Morning Ritual...Interrupted

We like to go to Starbucks. Tabitha goes everyday for her Chai. She doesn't have to order, they recognize her car. I generally only go on weekends when I have to go to work. We drive to Starbucks separately, enjoy our morning cuppa, and then I go to work. Last Saturday was a little different.

Tabitha was a little irritable as we were leaving the house, but it wasn't too far off of what could be considered normal. I was following her and she seemed to be driving slower than she usually does(I typically have trouble keeping up with her). The wheels in my brain started to turn.

When she pulled into the parking space she wasn't centered in the space. Abigail and I got out of my car and walked over to Tabitha's car; she was still sitting in the car. When we went inside, the barrista asked her "No foam, no water?" but she didn't reply. I answered for her as the wheels in my head started to turn at a furious pace.

We went out to the patio when we got our drinks. Tabitha sat at the table and blankly watched the kids play. As the wheels in my brain started to smoke, I went to her car and got her glucose meter. I pricked her finger and put a drop of blood on the test strip. The meter read "34." That is a little low.

Actually, it is extremely, potentially life-threateningly low. Normal range is between 80 and 120. I was once feeling hypoglycemic - I was shaking and couldn't concentrate. Out of curiosity we tested my blood sugar and I was at 79. So I had to do something. When Tabitha has low blood sugar like that, I usually attempt to get her to drink something for about ten minutes. If she still hasn't taken anything after ten minutes, I call the paramedics. I've called the paramedics about a dozen times in our married life.

Fortunately, Starbucks has juice. I went inside, grabbed a box of apple juice from the case, and told the barrista I would pay for it in a few minutes (it's nice when they know you). I put the straw in the box, held it to Tabitha's lips and told her to drink the juice.

Thankfully she did. I was able to coax her to drink the entire box and within about five minutes she made a comment about what the kids were doing. I knew she was going to be okay. I tested her again (54) and fed her a donut. She was back to normal. I recounted what she had done while she was low and we laughed about it. And then I went to work and Tabitha took the kids home.