You are at netAirspace : Forum : The Combustion Chamber - Off-Topics : General Off-Topics

I'm a Type 2 diabetic... barely. My fasting glucose levels are typically around 130. My A1C level runs around 6.1. Some doctors would say I'm "pre-diabetic." I don't take insulin, nor do I regularly check my blood sugar levels. The only diabetes medication I take is 1000 mg of glucophage XL twice a day.

Yesterday, something happened.

I don't remember leaving home. I forgot to put in my dentures and to wear a coat on the 19° F. (-7° C.) day... something that I NEVER normally forget to do.

The lead officer said that I was driving much faster than the in-city posted speed limit and almost hit a dozen cars head-on.

Based on the fact that I had an empty 51-ounce diet Pepsi cup in my beverage holder, I must have been trying to get to a convenience store near my home to get a refill. I apparently took a wrong turn and ended up driving all over the two mile-long road leading to my city's downtown area. While I was on that road, a half a dozen calls quickly came into 9-1-1 reporting me for speeding and weaving from side to side. A police officer, who was already on that road, started chasing me at 45 mph. At the end of the two mile road, I apparently turned onto the main street taking me into the heart of the downtown, a place teeming with Saturday pedestrians and slow, congested traffic.

By this time, two other officers joined the pursuit. Two miles further, I apparently nearly took out another five cars head-on while leaving my city's city limits and entering the neighboring city's limits. I think I finally stopped another two miles further down the road when I pulled into a restaurant's parking lot. According to the officers, they did a felony stop with sidearms drawn, but I couldn't understand what they wanted me to do. Somehow, fortunately, I either unlocked or opened my door and they got me out of my car. They didn't make me lie down on the muddy ground, but they did cuff me and made me stand next to my car. In retrospect, I now recall that they were trying to ask me questions, but I couldn't answer them. I could formulate the correct answers in my head, but the words wouldn't come out of my mouth. I couldn't spell my girlfriend's 5-letter-long last name. I didn't know where I was. I was wearing an EMS t-shirt and one officer asked if I was a paramedic, to which I answered in the affirmative: "Retired." I was able to say, "Diabetic." They asked me if I'd taken any drugs or alcohol, to which I replied, "No. Sober 20 years." I also recall asking them repeatedly, "Why cuffs? What happened? What did I do? Did I hurt anyone?"

A couple of minutes later, EMS arrived and checked my blood sugar. It was 46, prompting me to nod and say, "Aha!" And the paramedic doing the test also nodded and said, "Hypoglycemia. It should be at least 80." She then gave me a tube of the worst-tasting glucose gel and rechecked my blood sugar five minutes later, yielding a result of 113. I recall the officers and the paramedics saying that I sounded much better and I recall saying, "I feel much better. What happened? Did I hurt anyone? Are all of the officers OK?"

One of the officers replied that no one was injured and they were all fine as another one removed the handcuffs and said, "I just want you to know that you're not in any legal trouble. We aren't going to arrest you and you won't have to appear in court. It sounds like you were driving with a low blood sugar level. Has that ever happened before to you?" I replied, "No. This is a first for me. I've been called to many similar scenes as a paramedic and now I have firsthand experience of how terrifying it feels on the receiving end." That's when the lead officer said that he'd follow the ambulance to the hospital and that we'd talk more there.

I asked the lead officer to check for my dentures and jacket in the car before leaving for the hospital. He looked, but couldn't find them. I also asked him where they would be towing my car. He said, "We're not going to tow it. We're going to drive it to your home and give the keys to your girlfriend."

When I was finally discharged from the ER, the first thing I did after stopping for a 51-ounce diet Pepsi refill was to look for my jacket and dentures at home. There they were... right where I'd last set them. A couple hours later, when I sat down to type a letter to the police chief, thanking him for having such great officers, it finally hit me... Those officers could have spiked my tires. They could have PIT'ted me. They could have shot me in my confused state if I made a questionable move while sitting in my car. They could have broken a window or two. I was in a perfect situation for things to turn out badly, but they didn't. The officers in my case were well-educated, had experience, were patient, showed kindness, and displayed common sense.

Damn.

Glad you're okay, Mark.

And also glad no one else got hurt.

I assume you'll be checking insulin levels every time you go to drive now...

GQfluffy wrote:
I assume you'll be checking insulin levels every time you go to drive now...

I see my nurse practitioner tomorrow at 9:20 AM. I'm guessing that since I will be fasting, she can do my annual diabetic blood tests. She normally does them in April, but close enough, considering the circumstances. I'll get a fasting glucose done, an A1C, some electrolytes drawn, liver and kidney profiles, cholesterol levels, and a lipoprotein level.

My nurse spidey sense tells me she will lower my morning dose of glucophage XL to 500mg and keep my bedtime dose at 1000mg.

After a nice talk with my girlfriend, Eileen, this morning, she thinks there were two other episodes of low blood glucose last week... once on Sunday afternoon and once on Thursday morning. The one on Sunday was a major event because our live-in former street person Afghanistan War vet thought I was on illegal drugs. I wasn't. I don't do drugs. But, I couldn't form words. I could think about what I wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out of my mouth. The same thing happened yesterday when the police officers were asking me questions... the words in my head wouldn't come out of my mouth.

Not even a speeding ticket? My wife got a "failure to control" ticket when she lost it in an icy curve ending up in a ditch damaging nothing more than our car!!

I used to work at an FBO that also did charter, maintenance etc. We had one mechanic who was diabetic, but never took his meds or checked his insulin. One time they found him passed out in the avionics bay of a Lear 60... during the summer, he could have died in the 110F weather.

Another time I had a call come in from the McDonalds down the street that said they had an employee "John (not his real name)" there and he was drunk- he was wearing his workshirt with our name and his name on it so they called us. I told them he id diabetic and asked them to call the paramedics. Yes, he was hypo.

Working in medication, as you know Mark, this stuff happens all the time. Glad you are well.

I had an appointment with my nurse practitioner yesterday. I suggested lowering my morning dose of glucophage to 500mg, to which she agreed. I also bought a glucose meter and test strips at Walmart... they have the lowest price on test strips and their proprietary $18 meter is Bluetoothed to my cell phone, so I don't have to maintain a logbook. I suggested testing my blood sugar in the morning before breakfast and just before supper, to which she agreed. I will also do "as needed" random checks if I feel like my blood sugar is low.

I feel guilty as hell about what happened. I could have killed someone... or gotten into a crash at the least. Yesterday, I ran into one of the officers involved in my situation and talked with him for a few minutes. I thanked him for recognizing that I was having a medical emergency rather than being drunk or high on drugs. He said that they suspected I was having a medical emergency during the pursuit. I still have no idea what made me eventually stop where I did, nor do I remember where I was when I finally stopped.

I have always wondered why some people in similar circumstances claim they never noticed the police cars behind them. Now I understand.

wow close call!! keep away from sugars or you'll be in the same predicament