Almost 2 years in....

Well here it is almost 2 years into Clifford's diagnosis of Diabetes and we are finally making some headway. I received word on Thursday that his pump was being shipped out that day! Took only 2 days after being told it was approved that it was shipped. It was all very exciting in choosing the color, his infusion sets, the tubing length, etc, etc. I got off the phone with goosebumps. I think though I am the most excited of everyone about the pump coming including Clifford. No idea when we'll actually start pumping. We are supposed to get a call within a week from the trainer to get us scheduled for training and starting him on saline first. I know it's all going to be very overwhelming in the beginning, just like diagnosis all over again. But I also know that this is a better choice for Clifford for his diabetes management, and it will most definitely be worth it.

2 years.... That's like a lifetime in D care when you think about it. Diabetes care involves 24/7 watch and management. Technically it's been 17, 520 hours of constant care and attention. I know there are others out there that have done this way longer, and I commend all of you! I'm just very excited we are finally heading in the direction of treatment we were wanting. Only one last step of getting the CGM approved and we will be there! Clifford's already been prepared that the first week on the pump will not be too much fun. He will just be on saline and will still require his injections daily (6 x a day). So in addition to the injections we'll be changing infusion sites. But he also knows that after that week it's live on insulin and no more injections(unless needed). It's very exciting as we enter in a new "normal" for us. I think we just started getting used to our other "new" normal.

Last night D cooperated for the most part. Clifford really enjoys these peanut butter cookies we have, but they are pretty carb loaded, and at night time I do not like to give him a bunch of carbs. So I told him we were trying a test. 3 cookies is 26 grams. So 3 cookies for tonight it was with 0.5 units humalog, and 7 units of Lantus. He was 130 at 8pm, and 137 at 10:30pm, then 152 at 4am. But come wake up time (he actually woke up at 6:50) he was 68.. Yuck, just glad he caught it. So the test was if his blood sugar was good throughout the night we would let him have the 3 cookies, and a 1/2 cup of the carb smart ice cream (13 grams), so a total of 39 grams. Definitely more than I like him having. The reason is he seems more sensitive to the humalog at bedtime and tends to drop like a rock with anything over 0.5 units. For the 39 grams depending on his blood sugar at bedtime he will have to get almost a full unit. That's scary territory to me, but I'm willing to let him have his treat, and get up and test to see how it's working.

Back to the pump... It will be here Tomorrow! So Happy Valentine's Day to us. I told Chad if I could keep my mouth shut I would save it for Diagnosis Day (his D anniversary ) on 2/28, but I can't keep my mouth shut about his pump in the house for 2 whole weeks, so yeah not happening!

So almost 2 years in and entering into new territory soon with pumping. For those of you that pump and tips/tricks/words of wisdom you have would be greatly appreciated!

Ice Cream for only 13grams????

I wrote about an ice cream previously that didn't hurt Clifford's blood sugar. Well to my surprise today when grocery shopping, I came across Breyer's Carb Smart. Apparently they have vanilla and chocolate, but I only found vanilla. Good news is for 1/2 cup serving there are only 13 grams of carbs. We haven't tried this yet so I can't really say how it affect's his blood sugar, but you definitely cannot beat a 1/2 cup for 13grams.

I felt the need to let everyone else know about it and give you a link to the nutritional information so you could review it yourself. If you find that your kids, or yourself love ice cream but they just have way too many crazy carbs, you may want to look into Breyer's Carb Smart and give it a try.

Here is a link to their nutritional info: http://www.breyers.com/products/Carb-Smart/Vanilla.aspx

Valentines Day Carbs.....

Valentine's Day is fun for the kids in school, with all the pretty cards, and tasty treats. However it can be a headache trying to figure out all those carbs. For the most part a lot of treats are labeled now a days which saves a lot of work trying to guess or SWAG the carb count. When we put our treat bags together, we make sure to label the number of carbs in the treats, because Clifford has a friend in his class who has Type 1 diabetes too. So I am hoping by labeling them it makes it much easier on her parents when it comes to carb totals.

But if you are the lucky ones that get the tasty treats without carb totals, take a look at Calorie King (which btw is an awesome book), they have a bunch of common Valentines Day Candy carb counts listed here:

http://blog.calorieking.com/2012/02/caloriekings-guide-to-valentines-day-candy/

Once we pass Valentine's Day it's onto Clifford's Dx Day. Still trying to figure out what to do for him that will make it a special celebration of a healthy year with Diabetes!

On a positive note, we got a phone call yesterday that his insulin pump was APPROVED! So he officially will have a new exterior pancreas. Although he likes to tell me it's not a pancreas just a pump, his pancreas is inside and it's broken. :/

*Archives* God and Diabetes

I think it's time to bring a post from my archives back in because it's definitely something I think about a lot.

Let me start by stating, I believe in God. However, when Cliffy was first diagnosed, I questioned why he was chosen, why did God have to make it so my son's life changed forever. It's just the nature of the beast to wonder why, and ask "why me". But let me tell you what I've learned from this experience.

Let's start with a snippet of a book I've been reading. In the future when I am tempted to ask the question "Why me?" I will immediately counter with the answer: "Why not me". Challenges are gifts, opportunities to learn. Problems are the common thread running through the lives of great men and women. In times of adversity, I will not have a problem to deal with, I will have a choice to make. Clifford's diabetes is NOT a problem. We have a choice daily and that choice is to live! I have learned from my past that I can handle a lot that is put on my plate. So if God chose my son to have diabetes, he chose him because he knew Cliffy and I could handle it. He knew that I would care for him to the fullest that I possibly can. He also knew not a day would go by that I wouldn't be educating myself about the disease, and learning as much as I possibly can so one day we could find a cure!

For me personally, Cliffy's diagnosis forced me to slow down in life. To take it one day at a time and cherish every moment I had with him and my kids. It showed me just how precious life is and that at any moment everything could change. He was diagnosed in DKA, and many of you know that is not something you would want your worst enemy to experience with their child. I cried the whole first day as it looked like something was taking over my son's tiny body. But with prayers and hope, things turned around for the better. Yes our lives have changed, yes he is no longer a normal child. But we can handle it, and we can move forward and make a difference.

If you are questioning why your son or daughter or yourself was given this fate, then take a step back and think, God knows you are really strong and you could handle it. He needs strong advocates in his corner to not only care for these special children and adults, but to fight to find a cure! Everytime when I would think about questioning why in the beginning, I would go back to a poem I read shortly after diagnosis.

How God Selects the Mother of a Diabetic Child
by Erma Bombeck Modified a great deal by me.

Some women become mothers by accident, most 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?"

"She has the patience?" the Angel agrees.

"Once the shock wears off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She is strong. You see, the child I am going to give her will require great care. It's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, could this make her stop believing."

God smiles. "No. This one is perfect. She has a strong faith in me."God nods. "Yes, this is the woman whom I will bless with this child. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work."

So if you remember anything from this posting, when you are tempted to ask "Why me", counter it with "Why not me". God obviously knows you and your child are strong, but the most important question is "Do you know"?.

Rocking as a Pancreas- At least for the day!

It's how we roll in "D" land, one day at a time, and celebrating the small victories which I intend to do through pictures!!! Yesterday was a great day for us "blood sugar wise", minus the low at midnight to kick off the night/day previously, we definitely rocked the pancreas game later on. We had two lows, but they weren't even horribly low lows. One at 7:10 Clifford came down and was 74, so we treated since he still had some time before bedtime. He then came back down about 20 minutes later asking if it was okay to eat bedtime snack because he was hungry. He tested himself and it showed "255", um yeah no way he's that high after 20 mins and only having 15grams, so I had him retest after washing his hands, and he was "89!" much better.

I had purchased some "Carb comfort" Butter pecan ice cream yesterday from Schwan's, and he was wanting to try some. For a 1/2 cup it's only 15grams, pretty good, however he complained briefly he was only having a half cup, then after eating it asked why I wasn't giving him his Humalog because he ate "ICE CREAM". So I kindly explained to him that he was only 89 it was only 15 grams, to be happy no injection for this treat. He argued a little bit (as he's 8 and likes to argue with me) but finally went back to playing his video game. At bedtime 8pm, he came down to retest and get his Lantus injection. Turns out he was 116! Not too shabby, but I will test later just to make sure he's still good to go. Midnight check revealed he was 155, 5am check showed he was 149, and wake up today he was 115! The one thing both Clifford and I have realized as of late, is we are going to start listening to "me". With three different occasions that were done how the D Team wanted them and resulted in lows that were not good. But onto better things.

So here is a little show of our little victory yesterday through pictures.

We ended with a 7 day average of 132! Not too bad for the pancreas game!

Better than Christmas

We are very lucky in that it's taken almost 2 years but we are finally getting the supplies covered (for the most part, see the CGM post) that we need. I am a big time hoarder of his supplies because you just never know with insurance if one day they will cover the 600 strips we get monthly then turn around and cut us back down. It's taken almost 2 years, we started at only 300 strips a month, then increased to 450, now to 600. It's definitely a good feeling to see our shelf that's pictured here. I
t's actually better than Christmas, because I know we have what we need, and for a good while should anything happen. It looks like our shelf is a mini pharmacy and I love it. There are a lot of people out there without insurance that have to pay out
of pocket for their D supplies and those that have insurance and can't get enough of what they need paid for. So I know how very blessed we are that Clifford's is all covered. It's truly a lifesaver (literally).

This is also an inside peek for those without Diabetes or much experience with D to see just how it looks at home. Another section of pictures are what I call the "Clifford station" this is where I keep his meters, strips, lancing devices, extra lancets, juice boxes for quick usage, glucose tabs, pixie sticks, smarties, glucagon, you name it it's probably there. But it's in a centralized location in the kitchen that works very well for us.

I am thinking once we start pumping I may have to either a.) make more room on the D supply shelf, or b.) figure out another good place in the house that works to hold supplies. (still thinking ab

out this one, just haven't figured it out yet). I also want to get some supplies (meter, glucagon, strips, juice boxes, alcohol wipes, lancets, lancing device, etc, etc) to put in Clifford's room, just need to find the perfect spot that can be locked up because little fingers (sisters) like to get into everything. So for now during night time testing I either carry juice or other carbs up with me just in case or make a run for it back downstairs to get what is needed.

In all it's a very good feeling to be stocked up. I tend to buy our juice boxes in bulk during the month. Usually the lady at Dollar General looks at me strangely because I am usually there with 10-15 (4 packs) of 4oz juice boxes, 10 of those large smarties (good to use like tabs), and a couple bags of pixie sticks. I'm probably a nerd, but I replied that in our house this is considered medicine!

Our night last night wasn't much fun. I went up to test Clifford around 12:15 after staying up late to finish up work, I decided it was bedtime for me. And what did I find? So needless to say I was up a bit later, finally testing at around the 20-25 minute mark I got a 119. I really think this number was for correcting a 209 at bedtime. I didn't think this number really should be corrected just cover for the 15 grams of carbs for snack. But endo says correction at bedtime for numbers higher than target. So with correction and coverage he got 1 unit of humalog and low and behold dive bombed. You w

ould think I would just start listening to myself more than the endo, but now I can go back and tell them once again I was correct and look what happened. Thankfully I tested and didn't let him ride it out like only testing 2 nights a week as suggested by said endo. So in all with the treating of juice with this 63, he was 110 @3am and 114 @wakeup. Pretty good numbers minus the overnight scare.

So why is night time so scary?

You may hear many parents of Type 1 kids talk about how they don't sleep much and how scary night time is. But why is night time so scary? Let's look at it this way as a person without diabetes, your pancreas is still fully working properly, you can go to bed and not have to worry about anything going wrong with your blood sugar, that's because your pancreas is working around the clock to ensure you are stable all though the night with insulin and glucagon (if you happen to get low). However with Type 1 diabetes Clifford's pancreas gave up and quit it's job. Now it's our job to function as his pancreas. Unlike a pancreas who really doesn't require sleep, we as human beings do. There are a few things I've learned about night time. 1. I dislike it, but also love my sleep. 2. It's so unpredictable with diabetes.

I've had an endo tell me once to stop testing overnight so much, that really all he needed was tested 2 nights a week. Well that didn't sit too well with me, but overworked, and sleep deprived I decided to give it a shot one time, and go to bed without testing him. Yes that might shock pretty much all of you, but we were new to this and I decided to listen to the medical professional. Well what happened you might ask? Clifford woke up at 3am and was "dizzy", after testing him he was low with a blood sugar of 50! I knew that feeling in the pit of my stomach was something to listen to when I went to bed.

So as we move on in this game I learned something else just last night. Last week before Clifford's dental surgery I talked with his diabetes educator, she wanted to get his numbers and see where to change his Lantus to before the surgery and the fasting he had to do. Well that night he was below target at 111 at 11pm, his target for bedtime is 120. So I decided to treat and give him 15g's to help get him above target. He happened to wake up a little higher at 240. The educator said with him being so close to target that he didn't need treated to help get him up. Okay well last night rolls around, I again tested him before I went to bed at 11, and he was 112, I decided NOT to treat, and went to bed, 2:30 he was tested again and he was 130, not bad. However 6:30 came around and Clifford woke up feeling "dizzy". After we tested him he was 68.

The lesson I've learned from these two experiences is one I've always knew 1. Diabetes is unstable. He could have been 112 another night and not got boosted up by juice, and still woken up high, or he could have dive bombed as he did last night. What I've learned is if I do not feel comfortable with the number prior to going to bed as I didn't last night (but listened to the educator) I will go with what I feel is best. I mean I understand that his diabetes team is very smart and educated in their field. They are however not experts at Clifford's body. Unfortunately I am no expert at his body either, but I have more of an inside look than they do in caring for him 24/7.

I think I may have sidetracked from the topic of this post, but you can probably guess as to why night time is so scary. Non -working pancreas can lead to many problems during the night, including fatal ones that cannot be undone. So every morning we Thank God that Clifford woke up alive and awake, and for that we are truly blessed.