The business of Diabetes

You know we’ve all thought it at one point or another while injecting our kids with life saving insulin, or testing their blood 15 + times a day with those pricey little $1 a pop strips. How about ketone testing with $5 strips (each)…..

How bad is is when flu season hits it scares me to my core. Why? One because the flu for those with Diabetes can be downright deadly. Two because I think of all the money that those in the business of diabetes will be making this year alone. Each day when Clifford is sick with the flu we go through at least 25 test strips ($25) 10 ketone strips ($50) not to mention the fast acting carbs to keep those #’s from dropping too fast. Testing alone costs $75 a day (at least).

I remember not to long ago adding up exactly how much it costs right now with the treatment method we’ve chosen for Clifford of being on the pump, blood ketone testing, testing blood sugar’s around 15 x a day, etc, etc. This total was well over $20,000 per year! Add onto that the cost of using a continuous glucose monitor, you’re looking at more than a full time job at minimum wage could pay for in one years time, all to keep this child healthy and alive.

As parents we will do whatever we can to ensure the safety of our children. It just seems depressing and downright pisses me off sometimes the amount of money those in the “business” are making off our children’s lives! I no longer can see a test strip as a test strip, I see it as a $ symbol. I surely hope and pray long and hard that one day their will be a cure for this gold awful disease, but deep down inside part of me thinks why would they do it when they are making loads of money, living the dream life and sipping drinks on the beach all the while our children suffer…….

Let them be a kid…..

Diabetes has already taken away their carefree childhood so aren’t they entitled to just “be a kid”?

Of course the answer to this is yes, but what happens when “being a kid” threatens their life?

For most parents you have to worry about your children getting older and experimenting with different things, dangerous activities, etc for it to really threaten their life.

Unfortunately for parents of children with diabetes every day “kid” activities can threaten their life. Activities like

• Getting an extra cupcake at a birthday party
• Eating all their Halloween Candy in one sitting
• Running around outside playing kickball from sun up to sun down
• The occasional “sneaking of a treat”…..

I am in no way saying children with diabetes cannot eat these things, because they can. These items just require insulin to cover the carbs in them. But what happens if the kids sneak them because you know they are just “being a kid” and do not give themselves insulin for them? Well their blood sugar goes through the roof! That’s what happens, it’s now to the point of endangering their life.

It’s just all part of the territory of raising a child with diabetes. You have to let them be a kid, but still somehow manage to magically protect them from every possible thing they can get their little hands on to. And sometimes, just sometimes it’s overwhelming!

Take a moment…..

When life with D kicks you down

Wipe yourself off, get back up off the ground,

and take a moment and ponder where you are,

just how far you’ve come from life so bizarre.

High blood sugars, low blood sugars, the rollercoaster of D

Hang on for the ride, don’t let time slip by, or you may not see

exactly where your headed, down the path of life,

full of love, hope, success, and perhaps a little strife.

But take a moment and review just what you’ve learned,

all those sleepless nights, full of fear and worry, badges of honor are what you’ve earned.

Stand tall, and walk with pride,

as you are among the special few that will survive.

There may be times D tries to trip you up,

but remember to take a moment, and tell it to shut up!

The Special Ones

 

They fight to keep their children alive in the wee hours of the night.

They go with no sleep, and hope with all their might.

That one day their child will be free from pain.

That a normal life they will again regain.

They go throughout their day with little to no sleep.

Always waiting for that next meter beep.

It’s the special ones who look at their children and try not to cry.

The ones that always want to ask “why”.

Why does their child suffer from an invisible disease so bad,

that at any moment can strip them of the life they had.

You never know how precious life is until you’ve almost lost your child

All the issues that were so big before, now seem so mild.

These special ones you may not know exactly who they are.

Because they wear their pain in their heart, and hide their battle scars.

These special ones are the mothers and fathers of children with diabetes.

No D Day: The other side of life

 

Today is No D Day. This is a blog prompt from : http://www.ninjabetic.com/

And the basic idea is:

That people with diabetes have a lot more going on besides diabetes. Let’s talk about, share, and mention other stuff in our lives instead of that disease that never lets us rest.

Stuff like hobbies, family, movies you like, new music, the weather, sports, favorite stuff, things that bug you, whatever!

JUST NO DIABETES TALK!!! (unless of course there is an emergency)

The other side of life for us is quite spectacular. We have 7 children, and two dogs. Our twins turn 2 years old tomorrow, and it seems like time has flown right by. There are no more babies in the house but toddlers, a preschooler, kindergartener, first , second, and third grader.  It’s crazy because we are venturing onto our 30th birthday’s (Both Chad and I, we’re pretty close in age, although I tell him he’s older than me by 1 month and 3 days), after that Abigale turns 7 and Clifford turns 9!! His last year in the single digits I told him.

Life just flies by when you least expect it if you’re having fun and living it. I like to act like turning 30 bothers me a lot. When in fact the truth is it really doesn’t sting too much. So what I’m not longer 20, but my 20s were not the greatest, (at least the early 20s, later 20s rocked). So I’m looking forward to a new decade and legendary 30s. And while the twins are no longer babies, and I miss the baby days from time to time, I will cherish the milestones of my niece who will be turning 8 months old later this month. And like the fact that my body can be all mine during my 30’s instead of spending it pregnant, or having babies like in my 20s!

So the other side of life for us is just family. We live our life the way we want, happy and healthy. Every day is a battle in some sense but we make it through. We have a large family, sometimes it’s chaotic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Best part of it all is we are alive, and that is surely something to celebrate.

Choose to LIVE!!!!

 

The unfortunate part of diabetes is we have accepted mortality. We do not wish for it to happen, we hope with all our being we can keep it from showing up too soon, but we have accepted it. Why? Because with Diabetes it’s just always that underlying fear. I talked about previously not letting your fear become your enemy, instead submit to knowing that fear is there and work instead to defeat that fear. Mortality is that fear, at least for me.

We’ve faced mortality, told it to take a back seat, and accepted that one day it will come, but not too son. So in accepting this fear, it has opened up a new world, a whole new way of thinking. When you accept mortality you can now choose to LIVE.

Instead of worrying, and giving into your fear, choose to live your life to the fullest. Choose to fill each waking minute with memories. Choose to love those around you with all that you are. Choose to slow down and soak in all that life has to offer. Choose to freaking live instead of fear.

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Remember at some point we all struggle, we all battle that fear. I have moments that the fear tries to creep back in, I have moments where I just want to cry and let the fear consume me. Instead I muster up all the strength that I can to put that fear away to take and show it that instead of submitting to it, instead of letting it in, I am going to win, if even for one day. Take it one day at a time but choose to live!

Diabetes is already here, and right now it’s not going anywhere. Take it by the neck, lead it in the direction that YOU want and LIVE!

Never Let Your Fear Be Your Enemy

~To fear is one thing.  To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.  ~Katherine Paterson~

We all get afraid, we all have fear, but it’s when you let fear become your enemy that it consumes you.  When you deal with or live with diabetes you cannot let your fear, that fear of the “Unknown” be your enemy. Instead learn how to coexist with your fear and move forward. When you make the decision to co-exist, rather than submit to the fear, you will start to learn an important lesson in life with a chronic illness.

That lesson is that in fact you can live your life to the fullest, and be just like everyone else. While living with diabetes you have to be more attentive and pay more attention to detail, you don’t have to live with the fear that something will go wrong. Living your life with constant worry is not a way to live. Instead learn to co-exist rather than submit to your fear and above all else, celebrate the small victories.

Did you wake up with a bg of 100 today, freaking celebrate the crap outta that. Celebrate a drop in your a1c, celebrate you completed the race, celebrate you woke up freaking alive today! That is one celebration everyone should participate in daily.

Bottom line, co-exist, do not submit and celebrate the crap outta everything!