Keeping It Together

Diabetic Delemma

Since I worked afternoon shift at the local Nursing Home I thought I had my diabetes and my meals all worked out.

As a newly diagnosed diabetic it is important for me to eat a decent meal in my dinner break. I had been taking a frozen dinner to work with me and when it was time for my meal I then zapped it in the microwave. Easy, or so I thought.

Easy, until last night. You see, last night we had a power break from 5pm to 7.30pm. Although until 7.30pm we had no idea when the power would be back on.

Having started work at 3.30pm, I was on shift until 10pm, with a 30-minute meal break around 6pm. I was managing my diabetes quite well, up until then, as it was easy to take a frozen dinner to work and warming it up in the microwave before eating it. Some people would say that microwaves were not the best choice but in this modern day and age it works for me.

I had taken an apple with me so the apple had to do until the power came back on. There are always biscuits in the staff room so I knew I was going to be all right even if biscuits were usually the type of food I would consider to be off the menu (along with cakes and sweets and deserts and chocolate and confectionary).

I carry a Blood Glucose Monitor with me to keep an eye on how my Blood Sugar Level is cruising. But having had a busy shift up until tea time it was getting close to time to eat before running out of steam and getting myself into trouble (diabetically speaking). The diabetic training taught me to carry sugar sweets with me so that I can manage any hypos at any time, so I was not really in any danger.

Fortunately I live 5 minutes away from the nursing home so I could have gone home to get something else to eat, but I didn’t think of that until after the power was back on. (Being that it was the first time I had run into this problem since being diagnosed.)

Maybe taking frozen dinners into work with me is no longer a really good idea. Especially since we have power shortages quiet often (and it always seems to be around tea time).

As I am required to eat carbohydrates with every meal, I thought taking salad sandwiches to work with me might be a better idea in the future.

I am still thinking of other ways I could have managed the problem. Anyone have any other ideas? Anyone run into similar problems, how did you manage it?