Horses or zebras?

I was out shopping yesterday afternoon, and when I got home I was gasping for a drink. Really, really gasping, so much so that I thought I should test my BG, as that kind of thirst usually indicates that I'm high.

So I test, and my meter beeps 5.4 at me.

Huh, I think, I could have sworn I was high, why else would I be so thirsty?

Yes, I had completely missed the obvious. The weather here has been a little bit on the tropical side. Wandering about all afternoon in 27 degree heat? Could that perhaps be the reason why I was thirsty??

I've been guilty of this before, and we had a discussion about how we've all done this during my DAFNE course. I've been diabetic so long, that if there's anything wrong I automatically assume it has something to do with the diabetes. If I feel sick, I first assume that I'm high and not that I might have a bug, or have eaten something that disagreed with me, or any other reason. If I'm thirsty, or tired, or feeling wobbly, I do the same thing.

I wonder if it's a preservation thing - if the problem is caused by diabetes then I want to get on top of it right away, whether it's by taking insulin or eating something. I'm very aware of how quickly things can go wrong and I've had it drummed into me since I was a small child that I shouldn't ignore things like hypo symptoms. In some ways, it's an easy answer as well. If I feel sick because my BG is high, then I can take some insulin and bring it down and feel better relatively quickly, whereas if it's a bug, there are no such guarantees. Either way, sometimes I really shouldn't ignore the obvious!