Sugary Sweet

This Monday I took the day off to go run some errands that needed to be done. One of which was to get a glucose test that my doctor had ordered a while ago. I am normally fine with tests and going to the hospital but this one seemed daunting to me – namely because I would have to fast before going for this test. And I am a big fan of my breakfast!

I got there as soon as the office opened and was the first one to sign up. They called my name and the nurse drew some blood. She then proceeded to give me a cold bottle of orange liquid to drink. I can’t exactly describe this beverage except that it was a cross between orange Fanta but 4 times sweeter or like those orange ice pops you adore as a kid but carbonated. The nurse instructed me to drink it as fast as I could. This was much easier said than done because with every single sip, I wanted to gag.

After I finished the beverage, I got extremely nauseous and did go to the bathroom out of fear that I would vomit. Luckily (or not so luckily), I didn’t throw it up. I went to sit in the waiting room for another hour while trying to battle off an amazing surge of dizziness that had met me after going to the bathroom. I closed my eyes for a bit to try to keep the dizziness at bay and it worked.

After an hour from drinking the liquid, the nurse drew some more blood. I suddenly felt very faint and closed my eyes again. I ended up falling asleep. I woke a few minutes before the second and last blood drawing interval. I walked home happy to be over with the experience but I didn’t feel very settled in my stomach. I felt as though I was hit by a car – I was lethargic and queasy.

I stopped by a local coffee shop and had a sandwich. I felt a little better because I was no longer hungry but my head was still very foggy and I had no energy in my body. I still don’t fell 100% after this test!

It made me really begin to understand the importance of good nutrition. Now I know why they tell you to have breakfast every morning. After sleeping for 7-8 hours, your body is going to need some fuel. When you don’t put anything into your body, you beg your body to start to pull at any source it can to provide nutrients. That’s why I felt dizzy and nauseous. It also made me aware of the sugar spike that happens when all you eat are carbohydrates. That probably also contributed to my dizziness but it definitely explains why I crashed into a nap after having that nasty and disgusting drink. It definitely wasn’t a new lesson for me but it was a quick refresher course of why proteins are good to eat with carbs! Slowly rising sugar is an important thing if you want to be consistently clear minded and energetic throughout the day.

I hope the results will come out fine because I never want to have to take that test again. I wouldn’t even wish this nastiness on my worst enemy.