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.