This Pancreas is stumped....

Since Cliffy's pancreas went on strike, and stopped producing insulin and we're officially out of the honeymooning phase with Type 1, I have been appointed "Official Pancreas of Clifford". For the most part I kind of have an idea of what is going on, and what I should and shouldn't be doing. However this pancreas is officially stumped..

He out of the blue has a fever at school, then get's sent home with said fever. Okay fine no vomiting (thank you god!), that is a whole mess on it's own when being a Pancreas. Just a slight temp and a slight cough. Okay we can work with this. No ketones, again (Thank you god). But one thing that just will not go down is his blood sugar. Consistently the numbers have been 220-280. It seems no matter what this pancreas does, (Adjusting insulin, etc), she just can't seem to get the number under 200. That is until Snack time... Oh yes my friends, this pancreas did it. He had a Meal Bar with 11gs of sugar, and 26 gs of Carbs. So being the official pancreas that I am, I adjusted his insulin based on the extra sugar, and 5 extra carbs, and at the 2 hr mark we were sitting at 174! Yay, celebrate, well that was until dinner time when we were back up to 202.

I swear D is giving me a run for my money today. I'm tired, but still racking my pancreatic brain to figure out how to battle D for the rest of the night, and hopefully keep it at bay for bedtime..

Never a brain break with D

It's not enough that I eat, sleep, breath, and even dream of D. Nope, I have to have a 24/7 fear for my family. We all know the symptoms. Hayleigh started waking in the middle of the night for a drink, my heart sunk and it worried me to no end. Abby was sick and looking like she was losing weight, oh dear lord not again my mind thought. Now with the birth of the twins, I'm constantly watching, are they wetting too many diapers, are they eating enough. My mind really needs to take a break sometimes.

Now a fun game Cliffy wanted to play. Well I guess if you can call having a sharp needle hurling at your finger to get blood fun. He wanted me to test my bg# to see what it was when he did his. I felt like crap, headache, eyes hurt, kids just woke up (All 5) so needless to say it was crazy breakfast time but I obliged him. His beeps 160! Woo hoo awesome number. Mine beeps ... 239!! WHA???? to me that seemed incredibly high.

This sent my mind working into overdrive yet again, DAMN IT D!. I began to think well I washed my hands, it can't be that. What did I eat, drink? I only had about 5-6 sips of tea with oh yes a incredible amount of sugar! And perhaps the added craziness of the house sent my bg into hyperdrive. Decided to do some testing later and test my fasting bg#, a nice pretty 73 went across the meter, whew!

Before dinner yet again Cliffy wanted to play our "fun" game. Okay last time because honestly I don't know how he does it 10+ times a day but my fingers were killing me and I only put the lancing device on 1! This time Cliffy's was 227 and mine was 76, no wonder I felt a wee bit dizzy. I swear Diabetes is on my mind way too much, I wish for once it would cooperate and give my brain a break.....

Sleepless nights... Fighting to find a cure

Last night was a good example of why donating to organizations that are fighting to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes is very important to me. Cliffy was high 392 at Bedtime. He got 2 unites Humalog, and 5 units Lantus. I checked him at 10:30 , only 2.5 hrs later and he had dropped to 99!. That is a great number normally, and one we would be happy with, but a number under 100 at bedtime concerns me. I decided to retest at 12 and see where we were at. 12 rolls around and we are at 130 (Awesome , so I thought.) At 3 am the meter read 79!! Well that means it's time to treat, ran downstairs, got a pixie stick, ran back up, gave it to him, he woke up after he ate it to tell me he was dizzy, but he was already treated. Re checked at 3:30, and we were sitting at 106, still a iffy number with me. But went back to bed, and we woke up at 206, a little high but not horrible. Last night was another one of those sleepless nights, a night where Cliffy was tested 3 times in his sleep, and even woken to be treated and have some candy. A good reason why I want to find a cure. This month we are trying to help by donating 10% of our profits to the DRI. Take a look below at the event we have going on throughout the month of March, even the DRI on Facebook has helped to get the word out for us!!!

As you all know my son Cliffy (7) was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on February 28th 2010. Since then we've been working to raise awareness and get the word out. Now we have been given an opportunity to make a difference by raising money and contributing to organizations who are working to find a cure for diabetes.

During the month of March 10% of our profits through our Amway business will be donated to the DRI (Diabetes Research Institute). http://www.diabetesresearch.org/
This is our way of helping a great cause and fighting to find a cure.

I would like to invite you all to participate and help in the fight to finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes.

It's easy, simply visit our site at : http://www.amway.com/chadandbridget?lng=EN

register your account for FREE, and take a look around at the different products we offer. All orders come with a money back guarantee through Amway. You can also receive free shipping on orders of $99 and over on qualifying products. The lines of qualifying products include Legacy of Clean, Artistry, and Nutrlite.

We love the products but Cliffy particularly loves a bunch of the Nutrilite products. He is finally able to drink something other then water/ milk that doesn't contain aspartame with our Twist tubes and our Sugar free sports drinks.

If you have any questions feel free to message me anytime and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Each month we will be donating 10% to a different organization that is working to find a cure. If you know of any that are near and dear to your heart please let me know.

Please make sure you use the link above to register and purchase from or I cannot track orders placed. Also send me a message when you have registered with our site. With our site you are able to receive the products at a discounted wholesale price. To give you the wholesale pricing I need to go and set your prices up for you :). An example

http://www.amway.com/ChadandBridget/Shop/Product/Product.aspx/Legacy-of-Clean--Intro-Bundle?itemno=105519 Retail pricing $65.00 Our pricing $55.25

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137508996319405

A Day to be a "normal" kid...

Whatever "Normal" is anymore... But St. Patty's Day is a day of tradition for Clifford. He takes part in "Leprechaun Hunting". Something I made up a few years ago so they could have fun and take part in St. Patty's Day and learn about their Irish heritage. It makes my heart smile to hear Cliffy reminiscing about the time the Leprechaun "bit" Mommy's finger when she was trying to catch him. Or while walking to the bus stop, the tree branch moves ;), and Cliffy goes, "Did you see, the Leprechaun is following me. I'm gonna have to tell Chad about that when I get home".

Today is a day he can be a normal kid, wear his green, and go Leprechaun hunting. Sure we still have shots and finger pricks, but that isn't the main thing on the menu today. We got some gold to find, and that's WAY more important. Besides once he finds this gold, he has big plans to get some Sugar Free gum...

2011 Ambassador of PA for the Diabetes Dude

Cliffy was excited when he received Daniella (The diabetes flamingo ) in the mail the other day from his buddy Noah (The Diabetes Dude) . With Daniella Cliffy is going to help raise awareness for Diabetes. We are currently working on getting him to "flock" his classmates with Daniella, and I'm in contact with our State Representative Sam Smith, from our District to get Cliffy and Daniella to meet with him.

We will be busy the next few months in getting the word out. Be on the look out for posts with Cliffy and Daniella to see what they've been up to.

The Most Difficult thing about Diabetes and Exercise....

Exercise is great for everyone, but is particularly awesome for those with Diabetes. It helps to lower blood sugar numbers, which in turn means less insulin for Clifford. But there is also a hitch to exercise and diabetes. That is the management.

When Cliffy exercises his blood sugar lowers at least by 20 or more. We've tried this on World Diabetes Day including playtime outside on the swingset, lowering his blood sugar from 159 to 128, in the matter of 15 minutes. This is great, but sometimes can be tricky in trying to make sure he doesn't drop too low too fast. So to me the most difficult part to diabetes management and exercise is the attempt to make sure we are getting the benefits of the activity and keeping his blood sugar stable.

This post is my March entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information athttp://diabetessocmed.com/2011/march-dsma-blog-carnival“

Seeing Blue once again....

Unfortunately the DOC knows too well what the wave of blue candles across our social networks mean. It means a life was cut short to this vicious disease once again. This time two innocent lives were taken away due to Type 1 diabetes. One a 24 year old man, who had been missing when he went to visit his sister, and an 8th grade boy who went undiagnosed. Please say prayers for both the families as they mourn the loss of their loved ones.

No one should be dying from non diagnosis of Type 1. It is VERY important to recognize the signs and symptoms ahead of time, you can never be too careful. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with them, you never know when it will come in handy. You may save someones life!

Type 1 diabetes signs and symptoms can come on quickly and may include:

• Increased thirst and frequent urination. As excess sugar builds up in your bloodstream, fluid is pulled from your tissues. This may leave you thirsty. As a result, you may drink — and urinate — more than usual.
• Extreme hunger. Without enough insulin to move sugar into your cells, your muscles and organs become depleted of energy. This triggers intense hunger that may persist even after you eat. Without insulin, the sugar in your food never reaches your energy-starved tissues.
• Weight loss. Despite eating more than usual to relieve hunger, you may lose weight — sometimes rapidly. Without the energy sugar supplies, your muscle tissues and fat stores may simply shrink.
• Fatigue. If your cells are deprived of sugar, you may become tired and irritable.
• Blurred vision. If your blood sugar level is too high, fluid may be pulled from your tissues — including the lenses of your eyes. This may affect your ability to focus clearly.

I didn't know any of these symptoms before Cliffy was diagnosed. But he had weight loss, fatigue, extreme thirst, frequent urination. I know I said there are times I want to scream at the top of my lungs "I HATE BEING A PANCREAS", but I'm happy that today Cliffy is with us , and happy that I have the chance to be his pancreas! Unfortunately for so many that is not the case. Know the symptoms!!! It can save lives.

I hate being a Pancreas.....

I've worn many hats in my life thus far, there are those I was born into, daughter and sister. Those I've acquired as I grew up, student, athlete, and friend. And there is the most important hat of all, MOM. Little did I know that God would choose to bless me with a special kind of child. A child with whom I would wear yet another hat, a pancreas. A child with Type 1 diabetes.

There are days where I feel my duties as a pancreas have been handled wonderfully, then there are days where I just want to scream out that I hate being a pancreas... But unlike Clifford's actual pancreas, I may get tired, and worn out, but I will not quit working.

Have you ever had that pulling feeling that you need to do something right away? That type of feeling occurred to me at 2:30 am while I was up with the twins. It was the type of feeling that I had to stop what I was doing and just NEEDED to test Clifford. I couldn't wait till 3 like normal, for some reason my world ceased to move until I went and tested him. Normally this type of feeling, leads to a discovery of lows, and has been life saving in the past. But this time brought on another number I, as a pancreas, hate to see, 401! This is where my duties as a pancreas must kick in and I must make the right decision on what to do. I debated briefly with myself, do I correct and give an injection to a sleeping boy at 2:30 in the morning, or do I let him ride it out and hope he goes back down by morning. I decided to re test him, to make sure the number was correct. The next beep of the meter revealed what I had hoped was just a fluke, 403! I did not feel good to let him ride this out through the night knowing he climbs in the early morning hours of 4 to 5 am. I decided to correct and give him an injection. But these are the times I spoke of where I detest my pancreatic duties, and I detest his pancreas for not doing it's job... But they are also the times when all goes well, that I am happy I was there to serve as a pancreas for him, when his has decided to quit.. As of 6am we are sitting pretty at 153, a much better number to have him waking up to.. Clifford did end up waking up for the injection and wanted me to make a guess on what his waking number would be, I guessed 182, he said nope it's going to be 123! I surely hope for him he is correct, that would be an awesome number!

A break from D......

I've heard it must be nice to have a break from D while Cliffy is in school.... A break from D????? I never have a break from D. Sure there are times when Cliffy is at school or at his dads that I'm not handling the hands on with D, but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking about it. That doesn't mean that I'm still not "on call" if the nurse or his dad has a question about D or his care. I still haven't gotten used to getting the kids lunch ready without testing someones blood sugar or getting an injection ready. It is a weird feeling to me just to get lunch ready and have them eat, and nothing else. It also doesn't help that when I finally start thinking he's in good hands, I hear how someone messed something up when he was at school, and then I have to talk with them again, and have to start to worry constantly about his care when he's there. It may be a good day when the phone is silent from no one calling, but it's also those days that I'm watching the clock awaiting his return so I can see how it all went. It's also days like today where it's a guessing game on the amount of carbs, because Cliffy wants Pizza like everyone else. I honestly think it's days like this that are harder then the "Hands on" care of D. At least when he's home I know what's going on, and where his numbers are at.


At the end of the month we go back to clinic to get our A1c, what I refer to as my report card. Which will give a generalized idea of how well we've been fighting D the last 3 months. In December our A1c was 7.1, which is great, but I was disappointed in myself for the reason being in September it was 6.9, so we had a bit of an increase. I would really LOVE to see a drop this time, or for it to stay the same, no increase!! However we had over a week straight of highs, crazy highs from being sick, and the days leading up to that week we had highs, as well as the days after. And just when you think things are getting back to normal (if there is even such a thing) you have a morning like today 323!! I cannot wait until we can start our classes to move towards the pump. When I correct him overnight with an injection its a guessing game if he's actually going to climb or if he will even out before morning. And for that reason even though I hate seeing his waking number over 300, I don't like to correct until he's pushing 300-400 at 3am. Which he was not last night, he was sitting steady the last few hours at around 210. So sad to say today was one of those mornings that D went "Neener, neener, neener " to us when we saw that number. So for now D has got one over on us, but I will most definitely make sure it doesn't tomorrow.

We are finally becoming a virus free household. But let me tell you that was a long 2 and a half weeks. I was beginning to think I would never have a day without a sick child. It went through Cliffy, Hayleigh, and Abby first. It took a full 10 days for Abby to feel better. Then I was hit, thankfully only for 3 days, then Annie got not just Influenza B but an ear infection too. It very much threw off her sleeping schedule, and my baby who once slept through the night (8pm-5am) with Maggie, has now been waking up every 1-2 hrs all night long for the last 5 nights. Needless to say Mommy is very tired... Lastly it hit Eric, but he was another lucky one and only had it a few days. After 2 and a half weeks, Chad is the only one who hasn't gotten sick at all, no fever, no congestion, no sinus issues, nothing. He is contributing it to him taking his new vitamin, Double X. Which I think is true, since he made me start taking it along with a Vitamin C supplement from Nutrilite when I was sick and I only had it 3 days versus a week like the rest of the kids. Hopefully things can get back to normal now and we can get back into a routine, because this up every few hours again is not fun.

If I could write a book.............

If I could write a book I would start it with a happy ending.

"And then there was you........ "

And then there was you is really not an ending, but my happy beginning. The words that fill in the rest of the space before there was you do not matter, what matters is the here and now. Here and now stands us together, what came before this is our story about the bridges that connected us together throughout time to always make sure we one day crossed them to meet again.

When you touch someones life so deeply that they carry you with them always throughout time and space, well now that should mean something. It speaks wonders about your character, your life, and more importantly about the type of person you are. If I could write a phrase to pass on to our children so that they would one day know where it all began it would be this.

It all started with a look.... And from then on out my heart was hooked.....

Our past isn't what defines us, our past is what molds us to become the person we are today. But your never truly the person you were meant to be until your heart is where it was meant to be.

My point of writing a brief picture into my head on our relationship is this. With everything that has happened. I am still probably to some sickenly happy. I am now becoming the person I was meant to be. The person that my son needs to fight the good fight for him in his path to a cure for the disease that invaded his body. And for that I am very thankful. Thankful that I can be who I need to be for myself, and for my family. I'm also thankful that I can be who I was meant to be because my heart is finally where it was meant to be......