Kitten Earns her Keep

Daughter had a softball game last night. She played for a while, and they lost (21-16) to a team of excellent hitters. (Some of their athletes with very visible disabilities could really hit the ball—one power hitter only swung the bat with one arm). After the game, she came out of the dugout visibly upset. She was shaking and told me she had to sit down. I asked her what her blood sugar was, and she had just checked and it was in the low 206 or something. As she sat there, it was obvious she wasn’t feeling well. She began to cry. I suggested slow, deep breaths to help her calm down. Her friends gathered tightly around her, and I asked them to give her some breathing room.

I rechecked her blood sugar that was fine, and finally convinced her she could walk to the car. She didn’t want to come home, but didn’t know where she wanted to go. She complained that she had a very bad headache. I began to suspect I was seeing a panic attack and that she had hyperventilated. I told her when she got home she could take a shower, and she’d feel better.
Once home, she insisted she couldn’t take a shower. She went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Kitten came in, and she growled at her. I suggested that she be nice to Kitten, who was worried about her. I pointed out that petting Kitten had helped her calm down in the past. When I next glanced into the living room, she was lying down and Kitten was on her chest. Daughter was talking softly to Kitten and petting her. It wasn’t too long before she headed to the shower.

By bedtime her blood sugar was back down in range. I suspected the earlier high had been a result of adrenaline. She hadn’t been in bed too long before she came into my bedroom and informed me she still had a terrible headache. I pondered the situation. This was the second time she’d complained of a terrible headache that had supposedly started at the beginning of the game. There had been extended stretches of time when she’d acted as though nothing was wrong. I suggested she take Kitten to bed with her. She did, and quickly fell asleep.
This morning, she told me Kitten had slept with her most of the night, and that she had helped her feel better. I guess it almost makes up for all the shedding Kitten does.