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
