Sweat Meters

As a Diabetic of close to 37 years, rarely does my body send out those little signals.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  The shakiness, the confusion, the tingly lips or tongue.  Feeling tired, sweaty and/or hungry.  The slurred speech.

For a few months now, my D-team and I have been trying to keep my blood glucose level at about 8.0mmol/l in hopes of regaining some of those signs.

So far my body has declined the invitation, for the most part.  I mean it is never quite there.  Sometimes more, sometimes less.  I'm fine with that.  The only way I can tell is that feeling of tiredness that overcomes me.  Like I could just lay down and have a nap.  It could be 11am or 4pm and suddenly I can't keep my eyes open.  I test and sure enough.  Looking back at me is a number like 3.9mmol/l, or a 2.5mmol/l.    At night, my only hint (and it's not really my "hint", it's my husbands) is that I sweat.  And I mean sweat!!  Like I've run a marathon!(and I'm not the least athletic).

As gross as that sounds, I thank God for that.  On many occasions that has been the clue that rouses my husband from a dead sleep and prompts him to wake me up and ask "are you ok?"  If I answer, he suggests doing a blood test.  Then he goes downstairs to gather the sugar bowl.  Yup straight up.  Right from the bowl.  Mmmm.  Or juice.  OJ works best.

If I don't answer, he has been known to call 911 on more that one occasion.  I now have a Glucagon Kit, and thankfully haven't had to use it.

Soon there may be a way to predict lows before they become serious. 

The "Sweat Meter", developed by researchers at the University of Oslo and the National Hospital of Norway, can detect, with minimal invasion, variances in sweat patterns that occur when the body's glucose reaches critically low levels.

You wear an electrode on your skin which monitors yours sweat patterns for changes in blood sugars.  It would then send an alarm via text message to your Smartphone BEFORE your blood sugar gets too low.   

This is still a few years away, but how cool would that be?    This may be the answer that helps put a  stop to the lighting of any more blue candles. 

To read the full article click here.