Have you [Brad Wilk, drummer for Rage Against The Machine] ever had any diabetes-related emergencies while performing?
I have had a few close calls. One night in France I was onstage and knew that my blood sugars were getting very low. I have a pretty good sense and pay attention to what my body is telling me. I checked my blood and it was at 60. So I drank about two-thirds of a bottle of Powerade. Two songs later I felt even worse and started to get disoriented and very dizzy. I began to slightly panic and couldn’t understand why I wasn’t feeling stabilized. So immediately after the song I still had sense enough to grab the bottle (which was in French, to make matters more difficult) and realized that they had given me a drink sweetened with sucralose [that] had next to no sugar or carbs!
My tech then had to make a mad dash back to the dressing rooms to find something else before it was too late. Luckily, he came through. I also have very understanding band members who just threw out a jam with no drums while I got what I needed. So hey, because of my diabetes, the audience got a little something extra. The glass is half full, people!
i am screaming internally oh my god
