Dress Shopping

On Sunday I took Ellee to Columbus to get her dress ordered for her Uncle Carl's wedding in June!  I think I was pushing it waiting as long as I did to order it, but we lucked out and they let us take the one off the rack since it was her size!  I had a hard time getting her to go because she just was NOT in the mood to go shopping! I am blaming it on her being low because when I checked her half an hour after she drank 30 carbs of juice, she was only 97... YIKES!!!  Not low yet (any thing under 90 is considered low for her), but it seems like once she gets under 100, she drops fast!

Ellee LOVES dressing up and looking pretty, so she will be loving it on the wedding day when we get to do up her hair and give her flowers!  She was calling this flower girl dress HER Wedding Dress!  When she first found out she was going to be in Carl & Moriah's wedding, she asked "Am I going to look as beautiful as Aunt Moriah?!"

Good Bye Honeymoon???

We've been having problems with Ellee having high blood sugar (BS) readings lately. Any time there is a high reading, we have to think about what is causing it. Is it because she had too many carbs that we didn't account for when dosing her insulin? Was it some of the cold medicine we were giving her? Did she sneak food or drink or just have too many for a snack. Did we miscalculate how many carbs she is eating and under-dose her? So many things could factor in, and there are quite a few things that we can do to try to adjust, such as giving her a dose of insulin for her afternoon snack or changing her carb:insulin ratio to give her more insulin. But in the back of our minds, there is the terrifying thought that she might be coming out of her "Honeymoon Phase".

Usually after diagnosis, every one goes through a honeymoon phase. It is where any remaining Beta Cells that were not completely killed off start to kick back in and work after insulin injections are started. The best way I can relate it is to compare them to wounded soldiers in battle. After most of the cells are killed off, ones that are "wounded" give up and withdraw because they know they are out numbered. After diagnosis administering insulin is like sending in the backup troops to help the wounded cells. Seeing that they have back up, the cells kick back in and start working again. The great thing is that we don't inject that much insulin, and in some cases, we were able to bypass a shot for a meal! The down side is that these cells are damaged and will eventually die off.

Last week I was racking my brain with Mom trying to figure out why she has been so high in the afternoon. Looking at all the numbers in the log book trying to put together some kind of pattern, I had a horrible thought in the back of my mind: is this the end of her honeymoon???

As a realist, I know that it has to come to an end at some time, but I'm not ready for that yet! In my weird way of thinking, I some how equate the length of her honeymoon to the fact that we caught this disease early enough that not too many of the cells were killed/damaged. On that note, we are 9 months in, and the average is 6-12 months.

On the way to BounceU on Sunday to meet with other families of the JDRF Dayton Chapter, I mentioned to Staci about Ellee's numbers being high. She said that Gaven's has been too. I had read a while ago and found it very interesting that about half of the people diagnosed was right around their birthday, and that about 25% of the people say that symptoms and diagnosis came within months after a vaccine or flu shot. I'm starting to wonder... No matter when a person was diagnosed, did their honey moon end between Jan-March? My theory: with all the colds and flus going around and the immune system working over time, maybe it's also working on the rest of the beta cells. I think I'm going to get on Juvination and do a little bit of research and maybe take a poll!!!

Although I am greatly saddened by the thought of coming out of the honeymoon phase, I do realize that she will have to eventually. After reading about an Ohio woman's journey through an Isolet Transplant... the positive side of this is that for a transplant, there has to be absolutely no beta cell activity! Ellee is many years away from the possibility of a transplant, but I'm hopeful that there will be a cure breakthrough in her time!

Live Life, Be Brave!

Very Encouraging!

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!

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!

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!!!

Meeting an 18 year vet of T1D

I'm not sure if it's helpful to El yet or not, but I like to point out other people who are dealing with T1D because I think it helps her realize that she's not alone in battling this. It's funny how it seems like I'm starting to find more and more people that I know who are T1D but I was never aware of it! Tuesday night I had an opportunity to introduce Ellee to a lady who has been battling it for 18 years!

A guy that I grew up with opened a gym right down the road from me, and a few of the girls that I went to school with have been talking about going there for cardio classes. I checked into it and decided to try it, because it would be a good change of pace (and more challenging) than just doing work out videos at home! I was told a few months ago that the instructor was T1D, and I found it encouraging that she's as active as she is! Although, after one step class with her, "active" is not quite the word to describe her, more like "insanely energetic"!

Through out the whole class, I was just amazed at her energy level and kept wondering how much her blood sugar was dropping from this workout! To finish off the class, we got on the mats and did some ab work and push-ups. In the middle of a set of crunches I hear "MOMMY!!". Ellee was ready to jump on me and give me a big hug! Josh had brought the girls in to sign a contract for the fight on December 19. As soon as I finished, I went over to talk to "A" and asked if I understood right that she was Type 1. She didn't know me before the class, but it's like she immediately knew because all I got out was "Can I introduce..." when she smiled and said yes, instantly following me back to the play area where the girls were.

She started shooting the standard questions - When, How Old, Symptoms, Diagnosed Level, Meds, etc. We chatted and exchanged diagnosis stories for about 15 minutes! She was in college and is fairly certain that hers came from a bout with mono in high school.

She told me about her bad experience with the pump, which I was very disappointed to hear, but I knew that we will still be looking into it in a few years. I was very interested to hear that she takes very little fast-acting insulin - she prefers to control hers with exercise! She's proof that staying active helps the body naturally regulate sugar levels! It's very encouraging because I was starting to wonder if it was all a myth! Ellee is still honeymooning (her body is still able to produce a small amount of insulin on its own) her body's reaction to exercise has been mixed - one time it raises her sugar quite a bit and another time it drops it dramatically. I have a feeling that for as active as Ellee is, that she'll be able to use this to her advantage down the road!

You know you're the parent of a child with diabetes when ...

1. Your 10-year-old daughter looks at a beautiful, pinkish-purple sunset and declares, "That is so pretty! It looks like an infected site!"
2. You don't bat an eye when your teen says, "I have alcohol in my room."
3. Your child practices her math facts using MultiClix as counters!
4. Your non-D child refers to all numbers as carbs - "I'm 3 carbs old!"
5. Your six-year-old child announces that she didn't get high at that party and you know exactly what she meant, but the person next to you just looks at the two of you with a concerned face.
6. You wake up in the night, see the projection clock that says "5:30" and panic thinking that your child's blood sugar is 530!
7. You notice someone giving you a concerned look and realize that they have overheard your cell phone conversation with your teen daughter that went something like this: "You are high? You were high last night too at about this time."
8. In your search for change at the bottom of your purse to pay for an item at the register, you also find used test strips
9. Your three year old who doesn't have diabetes is pretending to read the carbohydrate information on all the boxes at the grocery store and is saying, "Nope too many carbs for sister" on everything she picks up.
10. You come home and ask you son how he is doing and he answers with a number.
11. Your child never gets the broken crackers from the box -- it's too hard to count carbs on those broken pieces!
12. Everyone in the family says they are "low" instead of hungry!
13. You go through a drive-in at Dunkin' Donuts and see the sign that said "High Curb" and you start laughing because you think it said "HIGH CARB."
14. You are practicing spelling the word "S-I G-H-T" and your child asks if he should spell the "sight" with his eyes or the "site" on his butt.
15. Your six year old runs to the bathroom yelling "I've got to go Type 2!"
16. Everytime any one pricks or cut your finger you run for the meter -- you wouldn't what to waste ANY blood.
17. You buy laundry detergent not based on brand preference, but on whether the bottle would make a good sharps container.
18. Your two-year-old non diabetic says "me too" to get her blood checked and wears an old monitor around her waste in a pump pouch
19. For Halloween your child dresses up as a sharps box.
20. Your 6-year-old child with diabetes decides to leave syringes and Lantus out for Santa and his reindeer.
21. You have the coolest first grader in the entire school -- none of other children have a "beeper" and personal nurse who follows them everywhere they go.
22. You ask your child how their day at school went and instead of saying "fine" they start rattling off blood sugar numbers
23. You ask your child what they had for lunch and they reply 45 carbs!
24. Your 3-year-old son with diabetes asks every person who drinks juice, "Are you low?"
25. You look in your rear view mirror as your D toddler falls asleep in the car and hope it's not a coma.
26. You decide that cavities are a lesser evil than seizures when you're giving your child yogurt in the middle of the night
27. You no longer say it's time for dinner -- instead you yell that it's time to check blood sugars.
28. You glance at the subject line of an email and it reads "I did my first insertion!" and it's not a porn spam!
29. You catch yourself counting the carbs in all the food you or anyone else eats.
30. Your child refers to sequel movies as "Type 2".
31. You know when School Nurse's Day is and you observe it.
32. The only thing worse than a substitute teacher is a substitute school nurse.
33. You evaluate measuring cups by how well they will work as serving spoons.
34. You can't remember your child's grades, but can recite the A1c and last three blood glucose values any time.
35. You never throw needles in the garbage, but you occasionally forget and throw garbage in the sharps box.
36. Asked what's sexy in a man, you quickly respond, "Good injection technique and a willingness to do 3 a.m. checks."
37. You thought 2 a.m. feedings were a thing of the past once your child was no longer an infant.
38. Your child says, "Do I HAVE to take that nasty tasting medicine? Will you ask the doctor if it comes in an injectable form?"
39. You realize the saying "Don't cry over spilt milk" was said by someone who never had to look at that milky puddle and try and guess how many carbs it contains.
40. Complete strangers come up to your daughter, lift their shirt as high as their waist band and say "Look, I have one too." (meaning a pump, not a belly button!)
41. In December, your D child is asked by someone if they're looking forward to Christmas and your child answers, "I'm looking forward to a cure."
42. You're at a birthday party and the cake is being handed out and your D child says "It doesn't look good enough for a shot."
43. Your three year old child already knows his two and three digit numbers from reading his glucose meter.
44. You test your non-D child whenever she begins drinking too much
45. You base your entire self-worth on your kid's last A1C!
46. Your year is broken up into endo visits every quarter.

I just had to share this! I found it at www.childrenwithdiabetes.com