things that are low.

• my blood sugar, if i haven't eaten in a few hours.
• my blood pressure, just as a matter of fact.

more on both these topics:

M. doesn't believe me that i suffer from LBS (low blood sugar). It's an affliction! I tell him that it runs in my family and that both my brother and my mom get cranky, irritable and lightheaded if too much time has passed since we last ate. he says that's just called being hungry. but for me, i legitimately get shaky and weak, not always, but a few times a month. when this happens, i usually just need to shove something in my mouth and it goes away instantly. I often keep snacks around for these types of "emergencies" but every so often, i am unprepared. the other day at work, at about 11am (clearly between bfast and lunch), i felt the LBS attack coming on but i had no snacks. the horror. i went into our office kitchen in search of something, anything that would set me straight. Upon finding nothing in the pantry except an old jar of rainbow sprinkles left over from someones birthday, i did what anyone in my dire situation would do, i poured myself a handful of jimmies and went for it -all at once. at least no one saw. but now you all know. I'm not proud of it but i share this story mostly to demonstrate how severe these episodes can be...or maybe i just really like sprinkles.

Now, onto my low blood pressure. this is not nearly as serious as my LBS despite the fact that my low blood pressure causes me to pass out a few times a week. i kid. well, kinda. the low blood pressure is really only a problem if it takes a rapid plunge which is only brought on in my daily life by visits to the doctor. otherwise, it's really not an issue. unless, say, by accident, your local duane reade mistakenly gives you high blood pressure medication in place of your usual prescription (for something entirely unrelated to blood pressure). and it's only a problem if you don't catch this mistake until you're home with the unfamiliar prescription and you figure it's probably just the generic form of the medication you're actually supposed to take. here is where the internets come in. and you're husband. though you don't see the harm in taking the generic form of your medication given to you by your trustworthy pharmacy and your dedicated doctor, the lack of hard (www) evidence and your husband's paranoia, force you to hold off. the next morning, when you call your doctor to confirm that this medication you have in hand is in fact just a generic form of the correct version, he says this, twice: DO NOT TAKE THAT MEDICINE. IT IS FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE PATIENTS. THEY MADE A MISTAKE. Oops.