Diabetes is...

Diabetes is facing your own mortality on a daily basis, looking it in the eye, and saying not today! How can you stomach hearing a 9 year old, who just brought home straight A's for another semester say "As long as I live to find the cure". Not until a cure is found, as long as he lives to find a cure for everyone else.

If diabetes has succeeded to accomplish anything in my son's life, it is this. We now have a determined, SMART young man, out there wanting to be the one who finds a cure. We will have a doctor who will stop at nothing but to have no more fighting diabetes for his patients. How can you hate a disease that has created this individual.

Before diabetes he was still destined to save others, he was still going to make a difference. That was because he wanted to serve his country. But since Diabetes has taken that option away from him, he is now destined to serve others just like him, and make their lives better.

Have you stopped and thought about your own mortality and what it would be like for those around you? Chances are you may have from time to time, chances are you have even come to terms with dying. But try being a child who has come to terms with dying. A child who hasn't even really lived yet. I can as an adult living 30 healthy years so far, come to terms with my own mortality. But I cannot fathom or even consider coming to terms with my son's mortality. Some people may think I'm strong, and from time to time I consider myself to have gone through hell, and bounced back looking forward to what's ahead, and for that I am strong. But I have no where the amount of strength that my 9 year old boy has. He lays his head on a pillow every night, knowing full well he may not wake up in the morning. That is hard for me to swallow, but imagine being a child and having to swallow that.

I write this not for those that have diabetes, because they have lived this, some of them as children, and are still living it. I write this for others who do NOT understand just what diabetes is, and what it does. Take a moment to think about everything. Try living your life from this moment forward like someone with diabetes does. Go to bed thinking you may not wake up in the morning, so it is your duty to live your life to the fullest, not to let any opportunity pass, and fill your day with nothing short of pure awesomeness, and make a difference in the lives of others.

No Winning - With the Numbers

It goes without saying that Diabetes is one of those things that has to be in control at all times. Otherwise, well it would be a piece of cake, right? You can battle it daily, think you have it figured out, think that the same meal that gave you that nice 100 the day before will do the same again, same bg (same carbs),etc, etc. But instead you end up with a 205 ?

There's really no explaining it other than, that's diabetes for you. Before diabetes life was care free, do what you want when you want, no stop to think about carbs, no weighing food, no thinking, "Is he just acting up, or is he low, or high?", none of that. But with diabetes you have a new found responsibility. Whether you are a PWD, or a D Parent, you now have the responsibility of helping to do the job of an internal organ that decided they were done, outta there, tired of working (Whatever you like to refer to it as).

So in being that organ (the pancreas by the way, for those unfamiliar) you have to figure out all the "what ifs". So if the bg number is 100 and you're giving 50 grams of carbs, you know to give a certain amount of insulin based on various math, however can you take into account the exercise you may experience chasing after your dog an hour from now, or the fact that you are getting the flu, but you just don't know it yet, or how about puberty?

Nothing much to learn from this posting other than the numbers are never consistent no matter what we try. And that's diabetes.

Why Is Nighttime So Scary

This was one of my most viewed blog posts at over 5K views, so I felt like it's something that should be shared once again.

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.

Celebrating the Holidays With Food Allergies

I don’t know about you, but I am very excited for what the holiday’s will bring. The holiday’s are about spending time with family and friends that you typically do not get, celebrating whatever traditions you and your family have, and sharing gifts and wisdom with one another.

The holiday meal is one of the things I most look forward to (Eating it, not cooking it of course!) However when you are a family that has diabetes and multiple food allergies in the mix it can be an interesting time to say the least. I’ve learned a few tips and tricks on cooking gluten free/ dairy free so that we all can enjoy the holiday’s without added issues or discomfort. So in the spirit of sharing I’d love to share with others what we do so that it may help you and your family should you be looking at your first holiday Gluten Free.

The Meal

It took a bit of learning and research on my part to figure out how to cook gluten free for the turkey and main staples for our meal. What I‘ve learned in cooking the turkey is you want to use chicken stock instead of the traditional chicken broth if you use this to cook your turkey in. Since we are dairy free as well, we have to watch out for the butter used in cooking the turkey. I use olive oil butter in replace of the traditional butters.

Potatoes are naturally gluten free, which being Irish myself, we LOVE potatoes so that was a blessing. However if you are making homemade mashed potatoes and needing to be dairy/ lactose free there are a few changes you may wish to make. This includes the milk used in the process of making your potatoes. I opt to use Almond milk, and olive oil butter. And honestly the potatoes taste all around much better than they would with regular milk, you will be surprised.

Now gravy can be tricky but it can be made gluten free and still oh so yummy. Instead of your regular wheat based flours, you can use either cornstarch (which is GF), White Rice Flour, or even All Purpose Gluten Free flour. I usually use white rice flour and the gravy still comes out delicious.

As for sides, don’t forget your veggies, they are gluten free and good for you. In addition I love to make a corn casserole that is Gluten Free as well. The ingredients include, corn muffin mix, corn (both kernel and creamed), eggs (which if you need to substitute for eggs, let me know, I can help you with that as well), butter (again olive oil here), cheddar cheese (Shredded) Again for Dairy or lactose free Vegetable cheese tastes just as delicious. In the one recipe sour cream is included but I omit this for dairy purposes and it comes out just as good. Here is a link to the recipe I use and just tweak it to become Dairy free.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/corn-casserole-recipe/index.html

Biscuits! Everyone loves biscuits, but being gluten free it can be tricky. However by following the recipe on the box of GLUTEN FREE Bisquick, you can have some delicious gluten free biscuits in no time at all. I like to include garlic and flax seeds into ours for added flavor.

I haven’t really gotten too much in the line of yummy gluten free treats as this will be our first Christmas gluten free and I haven’t made up much in the line of treats other than our Gluten Free Brownies. I am going to try my hand at Gluten Free sugar cookies this week using almond flour and I will let you all know how those turned out!

Diabetes Burnout

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 ) 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.

Thanksgiving: Carbs, Carbs, and More Carbs

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!

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.