SamQKitty

Perfectlizard -
Your friend was having a hypoglycemic reaction (low blood sugar).

Most people don't realize that, as the blood sugar starts going too low, a whole variety of things can happen to a person that makes it difficult for him/her to treat himself/herself.

For example, low blood sugar can cause confusion, because the brain cells aren't getting enough sugar to function well. You mentioned that you and your friend were doing some heavy physical exertion...sometimes this causes the blood sugar to drop so quickly that, before one is even really aware of the symptoms, the blood sugar is so low that one is, indeed, getting very confused. And, while your friend had already started eating, he obviously hadn't yet ingested enough simple carbohydrates to raise his blood sugar.

Best thing you can do for your friend is to be aware of the sypmtoms of hypoglycemia (confusion, inappropriate giggling, inappropriate anger, unresponsiveness to questions, etc.) and try to get him to test his blood sugar immediately; if he's low, treat it with about 4-6 ounces of a soft drink (NOT sugar-free), 4-6 ounces of juice, about six lifesavers or other similar candies, etc. Then your friend should wait about 15 minutes and test again to make sure his blood sugar is up to at least 80. Also, if he's not going to be eating a meal right then, he should have something containing protein (like peanut butter crackers), so that his sugar won't just drop again before he has a chance to eat a meal.

Juice and soft drinks, because they are liquid, get into the system very quickly, but you can use almost any simple carbohydrate to treat a low...crackers, candy, fruit, even sugar packets if necessary.

You are a wonderful friend to be so concerned. Lows can, indeed, be scary, but unfortunately there's no way to completely avoid them unless you let your blood sugar run too high all the time, and that has major consequences in the long run.