ENDO & A1C

We had our 2nd Endo appt. on Monday and it was not at all as bad as our 1st one. We did not have to take the girls this time so Jim was able to be with me & Nate the entire time. The appointment time was at the worst possible time (11:30 AM) but we planned on arriving early and feeding Nate in the waiting area. Well, you know how plans work out when you have 3 small kiddos - we ended up arriving just 15 minutes before the appointment and by the time we got checked-in they were already calling us back for the appointment. So, they checked Nate's bg at 11:30 and I was expecting that he was going low but when the meter read 40 I nearly fainted. He was acting totally normal - I honestly had no idea he was SO low! We gave some juice with his lunch and at next check he was a nice 150. It was a little embarrassing when they asked us if we thought we were getting a handle on knowing when Nate was high or low?!?! Ummm - not really! Oh well - that's why we check him so often. More on that in a moment.

Nate looks good; his A1C is 8.7 which is obviously a little higher than we would like it but not bad for 3-months into this disease. We took the Take Charge class last month and we are now scheduled to take the Pump It Up class on 2/9/2010. We will see how that goes and see what our insurance will cover and go from there. I'm excited and nervous about the pump all at the same time. We are just getting a handle on taking care of Nate with shots and his very strict schedule that has become part of our life - I'm not sure if I am ready for another major change in our lives.

On to testing, testing and more testing -
I noticed this week that we were on our last bottle of test strips so I called our mail order insurance company to order more. They arrived today. For some reason it made me nauseous and extremely sad when I looked at the number of strips that comes with a 3 month supply. Are you ready?? 1200! 12 freaking hundred test strips. I test my itty bitty baby boys' bg 10-12 times a day. Excuse me while I go vomit - it makes me so sick to think that from September 17th until today when I used the last strip in our original Rx we have checked Nate's bg 1200 times.

I am sad that I have used 1200 test strips but am thankful that we have the supplies that we need to keep our son alive. It is not easy taking care of Nate, it is hard and some days it is all I can do to give him all of those shots and finger pricks but I do it. I do it every day. I do it when he sits still, I do it when he kicks me, and I do it when he screams and hits me, I do it every day to keep him alive and I do it because I love him to the moon and back and back again!

A Gift!

Exhausted.  That should be my middle name.  Laura Exhausted Houston.  It has a nice ring to it – eh?  I cannot remember a time in my life that I have been more exhausted and overwhelmed.  At this point no one in my life has learned to care for Nate except for me.  My husband can wing it but he would not be comfortable planning a meal, counting the carbs and figuring out Nate’s insulin requirements.  I am it!  I am the one and the only person that keeps my son alive every single day. So, again I say – EXHAUSTED!  Several people have offered to learn to care for Nate but it just has not happened yet.  I know it will soon and I look forward to a time that I will feel comfortable leaving him with someone for more than 1 or 2 hours at a time. 

Last week Jim was out of town again and my bestie, Helen did something totally amazing!  She gifted me a sitter.  She made the arrangements, the payment and sent a wonderful sitter to my house.  It was so amazing!  Helen is one that has offered to shadow me for a day and learn all that she can about Nate’s care but as I mentioned before we just have not had a chance to get it done.  Knowing me the way that she does she could tell that I needed a little bit of time to escape so she just gifted me a sitter.  We were able to eat lunch, chat, and hang out for a couple of hours without any children but more importantly without me having to do anything with Nate and his diabetes.  It was pure Heaven. 

Helen and I have been friends since our oldest girls were 4-months old.  We hit it off instantly and so did our girls.  She is my go-to mom for anything and everything I need for my kids.  She is always there for me and for them.  I know in my heart that she loves my children as if they are her own and I know that she has cried many tears for me and for my sweet baby Nate.  She was the 1^st person I called when Nate was dx with T1 (I couldn’t remember my husband’s #) and she was at my house waiting for me before I even got home from the doctor with Nate.  She had my girls packed up and ready to go to her house so that Jim and I could completely focus on Nate and learning how to care for him.  She is a good friend, a true friend and my best mommy friend.  She is a gift.

Thank you, Helen for my gift and for being a gift in my life.

_______________

And a cute little picture of Nate . . . 

Endo appt today went well.  A1c = 8.7

More on the appointment in my next post.  

Glossary of Terms

I am plagiarizing from Joanne’s blog in hopes that my family and friends will have a better understanding of the things I discuss here on my blog.  Thanks, Joanne!

Glossary of Terms

.

#g of carbs this is not a weight, but the amount of carbs that can be found in the food Nate eats. For

A1C A blood test that is used primarily to monitor the glucose control of diabetics over time.

BG Blood Glucose. Refers to the amount of sugar in Nate’s blood. His optimal level is 100 - 200.

Celiac Disease (CD) a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten (found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many

other foods containing wheat, barley or rye). If you have CD and eat foods containing gluten, an immune reaction occurs in your small intestine, causing

damage to the surface of your small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients. The decreased absorption of nutrients that occurs with CD can cause vitamin deficiencies that deprive your brain, peripheral nervous system, bones, liver and other organs of vital nourishment. This can lead to other illnesses and stunted growth in children. No treatment can cure celiac disease. However, you can effectively manage celiac disease through

changing your diet. It is thought that approximately 10% of children with Type 1 Diabetes also have Celiac's Disease.

Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) multidisciplinary health professionals (usually an RN) who teach people with diabetes.

When Nate was diagnosed, a CDE met with us each day in the hospital to teach us how to care for him.

D Instead of typing out diabetes, I'll just use the letter D.

Diabulimia an eating disorder in which people with Type 1 Diabetes deliberately give themselves less insulin than they need, for the purpose of weight loss. Failure to administer insulin places the body in a starvation state, resulting in breakdown of muscle and fat into ketones, while at the same time making the body unable to process sugars that have been consumed, so the sugars are excreted rather than being used by the body for energy or stored as fat.

DKA A life threatening condition that develops when cells in the body are unable to get the sugar they need for energy. Symptoms include: flushed, hot, dry skin, blurred vision, feeling thirsty, drowsiness or difficulty waking up, rapid, deep breathing, strong, fruity breath odor, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, vomiting, and confusion. Severe DKA leads to difficulty breathing, swelling of the brain, and there is a risk of coma and even death.

Dx Diagnosis

Endo short for Endocrinologist, the specialist Nate sees for his diabetes.

Glucagon (kit) Glucagon is used to treat insulin coma or insulin reaction resulting from severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Glucagon is used in

emergency situations when the patient is unconscious. Within the glucagon kit is a vial of powdered glucagon and a syringe filled with liquid (diluent). The dose is prepared immediately before injection.

High A BG over 200

Humalog One of the two insulins Nate is on.  It is Rapid acting insulin that he takes before breakfast and dinner.  I refer to it as H.

Humulin (NPH) The other insulin that Nate is on.  It is an intermediate acting insulin with a slower onset of action and a longer duration of activity.

Sometimes I refer to it as N or NPH.

Ketones They are produced when there is not enough insulin to help Nate's body use sugar for energy. Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in

the blood. Since the body is unable to use glucose for energy, it breaks down fat instead. When this occurs, ketones form in the blood and spill into the urine. These ketones can make him very sick. Healthy people can also spill ketones when they are ill. Nate gets tested for ketones if his BG is over 250 or he's sick.

Ketostix - Urine-testing strips, also called ketone sticks are small plastic strips that have a little absorptive pad on the end. This contains a special chemical that will change color in the presence of ketones in the urine. The strips may change varying shades of pink to purple, or may not change color at all, depending on the amount of ketones (dark purple = bad, beige = yay!). The container has a scale on the label, with blocks of color to compare the strip after a certain time lapse, usually 15 seconds.

Low - A BG under 80

MDI - Multiple Daily Injections. This is how we give Nate his insulin.

Pedi - Pediatrician.

Type 1 Diabetes - Once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, it is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar (glucose) into energy. Although type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, it typically appears during childhood or adolescence. Various factors may contribute to type 1 diabetes, including genetics and exposure to certain viruses. Despite active research, type 1 diabetes has no cure.

Type 2 Diabetes - Often called non-insulin dependent diabetes; it is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 90% - 95% of the 21 million people with diabetes. Unlike people with type 1, people with type 2 diabetes produce insulin; however, the insulin their pancreas secretes is either not enough or the body is unable to recognize the insulin and use it properly. Those at highest risk for the disease are those who are obese or overweight, women who have had gestational diabetes, and people with family members who have type 2 diabetes.

Yea for Me (and You)!

I would like to start by thanking the little people  . . .

HA - just kidding!  I am super thankful for my 1st award!  I'm just too exhausted to jump up and down right now but I will happily fulfill my COF duties -

5 Things that I Love -

1) My Husband, Jim.  He is an amazing, hard working man that continues to amaze me daily with his work ethic and ability to get things done.  He works hard so that I don't have to work outside of the home and after Nate's dx I could not appreciate that more. 

2) My 3 wonderful children. There are no words to describe the amount of joy that they bring me every single day.  Each one is so special to me and each one has made me a better person just by being in my life.

3) My mom.  She's my rock.  I cannot imagine a better or more supportive mom.  I am so blessed to have such a gracious and giving mom.

4) The D-Mom community.  At this point in my life I should probably list this as #1. My new friends are so amazing and supportive and are also the only ones that fully understand what I am going through each and every single stinkin' D day.  I honestly do not think I would have been able to get through some of these rough days w/o the support of these ladies.  There have been days when I really just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry but they have provided the strength that I needed to take care of my son and to take care of myself.

5) Ok - it has to be said - I love my iPhone.  I would be so lost without it!!  It wakes me up at 1:30 am & 3:00 am to check on Nate's bg.  It wakes me up at 6:15 am so that I can brush my teeth before getting all of the little chicks out of their beds for the day.  It plays all of my favorite songs, TV shows and movies. It keeps my children (all 3) entertained for hours on end.  Nate loves this silly App called 'Monsters in my Closet'.  It cracks him up!! I can count carbs on it and log Nate's bg levels.  I can play Tick Tack Toe, Farkle, Solitaire, Scrabble, Boggle and Sudoku on it as well as check the weather, make a dinner reservation and buy movie tickets.  Hellllo o o o o - Why did I list this as #5??? 

Now I get to give this award to 5 others.

Hallie - Window to my World

Joanne - Death of a Pancreas

Jen - I am your Pancreas

Alix - Finding our Balance

Tracy - the Ripley Mommy

Our 1st Scary Low

Tonight we had our 1st scary low with Nate -
We went out to dinner with my parents and Nate was plowing along through his bread when he just suddenly looked at me and started crying.  It was a cry that was telling me something.  Something was wrong like he had hurt himself but clearly nothing had happened.  I grabbed him out of the chair and into my arms.  He was not ok.  A little too sleepy, a little too limp, and a little bit TOO LOW.  We checked his bg and he had dropped from 220 before we started dinner to 50.  He would not eat or drink and he was just not acting right.  Jim and I took him outside in the cold air and got him to drink a juice box.  He perked up then but once we got back inside he was just so sleepy and wanting to nod off in my arms.  We finally got him to eat a little and before long he was back to his charming self.

I carry all of the tools with me in case this happens.  Juice, Gel, Icing, Rice Krispie Treat (his fav), Breakfast Bars, & Glucagon.  I just was not expecting to use any of it tonight.  It was really out of no where.  Honeymooning?  I guess!  Who really knows?

I said earlier tonight that I hate, hate, hate diabetes then I read a quote from a very wise little girl with type 1.  In response to her mother's questioning if she hated diabetes she said "If I hated diabetes then I'd hate myself because it is part of me."

Well, ok smarty pants you just taught me a lesson!  :-) 
So, I do not like what diabetes is doing to my son but I do not hate it because it is a part of him.  I will learn to embrace it and live with it in honor of a beautiful little girl named Kacey that taught me a very valuable lesson this evening.  Thank you Jill for sharing your story and thank you to your wise and beautiful daughter, Kacey.

Christmas Card Update

Okay, Tracy ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I decided to copy and paste her post to get the word out:

A few other D blogging mom's had the idea to send each other Christmas cards. I have volunteered to put together a spreadsheet with everyone's information and then send it out to the group. :) (in my spare time, of course)

If you are interested in participating, please send the following information to me at tracy@theripleyfamily.com

1) Name
2) Address
3) Email address where you would like me to send the spreadsheet
4) Your blog address

I would love to send Christmas cards to all of you! Feel free to share this info on your blog as well.

Please send your information to me by December 16th. I would like to have the list ready to send out by the middle of next week to make sure we all have time to get our cards ready and send them.

 

 

** If you already sent your address to me I have forwarded the information to Tracy.

Christmas Cards

I love sending and receiving Christmas cards and when I saw this post on Jill's blog I got so excited!  I was actually thinking of posting the same thing.  I would love to send Christmas cards out to my new found family.

Please email me your address at HoustonFiveBlog@gmail.com

Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas!!!

2008

2007

 

 

2006

2005

2004

 (oops - can't find 2004)

And if you have made it down this far . . .

I would like to thank everyone for all of the wonderful comments on my "Mother of the Year" post.

I always feel so much better when you all chime in with words of encouragement.  XOXOXOX