Stages of Hunger

As you all know, and have teased me about for years, I can get grumpy when I’m hungry. (Other words used at times also include Ornery, Pissy, and “Mean”.) However, I have also always outwardly joked about this, and perhaps blown it out of proportion because it’s just easier. I would also like to point out that most people I have known act differently when they are hungry, whether that be irritated, grumpy, spacey, or tired, but they just don’t admit it, or maybe even notice it themselves. Everyone is affected by hunger, but it takes certain people longer to get hungrier then others so you may not see it as often. Me, however, I get hungry every few hours – so perhaps it’s more apparent.

There is another stage to my hunger, which perhaps you may not be aware of, and that is blindness. The first time I experienced this was when I was in the eighth grade. I specifically remember being in Jazz Band when all of a sudden I couldn’t see a quarter of the music, which quickly was reduced to half of the music and then all of it was swimming around in front of me. My vision does not go black, but everything just starts to blur and I see a lot of spots. That day I went to the nurse’s office because I was very scared that I was in fact going blind and mom came to pick me up. Afterwards we went to my grandma’s house where I’m sure she fed me a good meal, and after a short time I was back to normal. (No comment from the peanut gallery on what “normal” implies here.)

At the time I did not associate that problem with lack of food, but since then it has happened on several other occasions, and I figured out that it was because my blood sugar was too low. As long as I can see enough to grab a bite to eat, I am fine in a about a half hour.

I bring this up because it happened again today. I was in a meeting with my boss, and as it was winding down, I realized the blurred vision was coming on. I hadn’t even realized I was hungry yet, but I’ve learned not to argue when I start having trouble focusing. I quickly ate something and called a friend to chat while my system normalized again. My friend mentioned that perhaps I should tell others so they really understand why I need to eat when I do – so that’s what I’m doing.

If you have traveled with me you have heard me say, “I need to eat when I’m hungry, otherwise I get ornery.” Yes – that is partially true, but honestly, it’s just easier for me to explain. Today I tried being honest with my boss as she continued chatting with me at the end of the meeting. I said, “I need to eat something right now because I’m having trouble seeing.” She gave me a look that said, “You’re a nutcase.” I’m not sure what’s worse, begin considered “mean” or a “nutcase”, but there is one thing for sure – when a girl’s got to eat, a girl’s got to eat.