My Sweetest Boy

I think I can breath again

2011-09-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

These last few days have been rough. Those of you that have children with diabetes know exactly what I am talking about....

SCHOOL

there are meeting... with school nurses, teachers, staff, etc.

health plans to come up with...WHEN to test blood sugars, WHERE to test, WHO will count the carbs & administer the insulin, WHAT to do for a low, a high, a Dex that is alarming, etc.

there are supplies to be purchased ...and I don't just mean the 48 Ticonderoga pencils, 4 pink erasers, 3 boxes of crayons, etc. I mean the juice boxes, the glucose tabs, the spare infusion sets, extra meter, insulin, glucagon, etc.

I have been wracking my brain for days making sure that I had everything he could possible need in any situation and that every scenario is covered. Diabetes is fickle. One day is not like the next. We can hope for some patterns that stick so we can make adjustments. But D doesn't work that way. A simple equation doesn't work. It is not "if A, then B and you will get C." I don't know when his morning insulin is going to kick in and take that huge breakfast spike and plummet it . Maybe at 9:30am?? Let's test him then. I feel like I am going in to this blind though I have been doing it for years. When I am with him, I know if I need to test him or if I can just glance at his Dex and see what his blood sugars are doing. I know when I need to feed him or let him ride. I don't know how to write that down for someone else. There are too many factors, too many variables. I want this to be simple. For now we will test and test more than he needs to until we know better what his days will be like. In some ways, D is very complex. In other ways, (when it is behaving), it is merely background noise and easy peasy.

So I haven't been sleeping. My mind is too busy going over all the things I had to make sure of to make school a success for Bryce.

I met with the school nurse and teacher the week before school started. I felt really good about our plan. It isn't ideal (he will still be testing in the office which is so far from his class) but it was the easiest and most logical plan. Where last year I felt the nurse thought I was a crazy D mom, this year I think she understands my goals better and respects my ideas.

Bryce's teacher is AWESOME. Jaden had her for 1st grade a couple years ago so I pushed for Bryce to be in her class. She is very concerned for his well being and is genuinely nice. She even got glucagon trained last year in preparation of Bryce someday being with her. LOVE her!!

Yesterday was the first day of school. I sent the boys off on the bus. I couldn't breathe, my stomach was in knots, I felt like I was going to be sick.

I am not sure why I was feeling this way. I felt good about our plan and the people involved. I guess it is just hard to leave your child's life in others' hands when they don't really know how to handle every situation. Most of all, I wanted Bryce to feel good and have fun.

My husband and I went to the school just a little bit later to deliver the school supplies to the class and diabetes supplies to the office. I talked to the nurse to go over the plan again...she was going to be there this week to get everything settled and people trained (she has like 5 other schools she covers!)

I brought my little one to my mom's house for the day then went back to the school for lunch. In that short time, Bryce's Dex alarmed "High" and he was sent to the office to test (even though I said if he was feeling okay, it could wait but better safe then ??)

When I came back for lunch, Bryce's bg was in range, he was bolused and sent to the cafeteria to eat. Before I left, his teacher and I went out to talk to the people on recess duty. We told them what to look out for, they met Bryce, they offered to carry a sugar source for him, and they will be there EVERYDAY for his recess. I was THRILLED!!

I left feeling such relief at knowing there were so many caring people at the school that were going to watch over my boy.

I headed home with plans to hit the gym with my bit of spare time. Instead, I walked in the door and just about collapsed. Despite the 84 degrees in the house (hotter outside...yes, summer finally showed up here in Oregon!!) I was shivering and wanted a blanket. I couldn't move. I curled up on the couch with my dog and slept (at least tried to). All the stress of the past few days finally caught up with me.

The boys got off the bus super excited to tell us about their day. They love their teachers and can't wait for what this school year will bring. With the first day down, I can breath again!!

Bryce: 1st grader

Jaden: 3rd grader

Diabetes Art Day 2011

2011-09-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

This is our second year participating in Diabetes Art Day.

Last year we did this.

This year, we worked with tests strips....lots of test strips.

At the end of the school year, Bryce had us start collect his used test strips in a jelly jar that has overflowed (& it only contains tests from this summer that were done at our house, weren't thrown away, or still laying in various nooks and crannies.) That turned out to be A LOT of test strips.

My submission this year is a photograph of those strips - each one representing a finger poke and a drop of my son's blood....

Just This Summer

Bryce used the strips to write out his JDRF Walk team name...

Bryce's Team: Wipeout Diabetes

Jaden used some strips as a bridge towards reaching a cure...

Bridge to a Cure

Bryce also drew this...

Both Jaden and Bryce worked together and came up with this comic strip where "WD" (Wipeout Diabetes) defeats "Diabetes" and hands out "cures for everyone!"

Now that you have seen our submissions, here are a few pics of the kids making their creations...

Drew really just got his paper all wet...but he was cute doing it!

Dumb IOB!!

2011-08-26T09:52:00.001-07:00

Yesterday after playing at his friend's house, Bryce came home and was 40. Juice box and some apples, retest was 198 so I bolused him for the apples. About 10 mins later it was dinner time and he was down to 108. That is a 90 point drop in 10 mins!!! For dinner, Bryce ate a TON of pasta, I am sure we underbolused for all those carbs. A little over an hour later, he was 70!! The boys were having Drumstick ice cream cones. I entered the 37 carbs into his Ping and when it factored in his IOB (insulin on board) it told me to give him 0.00u !! I knew that was nuts and it would come back to bite us in the butt but I figured I would just bolus him later. Sure enough, at bedtime, he was 215 but according to his IOB, he still didn't need any more insulin. Of course when we tested him before we went to bed a couple hours later, he was up to 450!! The pasta and ice cream finally caught up (as we knew it would) Ugh!

Now if we had ignored the IOB and bolused him anyhow, we probably would have been fighting lows all night.

You just can't win with D!!

up coming...

2011-08-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

Next week, my older two boys and their cousins will be attending a day camp by my in-laws for the week. They will be going horseback riding, canoeing, playing mini golf, go-karts, bumper boats, rock climbing, and swimming, besides running around and playing camp games. Last year, Bryce was able to attend for the first time. I ended up staying the whole week and managing his diabetes from lunch time on because it was easier than having to educate each new nurse that came on throughout the week. It went fine. This year, my husband and I are both heading down to his parent's for the whole week. He will work, I will keep an eye on Bryce's D at camp. I must admit, I am so jealous that my husband's brother and sister-in-law get to just drop off their two kids and head home for a kid-less week. We could really use the time off too but because of D, we won't get to. Will we ever? *sigh*

Wish me luck keeping D in check for this fun activity-filled week!

(I also have my Anatomy & Physiology final next week. Maybe the studying will help keep my mind off of Bryce's numbers!)

Family Triathlon

2011-08-02T11:29:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, the Parks & Rec put on their "Party in the Park" that started off with a Family Triathlon. My husband signed up himself and our older two boys. It was such a fun little event with a just a couple laps of swimming, followed by a couple mile bike ride, and finished off with a half mile run. The boys had so much fun in their first "triathlon" (and our youngest spent the whole time crying that he wanted to go too...next year, baby, next year!)

Went into the event high but after all the activity, ended with a beautiful 86 :-)

Big Brother Bolus

2011-07-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

We are very fortunate to share a backyard fence with Bryce's best friend.

In fact, a couple weeks ago, our dog knocked down one of the old boards creating a "secret passage" between our two yards. Usually 'the girls' come over to our yard (you know, easier to keep tabs on D that way) but sometimes my boys like to go over there.

Yesterday was one of those days. Bryce went over to play & my oldest was busy reading, so I took my youngest to store with me (my hubby works from home so I can take off like that)

When I got back, my husband told me that both boys were over at our neighbors and were having grilled cheese sandwiches....ok?

He said Jaden went to take care of Bryce....another, ok?

When I called the girls' mom, she put Jaden on the phone to tell me what happened...

He said he tested Bryce and "two pieces of bread was 29 carbs, so I bolused him for that. Then he had some grapes after, which are about 1 carb each, but I didn't bolus him for those cuz I figured he would just run them off anyhow"

I asked him how much insulin he gave him and he told me 1.95u (yep...his I:C is 1:15)

I was speechless. Not only did he bolus him correctly, but he factored in activity levels and let him have a handful of grapes for free!

Did I mention he is only 8 and a half !?!

And here is the best part of it all...Bryce came in to dinner at a perfect 83!

Right on Jaden! I don't think I could have played that better myself!

So proud!

What a great feeling for a Dmom to know that her son will be safe because his big brother gets it.

Busy busy busy and a wrong A1c

2011-07-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

Boy the time is just flying! We have been so busy that my head is spinning. I haven't had any time to post, let alone read others' posts. Guess that is a good thing!

However, I have SO MUCH to write about. Like....

- meeting the amazing Wendy Rose and her sweet Candy Heart girls (it was hard to not take Tink home with me ;-)

- becoming the Family Team Chair for the 2011 JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes (which included speaking at the Family Team Kick-off event...and I hate public speaking!!)

-starting a bi-weekly Park Playdate for families with diabetes (next one on 7/14, ask me for details if you are local.)

-mentoring 2 new families (this always makes me sad but glad I can be there for them)

-starting my pre-reqs for nursing school (I am taking an online anatomy & physiology class right now. I have my first midterm tonight...taking a little mind break from studying to write this)

-taking trips to my in-laws (their property is a wonderland for the kids...besides the treehouse, zipline, teepee, play structure, & dome climber, it is full of lizards, newts, & snakes for the boys to hunt and catch!)

-swimming (my oldest is on the swim team again-with his cousin this time, and my younger two are in lessons right after...Bryce even has his T1 friend in his class!)

-we are off to go on a camping trip pretty soon so getting all prepared for that!

Whew! I am tired just listing all that....and that is just a small part of what we've been up to!

Overall, D has been in the background though we have had a couple times where Dex says WTF...

Bryce had his endo appointment yesterday. They were super busy and training a new front desk person. It seemed we waited forever to get called back. My boys found everything they could to pull out and throw around the tiny room...driving me more insane by the minute. By the time the doctor came in, I was already at my wit's end. He said our numbers the past week looked great (they were for the most part) then the a1c came in.... 8.8! WHAT?!?! We haven't had an a1c that high in years! I KNEW that wasn't right. The doctor agreed with me and said we could do a lab draw or just retest. Since I didn't want to put Bryce through the lab, I just had them retest on their other a1c machine...it came back at 7.8. Much more likely...it was lower than a few months ago, as I expected. But it makes me wonder how accurate ANY of the a1cs we've gotten are. As usual, our endo did not recommend any changes but okayed all the tweaks I wanted to make. By the time we got out of the office, I was fried. Glad we won't be back for a few months, hopefully by then the a1c machine will be fixed!

Ok, so I need to study for my midterm now...

Hope you all are having a great summer.

Good Friday 6/24

2011-06-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

These past couple weeks have been so crazy busy!!

With the end of the school year, came all the parties and celebrations along with it. SOOOO much fun!! The Kindergartners did their music program....so cute! There were awards assemblies. Both Bryce and Jaden were awarded the "Writing Achievement Award" for their class as well as a couple other awards (my boys LOVE to write!! The are always making books and wishing to get them published) The school had a fun End of School Year Party, complete with a DJ and raffle prizes. On the last day, we took the boys to John's Incredible Pizza Company where they rode some rides, played games, and won prizes. Whew!

We had a great Father's Day celebrating my amazing husband who is truly the most incredible dad! (though I spent the first part of the day meeting the amazing Wendy from Candy Hearts and her girls, along with Heidi, Chasiti, and Bonnie...will post on that later)

We just finished our first week of summer vacation. The sun came out (at least for one day).

I started an Anatomy & Physiology class (The greatest thing is that it is an online class so I can sit on my backyard swing and listen to the lecture! AND I don't have to go to a lab and endure the smell of cadavers!)

So here are a few pics of our GOOD things from the past TWO weeks....

Jaden and Bryce on the FIRST day of school...

and on the LAST day of school.....

(yes, Bryce is wearing the shirt the Jaden wore on the first day!)

Bryce on the FIRST day of Kindergarten...

Bryce on the LAST day of Kindergarten...

Jaden's FIRST day of 2nd grade....

Jaden's LAST day of 2nd grade....

End of School Year Party. Bunch of Kinders in the field...

Bryce and his friends being silly...

FATHER'S DAY...we surprised Daddy by putting his presents on the grill for him to find...

My Sweetest Boy and his Amazing Daddy....

Bryce's best friend lives in the house around the corner. He and his brothers were over there playing, which drove our little dog crazy... until he found a loose board and was able to get to them. We soon found out that all the kids can fit through this small hole. Now the kids have a "secret passage" into each others' yard. too bad they are moving in a few week :-(

What good things has your week(s) brought??

??? Nightmares!

2011-06-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

During our crazy lows yesterday and last night, Dex was giving ???s....Thanks Dex!!! I decided to put in a new sensor in hopes that we would not have to be testing him ALL.NIGHT.LONG. When I finished my post last night and retested, he was 118 (finally!!) I left his pump off since I knew I would be doing the start up bgs soon after. Of course he was at 304 and 298 at that point. I entered them into Dex who responded with ???. GREAT! So I stopped and restarted the sensor. A couple hours later he was 157. Dex took the 2 start up bgs and I went to sleep. He woke up this morning at 104 and Dex seemed to be working for the previous couple hours...until then of course when he flashed me his ??? again. UGH! Hope we can get Dex in line cuz after yesterday, I want to see those arrows!!!! (Plus I only have 1 sensor left...better call Dexcom now!)

It was a LONG night for sure. I don't know how many times I tested him but I found a LOT of test strips in my bed when I woke up!!

Another Empty Juice Box...

2011-06-15T00:30:00.000-07:00

I am waiting to retest after yet ANOTHER low tonight. What a weird day it has been...

Bryce's 2pm pre-recess bg was 147...excellent! No snack cuz there would be birthday treats in class in 20 mins. Of course this meant a BIG juice box and HUGE frosted sprinkled cupcake.

SWAG'ed it at 45 carbs (the juice was 24g) Dex said 120 flat arrow. He got 3.0u of insulin.

After the treats, the kids went out to play with bubbles. I went to the office to fax something. About 10 mins later, Bryce comes in cuz Dex buzzed 'LOW Under 90'. Couldn't see how that was possible with all the fast sugars coursing through his body. BG test was 125. The school day was almost over so I just took him home.

Not much later, the kids were playing at our neighbor's house and Dex buzzed again. I tested him, 57!!!! I popped a couple rolls of Smarties in his mouth, few mins later had cheese and crackers. Never "felt" low.

Dinner time-68...had him just eat. Eventually bolused him for only his hamburger bun (not for his bananas or milk)

We then went to the school's end of the year party. He wanted some popcorn so we tested him, expecting the burger to have kicked in and a rebound high but instead saw a 67. He ate cookies, popcorn, etc. no bolus. When we got home and got the boys in bed, he was 152 (good, right?).

(Did I mention it was a set change day? Usually that means he is running high...never low! Anyhow, changed his set out and put him to bed. OH, AND Dex was giving me ??? the WHOLE TIME. Put in a new sensor too.)

An hour and a half later, he was 49!!!! WTF?? Juice bumped him to 90... gave him a Gogurt figuring that should do the trick.

20 mins later...71!

He has had NO insulin since 5:30pm and has eaten a TON of carbs.

Well, he will be sleeping with us tonight! Gave him some cereal and unplugged his pump too.

Recheck..... he is now up to 118. Will need to do the 2 start up bgs for Dex pretty soon so it looks like I won't be sleeping yet. Hoping this craziness is behind us though.

Jump Hooping

2011-06-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

Bryce asked if he could do a vlog. I asked him what he wanted to talk about and he asked "Does it have to be about diabetes?" I said, "no" and this is what he came up with.....

ok, he really went on for a good 15 mins including running all over the backyard but figured, I could cut most of that out ;-)

Field Day

2011-06-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

Today was Field Day at school.

A day when the kids go outside and play games. Races, relays, you name it, they do it. For most people, especially the kids, this is something to look forward to. But I was dreading it.

Why?

Well if you ask that, then you do not have a child with Type 1!

See, physical activity lowers blood sugars...usually. Sometimes it may raise them. Or it may do nothing. Since I can't predict what Bryce's body will do, I had to decide if I should just have the teacher keep an eye on him (along with the 20+ other kindergartners), pop in and test him a few times, or just hang out with the class the whole time. I had to take my three year old along with me and figured I would decide what to do when we got there. We ended up staying the whole time. Not because I was worried about Bryce and his diabetes (His numbers were great the whole time.) We stayed because it was so fun!!!

It's too bad they couldn't have Field Days more often. :-)

the kids had to put on XXXL tshirts and shorts then balance a ball on a plunger while trying to keep the clothes on....hilarious fun!

Drew played with his tractor on the grass when he wasn't picking daisies.

My oldest and his 2nd grade class doing potato sack races.

Kinders Noodle Toss

Gutter Ball...using teamwork to get the ball into the bucket with the gutter pieces.

Another fun game with his best buddy.

and when it was all over.....

My 3 year old was so tired after his brother's field day, that he fell asleep in this weird position on the chair and slept for like an hour or so!!

Mmm, Evil Doughnuts!

2011-06-04T10:30:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was National Doughnut Day (...or something like that.) Anyhow, it meant FREE doughnuts at Krispy Kreme! Whoohooo!

So fascinating to watch the donuts being made

SWAGing for cookies and creme doughnut (40g?)

could he have picked a sweeter doughnut??

sprinkles!!

Happy boys after yummy doughnuts!

What wasn't so happy was his bgs! It is amazing what a little (ok, not so little) doughnut can do to his numbers. He soared into the 400s and stayed there for hours! Apparently I didn't SWAG high enough and the temp basal I put in wasn't long enough. EVIL DOUGHNUT! Of course he came crashing down after dinner and we had to battle some lows. Was it worth it? I think he would say Yes. Next time, I will not let the evil doughnut get the best of us....I won't be so conservative on my SWAGing and I will run a bigger temp basal for a longer period. Always a learning experience. :-)

(btw... I prefer the spelling DONUT, but know that Krispy Kreme makes DOUGHNUTS. tomAYto, toMAHto. )

when I grow up, I want to be a...

2011-05-31T19:02:00.000-07:00

The answer has changed many times.

I have dreamed of being a doctor, a counselor, a midwife, a construction worker (yeah, don't ask...I just think driving heavy machinery would be cool).

When I went to college, I studied pre-med. After taking organic chemistry, I changed directions and went towards special education. I ended up with my Bachelor of Science with a minor in Special Ed. I started to get my Masters in school counseling until I realized all the schools were cutting their counselors and would never find a job.

I have been a telephone operator, a preschool teacher, a nanny, a treatment counselor, a personal trainer, an HR/benefits administrator, an executive assistant, a photographer, a mother, and a pancreas.

Now I think I know what I want to be when I grow up....a Diabetes Educator!!

When Bryce was diagnosed, our CDE was AMAZING!! Because she was a type 1, I felt like she really GOT it and could tell us what life is really like with D, not just what the books say. The other CDEs in the clinic are super great, but they lack that personal connection to D. They know many families who get little to no sleep but don't really know what that feels like to test bgs ALL DAY, EVERY DAY and all else that goes along with managing D. I have always felt that feeling of same-same is so powerful in getting through all this. I've been thinking about this for a couple years now. Now is the time...

Going back to school and beginning a career is a great possibility for the near future. My kiddos are growing up. Both Jaden and Bryce will be in school full days next year and my baby will be in preschool a couple mornings a week with Kindy not far off (only 2 more years!)

So now I just have to figure out what I need to do to become a CDE. What (if any) of my previous course work will still count? What will be the easiest, quickest, most cost effective approach? Suggestions??

Good Friday 5/27

2011-05-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

Another BUSY week!

I have a little over an hour to still consider this a FRIDAY post :-)

Here are my three good (non-D) things from this week....

1. Our oldest son competed in his second swim meet this past weekend. He came in first place in both the 25 breaststroke and 25 freestyle. He also did backstroke (his least favorite stroke) in the relay. I was so proud of him, I almost cried.

2. Had fun helping the kindergartners paint self portraits. Almost had a crisis when we couldn't find any black paint. All but 4 kids in the class have black hair!! (the school is over 75% hispanic) Luckily I was able to track some down in the art room. Also had to do a lot of persuading to get kids to choose skin colors that were closer to their real color. Many wanted the really light color when they were much farther up the spectrum. Found that interesting. Anyhow, the portraits are so cute and the kids are fun to work with.

3. I chopped my hair!!

Think I took off almost 8 inches. Not enough to donate but I was ready for the change. Loving it! Will post a pic soon.

Time to play along. What are your three good things from this week??

Good Friday 5/20

2011-05-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun!!

Yes, the sun has finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest!!!

This means we have been spending time OUTSIDE!

My husband (& youngest son) mowed the lawn.

I planted our veggie garden.

Pulled some weeds.

Planted some flowers.

Trimmed some trees.

The boys played in the treehouse.

Swang on the swings (is 'swang' even a word??)

Pulled out the sand toys and sidewalk chalk.

Ran through the sprinklers.

Drew "mowing" right along side his Daddy.

sidewalk chalk makes me happy :-)

This is what happens to a little black dog when he goes near a three year old with blue chalk...

He ends up with a blue face!!

My other two good things (as if the above wasn't enough!)

-I made it to the gym a few times this week and Drew happily played in the kids' club.

-I volunteered in my oldest son's 2nd grade class for the art lit project. Georgia O'Keefe was the artist they studied and they did watercolor flowers for their project. Today, I go in to help them with glazing their clay projects they made a couple weeks ago. LOVE art with kids!!

What about you? What are your 3 GOOD non-D things from this week??

I need REST!

2011-05-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

I think between posting everyday and trying to read everyone else's posts during D Blog week, I burnt myself out. I realize that I never did the final post on what we have learned from the DOC, nor have I read more than a few blogs since then. I plan to get to that eventually. Currently my brain is fried, I got D'd out. I need a little break to rest my mind. Will be back in a few to let you all know about this diabetes symposium we are attending on Saturday.

Much love to you all!!

Diabetes Through My Lens

2011-05-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

Today is the sixth day of Diabetes Blog Week hosted by Karen at Bitter-Sweet. Today's topic is Saturday Snapshots.

My latest snapshot....

Error 5, really?? do you see how much blood is on that strip?

and a bunch of others I may or may not have posted before....

Yes, There Is A Silver Lining...

2011-05-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Today is the fifth day of Diabetes Blog Week hosted by Karen at Bitter-Sweet. Today's topic is Awesome Things. What awesome thing have you (or your child) done BECAUSE of diabetes?

We have been part of some great events and met amazing people...

Last year, Bryce and Jaden helped with JDRF Hope Gala.

We got to meet Kenny Wheaton, former UO Duck football player responsible for the most famous interception play in Oregon history, "The Pick".

The boys went up on stage with Kenny to auction off his game jersey and football. (The boys were holding the autographed football)

At the Gala, we also met Chris Dudley, former NBA player with the Blazers, Type 1 diabetic, and 2010 candidate for governor (he didn't win). He is by far the tallest person I have ever met!
We met Chris again at the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes in October. Such a nice guy. And another great event we never would have been part of if it wasn't for D.

We get access to fun activites...for FREE!

We get to use the CHAP art factory at no cost. That means no holds barred on creativity. And paint EVERYWHERE!

CHAP also started a Diabetes Art Club were D families can get together while the kids create (or jump on a mattress with painted feet!)

They also hold Art Club activities each month where they do something out of the ordinary, like the time they got to blow glass into ornaments at a glass studio...

Because of Diabetes, we can bring food into places that don't allow food...

like into the stadium when we went to the Rose Bowl.

into the movie theater.

onto the airplane (including juice boxes!)

just to name a few.

I also heard you can get a special pass at places like Disneyland so you don't have to wait in line for rides. We'll check into that if we get down there again.

We also signed up for the Starlight Foundation, so we will see what events that brings.

These are all great things but THE MOST AWESOME THING is all the great friends we have made because of Diabetes. I don't know what I would do without the great Dmoms (and dads) that I have met here locally and those of you in the DOC. You all make this journey so much easier!!

Look at me! (blooper)

2011-05-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

Today is the third day of Diabetes Blog Week hosted by Karen at Bitter-Sweet. Today's topic is "Diabetes Bloopers"

A lot of 'funny' things happen due to diabetes. Many involve random test strips, bolusing when disconnected and the pump is nowhere around but in somehow in range, trying to use a food scale in the back seat of the van while traveling 65 mph down the freeway, and testing the wrong kids' fingers. However, I while Bryce and I were working on a vlog for our "Wild Card: Stepping Outside The Box", I found my 'blooper' submission.

Not only did Bryce's little brother come in crying, but the two of them became fascinated with the way their hands left tracers when they moved them fast. Bryce tripping over a box of toys was the clincher...this was my D blooper!

enjoy :-) (that is if the video works!!)

Dear...

2011-05-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

Today is the second day of Diabetes Blog Week hosted by Karen at Bitter-Sweet. Today's topic is "Letter Writing"

Whomever you choose as a recipient, today is the day to tell them what you are feeling.

I thought about writing my letter to Bryce....telling him how much I love him and how proud of him I am. I would tell him all the things I love, like his creativity, his determination, his strength, his sense of humor, his big hugs, etc. I would let him know that diabetes should never keep him from doing the things he wants to do, that he can be anything he wants and can accomplish great things. That I will do everything in my power for him to lead a happy, healthy, normal life. That I gladly give up sleep, appearing brain-dead to the non-D world, if it means he will be safe. That I love him...NO MATTER WHAT. and on and on....

I also thought about writing my letter to Jaden and Drew, my 2 non-D boys....telling them how much I love them and how proud of them I am. How it may seem like they get put second when it comes to taking care of Bryce's diabetes. I would let them know they are always important to me and never a second thought. I love each of my boys for being themselves, each and every part of them (even the parts that make me yell) I would let them know how much it means to me that they are there to watch after Bryce, to be his big or little brother, to be his friend, to get him a juice box. and on and on....

I also thought about writing my letter to John....thanking him for being an amazing husband and my best friend. I would tell him how lucky I am that we are in this together and how much I appreciate that we are

partners in this journey. I would give him credit for taking care of over 50% of Bryce's diabetes management, especially since he ALWAYS takes care of the night checks. We make a good team, even if it is an exhausted one!

Instead, I decided to write my letter to diabetes. So here you go....

Dear Diabetes,

YOU SUCK!!

without love,

Denise

Different Yet THE SAME

2011-05-09T09:09:00.001-07:00

Today is the first day of Diabetes Blog Week hosted by Karen at Bitter-Sweet. Today's topic is "Admiring our Differences" Pick a type of blogger who is different from you and tell us why they inspire you - why you admire them - why it’s great that we are all the same but different!!

Having met some amazing adult T1s and read blogs of other PWDs (people with diabetes), I KNOW diabetes will NOT stop my son from being all that he can be. Technology is so much better and is only advancing so if that CURE we are all dreaming of does not come in our lifetime, I still know my son can lead a long, healthy, fun, adventurous life. I will never know what it feels like to have blood sugars sky high, to experience a double fall, to be LOW. I can only guess. PWD bloggers help to put words to what my son goes through. For that, I am grateful.

While I enjoy reading the occasional blog written by PWDs, I spend most of my time following other PARENTS of children with diabetes. One thing I love most about all these moms, is how DIFFERENT we all are. We live in different parts of the world, our kids are different ages, diagnosed at different times in their lives, have been living with D different lengths of time, use different types of insulin, have different methods of delivering insulin...MDI(multiple daily injections) via syringes or pens, or pumps-(Animas, Minimed, or Omnipod), our kids enjoy different activities, we have different writing styles, our families are composed of different family members, the way we manage D on a daily basis and during emergencies is different. But despite all those differences, we are the SAME. We all do the best we can for our kids so that they will lead a long, healthy life. We all believe our kids are just that...kids! We all struggle at times, we all need to vent, or cry, or celebrate when we can. We all have DIABETES in common. We all want a CURE and until we can get one, we want anything that will make life for our kids easier and their future free of complications. We want others to know what life with type 1 is like...the good, the bad, and the ugly. We learn from each other, we support each other, because we are different and yet THE SAME.

I love the DOC! Thank you for making this journey so much more bearable.

Diabetes Blog Week

2011-05-08T23:31:00.000-07:00

So I signed up for Diabetes Blog Week hosted by Karen at Bitter-Sweet. I realize that I have another busy week ahead of me and feel ANOTHER cold coming on but I am going to do my best to get each post out (even if it is by midnight) Wish me luck!

Good Fri..(err Saturday?)

2011-05-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

Life is busy busy busy.....so much going on this week that I completely missed Friday and I even had my 3 good things non-D related ready to post about. But the kids had no school and my hubby was feeling awful (tooth infection) so Friday went by and I am just now able to get these down. So without further ado...

Three good things that happened this week:

1) It started with a GREAT WEEKEND....

On Saturday, we went to the University of Oregon Spring game.

Bryce lost his first tooth on the football field at Autzen Stadium...

Sunday was just that....we.had.SUN!!

The boys had a blast riding the zip line at my in-laws....

**this is from last week, Jaden and Bryce are running alongside their cousin who is zipping from the treehouse...

Hubby trying out the zip line...

Drew walking with a chicken on his shoulder...

We got another day of sun on Wednesday (sad that I can tell you exactly what 3 days we had sun this year...yep, THREE!! And it is MAY!! Ugh!!! Rain, rain, go away.....oh wait, this is a GOOD THINGS post so YAY for SUN!)

2.PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES

Love hearing about what model students my boys are... so smart, always on task, very respectful to others, such good helpers, etc. etc. (now why aren't THOSE kids coming home off the bus???)

We are such proud parents...took our boys to Dairy Queen to celebrate. :-)

3. NEW FAMILY MEMBER!

Meet 'Snack', he is a chihuahua puppy (just under a year old). I found him on Craigslist, a lady needed to find him a new home because he wasn't getting enough attention from her since she worked all day. She had found him outside her office back in January and got him healthy, took care of all his shots, etc. Besides not being able to give him enough attention, her older (big) dog was starting some bad behaviors with him around, like barking all day, etc. Anyhow, he is a sweetie! He loves to crawl under blankets and cuddle up and he is VERY playful. He does have 'little dog syndrome' and barks at people he doesn't know but that doesn't last long. I think with some training, he is going to be an awesome dog. (and he if VERY CUTE!)

So there you go! What were your good things this week??

When Diabetes Doesn't Come First...

2011-05-04T23:17:00.000-07:00

I am always one to get involved when it comes to diabetes...whether it be volunteering, attending support groups, mentoring, going to events for D families, fundraising, advocating, educating, whatever!! Well Saturday was FULL of those type of events... there was the CHAP Diabetes Art Group AND the JDRF Hope Gala. But there was something MORE important I had to attend to....

'O' Yeah!!

OREGON FOOTBALL!!!

Saturday was the Ducks Spring Game. It is a scrimmage...Ducks vs. Ducks. While I am not big on watching a game where I can't really cheer on one team over the other, getting a taste of football to come is great! We have gone every year for at least the past 6 years. It has always been a small affair...a few thousand people in the stands which look pretty empty. Last year after being in the Rose Bowl, they had a record 25,000+ people attend the Spring Game. Well THIS year after going to the BSC National Championship Game, over 43,000 fans came out. It was so cool to see an almost full stadium for a scrimmage!! They use the event to support our troups. I love that, and seeing all the service men and women being honored. Anyhow, for us, the BEST part is getting to run on the field after the game.

the MOST UNFORGETABLE MOMENT OF THE DAY:

Bryce lost his first tooth!! Right there ON the field at Autzen Stadium!! How cool is that!

Only 4 more months till football season! GO DUCKS!

Good Friday 4/29

2011-04-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

Last week, on the true Good Friday, I didn't write my "Good Fridays" post. Well, I had finally gotten mostly over my cold, the sun came out, and we headed south to spend the holiday weekend with my in-laws. All good stuff!

Which brings me to this weeks "Good Fridays"(3 good things from the week non-D related)....

1) The sun was out all day on Saturday. It was gorgeous. My husband and his brother helped their dad install a zip line from the tree house 20 feet up to a tree 135 ft across the field. The kids had a blast "flying" through the air. (will post pics later)

We also let the one month old chicks out, they are very tame and love to be held by the boys.

2) What says "Spring" better than cherry blossoms? The neighborhood kids up in a cherry blossom tree!

3) SNACK is a chihuahua puppy that needed a new home where he could get lots of attention and playtime. As some of you may know, we have been on the quest for a "perfect dog" Well this little guy is really darn cute so with a little training, could be the perfect addition to our family. So far, we are having fun with him. (and I will probably lose tons of weight chasing him around when he grabs things he isn't supposed to...tissues, legos, foam blocks, cars, and my boys' pjs to name a few!)

When you have a chance, head over to Beta Buddies and wish the amazing Joe a super happy 8th birthday. Then go to The Princess and The Pump to wish SweetPea a happy D-versary (so glad she is doing ok after their scare this week!!) Both have some great stuff to giveaway -you can send it to me if you win ;-)

So what are your 3 good things from this week??

Good Fridays 4/15

2011-04-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

This was a tough week cuz we ALL got sick. It started last Weds with Bryce, Thursday with Drew, Friday with Jaden, Saturday and Sunday for my hubby and I. Lots of coughing and snot. Yuck! We still aren't feeling well but we do what we got to do.

And now on to my Good Friday list...here are the 3 top things (non-D related) of this week:

1) Saturday, we headed up north to a pond in Vancouver, WA for a kids' fishing event. We had never been fishing before so this was a new experience for us all. For a $5 registration fee, the boys got a tshirt and a fishing rod plus got to keep up to 2 fish that they caught. Well it took almost the whole hour they were given, but both Bryce and Jaden each caught a fish. They were so proud.

Jaden and his big catch

Bryce and his lil fish

2) Monday was my youngest son, Drew's 3rd birthday.

Because we weren't feeling well, we just had a small celebration for him. My in-laws and my mom came over for dinner and cake to celebrate with us. He requested hamburgers for dinner and the weather cooperated enough for my husband to be able to grill up some. His cake was a John Deere Gator...like the one Granddaddy has. (I even colored the frosting using spinach!)

my sweet 3 year old! I can't believe how fast time flies....my baby is THREE!

Drew with his Super Frog birthday hat

blowing out candles on his Gator cake

3) So last but not least....I didn't have to clean up any pee or poop off my carpets, floors, bed, or couch. Since we returned that sweet dog, this week has been less stressful and more quiet. (granted some of the quiet may be due to my ears being plugged up from this cold!) I still want a dog for my boys but know that now is not the right time.

What are your 3 GOOD things from this week?? Remember, NO D! :-)

I want Diabetes too!

2011-04-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

While Bryce was getting dressed after swim lessons, his little brother, Drew, was going through his swim bag and found some glucose tabs. He looked up at me and in his cutest now-3-year-old voice said "I feel low. Can I have a goocose tab?"

Bryce: "you are not low...you don't have diabetes!"

Drew: "yes I do"

Bryce: "if you had diabetes, you would need to have shots and finger pokes."

Drew: "but I'm low!"

Bryce: "you don't get low, I do. and glucose tabs are like my medicine....you can't have them"

Drew: "but Daddy gave me a goocose tab befo"

Bryce: "well, would you like to get pokes and stuff?"

Drew sticks out his bottom lip and runs to that other side of the locker room and sits down pouting.

When I asked him what was wrong, he looked at me with his big puppy dog eyes wet with tears and said, "Bryce said I can't have diabetes"

Funny how little brothers want to be just like their big brothers...no matter what.

same and different

2011-04-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

While none of us would wish type 1 diabetes on anyone, I am sure we all agree that the friendships we have made because of it are priceless. Being around others that get it is so amazing. To spew numbers and have others not stare at you with a blank look wondering if they should cringe or congratulate is great. The feeling of "same" is so relieving.

Every month, I get together with a few D moms for coffee. Our T1 kids range in age from 4 to 14. Some have been doing this for months, others for years, many years. Some are dealing with starting school, others with starting puberty. We have pumpers who moved back to shots, ones that just started the pump, others who have been on a pump for years, and some not interested in even looking at pumps. Animas, Medtronic, OmniPod, pens, syringes. Doesn't matter...we are the same!!!

We are all doing the best we can for our children. We test, we bolus, we count carbs, we analyze numbers, we worry, we fret, we cry.

We seek out others like us because it makes us feel not so alone. We gather for coffee, we read and write blogs, we comment on forums, we participate in fundraising and networking.

So what about those families that are in denial. The ones that close themselves off and don't reach out to others. They back away from those reaching out to them. They think if they just ignore it, it will go away. What happens to these kids?

Today, I heard a couple stories that broke my heart. A family that puts their 9 year old completely in charge of his diabetes....all the testing, carb counts, shots, etc. That couldn't tell you what his blood sugar is because THEY don't test him. A dad who thinks it will go away and therefore doesn't get involved in anything related to D. A boy who passes out then complains of leg pains all the while taking his bg isn't even on their mind. When throwing up on a car drive due to dka (prior to dx), was told to stop trying to get attention. And these were only a few examples.

THESE are the moms that need the support of other D moms. How do we get to THEM?

not just sticks but stickers!!

2011-04-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

We always talk about how hard it is having to pierce our child's skin to test blood sugars multiple times a day, how we have to insert pump sites and cgm sensors under their skin, how brave they are to endure all this. What we never talk about is how this is actually the easy part. Getting those dang things off, now THAT is the hard part. Every couple days, we have to peel off the IV 3000 and unstick the pump infusion sites. Those suckers stick like crazy! I cringe thinking about those delicate little hairs getting pulled. This is the most painful part of the process. I usually use Unisolve to get them off....works great for the Dex sensor but makes the IV 3000 a globby mess and doesn't quite get under the Contact Detaches or the Inset 30s to dissolve the adhesive. So our whoas do not stop with sticking our child with lancets, needles, and cannulas but with removing these stickers too.

Big Thanks and Good Friday 4/8

2011-04-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

First of all, a big THANK YOU to everyone who left such sweet comments on my last post. 7.9 is great (just not what I expected) I know that I am doing the best I can. No matter how frustrated I get, I will never give up. I tend to be very optimistic and not let D get me down. But sometimes, it just piles up and overflows. The tears come pouring down, a ranting post gets written, then the sun comes out and all is better again. :-)

I am so thankful for all of you who "get" what it feels like (and for those of you who try to understand and thankfully don't have to KNOW)

Just looking at Bryce, I know I am doing great at keep him healthy. He is the strongest, smartest, most active 6 year old I know! Nothing (especially D) is going to slow that boy down. In fact, he is the healthiest of my boys, go figure!

So today is Friday and time for my top three non-D things of the week:

1) the sun is shining...it may JUST be for today, but it is out and it makes me happy.

2) the boys don't have school today so they can be outside most of the day enjoying this little break in the crap weather.

3) we made the decision to not keep the dog we are fostering. I feel good about this decision and am looking forward to dropping her off tomorrow morning. I see less stress in my future (and less poop and pee on my carpets!)

So what are your 3 Good Friday things this week?

endo appnt

2011-04-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

Walking out of the doctor's office, I looked outside. The weather was a direct reflection of how I was feeling. Everything was gray, wet, cold...overall miserable.

I am sick of this weather! I am sick of how everything is turning green (and I don't mean the things that are supposed to be green like the trees,etc. but things like the roof, the driveway, our car) I am sick of the mud, sick of jackets, sweat pants, rain boots.

Gloomy and depressing.

This appointment snuck up on me. I can't believe it had been 3 months already.

We were running late. I couldn't find parking. When I finally found a spot, I hear "MOM, I feel LooooWWW!" coming from the backseat. We are already late and I really just want to run up to the doctor's office (afterall, Dex says 79 and straight) But seeing Bryce's limp body try to get out of the minivan, I stop and test him. 49. CRAP! 2 glucose tabs and we make our way to the clinic. Late but we made it.

7.9

I feel like giving up....what is the point?? No matter how hard we analyze his numbers, we just can't get it right. He gets a cold and his numbers raise, he recovers and we can't get his numbers high enough. One day he is bouncing off the walls, the next he is building with Legos or reading all day. Even if he did the same thing each day, ate the same foods, did everything identical...it STILL would not be predictable!!

My head hurts. I can't think straight anymore. I think all my brain cells have retired. I swear, I used to be really smart. I excelled in math and science. Now my head is filled with carb counts, bg numbers, trends, insulin to carb ratios, basal rates, glycemic indexes, combo boluses, meal times...and it is getting all jumbled so NOTHING is making sense.

Excuse my blank stare.

What I need is a vacation. But of course THAT won't happen because we have a child with D....nobody wants to take on that responsibility for us. It makes me sad. Very sad...and ENVIOUS of those that can get away (those that really don't NEED to get away but CAN, so they do.)

no changes

So our A1c increases but the endo has no changes to make. He feels we are in the range we need to be for a boy his age...under 8.5%. But that isn't good enough for me. I want him to look at our logs and say, "YES, you need to change this and this" and voila, all is perfect! The "good job" and pat on the back just isn't cutting it...I am not buying it.

What to do now?

rant over

Good Fridays 4/1

2011-04-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

All the good and none of the D...that is what Roselady at Diapeepees was looking for when she started Good Fridays. Play along with us. What are your 3 good things from this week? Here are mine...

Well I am feeling much better this week and the boys are back to school so that is good! The weather has been decent (at least not downpouring) so I got some yard work done and my hubby mowed the lawn (yay!) and those aren't even my 3 things!!!

1) After looking at lots of dogs for adoption, we ended up bringing home the dog we fostered a few weeks ago for another trial. She is so good with the boys...snuggly and playful. It is so cute to watch her bounce around, tail wagging, after the boys while they run through the swamp that is our backyard right now. She seems to be doing much better but since she had been abused in the past, she has a lot of issues that will need work. We still aren't sure if we should keep her but she sure is cute!

2) Took my 2 year old to the Children's Museum to meet up with a friend and her daughter. The kids had so much fun...if only we had more time to stay, play, and explore.

3) I volunteered in Bryce's kindergarten class for their Art Literacy project. This month they learned about Matisse and did an abstract art project using various shapes of colored paper to make a picture. I was very impressed by some of these 5 and 6 year olds' imaginations. I think only one kid just glued everything in a pile. Oh and one other boy who had more fun gluing his fingers. But other than that, there was some great pieces.

Rainbows for them, grey for me....

2011-03-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the second monthly Diabetes Art Club at CHAP (Children's Healing Art Project)

The boys had a blast of course!

Jumping with painted feet on a mattress...

Painting masterpieces...

Gluing feathers, beads, and who knows what else...

oh yeah, & painting themselves!

I love that the kids can create without any limits but at the same time, when my kids have no limits, they go WILD!! Having one kid emptying every bottle of glue into a big puddle on the floor, while another is climbing on the cardboard structure almost knocking it all down, and another taking all the collage materials and throwing them everywhere, really stressed me out. While their hair was turning rainbow colors, mine was turning grey! See, usually my husband comes with me to these things and helps to reign everyone in so I can socialize ;-) I was on my own this time and all I wanted to do was to talk to the other D families. I barely got a chance to introduce myself to the 2 families that I am mentoring through JDRF (this was our first meeting in person, we've only talked on the phone or email before this) plus there were a couple families I didn't know. I did get a few minutes to chat with Heidi from "A Work In Progress..." which was nice. Next month, I think I will make sure my husband comes so I can get in that great bonding time us Dmoms need! Hmmm, I guess that is why we do a coffee group without kids too! :-)

Good Fridays 3/25

2011-03-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

Along with Roselady at Diapeepees I have been participating in Good Fridays....come play along with us. Name 3 things good things that happened this week, no D allowed. :-)

This week was Spring Break for us. I had all these glorious plans for spending time with my wonderful boys and cherishing our time away from school. But the best laid plans don't always come to reality.... I got sick :-( Well first the boys got sick, Jaden (8) had it last week, Bryce (6, T1) only got a little cough, and Drew (almost 3) ran a fever and still has a cough. Plus, the weather this week just sucked!!

So this week was a bit tougher to find my 3 good things since I spent a majority of the week on the couch, going through kleenex like crazy (and not being able to send the boys out to just run around) but here it goes....

1) LEGOS....while I am perpetually annoyed by how they end up EVERYWHERE and really hurt when you step on one, they kept my older two occupied for hours upon hours while I was being pathetic. Those boys are so creative...they even started making their own instruction sheets on how to build their creations. Love those guys!

2) Spent the weekend at my in-laws. We got to hold some baby chicks and see some wild goats roaming the forested hill on the other side of their fence.

My husband and I were able to get away for a little bit and visit friends of ours that just had a new baby girl. What a precious little thing! I can't believe they have a 16year old (she was our flower girl), 12yo, 10yo, and now a newborn!! Great family, so nice to spend time with them.

3) A friend of mine organized a fun Spring Break Camp where a couple moms took turns hosting all the kids and planning activities for them during the day. The boys made it to the first day but unfortunately we missed out on the rest of the week. Hoping that we will do it again over the summer, the kids seemed to really enjoy it. My older two boys also got to attend an afternoon camp at the Nature Park called "Wet & Slimy" They had a lot of fun learning about and hunting for frogs, tadpoles, lizards, newts, and snakes...they said they didn't find any (guess it was too cold) but they still had a blast getting to go into the "off-limits" areas of the park.

Good Fridays 3/18

2011-03-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Roselady at Diapeepees has been doing Good Fridays and I decided to go ahead and play along...

Here are the rules:

Name your top three highlights of the week (no diabetes talk allowed). Still confused, read about Good Fridays here.

1. My oldest son competed in his first swim meet. He swam the 25m breaststroke. He did great! We were so proud of him!

2. I made it to the gym a few times this week (until my kiddos got snotty noses and coughs) Found out that if I go right after I send Bryce on the school bus at noon, Drew gets the play area mostly to himself or with one or two other 2 year olds...fun! Plus, the gym itself isn't too busy.

3. At the end of every term of swim lessons, the kids get their report card as well as a coupon for a mini pizza and a coupon for a free Dairy Queen kid's cone. I have tons of these coupons laying around because ice cream at 10am or right before lunch doesn't seem ok to me. Plus I am one of those that ice cream just doesn't seem right when it is cold and raining sideways. Anyways... Yesterday was Bryce's last swim lesson of winter term and of course he got his coupons. He asked me so nicely if we could get his DQ cone, he even got an extra coupon for his brother. My instinct was to say no because we had to go home and eat lunch so he could catch the school bus. But he had done such a great job this term swimming. He really showed LOTS of improvement. So I said sure... We headed to Dairy Queen and I picked up three cones. One for my great swimmer, one for his little bro who watches each lesson, and one for his older brother who was home sick on our couch. The boys loved their lunch of ice cream....a well deserved treat for all my sweeties.

So what great things have happened to YOU this week?

charmed....

2011-03-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

What a great way to support JDRF and raise awareness for Type 1....

I got my charm this weekend...

comes with a live check for $20 to send to JDRF and a place to write in your name as the supporter.

Looking forward to showing this off and educating all those that ask what it means :-)

Go to Brighton Collectibles to get one of your own (and for your loved ones too)...they don't sell them online so you need to look for an actual retail location (if you don't have one close, I may be able to purchase it and ship it out...???)

Good Fridays 3/11

2011-03-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

Roselady at Diapeepees has been doing Good Fridays and I decided to go ahead and play along...

Here are the rules:

Name your top three highlights of the week (no diabetes talk allowed). Still confused, read about Good Fridays here.

1. Last night was the 2nd grade music program at school. 100 or so 7 and 8 year olds singing is pretty cute. Super proud of my oldest son for being the announcer for the night...he did great!

2. Last weekend we took home a dog to foster for a few days. She was so good with the boys. She loved to sit on their laps and snuggle in bed with them. Boy she was so cute! However, she didn't like my husband or any other strangers, and she would growl at them. After peeing on my couch and trying to attack my hubs, we sent her back early. I am sure we will find our perfect dog, she was pretty close.

3. Nespresso coffee...mmmmm! So creamy and strong.

new insurance...

2011-03-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

At the start of this month, our new insurance kicked in. Today, I went to pick up our test strips and insulin. I was a little nervous that we would have problems with the new insurance covering the amount of strips we currently get, like I had in the past. I was ready for a fight, ready to make calls, write letters, etc., to insure we get the 450 strips a month that we NEED. Boy was I surprised with I returned to the pharmacy counter to find it all went through. Wow! Awesome.

What wasn't so awesome is that the copays for this new insurance are much more (UGH!)...

But, at least we have insurance and even more, we have access to these life saving necessities. There are many people, many children who aren't so lucky. Children in third world countries that don't have access to insulin, syringes, meters, etc. Without insulin, a person with diabetes will die within one week. One of the amazing Dmom bloggers has partnered up with some equally amazing businesses to help support Life for a Child, an organization that tries to meet these immediate needs for less fortunate children with type 1 diabetes. Definitely a worthwhile cause, and something I hope you look into. This week, the Sugar Bolus is straight from The Candy Hearts Collection and benefitting Life for a Child. Head over to The Princess and the Pump to enter for your chance to win.

Good Friday

2011-03-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

So Roselady at Diapeepees has been doing Good Fridays and I decided to go ahead and play along...

Here are the rules:

Name your top three highlights of the week (no diabetes talk allowed). Still confused, read about Good Fridays here.

1. I renewed my membership at the gym. The sales manager I worked with and said would credit my time away was no longer there. I was worried this would be a problem but turns out it made getting credited even easier...think they wanted to fix anything this guy may have done without problems. Woohoo, workouts, here I come!

2. Bryce's swim instructor this term is the BEST instructor at the pool. Finally seeing improvements! It is amazing how the instructor's style really makes such a difference.

3. We finally sold the baby dresser/hutch! Now our nursery is officially an office and we have a couple hundred dollars to go spend (yeah right, more like to pay bills with!)

So what good things happened to you this week??

Diabetes Art Club

2011-02-27T23:00:00.000-08:00

I have written about this amazing organization called CHAP (Children's Healing Art Project) before. Today, they hosted the first of hopefully many Diabetes Art Clubs. Basically this is a time for families dealing with Type 1 Diabetes to come together and just create. While the kids could use any of the many art supplies to make whatever their hearts could dream up, they also had some specific projects for the kids to work on. They decorated name tags, painted t-shirts, made collages, and made signs for the D art club. One project was to paint pictures of their favorite foods to be hung in a new restaurant in downtown Portland. Super cool! Oh, and guess who I got to meet?....

Heidi (A Work In Progress...) and me

The best part of the event was meeting up with a wonderful Dmom blogger, Heidi. It was so cool to meet a family that I know through our blogs and Facebook. Like you would guess, she is super sweet! Looking forward to getting together more.

Now for some fun pictures of our time today at CHAP....

Bryce creating art with glitter glue.

G and Jaden painting their restaurant art.

Jaden's artwork was of his favorite food: Watermelon

(I loved this so much I had him paint one for our kitchen)

Bryce painted his picture of spinach, broccoli, and carrots.

Drew loved the huge fort at CHAP... here he is peaking inside.

Drew running around having a blast.

Looking for his brother in the big tube.

Bryce in the huge fort.

100 day

2011-02-25T11:06:00.001-08:00

Today is the 100th day of school. It was supposed to be yesterday but we had a snow day. In Oregon, an inch of snow closes down everything, even though it was all melted by 11am. Anyhow...

As part of the celebration of 100 days, the kindergartners fill a posterboard with 100 items...beans, noodles, cheerios, stickers, whatever. I asked Bryce what he wanted to use for his 100s poster. He came up with test strips! Unfortunately this idea came right after garbage day so most had been tossed. Decided to see how many I could find by just looking around the house. Afterall, those lil buggers are EVERYWHERE!

I searched around Bryce's bed first....found 31! Went through our van and found 19 more! Under the sofa and between the cushions revealed another 8. Couple on the driveway, one in my bed, few along the baseboards down the hallway. I was partially shocked by the amount of strips laying around but at the same time, surprised I couldn't come up with 100 of them. Oh well, macaroni noodles is probably a better choice for this project anyhow!

ssssssSIX

2011-02-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

Last week, My Sweetest Boy turned SIX years old!!!

In honor of this special occasion, we had a

ssssssSpecial ssssssSixth Birthday REPTILE party.

Bryce with his favorite stuffed albino crocodile, Claude, and his croc cupcake cake.

Making a wish (think it has to do with a cure? my wish does!)

We had a reptile lady come over with about 15 different reptiles to awe the kiddos. Bryce got wrapped up in a Woma Python to his utter delight.

the kids loved this....

Monitor Lizard

American Alligator

The kids even got to pet the alligator. Bryce was up first.

My youngest thought this was so cool!

This was only a small section of this snake....

It took ALL the kids to hold up this albino burmese python.

It was a great party (even better since bgs were AWESOME!)

Valentine Eats

2011-02-17T23:44:00.001-08:00

Breakfast:

Dinner:

failed sensor

2011-02-17T23:39:00.001-08:00

give me a "D"

2011-02-10T15:58:00.000-08:00

Devastating diagnosis

Insulin dependent for life

Always on alert

Blood sugar roller coasters

Eat everything but count the carbs

Test throughout the day

Every day, every hour, every minute

Sugar is medicine

couple great giveaways

2011-02-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

Gotta tell you about a couple great giveaways in the DOC....

Leighann at D-Mom Blog is giving away some Extend Bars...head on over and check out what she has to say about them and get yourself signed up!

Hallie at The Princess and the Pump is giving away a Skidaddle Bag for all those D supplies, don't miss out.

CHAP/Elements Glass

2011-02-01T21:29:00.000-08:00

We have this AMAZING organization here called CHAP (Children's Healing Art Program) They provide art therapy to children in a couple of the local hospitals as well as programs for kids with disabilities and chronic illnesses. They have this awesome studio downtown filled with tons of art supplies where the kids can create with no limits. Paint literally covers every surface of this place! It is open to the public but as "VIPs", we get in free ;-)

This month, CHAP held an Art Club activity at a glass blowing studio (Elements Glass). The kids got to make their own glass ornaments. What an amazing experience.

Bryce standing back from the super hot 2000 degree oven that held the melted glass

rolling colored glass pieces onto his melted glass blob

melting the color on in the fire

coming out of the kiln

doing more rolling/shaping

Bryce then blew into a hose to form the glass into a ball...

Bryce's finished glass ornament

Sweet Tomatoes

2011-02-01T15:54:00.001-08:00

fair trade?

2011-01-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

Every day around 3:30p, my boys come bursting through the door, home from school. They are so excited to tell me about their day. Jackets, shoes, and backpacks go flying here and there.

The other day, Bryce came running in telling me about these charms that he got. Charms are these little plastic things used as incentives at his school. The kids get them for good behavior and doing good work in various subjects. I was excited to find out how he earned his charms. Bryce told me the story, "I didn't get them from school...Cole gave them to me. I gave him my Skittles since I don't like them much and he gave me these charms" Great!!! Trading his low treatments for charms! Wonder if this was a fair trade.

Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth?

2011-01-18T07:16:00.000-08:00

We don't check ketones often. Bryce rarely gets them...ok, once when he was throwing up, but that was it. We always just used the urine test strips but through the DOC, I heard about BLOOD ketone testing. At our endo appnt just over 3 months ago, I asked about it. He gave us a meter and some strips. I still have 7 of the 10 test strips. After reading the Reyna's post about blood ketone testing, I decided to call our insurance company to find out if they were covered....

OMG!!! I think insurance companies hire dumb people to field their questions. They never know anything and can't seem to understand whatever it is I am trying to tell them/ask them, etc.

me: "do you cover blood ketone test strips?"

CS: She says she has to look, "yes, test strips are covered with a limit"

me: "what is the limit?"

CS: "well blood glucose test strips have a limit of 200 a month"

me: "ok, but I am not talking about blood GLUCOSE test strips, I am talking about blood KETONE test strips"

CS: "it says you can have two different brands"

me: "well they test different things, are you sure they are part of the same limit?"

No matter how I tried to explain it, she could not seem to understand that a blood glucose test strip and a blood ketone test strip are DIFFERENT things. She finally said she would fax a pre-authorization or something to our doctor. I was about to pull my hair out, so gave up.

A couple days later, I went to the pharmacy to pick up all our prescriptions. Of course, insurance denied the blood ketone strips because I was getting our bg test strips. Ergh, but expected. The gal at the pharmacy said she would call my insurance company and see what she could do. Today she called me back. She told me that she explained the difference in the two tests strips. Found out that the blood ketone strips are not supposed to be covered under pharmacy but under medical (wtf?) but they would allow it this month under the highest copay ($50). I asked how many I get, she said 100. Considering how much I hear they are, I am not complaining, plus we have the Freestyle plan thing where Abbott covers part of the copay (not sure how much but think it is $25) Maybe it was a pharmacist explaining it or maybe it was a somewhat intelligent customer service rep. Regardless, we will be getting blood ketone test strips. We are armed and loaded....may we not need them (much!)

into the unknown

2011-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Due to this stellar economy, my husband was laid off last week. Luckily we are waiting on an offer from another company so this bout of unemployment should be short lived. This new company does not offer medical until after one full month of employment (this would mean March). Normally this would be no big deal but with a child with diabetes, it is HUGE!! He talked to his ex-company and they are allowing us to continue our medical benefits through till the end of February. Regardless, we stocked up on all our D supplies while we could apply it to our FSA. I filled all our prescriptions, ordered all our pump and Dexcom supplies. Now I guess we hold on and see what happens.

for my friend

2011-01-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

I have this friend, M. Our lives were set up perfectly to come together when they did. Her daughter, G, and my oldest son were in Kindergarten together a few years ago. We both volunteered to do the Art Literacy program each month and our children were the high achievers in class. So we knew each other and talked school stuff (mostly how much we disliked the Kindy teacher and what artist we were going to present) Then October rolled around and Bryce was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I was in shock to say the least. When we returned to school, my son's teacher told me that this girl in class had diabetes and would it be okay for her mom to talk to me about it. This mom turned out to be my art lit partner and my friend. I had no idea her daughter had diabetes. I knew G left class often but had no idea why. M swears she told me about her diabetes but if she did, I blew it off...why would I care? Anyhow, M and I have become great friends. While our style of D management is TOTALLY different, we know the beast we deal with is the same.

G was also diagnosed at 3 and a half, like Bryce. She is now 8 years old. She has been on MDI for close to 5 years. M likes to micromanage her daughter's D (most of us do) But that's not easy when on shots. I have been talking to her for over a year and a half about how much we love our pump. Money has always been the issue as to why G didn't have one. Not really lack of money, just priorities of where it went. Plus her diabetes clinic is more conservative and doesn't push pump therapy. Well this Christmas, G's grandparents bought her a pump! A PINK Animas Ping! Next week G starts her saline trial and should be up and running shortly after. I am so excited for G to be on a pump...I KNOW it will be best for how M wants to manage G's D.

So yesterday, I crocheted a pump pack for G. I think it came out pretty cute. Bryce wants me to make him one now...not pink and purple of course. Think I am done making scarves...on to pump packs! Shoot, by the end of the month, I may have hundreds of them ;-)

Hope G likes it!

right on grandma!!

2011-01-11T23:21:00.000-08:00

Each month, I meet up with a great group of D moms to chat over coffee. We have a couple regulars there every month, a few that come when they can, and almost every month have a new person join us. Today, the new person really impressed me. Wanna know why? Because she was the GRANDMA! Her 5 year old granddaughter was just diagnosed 2 weeks ago. She listened to our stories, asked questions, took notes. I LOVED how interested she was in learning all she could. Boy what I would give for that kind of interest and initiative by my mom (but that is for a whole other blog post!!) At only 2 weeks into this, the parents are overwhelmed (of course) and the mom has yet to give a shot (she will do it plenty!) But with the support of Grandma (and the rest of us) they will be just fine!

Way to go Grandma!!! Gold star in my book!

arm site

2011-01-08T16:12:00.000-08:00

Decided to finish our bottle of Novolog before trying the Apidra we got from our endo yesterday. Since I am not liking what his numbers have been doing, I wanted to try something new so we put the set on his arm. He was NOT happy about this!! Bryce has only wanted us to use his bottom. Last week I snuck in at night and stuck his Dex sensor in his arm. He ended up being ok with that and wanted to try his arm for his set but ONLY if I did it while he slept. I couldn't wait today, he needed a set change and he needed it before lunch. So I pulled the "I'm the Mommy and I am doing what is best for you whether you like it or not" Well he didn't like it. He cried. Not cuz it hurt but cuz he was scared. I felt bad after.

I really hate diabetes!

I hate that he has a needle stuck in him at all times so he can survive. I hate that I have to stick it in him. I hate that he gets high numbers and doesn't get to eat when or what his brothers do, but has to wait "till the insulin kicks in" and his "numbers aren't so high" I hate that that makes him angry and he says things like "I hate having diabetes!" "why do I have to have diabetes?" "it's not fair!" I hate diabetes!

Ok, venting over. I was just going to post how we weren't trying the Apidra but were trying the arm and we'll see if that helps. Got a little side tracked! Oops :-)

Anyhoo, we will see how all goes this weekend.

Endo visit to start the year

2011-01-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

Today was Bryce's endo appointment...

A1c was up to 7.7 (last time 7.5)

While I am disappointed that we are going the wrong direction, we had issues with kinked cannulas, illnesses, and major growth spurts, not to mention plenty of holiday treats.

After looking over all our numbers, the doctor decided we didn't need to make any changes. That is always reassuring.

I asked about Apidra. Our endo has never tried it (he is type 1). He said the studies don't indicate a significant difference over Novolog/Humalog and there aren't many trials done in pumps. He only knows of one family in office that uses it. I told him about some experiences in the DOC of less spiking, said I wanted to try it. He was all for it and gave me a couple vials. I love that he is always up for whatever I suggest and willing to let us try something new.

Now to figure out WHEN we are going to try it. Should we start it with the next set change? Or do I wait till I have used up the bottle of Novolog we just opened last week?

Anyhow, this year I WILL be a better pancreas. I am DONE with those crazy highs. Maybe Apidra will be the answer, maybe not. Regardless, I will work my butt off to figure this out!

need coffee?

2011-01-06T23:17:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already, head over to D-Mom Blog for a coffee maker giveaway to jump start your morning...

what do I really want?

2011-01-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

I really want a CURE....

but if I can't have that, some consistently in range numbers would be nice.

I don't think that is asking for much. I mean, it should be easy...THIS much insulin will cover THIS many carbs and should result in THIS blood sugar number. Right? Haha, yeah right! If you think that is possible, then you obviously aren't living a life with D!!

I wouldn't mind doing what I do if I could guarantee good blood sugar levels.

Do I mind testing my son's blood sugar numbers multiple times a day? Do I mind inserting devices under his delicate skin a couple times a week? Do I mind have to measure all that he eats and calculate his carbs? OF COURSE I do!! It sucks. But what sucks more is that doing these things, and doing them diligently STILL does not yield great numbers. Now if doing the things that we do gave great numbers on a consistent basis, I wouldn't mind so much. I may not be so bent on finding a cure. I may not post about diabetes all the time or raise funds for JDRF. I would test my son, inject him with insulin, and live life... maybe funding for another cause. But that is NOT life with D. Life with D is unpredictable at best. It is stressful, mind numbing, all consuming, and doesn't play by any rules.

I hate that I can run basal tests, tweak I:C ratios, factor in activity levels & glycemic indexes of food, measure and weigh everything, calculate carb counts, etc. and still have no clue what to expect in his blood sugar numbers because not one day is the same (even if the food and activity are...go figure!!)

It is frustrating to have my son go from 125 to 524 after eating an F'ing bagel (that he was bolused like 5u for!), have to do an unexpected site change and hefty correction boluses, have him be in range 2 hours later then to drop to 54 an hour after that, only to shoot back up to 368 after treatment (2 dang glucose tabs!!) It is no wonder the boy GROWLED when we tried to talk to him. How can that feel good in his little body?

So what do I really want?

I want good numbers. I want this to be easier. I want D to play by some rules.

Do I want a CURE?

HELL YEAH

but I would be fine if all this was just easier and more consistent.

I think both are pretty elusive. Well, maybe a CURE is more realistic.

Sweet Sugar Bolus Candy Hearts Style!

2011-01-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

Head over to Candy Hearts for not one but TWO MEGA GIVEAWAYS!!

If you win, there are plenty of things you can share with me ;-) So don't forget who sent you there!

:-)

Nighttime Sneak Attack

2011-01-01T10:02:00.000-08:00

For the past few months, Bryce has had a lot of anxiety before set and sensor changes making it a long drawn out process that only frustrates us both. A couple weeks ago, I had to do a set change in the middle of the night while he slept because of some highs that would just not come down. My husband and I were amazed at how easy and quick that was. And when he woke up, Bryce was excited to know he had a new set and never felt it. Is this the way to go?? Maybe?

Well this is about one nighttime sneak attack that may have changed the way we do things from now on....

Earlier this week, it was time for a Dex sensor change. We were getting great readings over the busy Christmas weekend so I just tricked it out and reset the sensor. So when we started getting triple arrows right before bed on the 3rd day (really day 10), I knew we needed to change it that night. So I waited till he was asleep. When I went in, he was laying on the wrong side from where I wanted to put the new sensor. I tried to roll him over to get access to his backside (which is the only place he will let us put his sets and sensors) but to no avail...he kept rolling onto his back or the other side. During one of his rolls, his arm was perfectly exposed. Should I do it? I have heard of great results from arm placements but he adamantly refuses to try. But he was asleep. Should I do it? After much debate with myself (and a little talk with the hubby) I decided to try. Those of you with Dex, know that insertion is no easy process to I was nervous he would wake up, freak out, and there would go an expensive sensor to waste. So I took my time. He moved a little when I rubbed the alcohol on the spot and placed the sensor's sticker. When I injected the sensor, he said "Ow, Mommy" but quickly fell back asleep. I quickly disconnected the injector, got the transmitter in, broke off the clip thing, and started up the sensor. When Bryce woke up in the morning, I told him I put in the new sensor, he said he knew that cuz he felt it. I asked him if he knew where it was and he said, "over here" and pointed to his backside. I asked "are you sure?" and he said "you better not have put it on my tummy!!" Told him to check. Decided to not say anything else. Later in the day, he discovered it was on his arm...he was NOT happy. That is, until my hubby told him it made him look like a robot. He LOVED that and thinks it is cool now, even wants to try his pump set on his other arm. And the best thing is, our readings have been more accurate!

Think we have a new way of doing things now...

Dear Santa,

2010-12-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

Every year, the boys write letters to Santa.

This one is from Jaden (8)...

(Dear Santa, This Christmas I would like an iPod touch, an iPod nano, an iPad, a cure to diabetes, 5 alaska air tikets for Glendale, Arizona 5 tikets to the BCS title game, all the creepy storys by David Lubar, a bag of silly bandz, a hex bug beetle, and 2 hex bug nanos, and a BCS title game football. Sencerly, Jaden)

This one is from Bryce (5-T1)...

(Dear Santa I wodd like a Bag of Silly Bands and a cure to Diabetes and a Hex Bug Beetle . Bryce)

Did you catch the request for a CURE TO DIABETES? Yes, we ALL want that one!!! My oldest (nonD) son put that on his list first, with NO prompts from anyone else.

Oh if it was only that easy to just BELIEVE. Think if we all write a letter to Santa asking for a cure, he will help? Maybe if we all close our eyes and believe as hard as we can?

Maybe the big man will be able to deliver the idea or the tools to a special scientist who can bring that cure to reality. I BELIEVE it is out there, I BELIEVE someday it won't just be mice getting cured but our special kiddos. I HOPE that someday is soon. I HOPE for a Christmas without diabetes.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Wishing you happiness and good numbers :-)

overwhelmed and tired

2010-12-22T09:34:00.000-08:00

***warning-rambling unhappy post***

This time of year has always been stressful for me. Not that I am a bah-humbug but the chaos of everyday life is amplified a hundred times during the holidays. When the house is a mess, the last thing I want up is a ton of decorations. I never like shopping then add crowds of people and the stress of having to buy for other people and it is just unbearable. And the weather sucks! At a time when everyone is singing carols and happy as can be, I am in a funk. I feel like my life is spinning out of control and I can't get a handle on anything. Everything I do is subpar. Not one thing can I be proud of, not one thing I do well. Everything and everyone suffers. My house is a mess, my kids are obnoxious, I never know what to make for dinner, I can't fit in my clothes, we've had more pay cuts, my 2 year old keeps pooping in his pants (and thinks its funny), I never get any sleep, and Bryce's numbers eternally suck. Despite all this, I do have a lot to be happy for...I am just not seeing it right now. I am overwhelmed and tired.

sorry, just had to get it out....now to put that aside and take care of the boys and do something fun today!!

Win some LIFE savers you can Reli-On

2010-12-09T21:39:00.000-08:00

Head over to My Diabetic Child and sign up to win this week's Sugar Bolus.

JDRF Walk Awards 2010

2010-12-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

Tuesday night was our JDRF Walk Awards.

This year's Walk to Cure Diabetes in Portland, Oregon brought in over $314,000

'Bryce's Team: Wipeout Diabetes' raised $6,727 of that.

Bryce received a couple awards including the Golden Sneaker Award

(fundraising over $1000)

and the team won the Silver Achievement Award

(fundraising over $5000, I think)

Bryce is very proud of his awards. He can't stop admiring them and comparing them to the awards he received last year. He shows them off and tells whoever will listen all about the Walk and finding a cure for diabetes.

Here are some pictures from the evening...

Big Bro and Lil Bro went up with Bryce to get his award.

receiving his award

silliness with the Golden Sneaker Award

Bryce and his Walk Award

Our family

Bryce's Team: Wipeout Diabetes Silver Achievement Award

My boys and G (also T1 on our team)

The Golden Sneaker

Our Awards

Hoping this brings us closer to a cure!!!!

can't ignore Dex

2010-12-07T02:29:00.000-08:00

And tonight he wants ALL our attention!!!

We have been battling highs all day despite many corrections. So hearing double beeps as we went to bed (high or double rise) we were not happy. Dex said 374, really 246 (calibrate)

Hour later, triple beep (low or double fall)...ok, so the insulin decides to finally kick in after midnight...nice! Nope, Dex says 82, really 179 (calibrate) Go to sleep. Maybe half hour later quadruple beep (wtf?) Dex now says 36, really 160. We are really frustrated now! Go back to bed....more beeps!!! '???'....of course Dex can't tell what is going on. More beeps... 'sensor error 1'. Fine, so Dex is not going to cooperate tonight...going to bed. More beeps!!! 'sensor error 0' Whatever!! I give up! But Dex doesn't...more beeps! "YES, I KNOW THERE IS A SENSOR ERROR....SHUT UP!!!" Hubby finally takes Dex and puts him in the farthest room. Seriously! Hope I can actually sleep now.

And to think I wanted Dex so that we could sleep more and test less...right!!!

A Month FULL of Awareness

2010-11-30T09:15:00.000-08:00

November is Diabetes Awareness Month

This month, I posted a new fact about Type 1 Diabetes to my Facebook status each day (ok, I missed a couple around Thanksgiving, but close to EVERY day) I then compiled them into this list that I posted to my 'notes' and thought I would post here as well. The more people know and understand Type 1 Diabetes, the more likely they are to help us in our fight to find a cure!!

Here are some facts and other things you may not know about TYPE 1 Diabetes and what it is like to care for a child with Type 1...

TYPE ONEs no longer produce insulin needed to turn food into energy. They must get insulin via multiple shots or infusion EVERY DAY for THE REST OF THEIR LIFE. TYPE TWOs make insulin but their body is unable to use it efficiently. They can manage their blood sugars with diet, exercise, oral pills, and sometimes insulin.

A person with diabetes can eat anything everyone else eats...even sugar. It is the carbs that matter. In fact, a cheeseburger wrecks more havoc on Bryce's blood sugars than a cookie or candy bar. Did you know many sugar-free products have just as many carbs in them as their with sugar counterparts? Bring on the real stuff!

Eating too much sugar does NOT cause Type 1 Diabetes. It is an autoimmune disease. For unknown reasons, the body's immune system begins attacking the islet cells of the pancreas that produce insulin therefore requiring the person to need insulin via injections or infusion to survive.

Most parents of children with diabetes test their child's blood sugars multiple times throughout the night.

We sacrifice our sleep because our fear of "dead in bed syndrome" is too real for us.

Most of what you hear in the media about diabetes refers to TYPE 2.

Signs/symptoms of diabetes include excessive thirst, frequent urination, increased appetite, sudden weight loss, fruity smell on breath, fatigue/lethargy, vision change, & confusion. If you or your child experience any of these, contact the doctor ASAP.

Diabetes kills more than breast cancer and AIDS combined...it IS serious!!!

Having a support group of others that "get it" is priceless...thanks to the ladies in the JDRF coffee group- you make this journey more bearable. For those of you lucky enough to not have to "get it", I just want you to become aware. I hope you are learning a little bit about Type 1. Thanks!

Insulin is necessary to survive, without it, a person would starve to death. Insulin is also deadly, just a little bit too much can cause low blood sugars that can lead to seizures, unconsciousness, and even death. Scary stuff to be injecting into my child to keep him alive!

40 children a DAY are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in the US alone. Oct 29, 2008 was our day. If today or tomorrow happens to be 'your' day, I will be there for you!

We have more sweets in our house now that Bryce has Type 1 Diabetes. Juice, honey, candy, etc. is considered medicine in our family and used to treat low blood sugars.

People with type one diabetes need insulin to survive. However INSULIN IS NOT A CURE...think of it more like a band-aid.

Today is World Diabetes Day. We will be wearing blue for diabetes awareness today...please join us. November 14

So many things effect blood sugar levels besides just carbs eaten and insulin given. Stress, growth hormones, exercise, and illness all have an impact making diabetes management anything but simple.

TYPE 1 DIABETES does not care if you eat well, exercise, or have no family history...ANYONE can get it and there is NO way to prevent it (and no way to reverse it). It is an AUTOIMMUNE disease (unlike the more common Type 2 diabetes)

Diabetes is expensive... insulin, syringes, pump supplies, cgm supplies, test strips, meters, doctor visits, etc. These are things a person with Type 1 must have. Without insurance, ONE test strip costs about $1. We test 10-15 times a day! Luckily we have decent insurance but many don't....

Diabetes is all consuming. 24/7/365. There is NO time off. Even when my son is not around, I am still thinking about what his blood sugars are doing and what adjustments to his insulin need to be made. I am always worrying about him. ALWAYS!

Diabetes affects not just the child with diabetes but their parents and siblings as well.

Normal blood sugars range from 70-120. If Bryce drops below 70, we need to treat this LOW with quick sugars. We consider him HIGH if he is over 200 and he gets extra insulin to bring that down.

You can't fake an illness with Type 1...blood sugars tell the truth! I know Bryce really isn't feeling well because he was so HIGH yesterday and this morning, not cuz it may snow today.

While an insulin pump does all the calculations and figures out how much insulin is needed based on blood sugar levels and carbs to be eaten, WE are the ones who input the Insulin to Carb ratios, basal rates, and insulin sensitivity factors for those equations. *and guess what...these change constantly!

So much to be thankful for....family, friends, health to start. Most thankful for INSULIN keeping my son alive, for the DOC keeping me sane, for my AMAZING HUBBY-my partner in this craziness, my wild and wonderful SONS

When blood sugars are out of range, it really affects mood and behavior. Bryce can be quite a bear when he is high almost to the point of being MEAN. Can't imagine it feels too good to his little body :-(

Insulin smells like a box of band-aids.

Today being the last day of November and of Diabetes Awareness Month, I want to thank everyone who has read my diabetes facts each day, I hope you have learned something about Type 1 diabetes, what it is like to care for a child w/diabetes, and the difference between type 1 and type 2

My other SWEET (non-D) boys

2010-11-28T20:51:00.000-08:00

After a wonderful weekend that included Thanksgiving and a #1 ranked Ducks football game, we are finally home. Since we were staying in a place with a very bad internet connection, I was able to read some blogs but not able to comment or post. :-(

Today was declared Special Sib of a D-kid Day. I didn't want to let this pass without honoring the other two SWEET (non-D) boys in my life....

Drew & Jaden

JADEN

My oldest son. He will be turning 8 in just a few days. Boy how he has grown up so fast! He loves football (especially the Oregon Ducks) and basketball. He is extremely intelligent and loves to learn...I think he knows more than most adults!! When he is interested in something, he learns EVERYTHING there is to learn about it then moves on to something else. Because of this, I have learned a lot too! Jaden almost always has a book in his hands. We even had to make a rule that he can't read when we are eating or when he is walking! Jaden is a huge helper. He's even a great cook! Being the oldest brother is a hard job too. Not only do I count on him to help out, but his little brothers don't always make it easy. I wish there was more time to spend with Jaden one-on-one because he is such a cool kid and rarely gets this opportunity.

While sometimes it seems that all the boys do is fight (like right now!) mostly, they are the best of friends. I know Jaden will always look after his little brothers. Having him around, I know Bryce will be safe. He knows how to test blood sugars, what the range should be, how to treat a low (check out that story), how to use the remote for the pump to bolus for food or high bgs, and how to count carbs. He is truly an amazing boy! I am so proud of him...for who HE is and for him as a sib of a D-kid!!

Bryce & Jaden

DREW

My youngest son. He is 2 and a half years old (though if you ask, he will tell you he is 3, and sometimes 4) He thinks he is a big kid like his two brothers and tries to do all they do. He is such a fun little boy. He cracks us up all the time with the things that he says (and he is always talking!!). He makes my heart smile. He is snuggliscious! Being my 'baby', I can't help but let him climb into bed with me every night...I sleep better with him in my arms! He loves trains and construction trucks. He sings "I Love My Ducks" and "Return of the Quack" and dances so cute! He was only 6 months old when Bryce was diagnosed so D is just a part of his brother and our family. He knows all the vocab that goes with D and can name all the paraphernalia. He says he has diabetes too (usually when a low is being treated and he wants in on the sweets.) He even lets his brother actually prick his finger and test his blood sugars (check out that story) Drew loves his big brothers so much and is often tackling them so he can give them hugs and snuggles.

Bryce & Drew

I LOVE all my boys with all my heart and soul. I love one no more than I love the others. I do love them different because they are different....and I wouldn't have it any other way!!!!!

not sure I wanna go back...

2010-11-23T23:17:00.000-08:00

A couple Fridays ago, Dex (Bryce's continuous glucose monitor), said farewell to us with a big exclamation mark and some weird error code. That jerk!

Dexcom FedEx'd a new one out to us that we received last Monday afternoon, after a weekend free of a cgm.

A week and a half later, we still have not put on a sensor and started up the new Dexx. I must say, I don't know if I want to. There is something freeing about not being able to look and see what his blood sugars are doing at any time. It is not like I really ever trusted the number Dex gave us anyhow. We ended up testing him more because of this and to me, that defied the point of having a cgm. Plus I hate having another device attached to my sweet little boy's body. And if I mention putting on a sensor, Bryce runs screaming from the room.

Does this mean I will never use it again? No. I actually am thinking it will be good to have over the holiday weekend with all the food and fun with his brothers and cousins. So I plan to put this new Dexx to the test starting tomorrow. We'll see if this new guy woos me enough to keep him around. He better not lie to me as much as his predecessor cuz I no longer have any qualms about boxing him.

Versatile Blogger Award

2010-11-21T10:10:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to have been given this award, not just by one AWESOME Dmom blogger, but THREE (actually 5 now)! To accept this award, I will...

1. Thank the person who gave me this award

Thank you to Nicole at We CARA Lot, Lora at My Diabetic Child, and Jen at I Am Your Pancreas. These Dmoms ROCK!!!

(I started this last night and this morning saw that the most awesome Alexis at Justice's Misbehaving Pancreas and Heather at Sweet to the Soul also listed me....THANKS!!)

2. Share 7 things about myself

*I find it hard to sleep unless my two year old is in my arms or sprawled on top of me.

*I LOVE COOKIES. I like all kinds of desserts but cookies are my favorite. Chewy ones are best, not too sweet (I usually cut the sugar in half when I bake them) I love oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, chocolate chip, oh forget it...I love them all!

* I like RAP and HIP HOP. I can't handle country or opera. ick!

*I always want to take on leadership positions and be involved in everything possible. I start off totally gung ho and have great ideas but in reality, I am not a very motivated or organized person so end up just getting overwhelmed and frustrated.

*This week I taught myself to crochet. I attempted it once, 8 years ago, when I was pregnant with my first son. Just when I thought I was an all-star crocheter, I held up the baby blanket I was making and saw it was becoming a triangle (I guess I was dropping a stitch or two with each row-doh!)

*I have red hair. When I was younger, I HATED it. The grown ups all LOVED it but kids would say things like "carrot top" "red" etc. In my "old age" I have come to accept it and actually like it now. Though I still don't understand why it is called "red" when it is really more of an orangish brown. Anyhow...

*I need a vacation!

(who knew coming up with 7 things would be so tough?)

3. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic

(all the Dmom blogger are fantastic! Here are a few that I don't think have done this yet...)

Stephanie @ My Life As A Pancreas

Joanne @ Death of a Pancreas

Reyna @ Beta Buddies

Kris @ My Sugar Bugs

Meri @ Our Diabetic Life

Lehann @ D-Mom Blog

Wendy @ Candy Hearts

Sarah @ The Ethan and Isaac Show

Pam @ Wicked Sweet

Heidi @ D-Tales

Kelly @ Chasing Numbers

Danielle @ Where Candy is Medicine

sounds of night

2010-11-17T16:57:00.000-08:00

**BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ**

"hon"

"zzzzzzzzz. huh?, oh"

Swip

STOMP, STOMp, STOmp, STomp, Stomp, stomp

thud

CLICK, snap

BEEP

chicka, pop, beep

beep

stomp, stomp, stomp

whoosh, clunk

stomp, stomp, stomp

"Bryce, wake up"

slurp, slurp, slurp

thud

stomp, stomP, stoMP, stOMP, sTOMP, STOMP

plop

zzzzzzzzzzz

For those not familiar with those sounds of night time blood sugar checks...

it is the buzz of Dex (the continuous glucose monitor) 3 buzzes means LOW or dropping fast. I wake up my husband who gets out of bed and heads down the hall to check Bryce's blood sugars. The click of the test strip vial, the cocking of the lancet, and pricking of his finger, the beeps of the meter. I know Bryce is low when I hear footsteps going to the kitchen and the fridge being opened. He tries to wake Bryce up to drink juice or milk or something...Bryce doesn't really wake up but slurps and falls right back into bed. My hubby comes back to our room where he quickly falls back to sleep.

U wants to know ?? Meme

2010-11-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

Alexis over at Justice's Misbehaving Pancreas wants to know....

For informative purposes: Bryce, age 5 1/2yr, diagnosed 10/29/08

When did you guys start pumping? April 2009, 5 months after DX, Animas Ping

What do you use to change sites? Whats your "process"?

Bryce lays across my lap and watches a show or something on my laptop. I use unisolve to get the cgm sensor off, then alcohol to clean, IV prep for the pump set spot. I used to let him tell me when he was ready before I inserted the set or sensor. Now he is too anxious about it so I give him a countdown and if he hasn't said he is ready, I do it when he is less tense.

How often do you check ketones?

rarely. usually only if he is sick or over 300 for more than half the day (not including the am when he is always over 300). has only had small ketones once with a stomach bug so we have been really lucky there.

When do you do an unscheduled site change?

when there is blood in the cannula or the set looks bad. or it gets pulled out (getting pants down to go potty)

Whats your childs target?

70-160

What was your childs last A1C?
7.5

What kind of strips do you use?
One Touch

Which do you prefer?

Before he was on the pump, we liked AccuCheck

What kind of Peanut Butter do you use?

our grocery store has a peanut grinder so we use all natural freshly ground peanut butter...LOVE IT!! Sometimes we get Adams, mmmm salty! Can't handle JIF or Skippy cuz they just taste like sugar to us now.

Do you allow juice when not low?

On occasion but very rarely.

Do you still check your child at night?
Of course...probably more at night than during the day. (8pm his bedtime, 11pm our bedtime, 3am, 6:30ish hubby wake up, 7:30 his wake up. And of course more if he is too high and was corrected or battling lows or when Dex likes us to think there is a problem, etc)

What is your rule on sweets?

same as pre-D, moderation!

Regular pasta or whole wheat?
whole wheat

What about veggies and fruits?
Always!!

White bread or whole wheat?
Don't think my boys have ever had white bread. Usually whole wheat, sometimes multigrain. Digging this whole grain flax bread lately.

Do you use glucose tabs?

Bryce didn't like them till recently. Have carried them in my purse for 2 years and he never would use them. Now his brothers want one too when he goes low.

What do you use to treat lows?

Usually a 15g Juicy Juice. Sometimes a spoonful of honey or caramel. Gogurt. Smarties, starburst, fruit roll ups.

What does your child use to hold their pump/cgm?

He prefers using a simple pump pack (two actually...one for his cgm and one for his pump) but we also have a Tallygear Tummitote that he wears sometimes (he feels they are too bulky though...maybe cuz he fills the third pocket with smarties and plastic animals!!).

Nothin but the Blues!

2010-11-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

BLUE for World Diabetes Day that is!!

I was hoping to light the house up in BLUE, wear all BLUE, and go to the Circle in the Square event in Downtown Portland.

I am instead laid up in bed (had a procedure done on my foot so have to keep it elevated). The PJ's I won from the Great WDD PJ Giveaway would be put to good use right now! Guess I will have to wait but I am soooo excited to have won! What a great company and way to contribute to JDRF, please check them out (PJs for the Cure) and order some pjs for you and your family.

Yesterday, I sent my hubby to the store and asked him to pick up some blue nailpolish for me. He thought I was silly but found me a great shade of blue (and asked that I never have him pick out nailpolish again) After I painted my nails, Bryce decided he wanted his painted too...and his toenails. Then his little brother wanted his painted blue too. Jaden, our almost 8 year old, said "girls paint their nails, not boys" so even though it was BLUE, we couldn't convince him to do it...oh well.

I have been wearing my "Cure Type 1" necklace I won over the summer from Wendy at Candy Hearts (Gets me a lot of comments, even met a mom with a type 1 daughter that is now 16.)

I also finally got around to using the gift certificate from Lauren's Hope that I won. Bryce picked out a robot medical ID necklace and I picked out a stainless steel water bottle for him (thinking I might save it for xmas) They have so many great things, it was hard to decide.

Friday, we got our box of KidStrong Hydration drinks we won from Our Diabetic Life. Today we did our taste testing...

Jaden (almost 8): likes orange best, then fruit punch, doesn't like grape

Bryce (5 1/2, T1): likes fruit punch best, then orange, doesn't like grape

Drew (2 1/2): likes all of them

John (hubby): likes grape, then orange, and doesn't like the fruit punch. Says they taste like watered down Kool-aid or Gatorade. Not too bad. Okay for the kids, not for him. Later said they were pretty gross.

Me: I liked the grape and fruit punch but not the orange. I think they are okay for the kids and like that they are low carb and fortified with vitamins, etc. Probably wouldn't buy them (granted they only sell them in the NE states right now but still)

FedEx did NOT deliver our new Dexcom receiver on Saturday like I expected. I assume it is coming on Monday. This mini Dex-free vacation has proved we CAN live without always seeing what Bryce's numbers are doing but we really miss those arrows!

So I will end my drug induced rambling for now and conclude that this was a great WDD. Hope you all had great numbers and got the awareness for our cause out there :-)

networks

2010-11-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

Wondering what other networks everyone is part of.

Juvenation, D-mom and D-dad connection, Circle of Moms, etc. ???

Notice a lot of people talking about each other's posts on Facebook, do you have a page for your blog/D-stuff, or just your own page?

Just trying to find the best way to be connected. You all are such a great support system. Want to make sure I am not missing out ;-)

you can find me on FB: Denise Dupre Hopkins

gone to Vegas...???

2010-11-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

Last week, Joanne told us how Eileen (her daughter's continuous glucose monitor) decided to up and quit. I joked and said Eileen probably was going to elope with Dex (Bryce's cgm). Well this morning, Dex flashed us his giant exclamation mark with a crazy error code. Thanks man! Hope you and Eileen have a great relationship together! May your replacement be more reliable and trustworthy!

**Dexcom has Fedex'd a new one out that we should get tomorrow...ugh a day with bg 'pictures' and no 'movie'

evidence of others...

2010-11-11T16:21:00.001-08:00

With no school today, I took the boys to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). As we walked through the parking lot, my oldest spotted a test strip on the ground. Evidence others like us have come through here. Funny how we find those little buggers everywhere but finding one we KNOW we didn't drop is kind of exciting.

We were actually meeting up with another D family -they came an hour after us so we knew it wasn't their strip either ;-). The mom and I met at the JDRF coffee group and her little D man is also 5 years old. Bryce and him got along great! They tested at the same time (Bryce was low, he was high) they showed each other their pumps (Bryce's Ping, his OmniPod) Other than that, they were just a couple of boys running around playing at all the exhibits. :-)

tears

2010-11-08T17:11:00.000-08:00

Monday is set/sensor change day...

Once a week, Bryce needs to have a new sensor for his CGM (continuous glucose monitor) put in. I also change out his infusion set for his insulin pump. Usually this is no big deal, but lately he has been having a lot of anxiety before I put them on.

TODAY THERE WERE TEARS!!

BIG FAT Crocodile Tears

His tears led to my tears and a lot of snuggles after. I HATE that we have to do this to keep my son alive and healthy. I HATE that he gets scared. I HATE that, after 2 years, it is not easy.

I HATE DIABETES!!!!

just a drink to you, life saver to him

2010-11-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't live the D life, juice is not just something you drink when you are thirsty, it is a life saver for our sweet kiddos. When blood sugars go low, juice is the perfect way to bump them back into range FAST.

Rule of thumb is you want 15g of fast acting carbs to treat a low...Juicy Juice makes these awesome mini juice boxes with just that amount. Us D'rents, stock our houses, kid's classrooms, cars, bags, etc. with these little life savers.

And this week, Lora over at My Diabetic Child is giving away a bunch of these Juicy Juice boxes.

Get over there and check it out now!!

Halloween Fun

2010-11-01T21:19:00.001-07:00

Had a great night trick or treating. The weather here in Oregon was PERFECT!! Didn't need our jackets and the rain held out till we were back home and getting in bed. Couldn't have asked for a better night!

This year, Jaden (7) was a vampire, Bryce (5) was a ghost, and Drew (2) was a Jack o' Lantern.

Check out all that loot! MMMMMMM!

I realize that we don't do anything different with our Halloween candy than we had before D other than testing and bolusing. Mostly that is because we have never let our kids gorge on candy...EVER. So we let the boys pick out a treat a couple times on our walk through the neighborhood then one more when we were all done. So overall, Bryce had 3 pieces of candy all night and he was thrilled!! Surprisingly (or maybe not since we did sooo much walking) he was LOW. All. Night. Long!! Poor kiddo gets all his sweets while he is sleeping. How fair is that?

Anyhow, the downfall to all this great candy is that I keep wanting to raid their loot. Mmmmm, twix, peanut butter cups, hundred grand, kit kats....so yummy (and so small, and easy to eat many!)

D'versary

2010-10-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today was our D'versary...2 years!

(you can click these links and read about our diagnosis and time in the hospital)

I was going to write a meaningful post on how we have grown stronger...blah, blah, blah.

Honestly, I am just too tired!

So instead, I will just repost this poem(?) that I came across back in those early days that I thought was great and helped me come to terms with what we were dealt....

Chosen

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit. Did you ever wonder how mothers of children with diabetes are chosen? Somehow I visualize God hovering over earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

"Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron Saint Matthew."

"Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, Patron Saint Cecilia."

"Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron Saint Gerard. He's used to profanity."

Finally, He passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a child with diabetes." The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."

"Exactly", smiles God. "Could I give a child with diabetes to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel".

"But has she the patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I am going to give her has her own world. She has to make it live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."

God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps. "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she cannot separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with less than perfect."

"She does not realize it yet, but she is to be envied. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see .... ignorance, cruelty, prejudice ... and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as if she is here by my side."

"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in mid air. God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."

by Erma Bombeck

Gimme some sugar!

2010-10-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

Another awesome giveaway over at My Sugar Bugs.

Go check it out!!

I want to win this for our D'versary ;-)

2 years ago...

2010-10-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

2 years ago... I didn't "get it"

2 years ago... I had no idea how my life was about to change

2 years ago... my son's fingers did not have a million little holes in them

2 years ago... I didn't have to read a nutrition label before handing out a snack

2 years ago... I had butter in my fridge door, not vials of insulin

2 years ago... I sent my son to school with no worries

2 years ago... I was not sleeping through the night because I had a nursing baby

2 years ago... I was extremely afraid of needles (still not a fan!)

2 years ago... I didn't know anyone with Type 1 diabetes (or so I thought!)

2 years ago... my son would down a cup of milk or water in seconds and ask for more

2 years ago... my son was wetting the bed, every night (he never did that, even when potty training)

2 years ago... I didn't know I would have to make my son bleed multiple times a day

2 years ago... I didn't know I would have to stick my son with multiple needles to keep him alive

2 years ago... I had no idea what a pump was

2 years ago... basal and bolus were foreign words to me

2 years ago... I could leave the house with just our keys to get back in

2 years ago... told the advice nurse I couldn't come in today, will have to be tomorrow

2 years ago... I didn't know my boy's body was failing him

2 years ago... I didn't appreciate the complexities of a normal functioning pancreas

2 years ago... I had no idea what a normal blood sugar level was, let alone a low or high one

2 years ago... I would never have asked my friends and family for donations to charity

2 years ago... JDRF was just another organization I hadn't heard of

2 years ago... juice was something you sometimes drank if you were thirsty

2 years ago... I had no idea what tomorrow would bring, tomorrow was the day we found out Bryce had Type 1 Diabetes

2 years ago... my life was totally different

Tomorrow is our 2 year D'versary.

Naked Pancreas in PDX

2010-10-27T12:59:00.001-07:00

The amazing Reyna over at Beta Buddies put together this great Naked Pancreas Meme on how we manage our kiddos diabetes:

Here is my NAKED PANCREAS...

1. What kind on insulin management mode do you use?

Bryce has been on the Animas Ping (blue) for a year and a half...LOVE it!

2. How often do you inject/change pump sites?

We change his site out every 2 -3 days depending on how it looks and how his numbers are. I have gone 4 days before. I now put less insulin in the cartridge so it will give me a low cartridge warning when it is time to change it out, otherwise I usually forget (unless there are issues of course) Using the Inset 30 (blue)

3. What type (s) of insulin do you use?

Novolog

4. What are your basal settings ?

6a-9a 0.325

9a-8p 0.275

8p-6a 0.175

5. What are your correction factors ?

12a-7a 225

7a-8p 180

8p-12a 205

6. What are your meal ratios ?

12a-9:30a (breakfast) 1:12

9:30a-5p (lunch) 1:16

5p-12a (dinner) 1:18

7. What do you do for activity and/or PE?

Since Bryce is just in school half day for Kindergarten, we don't have to worry about PE yet. Before recess, he gets a "free" snack of crackers or a cookie (5g)...they test him and give him a correction bolus before if needed, then he can have snack with the rest of his class. For swim lessons and most other sports, we disconnect his pump and give him an unbolused snack if he is under 150. We still haven't quite got it all figured out (neither has his body!)

8. How do you manage Pizza, Macaroni and Cheese, or any other "difficult to manage" foods?

We combo bolus. Pizza doesn't effect him as much as grilled cheese sandwiches or cheeseburgers. Those we combo and also do a temp basal. Oatmeal and donuts are other killers but I think we are figuring it out as we go along.

9. How do you prefer to manage your logs/data?

Since we have been on the pump, I use the ezManagerMax that came with our pump. I glance over his numbers after almost every set change and if they are looking too wonky, will print them out and highlight the highs and lows to figure out what needs tweeking. But just like other experienced Dmamas, I can pretty much figure it out in my head where things are off and need adjusting. Seeing it on paper (or the computer) just confirms it.

So now that I put it all out there, we will probably be doing some changes...but that is the life of a pancreas right.

Anyone else game?

You're up!

falling off a cliff while trying to sleep...

2010-10-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

This graph shows Bryce's blood sugars last night/this morn from about 8:30p-8:30am. All day I couldn't get him under 250. Flu shots and Krispy Kreme donuts sure didn't help (not to mention this little cold he has). Ended up doing a set change at 11pm since he was still raising. All of his insulin decided to kick in around 1:30am and as you can see, he plummeted FAST! Then we were fighting lows all night...ugh! Mama needs some coffee today for sure!!

Not JUST a Flu Shot

2010-10-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

We didn't tell our boys that they were getting their flu shots tonight. When we pulled up to the doctor's office, my 7 year old figured it out. When he said "flu shot", Bryce screamed and darted back into the minivan. I went ahead with the other two boys as my hubby tried to pry our 5 year old out. Though there were cries from my 2 year old, his shot was over and done pretty quick. Even my 7 year old was brave and just took his shot. When they were done, I could hear when Bryce came into the office cuz he was screaming "no, no, no!"

You would think a boy who gets his fingers pricked 10 times a day, that every other day gets a huge needle putting an infusion set under his skin for his insulin pump, and every week has a big needle stuck in him to monitor his blood sugars, would not have a problem with a flu shot!....OH NO!!

Eventually,(thanks to my hubby's muscles) the nurse was able to give Bryce his shot too.

What reward did they want after? Krispy Kreme of course!

Can you say "hello, 415!!"

Ugh!

this is what the sniffles do...

2010-10-25T20:48:00.001-07:00

Yep, that is 12 hours of bgs over 200 (with an increased temp basal!!) Surprisingly, no ketones and pretty good behavior.

My Bed

2010-10-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

8 years ago, before we had kids, when I was pregnant with my first child, I KNEW what kind of parent I was going to be. I knew how I would feed them, discipline them, educate them, and play with them. I knew I would not let MY kids control me. I would not be that mom who needed everyone to be quiet because the baby was sleeping. I was not going to have any problems listening to my baby cry if he didn't want to sleep in his crib. My kids would be well behaved and very loved. I would NEVER raise my hand or my voice to them. Our lives wouldn't be different, we'd just have a baby in it. We would be the perfect family.

Then my son was born....and EVERYTHING I ever thought was changed. Nursing was hard. More than that, it was downright excrutiating but I persevered and it got better, great actually. My son spit up everything, I was always changing our clothes. I was miserable even though I was so in love with my little bundle. And sleeping...hah! My son would only sleep in my arms, and I couldn't bear to hear his cries when I laid him down. I swore my kids would sleep in their own rooms from the beginning. But that is not what happened. I wanted my little boy as close to me as possible, at all times. So we c0-slept. When he was 5 months old, we upgraded to a king sized bed (we had to make room for the 2 cats and greyhound too!).

Eventually my son moved to his own room and his own crib. When my second son was born, I swore I would not make the same mistakes and THIS one would sleep in his own room. Yeah, didn't happen, once he was born, I couldn't put him down either (my choice, not his this time) And again, the third time around, the same thing happened.

Bryce was diagnosed when my youngest son was only 6 months old. Because he was sleeping with me at night, my husband took over the night time blood sugar checks, not wanting to disturb the sleeping baby in my arms. Almost 2 years later, my husband still does the night check because many times, there is a toddler in my arms. The rule is that my son has to start the night off in his bed then after we turn our lights out, he can come in. He usually makes it into our room between 12:30 and 2am. Many nights, I can't fall asleep until he comes in and snuggles with me. But that is still not when I sleep my best...

Like other Dmoms, I never sleep peacefully because part of my mind is worrying about my son with diabetes who sleeps down the hall (and at 2am, their room seems like its an eternity away!). I have one ear to the baby monitor, listening for movement, alarms from Dex, anything that will give me an idea of the status of my sweetest boy. Some nights, Bryce will come into our room and climb into our bed. Those nights, I don't worry. I wrap my arms around him, I feel him breathing, I feel his heart beating right by mine, I know he is okay. I may not be sleeping well because I am sandwiched between two boys, usually with the little one on top of me. But I love these nights. Part of me wishes I could have Bryce sleep with me every night.

to have no fear

2010-10-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, a child lost her life due to type 1 diabetes. Dead in Bed Syndrome is the cause that explains nothing. It is the fear that all of us parents of children with diabetes face each day and night. It haunts our dreams, keeps us from sleeping soundly, forces us to wake throughout the night to check in on our child so that this fear does not become our reality.

The fear is much like that a newborn parent has for SIDS. The difference is that with SIDS, the baby grows up and the risk disappears with it, thereby alleviating the fear. With Dead in Bed, the risk never goes away, the fear never alleviates and it won't until there is a CURE.

Why do we fight so hard? Why is a cure so important? Because this fear is a reality for too many living with type 1 diabetes.

keep fighting, keep fundraising, keep advocating, keep testing, keep blogging, keep loving, keep hoping, keep living

riding the line

2010-10-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

We have Dex's LOW set at 90. Bryce's numbers this afternoon cruised along that line with slight dips and bumps. That means he was 80-100 for almost 5 hours. It was truly a thing of beauty!

later in the evening, he dropped to 70 and after a glucose tab dropped to 65, some caramel bumped him to 160. So how the heck is it that less that 30 mins later he was 32??!! Frickin D! Anyhow, I will enjoy the brief time off the roller coaster!

Naughty Night

2010-10-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

Get your mind out of the gutter...this is a D blog people!

Last night, Dex was being feisty. He had been so honest and forthright all day that I think he felt it was time to be naughty when we were going to bed.

We heard beeps and buzzes of all numbers and tones...3s, 2s, even a 4 beep and single beeps!

(for those unfamiliar with the Dexcom cgm, it will buzz 3 times for a low or a fast fall, beep twice for a high or fast rise...not sure what the 4 and 1 beeps were)

Each time we went in (ok, each time my hubby went in...I had a sleeping baby in my arms. Ok, not a baby but a two and a half year old but still!) Bryce was around 160...nothing to worry about. But Dex wanted us to worry. Wanted us to run down the hall.

Eventually, my husband decided to take Dex so he would stop bother us since we knew Bryce's numbers were fine.

But then Dex started beeping at us every few minutes to tell us he was out of range!! At this point, the hubs and I were sleep deprived and angry. In the almost 14 years we have been together, we have only had one or two arguments. Dex managed to add one more to that list. Not sure what exactly we were fighting about since we were both half asleep but it was not a good thing.

When asked what I think about Dex, I have a really hard time answering that. When he is behaving, I LOVE him. When he pulls this $**t, I really HATE him.

A SUPERhero giveaway!

2010-10-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

Head over to The Superhero and the Princess for not one, but 3 cool giveaways!

great giveaways...

2010-10-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Head over to I Am Your Pancreas for this weeks Sugar Bolus...

Jen is giving away a Spibelt and some local Seattle goodies!

Then make your way to Tallygear to enter to win a fabulous Tummietote.

Don't miss the ID bands being given away at D-Mom Blog.

Gotta love the DOC and all the fun giveaways!!!

The big D & A1c

2010-10-09T10:21:00.001-07:00

While no-D day was a lot of fun and we got to learn others things about members of the DOC, it was far from a 'no-D day' off the blogs...actually it was Bryce's endo appointment day. So a very D day! Yet, I waited to blog about it. So here it is....

A1c 7.5 this is the lowest he has ever been since diagnosis (last term was 8.6 and I cried!) so I am thrilled and the endo is thrilled....however, reading about the A1cs of the DOC kiddos, I am going to strive for better. Anyhow, I believe this improvement is due to the fact that Bryce started his Dex cgm (continuous glucose monitor) since that appointment. We have a better understanding of how he reacts to insulin and food and made some major adjustments to basals and insulin to carb ratios. Guess we did good on those adjustments cuz our endo suggested no changes...wow!!!

Asked about testing for thyroid and celiac. Turns out he was tested at diagnosis (almost 2 years ago). I had no idea but he apparently tested positive for one of the celiac markers but negative on the other. Holy cow! I had NO idea....granted, at diagnosis, I was in complete shock and they could have told me he grew extra toes and I wouldn't have processed that. If they even went over these results with me, I wouldn't have had any idea what it meant. Now I know, and now I am freaked out. So our endo ordered to have the lab work done and see how it comes back. Crossing fingers!!!

Since we weren't anticipating a blood draw, we decided to skip school and go get a special treat. Guess what he wanted? Krispy Kreme donuts!!!! OMG, really??

Well, why the heck not? So off to Krispy Kreme for a ghost donut we went. And high bgs to battle the rest of the day!