I don't have diabetes though I have a very irregular diet. I tend to eat only once a day, usually on the way home from work and later in the evening. That is not however a routine. I eat when compelled to. Though most of the time I eat, I'm not intensely hungry. Being moderately hungry and the chance presenting commuting home is the mainstay for determining when I eat. I only feel a strong hunger every few days or so that causes me to break that habit.
I work a lot, a bit of a workaholic which tends to be a main contributor to this. I've never really established an eating routine other than opportunity and when my stomach decides. My diet has also changed a fair bit over the last couple of months due to my work moving and there being a very different range of options nearby. In the last past year eating on the way home has become more common as going out to eat has become more complex. This has been so for over a year now and I have noticed it may be contributing to feeling irritable or tense regularly for long periods of the day, though taking up coffee for the first time hasn't helped either.
I've gradually become fairly confident that my diet is liable to lead to hypoglycemia (though I don't want to change it otherwise). It's not something I thought might ever apply to me but I have been feeling effects on my mood and state of consciousness that are hard to constantly ignore and I am starting to consider if they might be related to how my diet affects sugar levels.
I've never had a blood sugar monitor available so I cannot say for certain I had hypoglycemia, though the symptoms would fit and there's cause enough for it. None of this describes what happened but provides background for the feasibility of hypoglycemia.
Yesterday around 1900 I ate but only a moderate meal as it was a quick rush job to put down hunger so I could concentrate on something complex and important.
Today I ate two cheese toasties at around 1320. This is unusual but I was hungry and the opportunity presented. At around 1840 I was struck with an intense hunger that effectively pulled me from my seat. I headed out for food. Outside it became hard to expend cognitive energy on finding a food place and what to eat so I opted for the simplest, MacDonalds. My cognition was muddy and weighted down like lead to the point of it feeling it would be too stressful to order from somewhere which would require giving complex instructions (in this case ordering).
I've been there a few times, easily a couple dozen times. I've never caused any trouble. It's a fairly automatic process. Go in, order at the self service machine, wait about two minutes for the food, collect, eat on the way home. It was moderately crowded this time, but not at its most crowded.
I ordered almost entirely on automatic using the self service machine. As usual, in fact as always, the receipt printer didn't work and instead it gave out a number. I noticed on the last steps that my vision was blurry, the number is the only bit that really needs focus. I'm not sure if blurry is accurate. It's more as though my field of vision was constricted or the shutters were down. I didn't find it easy to focus on anything. I almost walked away without checking the number in a daze.
I watched the screen waiting in anticipation. It was in this state you sometimes see where clearly delivered orders had not been satisfied and some strange codes appear that look like glitches. It didn't take too long for my number to come up. The attendant came with two bags, 95 and 96. 95 shifted the guy in front of my out of the way so I approached and said 96 that's mine.
The guy gave me a strange look and said which number. I said 96. He then asked me again. I said 96. He then asked me again. I said clearly 96, nine, six. He then looked at the receipt, stared at it for a while with a strangely concerned and confused look on his face then asked me what was in it. I couldn't actually remember that quickly. My mind was completely blocked. I just blurted out chips because it was one of the things in the order. I wasn't capable of quickly or easily formulating a list in my head. Instead of handing it over, asking me what else, asking if I had the right number or anything like that, he immediately curled up the top, firmly said no as if that was final and rapidly left with food in hand.
I've never seen customer service like that and I was instantly shocked. I told him I would call the police. First I asked to speak to the manager. They completely blanked me. They were treating me like absolute scum, as though I'd picked up someone's order before, stolen it and was trying to do the same here. This has never happened and I'm always fastidious to make sure it's the right order. My orders are fairly consistent to me yet unique with some custom bits. No one else was coming to collect it either. They didn't call out for anyone else with 96, they just said no, denied. At this point I'm livid and trembling. How can they just steal my money refusing goods like that?
A bit later another guy who picked it up again looking very happy and positive saying 96 as he walked towards the counter. For a moment I'm relieved as this guy appears to be normal. I said that's mine as he comes near me his expression and demeanour completely reverses with an almost dumbfounded expression. He hesitates as he sees me, breaking his momentum as if switching from automatic to manual. Again he asks me what's in it. At this point I'm enraged at this treatment like I'm a criminal and shout something like why do you keep bloody asking me that I just want my food? Except at this point I don't want my food anymore. I can't trust people who treat me like this with food. Not that it matters, he does exactly the same as the other guy, says no then takes it back. Some foul creature undeserving of a glance sneered at my reaction. I asked again to speak to the manager and was blanked.
At this point I called the police, I really really urgently needed to eat but the anger was starting to exceed the hunger. They as usual, useless bunch of layabouts, said that it's a civil matter and that I should go beg the chain's customer support and beg for my money back. They asked if I was given a reason, I wasn't. I wouldn't be surprised if the operator didn't believe me because in what world do you pay for your food then just get told no, you can't have it, end of discussion, bye? They're not capable of talking for more than 10 seconds and can only say a set of phrases, numbers or words? It's like talking to machines.
I was so angry I couldn't eat anymore so I went back to work or tried to but ended up starting the process for a SAR and small claims or rather tried to but couldn't concentrate on anything. I called customer support on the off chance they might rectify the situation quickly. They can't handle refunds nor contact the store though were really nice and will send me a voucher as a small token but ultimately can't rectify it fully. The voucher doesn't cover the whole cost. To do that I have to go to the restaurant and talk to the manager except if you ask them that they blank you.
Tomorrow I'm going to go in and demand to talk to the manager. If they don't refund me, then they're going to receive a SAR and will be taken to court to recover both the legal expenses as well as the cost of my meal. The amount is inconsequential. Theft is theft.
I don't want to make this a discussion of necessarily did I have hypoglycemia or not. The point is that I very well could have and food isn't just some luxury. It's something that sustains life, in some situations more urgently than in others. This behaviour isn't merely disgusting in that they took my money and ran but because for some people this kind of dysfunctional behaviour and incompetence could have far more severe consequences.
I can't even comprehend how it's possible for service to be so terrible. I never thought it possible to see something like that in my life time.
I work a lot, a bit of a workaholic which tends to be a main contributor to this. I've never really established an eating routine other than opportunity and when my stomach decides. My diet has also changed a fair bit over the last couple of months due to my work moving and there being a very different range of options nearby. In the last past year eating on the way home has become more common as going out to eat has become more complex. This has been so for over a year now and I have noticed it may be contributing to feeling irritable or tense regularly for long periods of the day, though taking up coffee for the first time hasn't helped either.
I've gradually become fairly confident that my diet is liable to lead to hypoglycemia (though I don't want to change it otherwise). It's not something I thought might ever apply to me but I have been feeling effects on my mood and state of consciousness that are hard to constantly ignore and I am starting to consider if they might be related to how my diet affects sugar levels.
I've never had a blood sugar monitor available so I cannot say for certain I had hypoglycemia, though the symptoms would fit and there's cause enough for it. None of this describes what happened but provides background for the feasibility of hypoglycemia.
Yesterday around 1900 I ate but only a moderate meal as it was a quick rush job to put down hunger so I could concentrate on something complex and important.
Today I ate two cheese toasties at around 1320. This is unusual but I was hungry and the opportunity presented. At around 1840 I was struck with an intense hunger that effectively pulled me from my seat. I headed out for food. Outside it became hard to expend cognitive energy on finding a food place and what to eat so I opted for the simplest, MacDonalds. My cognition was muddy and weighted down like lead to the point of it feeling it would be too stressful to order from somewhere which would require giving complex instructions (in this case ordering).
I've been there a few times, easily a couple dozen times. I've never caused any trouble. It's a fairly automatic process. Go in, order at the self service machine, wait about two minutes for the food, collect, eat on the way home. It was moderately crowded this time, but not at its most crowded.
I ordered almost entirely on automatic using the self service machine. As usual, in fact as always, the receipt printer didn't work and instead it gave out a number. I noticed on the last steps that my vision was blurry, the number is the only bit that really needs focus. I'm not sure if blurry is accurate. It's more as though my field of vision was constricted or the shutters were down. I didn't find it easy to focus on anything. I almost walked away without checking the number in a daze.
I watched the screen waiting in anticipation. It was in this state you sometimes see where clearly delivered orders had not been satisfied and some strange codes appear that look like glitches. It didn't take too long for my number to come up. The attendant came with two bags, 95 and 96. 95 shifted the guy in front of my out of the way so I approached and said 96 that's mine.
The guy gave me a strange look and said which number. I said 96. He then asked me again. I said 96. He then asked me again. I said clearly 96, nine, six. He then looked at the receipt, stared at it for a while with a strangely concerned and confused look on his face then asked me what was in it. I couldn't actually remember that quickly. My mind was completely blocked. I just blurted out chips because it was one of the things in the order. I wasn't capable of quickly or easily formulating a list in my head. Instead of handing it over, asking me what else, asking if I had the right number or anything like that, he immediately curled up the top, firmly said no as if that was final and rapidly left with food in hand.
I've never seen customer service like that and I was instantly shocked. I told him I would call the police. First I asked to speak to the manager. They completely blanked me. They were treating me like absolute scum, as though I'd picked up someone's order before, stolen it and was trying to do the same here. This has never happened and I'm always fastidious to make sure it's the right order. My orders are fairly consistent to me yet unique with some custom bits. No one else was coming to collect it either. They didn't call out for anyone else with 96, they just said no, denied. At this point I'm livid and trembling. How can they just steal my money refusing goods like that?
A bit later another guy who picked it up again looking very happy and positive saying 96 as he walked towards the counter. For a moment I'm relieved as this guy appears to be normal. I said that's mine as he comes near me his expression and demeanour completely reverses with an almost dumbfounded expression. He hesitates as he sees me, breaking his momentum as if switching from automatic to manual. Again he asks me what's in it. At this point I'm enraged at this treatment like I'm a criminal and shout something like why do you keep bloody asking me that I just want my food? Except at this point I don't want my food anymore. I can't trust people who treat me like this with food. Not that it matters, he does exactly the same as the other guy, says no then takes it back. Some foul creature undeserving of a glance sneered at my reaction. I asked again to speak to the manager and was blanked.
At this point I called the police, I really really urgently needed to eat but the anger was starting to exceed the hunger. They as usual, useless bunch of layabouts, said that it's a civil matter and that I should go beg the chain's customer support and beg for my money back. They asked if I was given a reason, I wasn't. I wouldn't be surprised if the operator didn't believe me because in what world do you pay for your food then just get told no, you can't have it, end of discussion, bye? They're not capable of talking for more than 10 seconds and can only say a set of phrases, numbers or words? It's like talking to machines.
I was so angry I couldn't eat anymore so I went back to work or tried to but ended up starting the process for a SAR and small claims or rather tried to but couldn't concentrate on anything. I called customer support on the off chance they might rectify the situation quickly. They can't handle refunds nor contact the store though were really nice and will send me a voucher as a small token but ultimately can't rectify it fully. The voucher doesn't cover the whole cost. To do that I have to go to the restaurant and talk to the manager except if you ask them that they blank you.
Tomorrow I'm going to go in and demand to talk to the manager. If they don't refund me, then they're going to receive a SAR and will be taken to court to recover both the legal expenses as well as the cost of my meal. The amount is inconsequential. Theft is theft.
I don't want to make this a discussion of necessarily did I have hypoglycemia or not. The point is that I very well could have and food isn't just some luxury. It's something that sustains life, in some situations more urgently than in others. This behaviour isn't merely disgusting in that they took my money and ran but because for some people this kind of dysfunctional behaviour and incompetence could have far more severe consequences.
I can't even comprehend how it's possible for service to be so terrible. I never thought it possible to see something like that in my life time.
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