It’s been kind of a rough day.
I woke up really early this morning. I planned on cleaning up the ATV and participating in the Memorial Day Parade with the 150th Anniversary Committee. I took my pills and such after getting ready. I went out and got the ATV ready. I had to run and get gas for the ATV so I was running a bit behind. This is where things started to go sideways for my day.
I went to the lineup area and met with the rest of the group. I asked the police officers if they needed help with traffic control since the ATV is decked out with a yellow light bar and flashers. They asked me to help up the street at the main intersection. I proceeded with the parade without ever giving a thought to the fact that I forgot to eat breakfast. My sugar has been slightly high so forgetting isn’t the most terrible thing, as long as I remember to grab a snack or something. I take both my diabetic medicines before breakfast. I totally didn’t think about it once I got involved with the parade. Today… was not a good day to forget.
The parade follows Main Street up to Chestnut Street and then up into Haywood Cemetery. A short ceremony is held to honor “The Fallen”. I ended up being the final vehicle in the parade. I followed straight up to the ceremony. Two problems started to become noticeable as I stood the whole time. The first was one I expected. My back and right leg began to grump because of the uneven slope of the hillside where I was standing. The second problem came more slowly and much less noticeable at first. My sugar began to drop. I get warning signs that its dropping. I realized that it was dropping about halfway through the ceremony. It wasn’t a rapid thing but I knew I was going to need to eat as soon as I left the cemetery.
Mistake number two … I didn’t eat when I got back to the house. I pulled the motorcycle out of the barn and put the ATV away. I decided I would come in and change, then go get something to eat. I monkeyed with my malfunctioning computer a bit… Oops! I got the computer working but quickly realized that I was no longer in the warning stages of dropping sugar levels. My sugar was down to the point where I start to get the shakes and feel sick. At this point, I normally am smart and grab some candy, sugar lozenges that I keep around or drink something sweet.
Mistake number three… I hopped on the bike and headed up town. I ate and decided I would ride north… Maybe end up at Presque Isle. I still didn’t feel well, so I sat at the table for a bit. It usually takes a bit for my sugar to catch up to the rest of me. I still didn’t feel well. When I don’t feel well, I usually stay off the bike. I figured that I would feel better as my body got the sugar back in allignment. Off I went.
When I don’t feel well, my back pain becomes overbearing. I changed my destination to Goddard State Park. I got to the park. There was a lot of people about. I wanted to see if I could see the eagles that nest across from the one launch. I was hurting so bad that I actually thought about getting off the bike and just lay down on the grass and take a nap. I knew that was a bad idea. I needed to get home. If spasms started out here, I’d be calling someone to get me and the bike. I bolted for home.
I stopped in Greenville at Big Lots. I knew they have a bench in the lobby where I could sit for a bit. From there, I bolted home. I parked the bike by my truck and went staight in and laid down on the bed. It took a while to get comfortable. I feel a bit better tonight. It was really dumb to try and ride when I felt that way.
I don’t plan on doing that again.
~Cappy