The Church of Hypoglycemia

Low blood sugar episodes have provided me with some of the most creative, and spiritually insightful and expansive, moments in my life.

Once, when my blood sugar was very low, I experienced the certain realization that the interconnectedness of all life on the planet contributes to the betterment of mankind in a way that is unfathomable but also active and intensely real.

Another time I felt with a startling degree of certainty that the life I was living was a life I had lived before and that it had a definable purpose for its existence.

And once, for a few minutes, I saw with pristine clarity the specific ways in which the people in my life contributed to who I was as a person and how I, in turn, contributed to their existence in a positive manner that would resonate down through time and effect others in ways I could not imagine.

I also once decided that the perfect diet to follow was one in which I purchased all my food only by color.

Then there was the time I plotted out a way that I could actually perform Waiting for Godot as a one-man play. All right, so they ain’t all winners. But, they are altered states of consciousness, in their way.

This sounds like heresy. To say anything positive about a complication of diabetes that could, and does kill people, is like extolling the virtues of cigarette smoking because it looks cool. And I am in no way saying that it’s a good idea to amp up your insulin dosage one day in order to touch the hem of God.

As far as I’m aware, there is not a direct cause and effect relationship between hypoglycemia and spiritual and creative expansionist thinking. And there probably haven’t been any clinical trials to try and find one.

But that doesn’t mean it does not exist.

I know that, on those rare occasions when random and meaningful insights rain down while my blood glucose reads in the low double digits, it’s caused by a chemical reaction in the brain due to a lack of glucose. But that doesn’t communicate an appreciation for the experience any more than staring at the molecular model for oxytocin explains the foundations of love.

The experiences have so far enriched my life. They have given me a deeply felt spiritual appreciation about existence. And no, that does not mean I wish to become the first pastor of the Church of Hypoglycemia. As a Roman Catholic who is also a quarter Jewish, my spiritual life is grounded and fairly straightforward, if admittedly confusing. What I mean is that for certain some hypoglycemic experiences have imbued my belief system with greater gravitas and depth while also instilling in me an improved appreciation for the human condition and the spiritual connection of all things.

For a condition that does little more than beat me up all day long, I find that to be a pretty cool bit of a bonus. So, while I’ll never understand it, I’ll take it. 

Alex O’Meara

Alex was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 36 years ago. Since then he has run six marathons – the first when we was 15 – and the latest a few years ago. In 2006 Alex underwent islet cell transplant and was, for some time, insulin independent. He now lives in Southeastern Arizona where he is working on a novel, teaching college English, pursuing a Master’s degree, and training to run his first 50 mile race.

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Alex O’Meara

Alex was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 36 years ago. Since then he has run six marathons – the first when we was 15 – and the latest a few years ago. In 2006 Alex underwent islet cell transplant and was, for some time, insulin independent. He now lives in Southeastern Arizona where he is working on a novel, teaching college English, pursuing a Master’s degree, and training to run his first 50 mile race.