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Letter: …finding me unresponsive and too far gone for emergency sugar

Letter to the Editor:

I have a Dexcom G-6 Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), to monitor my blood sugar. Being a Type 1 Diabetic (insulin dependent), and living alone, I don’t know how I survived without it.

The G-6 sends blood sugar reading to my smart phone every five minutes, along with alerts for too high or low reading and a share app to my son and daughter in law so they know my blood sugar and alerts, has saved my life more times than I care to tell.

But, last Saturday night, April 1st, getting home around 7:15 with low alert sounding. I didn’t eat emergency candy I carry so not to spoil dinner.

I proceeded to put chili on stove from refrigerator, put wood in fireplace, then sat on the couch. After almost 40 years of being diabetic, don’t know how I let this happen, but my blood sugar got too low there and I passed out.

With no blood sugar for my brain to work I fell into a deep coma. My son Karl, 250 miles away, was concerned, tried calling me, seeing my blood sugar so low. No answer. He then called my brother Albert, asked him to go out and check on me. (God bless him). Seven miles away and watching a “Wild game” on TV, Albert dropped everything and raced out to check.

Finding me unresponsive and too far gone for emergency sugar or O.J. to work he called 911.

With the quick response of the Ely area E.M.S. and ambulance, they got an IV started and Glucagon injected. They all brought me from imminent death, to living my life.

Waking up in my log shack, with about 20 medical people and three siblings with their concerned looks on their face, made me glad I finished some spring cleaning. I’m so grateful to all who gave up a Saturday night to save my life.

So happy, we so many who train, who drop everything for our community. How very blessed we all are to live here.

So very thankful,

Paul Forsman

Ely, MN

P.S. If I, in the future, get you angry, blame them and my G-6, they’re the only reason I’m alive.

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