As a parent of a Child with Type 1 Diabetes, I must "Learn from Yesterday, Live for Today, HOPE for Tomorrow." ~ Albert Einstein
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
"Awe, It's So Cute!"
Bean is off to Diabetes Camp this week.
She has been looking forward to this week all summer (no, make that since she got off the bus last year!) and was super bummed that it was at the end of JULY this year instead the end of June like it's been the past two years she's been.
Her numbers had to be logged all week, so of course they were all over the place! We even did an extra pod change to try to fix some stubborn highs and then ended up with several lows, of course!
Here's where she was when she ate her lunch during the registration process....
yeah, it's upside down...what's it to ya?!
So, needless to say, she didn't cover any of her lunch carbs! She eeked up to 75 with an applesauce...she had already had her juice on the way there when she was at 57. No BG lowering excitement going on there AT ALL! With a quick debrief with her CDE...love that Bean's medical team is at camp with her!!...they loaded the bus and off they went.
So, of course, today would be the day that the NEW PODS arrive!!! Ironic, much? Who says Diabetes doesn't have a sense of humor!
All I have to say is "OMG THEY ARE SMALL!!!"
And in case you are wondering, yes the new PDM came with them, but we only got one box of ten pods.
Yes, I've seen all the pictures. Yes, I knew they were going to be small. But, I was not prepared for just how stinking small they are! I can't wait for Bean to see them!!
While I was talking to Ubergeek on the phone about HOW SMALL they are, Bug wanted to see one.
She cradles my hands (I was holding the pod package) in her hands and says with the tenderest voice and sweetest expression on her face, "Awe....it's so cute!" Ri-dic-u-lous!
She returned to the couch and then about a minute later she pops up and, with a very concerned look on her face asks, "Is it going to be able to hold enough insulin? Cuz it's really small!"
I assured her it would hold the same amount of insulin and she went about her business once again.
I've flipped through oart of the User Guide and am excited to get the PDM setup and get one on Bean....
let's see, she should have a pod change tonight, then Thursday....UGH...that means we'll have to wait til Sunday...or will we?!?!
Muhahaha
Friday, July 26, 2013
Suckered Into A SleepOver
Bean is 9 and a half.
She has a group of friends that see each other often, a thus, a lot of sleepovers occur.
For the other girls, that is. Not for Bean; not unless I'm sleeping over, too.
It's not fair and I get it. I remember being told 'no' when I asked to go over to a friend's house and it was like the world was coming to an end. I can only imagine how much more it sucks when the main (and sometimes only) reason for the 'no' is D. I hate it, she REALLY hates it, but that's where we are right now.
So, this week Bean's numbers have been wonky, wonky, wonky. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that it's full moon time AND that I have to log her BGs to prepare for camp that starts on Sunday. (UGH, packing!)
Because of those extra wonky numbers, the 'no' came pretty fast last night when Bean asked if she could join in on the sleepover two of her friends were having. Granted, I was a 'good mom' and at least told her I'd talk to Ubergeek about it before we told her no and the fit started.
She was mad. No, she was super-duper pissed!
We let her stomp off and have her time to fume and cry, then Ubergeek went to talk to her.
When they came back, I was informed that the sleepover was now happening at our house. Oh, joy!
Now before you get all 'you shouldn't give into a fit' preachy on me, this is only the second time in three years that we have adjusted sleepovers for Bean and honestly in those three years these friends have had hundreds of sleepovers without her. We generally stick to our guns and she eventually gets over it and life goes on.
I guess last night's fit was followed up by a conversation that warranted a sleepover at our house. And, honestly, it wasn't a that big of a deal. My house was still relatively clean from my mother's visit. Stores were still open so I could get breakfast stuff. It was only two friends and we have car space and sleeping space.
Bean gets the shaft a lot because of D. And, yes, it isn't fair and yes, it sucks. And, yes, most of the time we have a 'suck it up and move on' approach because, let's face it, life isn't fair. But, every once in a while we 'give in' and rearrange everyone's plans to try to help her feel a little more normal.
She has a group of friends that see each other often, a thus, a lot of sleepovers occur.
For the other girls, that is. Not for Bean; not unless I'm sleeping over, too.
It's not fair and I get it. I remember being told 'no' when I asked to go over to a friend's house and it was like the world was coming to an end. I can only imagine how much more it sucks when the main (and sometimes only) reason for the 'no' is D. I hate it, she REALLY hates it, but that's where we are right now.
So, this week Bean's numbers have been wonky, wonky, wonky. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that it's full moon time AND that I have to log her BGs to prepare for camp that starts on Sunday. (UGH, packing!)
Because of those extra wonky numbers, the 'no' came pretty fast last night when Bean asked if she could join in on the sleepover two of her friends were having. Granted, I was a 'good mom' and at least told her I'd talk to Ubergeek about it before we told her no and the fit started.
She was mad. No, she was super-duper pissed!
We let her stomp off and have her time to fume and cry, then Ubergeek went to talk to her.
When they came back, I was informed that the sleepover was now happening at our house. Oh, joy!
Now before you get all 'you shouldn't give into a fit' preachy on me, this is only the second time in three years that we have adjusted sleepovers for Bean and honestly in those three years these friends have had hundreds of sleepovers without her. We generally stick to our guns and she eventually gets over it and life goes on.
I guess last night's fit was followed up by a conversation that warranted a sleepover at our house. And, honestly, it wasn't a that big of a deal. My house was still relatively clean from my mother's visit. Stores were still open so I could get breakfast stuff. It was only two friends and we have car space and sleeping space.
Bean gets the shaft a lot because of D. And, yes, it isn't fair and yes, it sucks. And, yes, most of the time we have a 'suck it up and move on' approach because, let's face it, life isn't fair. But, every once in a while we 'give in' and rearrange everyone's plans to try to help her feel a little more normal.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Checking Out Lauren's Hope
As we all know, there are a LOT of things that come along with a chronic condition like Type 1 Diabetes. Some of those 'things' are non-negotiable...insulin, strips, meter, etc. And as far as I'm concerned, a medical ID bracelet is one of those 'non-negotiables' as well.
That's why we LOVE Lauren's Hope! No matter what condition or allergy you might need others to know about in an emergency situation, they've got you covered....and with style!
Bean is a true girly girl and has always been into jewelry. So, getting her to wear a medical ID bracelet has never been an issue. However, she does like to coordinate what she's wearing with the bracelet, so that can get a bit tricky. :)
When I was contacted by Lauren's Hope to test out a bracelet, I jumped at the chance! I have been a customer of theirs since Bean was dx'ed...within the first couple of months she was sporting one of their bracelets. I know, and appreciate, the quality and variety of their products. From the basics to the glamorous, everyone can find what they need.
Bean was beyond excited to choose a bracelet to test out....and even more excited when it arrived!
She picked one of the triple strand bracelets with the purple aluminum tag.
I love that they have so many choices for the tag part of the bracelet. Anything from your 'standard' sliver tag with a red caduceus to, well, purple!
The underside of the tag has room for 5 lines of engraving, so there's plenty of room to put important (life saving!) information. On Bean's tag is her name, the fact that she has T1 and is on the Omnipod insulin pump, is allergic to amoxicillin, my cell number and Ubergeek's cell number. Yes, it all fits (with a few abbreviations) and is easy to read!
Bean has been wearing her bracelet since the moment it came out of the package! It's just part of her and I love that. She doesn't even know it's there...which is saying something for a triple strand, beaded bracelet!
just chillin'
bike riding around campgrounds
testing and dosing for a yummy treat
enjoying said 'yummy treat' with Spencer
and yes, you do see a juice box...campy fun can make those BGs drop!
exploring the gardens
sound asleep while I do a wee-hours BG check
With her Lauren's Hope bracelet on, Bean is able to provide the most important information needed to help her in an emergency, even if she's unable to provide it herself. It's an added layer of security that helps her feel safe and helps me feel safe for her.
As you can see from the pictures, Bean has done just about everything in her bracelet and it's hanging tough! Sure, there are a few scratches on her tag, but it doesn't effect the immediate identification that it's a medical bracelet and since the engraving is on the inside of the tag, it's protected and stays easy to read.
Like I said earlier, Bean has had a Lauren's Hope bracelet since the early days of this crazy D life that started for us just over three years ago. We have a few different styles and a couple of different tags. I love that they are all interchangeable so she can mix and match. And, even with all the wear, they all have stood the test of a very active girl and are still in very good condition! The tags are very readable and the bracelets still look great.
I know there are a lot of choices out there when it comes to medical jewelry, but I have to tell you that I have found the items we have from Lauren's Hope to be outstanding in quality and design. It's always the first place I think of whenever Bean needs/wants something new or different and when making recommendations to others who are looking for medical alert jewelry.
Keep an eye out in early August because I've been invited to do a guest post on the Lauren's Hope Bog AND we will be doing a GIVE AWAY just in time for the 'back to school' shopping frenzy!
Lauren's Hope sent Bean her bracelet free of charge and I was asked to blog about it. If I had not been impressed with this company already, or if this bracelet wasn't fabulous, I would have told you. :)
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
A Girl and Her Dog
We have been tossing around the idea of a dog for a while. Never anything overly serious, but always a thought in the back of our minds and always a wish in the front of Bean's mind.
Of course the service aspect was a given. Whatever dog we got needed to be able to be trained to alert to BGs. If that meant going the 'fully trained' route or 'go an do training' route or 'DIY training' route, it didn't really matter all that much. Well, financially speaking it matters a whole helluva lot, but you know what I mean.
The breeds we had initially thought we really wanted aren't well suited for smelling, so out went Boxers and American Bulldogs.
Those breads more suited for smelling tend to make my silly, random allergy go haywire, so we thought we were destined to either not have a dog or have allergy shots!
Then came Spencer.
Yeah, he's dang cute, I know!
I had been trolling craigslist, always keeping my eye out for appropriate breeds and good temperaments, but you never really know what you're going to get.
Then came a posting about a 'partially trained service dog' and I about fell out of my chair.
We decided to go check him out and fell in love! As far as I'm concerned, he was more of a therapy dog than a working service dog, but honestly I don't much care. At two years old, e's out of the puppy stage (though he still loves to chew on things), is kennel and house trained, and knows a good deal of basic commands and learns fast.
He's a yellow lab/shar pei mix, so he's got this adorable wrinkled brow and slightly curled tail. He LOVES the girls and has already shown such compassion for them whenever they have gotten 'hurt' when they have a mishap on their bikes.
He's shown great skills in smelling things out....we've hidden treats and his toys and he's located them with ease. Ubergeek's reading lots and watching lots of videos on training for the BG alerting and is looking forward to starting that training soon-ish.
I know that there's no guarantee that Spence will be able to alert to all of Bean's lows or highs, but if he's able to catch some here and there, I'm good with that.
We have a great family pet that loves us as much as we love. The BG alerting will be bacon grease on the dog food! ;)
Of course the service aspect was a given. Whatever dog we got needed to be able to be trained to alert to BGs. If that meant going the 'fully trained' route or 'go an do training' route or 'DIY training' route, it didn't really matter all that much. Well, financially speaking it matters a whole helluva lot, but you know what I mean.
The breeds we had initially thought we really wanted aren't well suited for smelling, so out went Boxers and American Bulldogs.
Those breads more suited for smelling tend to make my silly, random allergy go haywire, so we thought we were destined to either not have a dog or have allergy shots!
Then came Spencer.
Yeah, he's dang cute, I know!
I had been trolling craigslist, always keeping my eye out for appropriate breeds and good temperaments, but you never really know what you're going to get.
Then came a posting about a 'partially trained service dog' and I about fell out of my chair.
We decided to go check him out and fell in love! As far as I'm concerned, he was more of a therapy dog than a working service dog, but honestly I don't much care. At two years old, e's out of the puppy stage (though he still loves to chew on things), is kennel and house trained, and knows a good deal of basic commands and learns fast.
He's a yellow lab/shar pei mix, so he's got this adorable wrinkled brow and slightly curled tail. He LOVES the girls and has already shown such compassion for them whenever they have gotten 'hurt' when they have a mishap on their bikes.
He's shown great skills in smelling things out....we've hidden treats and his toys and he's located them with ease. Ubergeek's reading lots and watching lots of videos on training for the BG alerting and is looking forward to starting that training soon-ish.
I know that there's no guarantee that Spence will be able to alert to all of Bean's lows or highs, but if he's able to catch some here and there, I'm good with that.
We have a great family pet that loves us as much as we love. The BG alerting will be bacon grease on the dog food! ;)
yeah, no puppy love going on here at all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)