Tag: diabetes

Heartless & Traumatized

Wendy K.Leave a comment

If you have been reading my posts, you may recall my “Bad Guy” post from 4/28/26 when I mentioned this crazy thought:

“Uninstalling the LibreLinkUp app and just live in blissful ignorance about my mom’s blood sugar.”

Well, I did UNINSTALL the app. Jon agreed to keep the LibreLinkUp app installed on his phone so he could monitor his dad and my mom (both diabetics). It was great, until it wasn’t.

On the morning of Friday, 5/15/2026, for the THIRD time this year, we called the paramedics for my mom and she was taken to the ER. A second hypoglycemic episode.

The ABSOLUTE WORST part of this incident was that my 4 year old son is the one who discovered my mom in this altered state.

Jon had left for a breakfast meeting and I had left to take my 13 year old son to school. My 4 year old woke up around 7am and went to see his Ahma in her room. He found her acting strange and non-responsive. He ran upstairs to tell his Aiyee and big sister, “something is wrong with Ahma, call an ambulance!”

My 24 year old daughter called me. The way she described my mom’s behavior, I assumed my mom was having another low blood sugar incident. I told her to get some orange juice for my mom and I rushed home. I was able to get my mom to drink some of the orange juice, feed her some milk chocolate, and keep her safe on her bed while we waited for the paramedics to arrive.

I called Jon and asked what her blood sugar was, he said it had stopped registering around midnight and sent me this screenshot. UGH!

Before my mom’s phone was turned back on

We thought her sensor had expired but it turned out that she turned her phone off because she did not want to hear notifications beeping while she was sleeping. I HAVE NO WORDS!!! When I turned it back on, this is what registered on her glucose monitor!

After my mom’s phone was turned back on

So many expletives were running through my mind. I had a lot of things to be annoyed and upset about but honestly, I was just NUMB.

The next paragraph probably makes me seem heartless but the harsh reality is that I am becoming desensitized. I knew what to expect and what was next. The paramedics loaded my mom up in the ambulance and I carried on with my day. I kept my CT scan appointment and handled that before Jon and I even went to the ER. I knew it would be a couple of hours before she got settled. We checked in with her and made sure she was ok but we didn’t wait at the hospital with her. I didn’t see a point just staring at her sleeping. After she was discharged from the ER, we took her to her labwork appointment. She had required prep work for her biopsy procedure scheduled for the following Wednesday, 5/20/26. Everything returned back to status quo quickly, everything EXCEPT my 4 year old.

He was (and still is) TRAUMATIZED! He is constantly on edge. Always concerned. There has not been a single day since 5/15 that we have not heard him utter some form of these words, multiple times a day.

“I’m scared for Ahma, she is sick.”

“I am worried about Ahma”

“Daddy, check Ahma’s blood sugar”

“Daddy, check granddad’s blood sugar”

“Mommy, come with me to check on Ahma”

“Ahma, you need to eat something”

“Ahma, you need to take your medicine”

“I’m scared”

No matter how much my mom tries to convince him that she’s not sick, he continues to worry. My son saved my mom’s life and has witnessed things that a child cannot easily process or understand. I know these experiences make him into a caring human but my heart is so very heavy with sadness for my little empathetic boy.

Hey, what’s going on?

Wendy K.Leave a comment

“And so I cry sometimes when I’m lying in bed / Just to get it all out, what’s in my head / And I, I am feeling a little peculiar” – 4 Non Blondes

5/2/26 – About a week prior, I started to experience some shoulder and neck pain. I didn’t give it much thought, just attributed the discomfort to sleeping weird or pulling a muscle. After a week the pain had not subsided and started to move to the left side of my chest, I started to have a conversation with Gemini (my AI friend). No matter how I tried to convince Gemini that it was probably nothing, Gemini continued to recommend an ER or urgent care visit. I felt “off” enough to comply. 2.5 hours and an EKG later, the urgent care doctor said she believed it was probably musculoskeletal. She also said, “your EKG was mostly normal, but you should follow up with a cardiologist.”

When you’re in your 40s these are the type of stickers you get at the doctor office 🫣

So yeah, the fun continues.

5/4/26 – PET Scan, TAKE 2. 🙄 I specifically requested the scheduler for a Monday appointment because Jon and I would be home Sunday to remind & encourage my mom to adhere to the no carb diet restriction. I was worried whether we would get the results in time for her oncologist appointment the very next day, but the scheduler was helpful and said we could request a rush on the report.

I am highly skeptical that she actually ate 0 carbs / sugar and fasted from midnight based on her glucose levels but I took her to the PET scan appointment and saved the screenshot to share with her oncologist if the results seemed strange.

5/5/26 – Took my mom to my mammogram appointment so she wouldn’t be late for her oncologist appointment…because in the midst of managing all of her appointments…I am supposed to stay on top of my own healthcare needs.

We made it to her 3:45pm appointment with her oncologist. Good news, the PET scan did not show active cancer. Weird news, the PET scan showed a mass in the abdomen. It explains the pain my mom has been experiencing since January when she was discharged from her 2 week stay in the hospital. The mass did not show up in her CT scan or the ultrasound so her doctor was surprised to see it in her PET scan. Next step, biopsy of the mass to determine if it is cancerous.

Bad Guy

Wendy K.1 Comment

I’m the bad guy, but not the cool version that Billie Eilish sings about, the one that annoys 73 year old women and make them avoid you like the plague.

I am sick of being the bad guy…

  • the one who has to question why my nom still has medicine in her Mon AM pill slot on Monday evening
  • the one who has to obsess about what she is eating 24 hours before a scheduled PET scan because of the required no carb, no sugar diet restriction.
  • the one who has to cancel the PET scan the evening before because her blood sugar dipped too low, forcing her to eat carbs / sugar for a quick fix
  • the one who has to ask her if she’s gotten out of bed and walked around when your sister says she’s in pain and can’t move in the bed
  • the one who has to repeatedly answer the same questions because she either has chemo brain fog or dementia or “doesn’t pay attention to what I say” (her words not mine)

Thoughts that have crossed my mind today…

  • Uninstalling the LibreLinkUp app and just live in blissful ignorance about my mom’s blood sugar.
  • Not monitoring her diet before her PET Scan scheduled for next Monday and letting the results be what they are, even if it ends up being erroneous.
  • Running away (just kidding, 🤔)

Detour

Wendy K.Leave a comment

My mom’s oncologist decided that one more round of chemo was in the cards. Boooo hisss ewwwww!!! So on 4/7/26 instead of starting maintenance like we originally hoped, my mom had her 7th round of chemotherapy.

I had a work conflict so I asked for help from family to drop my mom off at her chemo appointment. I packed her lunch and snacks for the day and asked her to make sure she took her insulin and syringes. She was annoyed with my micromanaging and after a series of eye rolling and requests for me to “just leave” I lost my temper and left for work angry!

Later that morning when I checked her location, Life360 showed her phone still at home and her Continuous Glucose Monitor had stopped tracking since 8:15 am. There were two possibilities, she left her phone at home or her cellular was disabled. I stated to panic but reminded myself that she had nurses around so if something happened they could handle or call me.

Honestly, it ended up being a blessing to be disconnected for the day.

Food Fight

Wendy K.Leave a comment

I wonder if other families going through cancer have the same frustrations with food or if this is just a ME thing.

As long as I can remember, food has always been such an important part of my life. Food has always equaled love for me. When I was a kid, I remember my dad coming to pick me and my sister up to take us to McDonald’s on the weekends before we moved out of state (California to Texas). When we would visit him for Spring Break, Winter Break, & Summer vacation, we had multi-dish dinners every night and he would keep his house stocked with all our favorite quick prep microwave foods, snacks, & drinks to help ourselves to when he was at work. My mom worked full-time but still managed to cook dinner for us every night. She always found some way to efficiently create balanced meals with carbs, protein, & vegetables all in one pot. And I have fond memories of weekend trips to Chinatown (Richardson, TX) to enjoy lunch with my mom and sister. Every one of our family / friend get togethers centered around food and lots of it! To this day, if I were to call my mom or dad on the phone, one of the first questions I would be asked is, “have you eaten?” 🥰

The unhealthy side of my relationship with food involved being forced to clean my plate and never wasting food. It led to bad habits of over overeating that I honestly still struggle with as an adult. I am also very conscientious of wasting food and have a difficult time throwing leftovers away and cleaning not just my own plate but my family’s plates too. I was also cursed with digestive challenges. If I wasn’t throwing up from motion sickness or drinking carbonated beverages then I was struggling with constipation. I avoided sodas as a kid and I am still obsessed with getting enough fiber every day.

When I became a mom, my biggest struggle with my children was food related. While my best friend focused on sleep training her children, I was obsessed with their food intake. Her children slept independently within months, while my two youngest still have terrible sleep habits. I was always willing to sacrifice my own sleep, but I was never willing to compromise on making sure they ate balanced meals.

I guess knowing all this about myself, I shouldn’t be surprised that this is the one area that is the most contentious for my mom and I.

Her lack of an appetite, the amount of food, and nutritional quality she intakes has consumed so much of my daily interactions with my mom. I know that both of us are beyond frustrated with each other.

She had her fifth chemotherapy session this last Friday, 2/20/26 and these are the high/low glucose alerts from Friday thru Sunday morning.

We both feel out of control for very different reasons. She doesn’t understand why after being able to control and manage her diabetes for about 30 years independently it has become so challenging now. I feel out of control because she is 73 years old and “she knows her body” better than me and the doctors.

Here’s what I do know, most cancer patients do not actually die from the cancer. At least three people have told me that their loved ones died from pneumonia, and two people have told me their loved ones fell and suffered fatal head trauma.

My mom is scheduled to have her last chemo infusion mid-March and then she will be in “maintenance”. But it’s hard not to be doom and gloom, knowing the dangers of a weakened immune system and the fact that she also has three severely blocked heart valves.

What if…🥺

There are too many things to worry about for this pessimist. My best friend reminds me to consider how I want to remember my relationship with my mom. I know I don’t want our last interactions to be fraught with arguments. I need the strength to keep my mouth shut and letting things be if there is no immediate danger. She has insulin to combat the highs and glucose gummies to deal with the lows. It is what it is.

False Alarm

Wendy K.Leave a comment

In my last post, I recommended using a continuous glucose monitor, and then hours later, we experienced our first false alarm, meh!

Right around 1:30am this morning, the first alarm wakes me up and warns that my mom’s blood sugar is low. I bring her a peanut butter sandwich. She tells me that she had just finished snacking on a cookie and her blood sugar was in the 100s a few seconds ago. She eats half of the sandwich anyway and drinks some Glucerna.

A few minutes later the Libre app adjusts and corrects her glucose numbers.

I asked ChatGPT about it and this is what it said…

1. It measures interstitial fluid, not blood

The sensor reads glucose in the fluid between cells, which lags behind blood glucose by ~5–15 minutes.

If glucose is rising or falling quickly, you can see brief dips or spikes that don’t last. The algorithm may briefly interpret a downward trend, then correct itself.

This is the #1 reason for quick flip-flops.

2. Compression lows (very common)

If pressure is on the sensor—like:

Lying on it Leaning against a chair or armrest Tight clothing or a BP cuff

Blood flow around the sensor drops → the reading can suddenly look low, then pop back up once pressure is relieved.

3. Algorithm smoothing & recalculation

Libre 3 Plus updates every minute, but it also:

Uses recent readings to predict trends Recalculates when new data comes in

So you might see:

Minute 1: “Hmm, looks low” Minute 2: “Okay, nope—false alarm”

Especially common when glucose is hovering near a threshold.

4. Sensor settling or aging

First 24 hours after applying a new sensor = more noise Last day or two before expiration can also be jumpy

This doesn’t mean it’s broken—just less stable.

5. Hydration & circulation

Dehydration, poor circulation, or illness (very relevant during chemo, infections, or hospital stays) can make readings fluctuate more than usual.

Now we know 😑 My mom was already annoyed with the beeping, false alarms are definitely not helping matters. 😳 I am still a fan, even if it erroneously interrupted my sleep this morning.

Cancer with Diabetes

Wendy K.Leave a comment

I highly recommend a continuous glucose monitor. My mom is using the FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus Sensor. On Sunday, 2/1/26 (2 day post-chemo) it did its job and woke us up twice when my mom’s blood sugar dropped uncomfortably low.

I woke her up and asked her to eat something. Right after her infusions, she has no appetite and it’s often challenging finding nutritious things that she is willing to eat or drink.

These items have worked for her this round:

  • Glucerna
  • Bone broth
  • Glucose Gummies (quick hit of sugar)
  • Yogurt drink (she prefers this to eating regular yogurt but her anemia has made cold things not as tolerable)
  • Peanut Butter on a slice of wheat bread
  • Egg bites
  • Tofu

My only problem with the glucose monitor is that my mom keeps turning off her phone because she doesn’t like that it keeps beeping at her. The Libre device depends on Bluetooth connectivity so the requirement is that her phone stays on and is close to her. She finds the alerts annoying but I get nervous when I don’t see her glucose levels updating, fortunately my app will alert me when the device has stopped recording.

I asked my mom’s oncologist about medicinal marijuana, we will discuss after we see how she is eating this fourth round.

Every day, we just try to keep mom strong enough to keep fighting. I know she’s frustrated and tired of being fatigued and sick. She hasn’t driven since 12/29/25. I know she feels that she has lost her independence. I just keep reminding her that all of this is temporary. If we can push past the last 2 chemo treatments, the goal is that she will win her battle with cancer, resume her independence, and enjoy several quality years of life.

Worrywart Wendy

Wendy K.Leave a comment

My mom received her 4th infusion treatment yesterday (Fri. 1/30)

I am a bit of an insomniac so rarely sleep well, Thursday night was no exception. I administered her IV antibiotic at 11:30pm and then at 3am gave her the dose of Dexamethasone (I did not forget this time). I tossed and turned the rest of the night anxious about whether my mom’s body was ready for this next chemotherapy session and dreading the inevitable decline in appetite and energy she would experience following the infusion.

After 3 prior chemo sessions, I now know enough to obsessively worry about…

  • Low potassium
  • Low sodium
  • Low glucose
  • Low calcium
  • Dehydration
  • Immobility
  • Anemia
  • Infection

Unfortunately, being educated doesn’t equate to being able to control.

Earlier this week my mom started using a glucose monitor. It has been a huge source of comfort for me! It constantly reads my mom’s glucose levels and sends the reading to her phone. More importantly it links to my phone!

Why don’t all diabetics that use insulin automatically get this device prescribed to them by their doctors?!?

Is there a tool for monitoring potassium and sodium levels? That would be helpful for cancer patients.

Mom had a good day today. She has been eating and active. But I’m still nervous every time I go check on her.

Not sure my anxiety will ever get better. For now if you are ever wondering what I’m up to, I’m probably in the LibreLinkUp app on my phone checking glucose levels because that is the only thing we can control.

Back in the Emergency Room

Wendy K.Leave a comment

After less than a week home, my mom ended up back in the ER. The cause, hypoglycemia, extremely low blood sugar. Cancer patients suffer from loss of appetite, BUT when you are a diabetic cancer patient, things are extra challenging.

Horrific does not even begin to explain what can happen to a person going through a hypoglycemic episode. My mom was rolling around, grabbing herself, convulsing, screaming. She remembers NOTHING, but my sister and I will never be able to forget.

This time, when we called 911 right before midnight on 1/24/26, a team of 4 firefighters arrived first, followed by 2 paramedics. They checked her glucose level and it was in the 40s. The paramedics administered sugar water via an IV and she became responsive pretty soon afterwards. Even though she seemed normal, her heart rate was concerningly low. They recommended taking her to the ER.

I could not brave the hospital alone this time around. It was all so overwhelming. My husband went with me and we asked our 16 year old son to keep an eye on his younger brothers.

Fortunately, the ER doctor decided my mom did not need to be admitted. He attributed the low heart rate to new medication she had been prescribed during her last hospital stay so told me to pause that medication and after he felt her glucose levels were stabilized, he released my mom. We were home before 5am on 1/25/26.

Earlier that same day (5pm) I had gotten in an argument with my mom. She was annoyed that I was nagging her about not eating enough nutritious food. She told me that if she could eat then she would eat, but everything was making her want to vomit. She told me I wasn’t sick so I didn’t understand and asked if I thought she was intentionally not eating. I told her that obviously she was not doing anything on purpose, no one wants to be sick. I just wanted to ensure that the little she ate was nutritious. I told her that if she is not able to eat, then at least drink the Glucerna shakes. She asked me why I was yelling at her if I didn’t think she was not eating on purpose. The last thing I said to her that night was, “Forget it, I won’t say anything to you anymore, do what you want!” The last thing she said to me was, “I should just go die”

Not our best moment, It’s a lose lose situation. She’s right, I’m not the one who is sick. But I am the one going through it ALL with her. Going forward, I told her that it’s important she is fully transparent with her doctors. Be honest about the hard days. My mom is such a prideful person, she hates appearing weak. If she was already annoyed with me chasing after her diet, she was really going to loathe me monitoring her glucose / insulin. All of this sucks, because as previously stated…cancer sucks! What can you do when life just seems to pile on and you feel completely out of control? I don’t know, but for us….we are going to just keep on fighting, one day, one challenge at a time.

Positive vibes and prayers appreciated.