{"id":32369,"date":"2013-04-09T07:48:25","date_gmt":"2013-04-09T11:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=32369"},"modified":"2015-12-27T15:48:18","modified_gmt":"2015-12-27T20:48:18","slug":"milan-diabetes-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=32369","title":{"rendered":"Milan, Diabetes Style"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m in Milan using the slowest Internet since the days of dial-up.\u00a0 For 25\u20ac<\/strong> I can upgrade to a speed that might actually load the homepage of ASweetLife.\u00a0 For 1,450\u20ac<\/strong> I can buy the dress I like in MiuMiu.\u00a0 For 1,050\u20ac<\/strong> I can buy a beautiful Gucci bag.\u00a0 The black spike heeled pumps I adore are at Saint Laurent at 685\u20ac<\/strong>\u00a0 .\u00a0\u00a0 Prada totally disappoints this year.\u00a0 The only reasonably cute shoes look like they were made from the leftover fabric of a picnic tablecloth.\u00a0 And finally, I must tell you about the brown logo-print Louis Vuitton bag is the<\/em> thing to have here.\u00a0 It\u2019s like every woman is a seventh grader who wants to wear the same thing as the popular girl. I went into the LV store to try to understand the obsession .I left without answers, but I did pick up some Japanese while browsing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m calculating carbs I could have here, too.\u00a0 For two units of insulin I can have a few pieces piece of flat bread with olive oil and salt.\u00a0 For three units I can have pizza.\u00a0 Four units would get me the risotto with Parmesan and saffron.\u00a0 With five I\u2019d have ravioli and a scoop of gelato.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s pretty much sums up my time in Milan so far: observations and calculations of things neither my wallet nor my body can afford.<\/p>\n

\"Milan's<\/a><\/p>\n

That said, the Duomo, from the small glance I\u2019ve had of it, is impressive and definitely worth seeing.\u00a0 Since Mike and I arrived there on the heels of one of Mike\u2019s most wicked lows, I can\u2019t say I was able to really take it in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On our walk toward the Duomo Mike had been cranky and I was getting annoyed at him.\u00a0 I kept my annoyance to myself, attributing his grumpiness to pre-marathon jitters.\u00a0 As we passed by the Ferrari store, I suggested we go in to see if there was a toy car to buy as a souvenir for the kids.\u00a0 The store was hideous.\u00a0 It was overheated and the lights were so bright I had to squint.\u00a0 Music of the sorts used to torture prisoners was blasting at nightclub volume.\u00a0 Everywhere I turned there was a tacky red toy car.\u00a0 I can promise you that Santa does not make a stop at the Milan Ferrari store when he does his annual gift shopping.\u00a0 It would make him suicidal, and there is nowhere to park the reindeer because there are a couple of real Ferraris on the street in front of the store. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Mike said he was feeling sick. He began to panic that he was coming down with something.\u00a0 I said I felt bad in the store, too.\u00a0 It was just the store.\u00a0 Outside would be better.\u00a0 When we got out Mike looked a little disoriented. \u201cI really feel sick,\u201d he said. \u00a0I could see the fear in his face. He was worried he was going to miss the marathon.\u00a0 \u201cWait,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cMy blood sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mike tested in the middle of the street.\u00a0 I held his bag and he held the kit.\u00a0 He pulled back the lancing device with his teeth and pricked his thumb.\u00a0 After having spent hours around 250 thanks to a carby lunch, and giving tiny boluses to bring his BG down, Mike was at 60.\u00a0 It was clear he was 60 and dropping fast.\u00a0 There was an unappealing caf\u00e9 across the street.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re going there,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

At first Mike just stared at me, looking confused.\u00a0 Then he said he didn\u2019t want to go there.\u00a0 He wanted to keep walking a bit and find a better place to get something to eat.<\/p>\n

Usually, I don\u2019t object to Mike\u2019s blood sugar related decisions.\u00a0 He is responsible and he knows his body very well.\u00a0 From my own experience I know that just as it is with the weather, there are lots of factors involved in how your body feels.\u00a0 Sometimes 70 feels like 50 and sometimes 60 feels just fine. I don\u2019t like to second guess the way Mike\u2019s feeling.\u00a0 This time, though, intuition told me to interfere.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going over there,\u201d I said, pointing at the caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Mike was standing in place, not objecting, but also not responding.\u00a0 I took his hand and pulled him along with me.\u00a0 When he started moving in the right direction I ran ahead to get food.\u00a0 I tried to explain to the man behind the counter that I needed food fast.\u00a0 There were cookies and pastries in the glass case below the counter.\u00a0 I got the man\u2019s attention with lots of hand gestures and pointing.\u00a0 I said things like sugar, fast, cookies,<\/em> hoping I\u2019d get something across.\u00a0 As Mike stepped into the place I asked him if he wanted juice.\u00a0 He arrived next to me and pointed at a little raspberry pie.\u00a0 Mike said he would like it in a bag.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re eating it now,\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re not waiting until you drop below 40.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Milan<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure the servers in the caf\u00e9 understood what the problem was, but it was clear they realized we were having a problem.\u00a0 As I paid for the little pie, the cashier took a piece of chocolate and handed it to Mike.\u00a0 A gift of sugar.<\/p>\n

The most important calculation of the trip: one too many units of insulin can kill you, and one little act of kindness can save your life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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