A Set Back

Causes of Cold Sweats

Anything that causes a fight or flight response in the body can cause cold sweats. There are four basic causes we should be concerned about:

  1. pain
  2. lack of oxygen
  3. fear
  4. low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

Today, all of the ALTs went to the BOE together for the first time in order to attend the second day of orientation. We started off a bit on the wrong foot because even though we left thirty minutes early, our caravan somehow took longer to arrive than it usually does and we were chastised for our tardiness. This was not the reason for my title though. Not nearly.

At the end of orientation I began to feel sick. My stomach cramped up and I was sure I needed to vomit or expel something somehow. After attempting to reason with my bowels fruitlessly, I couldn't wait anymore.

I stood up. Without a by your leave or thank you very much. Hayley looked at me like I was crazy, aka with concern, and really I wasn't thinking very clearly. I told her I needed to go to the restroom and she was, “Oh, just tell Ms. Sato before you leave.”

I should have known something was up because I am not normally so rude, but in all honesty I felt so I'll so suddenly that my brain cells must have been reallocated to some other more imperative function while my body tried, in what felt like vain, to restore my equilibrium.

I managed to ask and stumbled out the door into a bathroom. After plopping down in a stall I began to feel dizzy. I felt as if my eyes were looking through kaleidoscopes turning in opposite directions. I broke out into a cold sweat, my face dripping for no apparent reason at all. The room we were in had been cool. We had been there for almost two hours! I hadn't overheated; I hadn't even been warm!

Now, before we go further, let us return to the beginning of this post and confer about the possible causes of my then current predicament.

1. pain

Nope, I wasn't in any. In fact I was enjoying playing kids games as examples for my future classes. Drawing bunnies. Battling boats. Guessing sentence word order. You know, the usual. Nothing painful like the last time we had orientation and I was bored so much it hurt.

2. lack of oxygen

Breath in. Breath out. No, I'm breathing okay. Normal rate, nothing strange. Please Lord, don't let me pass out here! That WOULD be the way I'd go. Pants down on a toilet seat in the tiniest bathroom stall ever created.

3. fear

Well, I am pretty nervous about teaching all these kids, but I'm not frightened of them. I rather enjoy kids. In fact, I've liked all the ones I've met thus far.

That leaves 4. Low blood sugar.

So, I must assume that my diet has changed sufficiently to cause near blackouts in random office potty stalls. Who knew sugar was more to me than just a happy snow fairy I enjoy both cooking with and eating.

Anyway. I didn't have the internets with me, so I didn't know all this. I just forced myself up and back into that tiny office room. When I walked in they asked if I was okay, which slowly but surely became true. Angela handed me a candy and even though by then I was feeling tons better, I was happy to have it. Butterscotch is my favorite right after caramel.

Ms. Sato tried to get me a ride home but I was determined to walk. I had been worried they would think I was just being a baby, but in fact, they said I came back into the room so pale they'd been worried. Jenny bought me a Pocari, sort of like Gatorade, on our way home.

I'm feeling much better now. I do have something of a headache, but I'm nursing it with some meds from my sunshine box of happiness. Oh, as well as peanut butter and jell-o.

Thanks for taking such good care of me everyone!! I am very blessed to be so watched out for by new and old friends!!

4 thoughts on “A Set Back

  1. I’m so sorry sweetie. I know how scary that all feels; those are the symptoms I have right before I get a migraine. It’s usually triggered by things like dehydration, stress, or menses. There are a lot of different migraine triggers and types of migraines, so maybe do a little research on it? I pray it was just a one-time thing though!

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