It is late August of 2014. I had just gotten a new test strips for my blood glucose meter and decided to take a quick check to see how I was doing. The screen flashes and I am in total shock. The numbers are extremely high for me. They are not what I was expecting. Yet here I am looking in total disbelief with equal parts denial. Not even fully aware of the gravity that was about to hit me that day.
It is a few hours later after I’ve had a pretty robust lunch. Thinking the previous numbers were a fluke or operator error. It doesn’t take much to throw the numbers off and this could easily be some kind of mistake. So I decide to test again to see if I was I wrong from before. If I had been surprised and shocked before. I was unprepared for what I saw on the screen. The numbers were high. Normal blood sugars can easily run around 100 mg/dl. What I saw on the screen was 539 mg/dl. Your suppose to call the doc if your higher than 250 mg/dl. Heck at that point you shouldn’t even be conscious let alone functioning.
You each a point in your life when you are young and think the family history won’t catch up to you. That the issues of your previous family members won’t effect you the same way it did them. You feel that your completely immortal despite the fact that the previous months the warning signs were starting to show. Rather than look into them you kind of push them off. Until something happens to change your understanding and bring you crashing down to Earth.
At this point it has been about six hours and I’m lying on the gurney at the local ambulatory center. I’m hooked up to IV’s pushing fluids to attempt to get the sugars down. It is a slow and scary process. The nurse who was in charge was a decent fellow with a harsh understanding. He was blunt and to the point. Along with being less than positive. He was pretty much convinced that I was on the path of self destruction. Amazed that I was still able to some what function. Not sure if he was over playing things to scare me. Or if he was sharing his understanding of absolute candor. Either way it worked and I spent those hours in total fear of my life.
Time has slowly moved on since that day. At this point a decade has passed. I am brought back to that time every so often. I recall the aftermath of how long it took for my blood sugars to get back to normal. A lot of med adjustments. A lot of diet changes. Removing some of the poisoned elements of my life. Even now it is still an on going process. A constant challenge to live a healthier life.
Sometimes we get these moments in life where we get to look at what we are doing and realize that it may not be the best path moving forward. Though the struggle is almost a daily one. This understanding can be applied to many aspects of our life including things that are holding us back on a spiritual level. Actions and activities that tend to play more importance than our faith in God. Such things may need to be shifted or removed so we can follow God’s path moving forward vs our own wants and desires.
I have managed to learn much since that time in my life. On how to navigate challenges that seem almost impossible to figure out. Removing elements of my life that are in some ways toxic to my health. Thankful to God for giving me the much needed wisdom. Along with constant prayer for my own future. Taking what I’ve learned and trying to apply it to other areas that I struggle in.
By the Grace of God, I’m still standing. -
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