Thursday, November 29, 2012

Diabetes Burnout

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I haven’t had a post lately, and considering Diabetes Awareness Month is coming to an end, I thought it fitting to get one more in this month. It may come as a shock to you all, but I don’t feel like “talking” Diabetes all the time. Once in awhile I get burnout from all the diabetes lingo, carbs, bolus, basal, ketones, you know the lingo. These are the times that I may not have a post every single day. I just don’t feel like talking about it.

However, while I don’t feel like talking about it on here, we still have to live it. We still have to deal with the high blood sugars, the crappy attitude (whether that’s D, or him just being a kid Smile ) The lows during the night, and everything else that comes along with it. That’s because while we may get burnout in talking about Diabetes, Diabetes doesn’t get burnout, it’s the freaking energizer bunny, and keeps on going and going, and pushing you harder and harder.

So if you see there are times I’m ‘quiet’ well, just know that even though I’m not talking about Diabetes with you all, I’m still out there living it.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Thanksgiving: Carbs, Carbs, and More Carbs

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When it comes to Thanksgiving it can be a bit overwhelming and frustrating especially in the beginning when tossing Diabetes into the mix. All those foods, all those carbs, what are you to do?  Below are a few tested tips and tricks that can help make Thanksgiving a fun and enjoyable holiday all around, without sacrificing the chance to indulge in all the homemade goodness around you.

Check More Frequently

The most important tip of all for when it comes to Thanksgiving and Diabetes is to check more frequently. This can help prevent those highs that you may normally see later after largely carbohydrate based meals. Check 1 hour after eating ( I know your # will still be high at this time), however it can give you an idea of where you are headed. Usually 1 hour post meal if enough insulin is given Clifford won’t be much higher than in the 200s. But if we check and he’s rocking in the 300 and 400s then we know that a little more insulin is needed to help combat those after meal highs.

Smaller Portions

If you want to enjoy all the goodies around you, feel free to, you can. However it may be more beneficial to take those goodies in much smaller portions than you would normally like. This gives you the chance to try more than one dessert, or have more than one or two sides with your main meal, and not suffer from the additional carbs.

Increase Your Activity Levels

Adding in a few extra minutes of activity can help greatly in balancing out those blood sugar numbers. It can be something as simple as going for a walk after a large Thanksgiving meal.

Remember No Carb (Freebies).

When you know you will be eating a ton of extra Carbs in the afternoon with your meal, why not opt for no carb freebies such as cheese, meats, etc, etc in the earlier portion of the holiday.

The bottom line is, enjoy the holiday’s as you would normally. This time you just happen to have Diabetes in tow and need to pay attention a wee bit more. Overall it’s that time of year to have a great time with friends and family, so go do that and enjoy!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Passing the Torch

When you have a child with diabetes you understand that one day they will become an adult with diabetes. All of the issues that you are dealing with now, the care, the management, the diligence with meals, etc, etc will be their responsibility. Honestly this whole thinking scares the crap outta me, but I do what I can daily to give Clifford a bit more responsibility in caring for himself.

It started slowly with testing himself, when he got the pump, he learned to bolus himself for meals, now he’s learning to count his carbs, add everything up and do that. However I didn’t know just how much we were teaching him until this morning. I knew that little by little we were passing the D torch over to him to care for himself when he was older, but it wasn’t until this morning just how much we’ve shown him had become apparent.

At 6:30 he woke up to let me know that my overnight “D” bag needs to have a new juicebox replaced in it, because he had woken up at 4:30 due to being dizzy, but when he tested himself he was 160 something. He said he tried to go back to sleep but still felt dizzy, so at 4:50 am he tested himself again and was 75, he then grabbed the juicebox, and treated himself, tested again and was in range. All the while he did this without waking anyone up.

I have a little bag that I carry with me to do overnight checks, in it I have his meter, his B Ketone meter, alcohol wipes, the dreaded glucagon, and a juicebox, everything that is needed. When I have to go back and retest at 2am which I had to do last night, I leave the bag by his bed, however this particular night I forgot to put it back downstairs, and it turns out that was a good call, as he didn’t even have to leave bed to test and treat.

He managed to handle one of the more scarier situations, overnight lows, with nothing but ease, and took care of it like a champ on his on. It’s that moment that let’s me not be so scared in my thinking of him out on his own as an adult in caring for himself and his diabetes.