Ernie....

That was weird.

I awoke to someone thumping on the front door this morning. Like heck did I want to get up, feeling absolutely out of it, so I ignored it.

A couple of minutes later, there they were again, only louder. It suddenly occurred to me I might have overslept. A groggy glance at the clock confirmed it was 7am - so indeed I had. I'm normally up between 5 and 6. Still early for a knock on the door though....

So I did my monkey swing down to the front door. Nope. Nothing. No-one. As I felt really rough, I grabbed my blood sugar meter - more out of foggy instinct than design. Which turned out to absolutely the right thing to do, as my blood sugars were 3.2 mmol/L, so my meter was flashing up a low sugars warning. Low isn't in it, I can tell you. I hit the Lucazade and sweet tea with a vengeance.

If I had stopped in bed, the consequences would have been quite unpleasant. 3.9 mmol/L is the danger limit. At 3.2 mmol/L, I was only a smigin above possible coma and death. At the very least it can lead to extreme grogginess, being unable to think, walk and confusion.

It's also a very rare complication for a Type 2 diabetic such as I.

To put that in context, non diabetics toddle along quite nicely around 5 to 8, rising to perhaps 10-12 after a meal, but dropping back down again within a couple of hours. Type 2 diabetics usually have the opposite problem with their blood sugars rising to very high levels and stopping there. I know people who have hit 30 mmol/L or above. Six is more normal for me.

Anyway. When I eventually got my head together, I phoned the usual suspects to find who's knocked. All said the same thing "You're joking! 7 am?"

Whoever it was, if indeed it was anyone, thanks. Lifesaver.

Where's the connection with Stroke? When I was first admitted to hospital with a stroke, the first thing they did was a battery of tests for diabetes. Eventually, they decided I had both T2 diabetes and had stroked, and that the strokes were almost certainly the result of long term, untreated diabetes.

The symptoms of low blood sugar - otherwise known as Hypoglycaemia (excellent link) or a 'hypo' - and Stroke can be very similar. In my case, I have the occasional 'mini-stroke'. These are sometimes refered to as TIA's or Transient ischaemic attacks.

Less often nowadays because it's recognised that for some, such as I, they aren't that 'transient'. I lost function with my 'biggie' but the further mini-strokes meant I lost even more functions, regained them, but not completely back to where they were before. If you have more than one mini stroke, there can be an accumulate effect.

So if you are a diabetic Stroke Survivor, it's important to differentiate between a stroke, mini-stroke, or a hypo. A hypo, caught in time, can be quickly and easily treated by bunging fast acting sugars into your system. A stroke of any kind requires hospital treatment.

If you'll excuse me, I'm off to get the song "Ernies Ghostly Gold Tops" out of my head. No treatment for that :)