Jul 21 2008
Blood (Sugar) on the Highway
So there I was, at a roadside store in South Carolina, just off of I-81. I was taking my blood sugar thrice daily at the time. My kit was open, spread out on the trunk of my car. I wondered what passersby might think I was doing, but thankfully no one paid me a second glance. As I tossed the strip and lancet away I thought to myself how many parts of my life had changed a bit.
You see, I like taking road trips. I like the simple nature of them, the slight separation from one’s usual routine and environment as you focus on getting from point A to B. And part of the experience for me has always been the brief visits to strange truck stops and convenience stores, sampling what local delicacies and sodas as offered usually as the minimum purchase I feel is required for using their bathroom.
It was a couple of weeks after I became aware I had diabetes that I took the first road trip during which random peach drinks and strange candies would not be featured. It was frustrating enough that I couldn’t go wild with fast food (as I used to think calories didn’t count on the open road), but not being able to take in the culinary samples of local color was a bit of a let down. And what would I buy in tribute for use of their men’s room?
The only significant stop on that trip was that little place in South Carolina. I still looked around the store and it truth found little of interest. I became aware once again how few convenience foods are geared towards people with dietary restrictions. In the end, I bought only a fingernail clipper.
After that experience, I came to understand that my new circumstances required a bit more preparation. Now when I travel, first there is the water. Unless I drink it by the gallon, it’s not going to hurt me. Second, some salt is required, usually in the form of corn chips. Fruit is good if I need a lift. Fortunately, all of the above will fit in as small cooler and all of the above are also easy to replenish in the places I make pit stops.
Different places still offer new wonders, just usually not so much in the drink case any more. A little forethought keeps me from feeling like I have no recourse to snacks on the road. Now if I can just figure out a way not to feel weird when I spread my blood sugar kit out on my trunk, hoping no one thinks I’m a junkie.
