Category: Uncategorized

For the record…

I have never taken my son to the ER for a high or low blood sugar. In fact, I do not know anyone out of the 100s of families I know living with Type 1 diabetes that take a child to an ER for a high or low blood sugar. Yes, people do take their kids to the ER when ketones are present and DKA seems imminent, or when vomiting has persisted for many days and dehydration is setting in, but for a regular old high or low, never. If I brought my son to the ER for a higher then expected high or a lower then expected low I would have to move in and make my home address the ER. We see a high or low every single day.  Highs we give insulin. Lows we give sugar. Move on.

For the record…

It does not have to be a ‘bad’ night for me not to get any sleep. Several times throughout the year, maybe about 5 times a month, I need to see what is going on with my son’s pump settings through the night. Every single night I get up to check him once in the middle of the night. Every week or so I need to get up every few hours, usually two, to make sure the basal settings are keeping him at a level that keeps him safe. I don’t want him dropping too low at night, or shooting too high at night. I need to know that his basals, that I have created, are the right ones for him at that time.

For the record…

It does not have to be a ‘bad’ day for me to get a phone call when my son is not with me. At any given time, when my son is in the care of someone else, I can expect a phone call. Sometimes they are brief, “When should he be tested?” or much longer, “His POD fell off and we need you to walk us through putting a new one on.” That is life with diabetes. It’s not bad or good, it just is.

For the record…

It never gets any easier with diabetes. It’s not bad, it’s not good, it just plain sucks. All the time. Yes it is more worrisome when my son is sick, stressed, high, low, or whatever, but it still sucks on the days that I don’t get a phone call. It still sucks on the days when I am out having fun with friends. It still sucks when he is swimming and showing off his diving skills. It. Sucks. Every. Second. Of. Every. Day.

For the record…

Even with all it’s ups and downs and highs and lows, we are okay with diabetes. Yes we get angry at it when it doesn’t care that my son is busy swimming and it requires attention, yes I am tired from never having slept through the night for 5 years, and yes my son does get annoyed sometimes that every single carb he eats has to be bolused for, but all in all, we are ok. My son is happy, healthy, adorable, smart, and funny. “It is what it is” means exactly that. Diabetes just is.

I have already blogged about this topic http://s782639264.onlinehome.us/?p=298 on my own, but seeing as there is so much that I wish you would know about living with Type 1 diabetes, that I am going to write another one today.

1. Diabetes is always on my mind, yet is it never on my mind.

Huh?

Let me explain.

When you and I are having a conversation about the new salad restaurant that opened in our town, I am listening. I am following along, thinking about what kind of salad I would get if we decided to go to lunch one day…and then I hear an ambulance…As I live only 2 blocks to school my thoughts immediately jump to figuring out where the siren is going (towards the school?) and if my son could have dropped so low that they were forced to give glucagon and call 911. So, yeah, I was in the salad restaurant conversation, but in a heart beat I am out of it.

2. Diabetes is the absolute last thing when I think about my son, yet it’s the first.

Huh?

Let me explain.

When I see my son, I see a gorgeous, intelligent, funny, lanky, bike riding 8 year old. I see a kid that makes me smile and cringe at least 100 times a day. I see a great big brother and an annoying big brother. I see a kid that loves his waffles with chocolate chips for breakfast.

Then I see diabetes. When I see a bike riding 8 year old riding a bit too slow, I wonder if he is going low. When I see an annoying big brother just getting a bit too much, I wonder if he is going high. When I see a kid that loves waffles turn his nose up at them, I wonder if he has ketones that are making his belly hurt.

3. Diabetes is the first thing that pops in my mind, but the last thing I would ever say.

Huh?

Let me explain.

My son is a dreamer. He is brilliant. He has all these plans for when he gets older that he is going to fly out into Space as well as explore the deepest depths of the oceans. He talks about climbing mountains and backpacking across Europe. He wants to travel across the US in an RV for one summer (ok, that’s my idea too).

When he talks about these things with immense excitement I think about his diabetes care, where he will get insulin while backpacking. I wonder how he will keep his insulin cold while travelling to Space. I am concerned what will he do if he goes low while scuba diving in Belize.

When he talks about these things I say it will be awesome, honey. I say that sounds exciting, I can’t wait for you to do it. I say you are going to have an awesome time.

Diabetes is here and it’s here to stay. I do my best to keep it out of my thoughts, my mind and my spoken word. We know it’s here, we know we have to deal with it, but we don’t have to give it center stage.

Definition of FANTASY