The start of something new

I've taken a brief hiatus for a few days from blogging only because I've been a bit busy. Diabetes hasn't really given us too much of a problem, numbers for the most part have been pretty good, with few lows and highs. Night time numbers have done pretty good as well, so I cannot complain in the Diabetes department. We've recently switched to a new way of eating that is overall benefiting everyone. I've probably mentioned a few times in my blog or via facebook, but Chad and the twins are Lactose Intolerant, so they follow along with a Lactose free diet. There have also been tummy issues that have been plaguing most everyone in the home, and not just from an illness. So after talking about it and the benefits, we've started going with a gluten free diet as well. I have to say figuring out how to cook gluten free /lactose free is pretty tricky. I'm still new to it and slowly getting the hang of it. I'm sure in no time it will become second nature as well.

The grocery store was interesting yesterday too, trying to figure out what to get and definitely reading more of the labels than just how many carbs are in it. I spent a total about 25 minutes in the fresh foods section, getting many fresh veggies and fruits as well as some new ones to try, asparagus and brussel sprouts (not sure about these but Mom ensures me they are good with her recipe). The good news in all of this change in eating is that everyone is feeling better. It's been about a week now since we switched, there is no more complaints of tummy aches from Clifford, and I have to say I feel a bit better as well. I haven't had as many migraines as I was getting accustomed to, which was daily. In all I believe I only had 1 this week.

Clifford even packed his lunch for school today which was very impressive that he had a steak salad (spinach, not lettuce), with cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers. He had strawberries and blueberries as a treat, as well as an apple sliced, and the squeeze type of apple/strawberry sauce (both gluten and dairy free btw). And as a healthier option for his snack he had Buddy Fruits, fruit bites , they look like fruit snacks but contain only fruit ingredients and nothing else. They are dairy free as well, and the site stated gluten free, but further investigation on the package shows that they may contain traces of wheat starch.

So I as I stated we are only a week in, but I will be sure to keep everyone updated on how we are feeling as we embark on this new healthier way of eating from here on out. On a side note we are now only 7 days away from pumping.

A day for Praying for a miracle

I am taking the time today to direct away from anything diabetes related. A big advocate and voice in the DOC needs our help in praying for a miracle for her husband and family. Ryan and Meri Schuhmacher have been married for 19 years now. They have 4 sons ranging in ages from 8 to 16. Three of their boys have Type 1 diabetes like Clifford. We connected online due to our connection with diabetes, and I have read many blog posts from Meri that have helped tremendously throughout our dealing with Type 1. On February 26, 2012, her husband Ryan was taken to the ER for an evaluation of right sided leg numbness and heaviness. The head CT discovered that he has 6 brain tumors. Additional testing revealed tumors in his lungs and abdomen as well. Ryan is only 40 years old.

Their road ahead will be long and rocky, as it will be filled with radiation and new drugs that have just been recently approved by the FDA. It will be filled with exhausting emotions, moments of fear, and endless questions. But it will also be filled with hope, and faith beyond measure. The family is asking today March 4th that you join them in time of prayer for a miracle. I am asking if you could take a small moment of your day today to help pray for them all.

For with God nothing will be impossible Luke 1:37

My thoughts and prayers are with Meri, Ryan and their boys today, please join me in this also.

For a further look at Meri's blog please go to:

http://www.ourdiabeticlife.com/

Wordless Saturday

So you have Diabetes.... Now what???

Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday, the kids have been celebrating this all week long with various things at school, and today in celebration we had "Green Eggs and Ham" for breakfast. So in light of Dr. Seuss, I thought it would be fitting to find a quote from him that fits into our lives with diabetes, and I've found the perfect one.

"Don't cry because it's over, Smile because it happened"... You may be wondering how this fits into diabetes. Well think of it this way. We all look back on pictures of times before diagnosis, and if you are like me then chances are you have a hard time viewing these pictures. The "pre D" pictures. They depict a carefree life, pictures of countless amount of carbs being eaten without a care to count how many. Pictures of a sweet little sleeping face without the fear of death during sleep. They are hard pictures to look back on, and often the ones closer to diagnosis, I find myself trying to pick out signs that I "SHOULD HAVE" seen. But in order to move forward with your new life and diabetes you have to figure out a good balance of things. This involves letting go of the guilt of not catching it sooner, and thinking about the memories that you that you often block because you you don't want to think back on simply because it's too hard to do so. So from here on out I challenge you to think of "Pre D" life according to Dr. Seuss. Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

The most important thing you can do for yourself and your family after a diagnosis of diabetes, (New or old) is to move forward, and choose to be happy. Yes we still live in fear of what D will do, but it doesn't have to run out lives. If you are a parent, like myself to a child with diabetes, I know how hard it is to not give into that fear, to not let D take over. But in order to show our children that living with diabetes isn't the end of their life, we must accept that it happened, and it's here. We must show them that even though they have diabetes, diabetes doesn't have them.

So instead of looking back on a "Pre D" picture today and crying for the carefree childhood lost, smile because they had a chance to experience it, even as brief as it may have been. Don't let diabetes have more control in your life than it already has....

Hope is what we have!

Today, March 1st, 2012 is a Day for Hope around the Diabetes Online Community (DOC). When you live with a chronic illness, and invisible one at that it can get frustrating and overwhelming. The word "cure" has been thrown around for many, many years now when
others before were diagnosed. While it can get upsetting to see that today we do not have one yet, we don't give up, and have "HOPE".

I will be honest there are times I shrug my shoulders in defeat that we may never see one, but deep down I still have Hope that we will. When Clifford's bg#'s are on a roller coaster of a ride, I usually want to scream, but in it all I still have hope. I really don't think I could get through all this without it. When you have hope you see a light at the end of this long dark tunnel you travel through every day. If I didn't have hope I would feel as we/ he is stuck in this dark tunnel for the rest of his life, and that's just too depressing to think about.

I have hope that there is a greater reason that God chose my son and many other great children and adults to get this disease. There has to be, and that's why we have hope. We are closer today to a cure than we were yesterday. It's difficult enough to manage a disease that doesn't play by any rules to NOT have hope. You must stay positive and know there is a light at the end of the dark tunnel known as diabetes....

So if you are reading this, join me today by writing "HOPE" on your hand for those that you know and love suffering in that dark tunnel, for yourself, or just because you too have hope that those suffering will find their light.

2 Healthy years with Diabetes

Two short years ago today, we sat and watched while Clifford was still unconscious coming out of DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis), many tears were shed, I feared that my son wouldn't wake up from this nightmare known as diabetes. But here we are two years later with a happy healthy Clifford, bouncing and full of joy to share the news he has had diabetes for 2 years today.

It hasn't been easy, in 2 years of living with diabetes he's endured 13,140 finger pokes to check his blood glucose levels, and 4,380 injections. This is not counting the numerous blood draws he gets every 3 months, and the many IV's needed during hospital stays. In these 2 years we've had our share of scary experiences, one involving Clifford passing out from a hypoglycemic event, and being transported via ambulance to Children's hospital. The scariest of them all was when he suffered from seizures due to another hypoglycemic event and was life-flighted to Children's hospital, to this day I really do not like seeing a medical helicopter in the sky. It was only a 15 minute trip, during which I got sick, either from morning sickness with the twins, or stress of my son going through this.

However during these 2 years we've celebrated and witnessed much more positive events, A 7th birthday, then an 8th birthday, basketball practices, cub scout achievements, the birth of our twins, birthday's of siblings (I think we hit a 2 year birthday which btw was the day Clifford passed out, a 3 year birthday( 2 of these), a 4 year birthday, a 5 year birthday(again 2 of these), and (2) 6 year birthday's. The start of Preschool, Kindergarten (2 times), 1st grade (2 of these too), and 2nd grade. Many family holiday's and successful carb counting situations. Yesterday being one of these. It was swagging at it's finest and I would like to brag. Clifford's bg was 135 at his Blue & Gold banquet for Cub Scouts, some swagging involved for pasta, a salad and a piece of bread he was 75 when we returned from home. Then snack was given and a HI-C juice box since it was bedtime (75 is a good # but not one I like at bedtime), he woke up at 113 this morning! A nice way to start his 2 year celebration with diabetes.

We are soon embarking on a new journey with diabetes on the start of his insulin pump in 17 short days, we cannot wait. In all you can see it's been a trying time, but more so a fun and exciting time. Everyday is a celebration of a healthy day with D when he wakes up! So here's to many, many more healthy years with happy and exciting times with Diabetes!

Illness after illness

It's been a few days since I've been able to post, reason for that is we ran into the flu with Clifford. And you all may know that flu and T1 do not go together well. For the first time I considered having him go to the ER because of being unable to get ketones down. This may have been in part because I was so exhausted. But I pushed through kept doing what I knew had to be done (water, insulin, peeing every 20-30 mins) and gladly those ketones were gone by morning. He is feeling better minus some tummy pain but that is to be expected after having the flu and getting sick. Good news is we have zofran on hand because his ped called it in for us.

On Thursday Clifford was still home from school recuperating from the flu, and his sister Hayleigh came home from Preschool with pink eye, nice little swollen eye all red/pink with nasty stuff oozing out of it. ( I know a pretty picture for this early in the morning). Well they wouldn't even have her come into the doctors because it's "Highly contagious" so they called and drops, and she is doing better as well. They were both well enough to go to their dad's for weekend visitation, and in part that was a good thing because Friday during the day I started feeling "off" really just out of energy wanted to sleep and had a huge migraine that wouldn't go away. I went to bed early enough around 9pm, but woke up multiple times because the flu had hit me. I think at one point if asked I would have expressed that I was dying. I even slept in the shower for a few hours off and on because the water helped my stomach to not hurt as much. Which if you saw our shower you may wonder how I was able to do that. I am slowly recuperating as well but still feeling like crap, hot to cold temp, stomach aches, want to go to sleep. However I have things to do and have managed to pull myself to work, and hopefully get the dishes done here today. It's also been quite interesting in caring for the twins while sick. I'm hoping my frequent handwashing and non-kissing them (which is hard to do btw with those cute faces) has helped to not get them sick. It may sound selfish but I'm really for all illness to be gone from the house, I wish I felt a little better today so I could scrub and wash things like a mad woman. With 7 kids, we've had almost 2 months straight of everything from the flu (multiple times, 2nd time for me in a week), chicken pox, 2 different strains of pneumonia, pink eye, sinus infections galore, you name it we just about had it. It's expected, but we are just ready for a nice break like not again until cold/ flu season next year please!