MY-INSULINOMA.doc-TheWell.docVIP

MY INSULINOMA The tumor began its activity several years ago, although I had no idea what it was at the time. Hiking got harder, especially the ten mile hikes David and I love to take in the mountains. I started running out of energy on the way back and would have to sit down to rest and snack frequently. On work days I noticed my lunch didn’t seem to stick with me as long. When I went for my annual physical I’d say, everything seems fine, except my blood sugar. Eat more frequently, they said in response. But even then, it seemed beyond that. Last spring my spacey episodes became more extreme. After a short hike with my sister’s family, I began to feel funny. I thought, as I started to drive home, that maybe I should have something to eat. I contemplated stopping at King Soopers for some emergency food but didn’t think I could manage. Instead, I focused intently on driving home, feeling very oddly present inside my body and suspecting I probably shouldn’t be driving a car. I chalked this experience up to some strange anomaly and hoped it would never happen again. But later in the spring I had several similar experiences. Once I went for a walk after school, walked farther than I had originally planned and barely made it home. My legs felt rubbery and were not moving normally. I wondered if I should sit down on someone’s lawn but decided to just keep walking. I was semi-staggering and must have looked drunk. Somehow I got back home, sat down, and after an hour or so recovered. I googled “stroke”, but it didn’t seem to fit. Soon after at my therapist’s office, I became almost semi-conscious, only vaguely aware of what was going on. I’d try to pull myself together but couldn’t quite do it. The therapist was pretty concerned, but I was in denial about my condition, still thinking I could tough it out. Obviously, I totally freaked her out, but I just said, no, no I’ll be fine, rested in her waiting room and left. These crashes became a regular thi