sit down to eat until about an hour after the insulin injection.

By the time my plate was full my blood-sugar levels were depleted.

So there I was with food piled in layers in front of me, and I was eating away, when wife Suellen slid a glass full of ginger ale in front of me with a drill-sergeant's order to drink.

She could tell by my hollow expression and unusual quietude that something was amiss. And she figured correctly. The sugar level was low. I ended up drinking lots of ginger ale to restore my bearings and holiday cheer. I never lost consciousness. But I definitely was fuzzy and definitely driving with the empty-tank light lit on my dashboard,.

Each holiday it happens.

With my daily schedule I'm quite adept in balancing insulin and diet. But holidays always pose a difficult puzzle for me. I always anticipate eating earlier and in greater volume than actually occurs. My fear of suffering too high a sugar level after Thanksgiving dinner does not become reality. I over-react with too much insulin. You'd think I'd learn, or simply correct high sugar levels with insulin after the fact. That would be the wiser option, if I had any sense.

So my next test will occur during Christmas dinner. This time, I'll attempt to balance insulin injections with consumption with more skill and good sensibilities I usually lack on holidays. In my case, my holidays might better be described as hollow-daze. 

That's to say, my record of controlling my blood sugar on holidays is absolutely pitiful. Just ask the drill sergeant.