Just got a news letter from the local JDRF chapter. One of the front page articles was about Isolet Transplants by some one who actually had it done! The fact that she's been insulin free for over a year is wonderful news!
I heard about this shortly after El was diagnosed as something that is on the horizon. The article I read involved using stem cells to generate as isolets then injecting them in the body and they implant themselves into the pancreas. This article talked about pulling the isolets from a donated kidney (or two) then injecting them.
One reason that I'm very hopeful about this possible procedure is that there is less chance of rejection. If there is rejection, it will hopefully just be the cells and shouldn't be the whole pancreas. But one thing that I've wondered about it is the rejection meds that you would have to take. Would the rejection meds be any better or worse than taking the insulin? I still have a lot of research to do on this, and I have a blog to read about this woman's journey through the transplant and recovery.
The hope of Isolet Transplants becoming a reality is what drives me to do fundraisers for JDRF. There are so many people who deserve some relief from the daily routine of keeping their blood sugars in check!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Uck... Birthday Parties!
I think for any parent, the thought of going to a birthday party brings mixed emotions. As a parent, you realize that there really isn't any GOOD time of day to have a party. What do you do?!
We had a birthday party on Sunday for a friend of Ellee's. She was so excited to see her friend (after not seeing her for about a year) AND she was excited to go bowling (a new found love)! The party was from 3-5:30, a really odd time to adjust for eating schedules, especially since we usually don't eat dinner till 6. It's funny because I had read about other T1 families talk about how much they eat in terms of how many units of insulin you need... and I'm realizing how true it is!! I gave El 3 1/2 units at the end of the party... about 100 carbs of food! Her usual shots of Humalog at a meal are 1-2 units, occasionally she'll be a little piggy and eat 3 bowls of cereal and get 3 units at breakfast. But for her to eat 100 carbs in the afternoon is VERY unusual!
Another thing that makes a non-pumping T1 mom cringe when it comes to birthday parties is that everything is so spread out. When we went for El's last check up with the Endo, her A1C was higher than desired. While we were keeping her numbers in a good range, we were waiting too long after she got done eating to give her a shot and the Endo made it very clear that we should give it to her a lot sooner. In essence we were "chasing" her BS levels. While the end result is the same, her A1C will be higher because of the higher level of BS until the insulin kicks in and starts bringing it down. Yesterday (like most birthday parties), it was close to 2 hours from the time Ellee started eating till I was able to give her a shot. She started with a couple chocolate covered pretzel sticks, then the pizza came and she had two pieces... then waiting. Ellee was anxious to have cake and ice cream and I was anxious because I wanted her to finish eating so that I could dose her. I hate to guess how much she would eat because it would be my luck that she wouldn't eat it all and we risk going into a Hypo because I gave her too much insulin. So, I opted for the chance of a higher A1C and waited to see what she actually ate. Good thing I did because she didn't finish all her ice cream.
Another dread about birthday parties for T1 parents... the goody bags they take home. Okay, so this is a dread for any parent, especially when you get the noise maker toys like the "hand clappers" that was in El's bag! We got to hear that for half the car ride home. =( The other dread is the candy that is in there. Kids love it, parents hate it. Parents especially hate it when you've dosed your kid for all the carbs you plan on them eating for 3-4 hours.
Oh well... life goes on! Hopefully good control all the other times will make up for what seemed like a long afternoon! *sigh* Yet another advantage of using an insulin pump. We will definately be checking into this in a few years!
We had a birthday party on Sunday for a friend of Ellee's. She was so excited to see her friend (after not seeing her for about a year) AND she was excited to go bowling (a new found love)! The party was from 3-5:30, a really odd time to adjust for eating schedules, especially since we usually don't eat dinner till 6. It's funny because I had read about other T1 families talk about how much they eat in terms of how many units of insulin you need... and I'm realizing how true it is!! I gave El 3 1/2 units at the end of the party... about 100 carbs of food! Her usual shots of Humalog at a meal are 1-2 units, occasionally she'll be a little piggy and eat 3 bowls of cereal and get 3 units at breakfast. But for her to eat 100 carbs in the afternoon is VERY unusual!
Another thing that makes a non-pumping T1 mom cringe when it comes to birthday parties is that everything is so spread out. When we went for El's last check up with the Endo, her A1C was higher than desired. While we were keeping her numbers in a good range, we were waiting too long after she got done eating to give her a shot and the Endo made it very clear that we should give it to her a lot sooner. In essence we were "chasing" her BS levels. While the end result is the same, her A1C will be higher because of the higher level of BS until the insulin kicks in and starts bringing it down. Yesterday (like most birthday parties), it was close to 2 hours from the time Ellee started eating till I was able to give her a shot. She started with a couple chocolate covered pretzel sticks, then the pizza came and she had two pieces... then waiting. Ellee was anxious to have cake and ice cream and I was anxious because I wanted her to finish eating so that I could dose her. I hate to guess how much she would eat because it would be my luck that she wouldn't eat it all and we risk going into a Hypo because I gave her too much insulin. So, I opted for the chance of a higher A1C and waited to see what she actually ate. Good thing I did because she didn't finish all her ice cream.
Another dread about birthday parties for T1 parents... the goody bags they take home. Okay, so this is a dread for any parent, especially when you get the noise maker toys like the "hand clappers" that was in El's bag! We got to hear that for half the car ride home. =( The other dread is the candy that is in there. Kids love it, parents hate it. Parents especially hate it when you've dosed your kid for all the carbs you plan on them eating for 3-4 hours.
Oh well... life goes on! Hopefully good control all the other times will make up for what seemed like a long afternoon! *sigh* Yet another advantage of using an insulin pump. We will definately be checking into this in a few years!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The Gears are Starting to Roll!
Literally! I'm so excited! I just got off the phone with Vicky from the JDRF Dayton Chapter about meeting with her in regards to doing a Ride to Cure!
When I first started looking around jdrf.org after Ellee was diagnosed, I had it in the back of my mind that "some day" it would be GREAT to be able to accomplish one of these Century Rides (100 miles) in her honor. Knowing that my physical condition was getting better, but not the best, I put that on my "to do list" for around 5 years out.
I completed a Half Marathon Skate in August and amazed myself at the fact that I was able to finish, not be last (but I was second to last!), and that my average time per mile was less than 5 minutes! A week after that, Ellee had strapped on her little kid roller skates and proceeded to start her slow roll around the block. I could see El's frustration with the wheels not rolling like she wants them too. She looks up at me and says "Mom, I need lessons to learn to skate like you!"
It's times like that when I swell with pride and know that no matter how often I feel like I'm not the best parent that I should be, that I'm not doing too bad after all! I love that she still looks up to me and wants to do the same things that I like to do! It's that point when I know that I need to push myself into uncharted territory, step out of my comfort zone, and set goals for myself that I never otherwise would! After getting back into cycling and doing a few 20+ mile bike rides, I've set my sights to train and attempt a Century Ride this summer!
I didn't really plan on doing the Ride to Cure Century this summer, but I'm thinking that I need to just make up my mind and do it. The required fundraising amount is between $3,000-$4,000 and is very intimidating. But after I read a post on Facebook from Staci about how her son Gaven is adjusting, it made me realize I've got two little kids to push me through this! Two little kids who are going through things that I can only comprehend 90% off. I know that a true cure is a long way off, but the progression they are making is huge!
While being realistic that these kids may not get to use any of these new sciences for a while, my wish for them is to overcome the disease all together. Not to let it take over their life, but to make it a little side note to their accomplishments! Not to let this stop them from any dreams or goals that they may have! I want to ride in their honor... and hopefully be an inspiration to them!
Let the fund raising begin!!! Okay, so I can't do much till after they release the new ride dates and I find out the amount I have to raise! How about this.... LET THE BRAIN STORMING BEGIN!!!
When I first started looking around jdrf.org after Ellee was diagnosed, I had it in the back of my mind that "some day" it would be GREAT to be able to accomplish one of these Century Rides (100 miles) in her honor. Knowing that my physical condition was getting better, but not the best, I put that on my "to do list" for around 5 years out.
I completed a Half Marathon Skate in August and amazed myself at the fact that I was able to finish, not be last (but I was second to last!), and that my average time per mile was less than 5 minutes! A week after that, Ellee had strapped on her little kid roller skates and proceeded to start her slow roll around the block. I could see El's frustration with the wheels not rolling like she wants them too. She looks up at me and says "Mom, I need lessons to learn to skate like you!"
It's times like that when I swell with pride and know that no matter how often I feel like I'm not the best parent that I should be, that I'm not doing too bad after all! I love that she still looks up to me and wants to do the same things that I like to do! It's that point when I know that I need to push myself into uncharted territory, step out of my comfort zone, and set goals for myself that I never otherwise would! After getting back into cycling and doing a few 20+ mile bike rides, I've set my sights to train and attempt a Century Ride this summer!
I didn't really plan on doing the Ride to Cure Century this summer, but I'm thinking that I need to just make up my mind and do it. The required fundraising amount is between $3,000-$4,000 and is very intimidating. But after I read a post on Facebook from Staci about how her son Gaven is adjusting, it made me realize I've got two little kids to push me through this! Two little kids who are going through things that I can only comprehend 90% off. I know that a true cure is a long way off, but the progression they are making is huge!
While being realistic that these kids may not get to use any of these new sciences for a while, my wish for them is to overcome the disease all together. Not to let it take over their life, but to make it a little side note to their accomplishments! Not to let this stop them from any dreams or goals that they may have! I want to ride in their honor... and hopefully be an inspiration to them!
Let the fund raising begin!!! Okay, so I can't do much till after they release the new ride dates and I find out the amount I have to raise! How about this.... LET THE BRAIN STORMING BEGIN!!!
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