Over the past year and a half, we have learned that when Ellee's sugars are either high or low, it effects her moods. I have learned the hard way that if she is being difficult or defiant, that we need to stop and check her sugar before I punish her for something that she can't control.
After a severe low about a month ago, as recommended by the doctors, I sat her down and talked to her about how her body felt during that the low. I explained that when she feels funny like that, she needs to tell us that she doesn't feel good and we need to check her sugar because it's out of whack. I can't really expect a 5 year old to understand what is going on with their body and why it makes them feel the way it does, but we agree with the doctors that she needs to start recognizing her lows.
Both Ellee and her sister have a habit of coming into my room wanting to sleep in my bed in the middle of the night! They both have electric blankets now so I know it's not because my bed is warm! And since our recent move into Grandma & Grandpa's old house, I am more alert when I hear them get up in the middle of the night. Most of the time I make sure that they find their way back to the bedroom from the bathroom. The other morning around 4am I heard El get up and she walk into my room. She has a been known to sleep walk, so I asked her to go in and go potty before she could get in my bed. She did and came back instead of going back to her bed so I asked what was wrong.
"I can't sleep"
"Why not"
"I don't know, I just can't. Mommy, I don't feel good, I think I'm high."
When ever we have a reading that is either higher or lower than her range, my mind instantly replays the last meal and I recalculate the carbs to make sure I dosed her correctly. I didn't think she was high, let alone high enough to make her feel funny, but it would be possible that she was low. No matter the case, she said that she thinks her sugar is out of whack, so I am up instantly to check.
Sitting at the kitchen table waiting for the meter to beep: 60. The low end of her range is 90, so she was definitely low. A quick look around the kitchen for something small that will bring her up fast and I found fruit snacks! I had mixed feelings as I watched her eat her snack. The brief thought of what would have happened had she not woke up and said something, but that was quickly overcome by the more optimistic thought that she is finally starting to recognize her lows! She may not know the difference between being high or low, but I am happy (and thankful) that she is starting to realize that something is wrong and we need to check it! One step forward in dealing with this unfortunate disease!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
How Low?
When we were at Childrens' after Ellee was diagnosed, one of the things they had to teach us was how to administer Glucagon in the case she goes unresponsive during an extreme Hypo. I'm not sure how their bodies actually act during an unresponsive state, but I picture convulsions and something like a seizure. And the thought of having to hold her still enough to get the extremely large needle of the Glucagon while she is shaking scares the crap out of me. Every once in a while, Josh or I are asked (or we ask ourselves) how low does she have to get to go unresponsive? This is the first thing we asked the nurse in the hospital. Like many things in the world of T1D, there is no clear cut answer - unfortunately. Everybody's body is different.
Last night, I found out the hard way that El can go as low as 35 without being unresponsive. (Her ideal range is 90-180.) I do not like lows, but I also don't like her being high. We have not had a hypo in the past two months since she fractured her wrist and after the consistent highs and a horrible A1C a few weeks ago, this is a positive sign that her body is functioning and reacting to the new NovoLog that were we switched to.
Yesterday was Ellee's follow up appointment for her fractured wrist and Dr. P cleared her of all restrictions do to her gaining back full range of motion! I can't explain how painful these last two weeks were for her to not be able to play on the slide or monkey bars! After meeting with Dr. P, we went eye glass shopping and ordered her a new pair of glasses! Then off to school.
After Ellee got off the bus, I took the girls to the grocery store to help decide what to make for dinner. They didn't care about dinner but asked for a banana for a breakfast, but it quickly turned into a beg to have them for their afternoon snack. While I was cooking dinner, they had their snack. I did check Ellee before and she was around 100 (yay!). Since she was on the low end, I ad it to her dinner shot. The girls played after dinner while I cleaned the kitchen. When they started fighting and getting cranky, I decided it was bath time.
When I declared bath time, Ellee actually fought me about it by throwing a fit and refusing. It was unlike her which ticked me off so voices were raised and I told her she can go straight to bed. I walked away to get the bath started for Dani and El followed us up. When I told her to get undressed and get in, she started whining that she wanted a drink. I was about to lose it when she said she didn't want water but took a drink anyways and complained, but it dawned on me... HER SUGAR! I was certain that she couldn't be low, but maybe she was really high. When I came back into the bathroom with her meter, she was in the bathtub and obviously had no energy to do anything. When her meter beeped with 35 on the screen, it was an instant panic. We were at Daddy's house so I did a mad dash downstairs, frantically looked for something for her to ingest, then back up the stairs. It was a relief to see her coming back to life as she drank the juice. At that point, the main goal is to keep her from going any lower and going unresponsive.
Lesson for Mom: check her when she starts getting mouthy, overly whinny, or defiant. Lesson for Ellee: when you don't feel good like that, tell me that you don't feel good so that I can check your sugar. We had a talk after she got her jammies on about how she felt and how that was an indication that her sugar wasn't right. We've been a T1D family for 19 months and we all have so much that we still need to learn.
Last night, I found out the hard way that El can go as low as 35 without being unresponsive. (Her ideal range is 90-180.) I do not like lows, but I also don't like her being high. We have not had a hypo in the past two months since she fractured her wrist and after the consistent highs and a horrible A1C a few weeks ago, this is a positive sign that her body is functioning and reacting to the new NovoLog that were we switched to.
Yesterday was Ellee's follow up appointment for her fractured wrist and Dr. P cleared her of all restrictions do to her gaining back full range of motion! I can't explain how painful these last two weeks were for her to not be able to play on the slide or monkey bars! After meeting with Dr. P, we went eye glass shopping and ordered her a new pair of glasses! Then off to school.
After Ellee got off the bus, I took the girls to the grocery store to help decide what to make for dinner. They didn't care about dinner but asked for a banana for a breakfast, but it quickly turned into a beg to have them for their afternoon snack. While I was cooking dinner, they had their snack. I did check Ellee before and she was around 100 (yay!). Since she was on the low end, I ad it to her dinner shot. The girls played after dinner while I cleaned the kitchen. When they started fighting and getting cranky, I decided it was bath time.
When I declared bath time, Ellee actually fought me about it by throwing a fit and refusing. It was unlike her which ticked me off so voices were raised and I told her she can go straight to bed. I walked away to get the bath started for Dani and El followed us up. When I told her to get undressed and get in, she started whining that she wanted a drink. I was about to lose it when she said she didn't want water but took a drink anyways and complained, but it dawned on me... HER SUGAR! I was certain that she couldn't be low, but maybe she was really high. When I came back into the bathroom with her meter, she was in the bathtub and obviously had no energy to do anything. When her meter beeped with 35 on the screen, it was an instant panic. We were at Daddy's house so I did a mad dash downstairs, frantically looked for something for her to ingest, then back up the stairs. It was a relief to see her coming back to life as she drank the juice. At that point, the main goal is to keep her from going any lower and going unresponsive.
Lesson for Mom: check her when she starts getting mouthy, overly whinny, or defiant. Lesson for Ellee: when you don't feel good like that, tell me that you don't feel good so that I can check your sugar. We had a talk after she got her jammies on about how she felt and how that was an indication that her sugar wasn't right. We've been a T1D family for 19 months and we all have so much that we still need to learn.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Touching Video
BiG Blue Test
Watch this video, it came across my Facebook the other day. I found it very touching to see how people with T1D do not put their life on hold because of all the extra steps we have to go through on a daily basis. I couldn't help but tear up at the end when they go back through and show everyone with their finger in the air. It reminds me of little Ellee's fingers... All the little scars from testing. And to think that she is only a year and a half into this and has a life time ahead of her.
Watch this video, it came across my Facebook the other day. I found it very touching to see how people with T1D do not put their life on hold because of all the extra steps we have to go through on a daily basis. I couldn't help but tear up at the end when they go back through and show everyone with their finger in the air. It reminds me of little Ellee's fingers... All the little scars from testing. And to think that she is only a year and a half into this and has a life time ahead of her.
Doctor Appointments
After the horrible incident we had with Dr O (to whom we were referred to by our Pedi) I decided that I should followed my original gut feeling to go to OIO. We were able to get Dr. P to see her (since we had already gone to another doctor) and I honestly can't say enough good things about this guy! He was wonderful, very personable, explained very clearly what happened, and even spelled out a game plan for us. None of which the other doctor did. We were disappointed to learn that even though Ellee doesn't have to wear the brace anymore, she still can not participate in "rough activities", including soccer, the playground, & gym. Major bummer. =( It's hard to get a 5 year old to stay off a playground, even harder when she doesn't have a brace on to remind her of why she can't!
Soccer season is over, for all of the 3 weeks that Ellee got to participate in! Both girls have been talking about dancing. This fall, a lady has opened a dance studio in town that offers ballet. I spoke with her last week about starting the girls and we decided to start them on Monday to see how they like it! I completely forgot about Ellee's Endo appointment Monday afternoon but hoped that we could get back in time for it.
I usually dread going to the Endo. I think it's because T1D only progressively gets worse, never better, and the appointments only seem to remind me that it's all downhill. A positive is that our Endo lets us make our own judgment calls, especially if she is consistently high or has more than one or two lows, we can adjust without having to play phone tag with them. We have had our hands slapped for making an adjustment we didn't know we weren't suppose to make!
Monday we had our first afternoon appointment which works out better because Ellee doesn't miss as much school. She was only missing 2 hours, as opposed to 3-4. Josh and I have been discussing her numbers ever since she started school, soccer, & broke her wrist. We have had so many factors thrown together all at once that we really had no idea what the cause is to figure out how to bring her down. We knew that the only logical thing to do was to adjust her insulin to carb ratio and see where that goes.
There was a new Diabetes Nurse Educator that came in and spoke with us and went over all the factors that we need to look at. I couldn't help but notice the medical alert bracelet she wore on her wrist. When we got done, I asked if she was new to the office/Childrens Hospital Network. I normally don't ask things like that, but I was very impressed with her professionalism and her knowledge, and most importantly - her understanding. She explained that she just started with Childrens after working at OSU for many years, and has been T1D since the age of 3! As much as I'd like to find an Endo that is local, I am more than happy to make the drive to Dublin and Columbus for that reason - their employees have first hand knowledge of what we are going through, and that makes all the difference in the world to us! The compassion and understanding outweigh all of the textbook knowledge when it comes to dealing with the T1 Monster.
The outcome of everything is that we are going to adjust her insulin:carb ratio and see what happens from there. We already accepted the fact that we *know* that Ellee is coming out of her honeymoon period so it was easier to take when the doctor mentioned it. It was 4:15 when we got out of the office and even if I rushed home, it would be hard to make it in time for ballet class, so I called and explained and we agreed to start next week. I am already seeing a change in Ellee's numbers and will know even more once I see the school nurse's log on Friday. I am so anxious to see how dance class goes next Monday!
Soccer season is over, for all of the 3 weeks that Ellee got to participate in! Both girls have been talking about dancing. This fall, a lady has opened a dance studio in town that offers ballet. I spoke with her last week about starting the girls and we decided to start them on Monday to see how they like it! I completely forgot about Ellee's Endo appointment Monday afternoon but hoped that we could get back in time for it.
I usually dread going to the Endo. I think it's because T1D only progressively gets worse, never better, and the appointments only seem to remind me that it's all downhill. A positive is that our Endo lets us make our own judgment calls, especially if she is consistently high or has more than one or two lows, we can adjust without having to play phone tag with them. We have had our hands slapped for making an adjustment we didn't know we weren't suppose to make!
Monday we had our first afternoon appointment which works out better because Ellee doesn't miss as much school. She was only missing 2 hours, as opposed to 3-4. Josh and I have been discussing her numbers ever since she started school, soccer, & broke her wrist. We have had so many factors thrown together all at once that we really had no idea what the cause is to figure out how to bring her down. We knew that the only logical thing to do was to adjust her insulin to carb ratio and see where that goes.
There was a new Diabetes Nurse Educator that came in and spoke with us and went over all the factors that we need to look at. I couldn't help but notice the medical alert bracelet she wore on her wrist. When we got done, I asked if she was new to the office/Childrens Hospital Network. I normally don't ask things like that, but I was very impressed with her professionalism and her knowledge, and most importantly - her understanding. She explained that she just started with Childrens after working at OSU for many years, and has been T1D since the age of 3! As much as I'd like to find an Endo that is local, I am more than happy to make the drive to Dublin and Columbus for that reason - their employees have first hand knowledge of what we are going through, and that makes all the difference in the world to us! The compassion and understanding outweigh all of the textbook knowledge when it comes to dealing with the T1 Monster.
The outcome of everything is that we are going to adjust her insulin:carb ratio and see what happens from there. We already accepted the fact that we *know* that Ellee is coming out of her honeymoon period so it was easier to take when the doctor mentioned it. It was 4:15 when we got out of the office and even if I rushed home, it would be hard to make it in time for ballet class, so I called and explained and we agreed to start next week. I am already seeing a change in Ellee's numbers and will know even more once I see the school nurse's log on Friday. I am so anxious to see how dance class goes next Monday!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Broken Arm
One of the last things I expected at 6:30pm on a Sunday night was to getting a phone call that my daughter broke her arm and is being taken to the hospital. I know how I was with a sprained wrist in school and with a broken leg a few years ago, and I felt like my kids weren't old enough to go through this yet! I'm not ready to go through this yet!
While playing with her cousin at her Uncle's house, she tripped over a ball and put her hands down to break her fall. In the process, the impact on her wrists "buckled" the large bone in her right wrist. Urgent Care did x-rays and sent her home in a splint for her Pediatrician to make the call on whether in needs a cast or not. The next day the Pedi referred us to an Ortho. My mistake was going with that referral instead of going to the Ortho who worked on my leg. I did NOT like this doctor. I was impressed that I could understand his English, but he lacked people skills, especially child skills. Although his prognosis is better than I expected - 3 weeks in a brace/splint sure beats 6 weeks in a cast! I did break Ellee's heart to hear that she couldn't play on the playground, and especially no monkey bars!
The first week and a half break from soccer didn't bother her much, but now she's ready to get back out there and play! She has done good about not kicking the ball in the house, but the other day she wanted to play so bad that she was kicking around in the kitchen! Her break from soccer couldn't come at a worse time, she was doing so good and really getting into playing!
While playing with her cousin at her Uncle's house, she tripped over a ball and put her hands down to break her fall. In the process, the impact on her wrists "buckled" the large bone in her right wrist. Urgent Care did x-rays and sent her home in a splint for her Pediatrician to make the call on whether in needs a cast or not. The next day the Pedi referred us to an Ortho. My mistake was going with that referral instead of going to the Ortho who worked on my leg. I did NOT like this doctor. I was impressed that I could understand his English, but he lacked people skills, especially child skills. Although his prognosis is better than I expected - 3 weeks in a brace/splint sure beats 6 weeks in a cast! I did break Ellee's heart to hear that she couldn't play on the playground, and especially no monkey bars!
The first week and a half break from soccer didn't bother her much, but now she's ready to get back out there and play! She has done good about not kicking the ball in the house, but the other day she wanted to play so bad that she was kicking around in the kitchen! Her break from soccer couldn't come at a worse time, she was doing so good and really getting into playing!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Stepping Up!
A few years ago, Grandma & Grandpa found these little open-faced kayaks that were for kids up to 8 years old! They were the cutest things and since we lived on the lake and Mommy likes to kayak, how great would it be to get the girls out in their own little boats?! To teach Ellee how to control this new contraption, Grandma put her in it in the pool and showed her what to do. The pool and the kayak were just about a great match in size to give her enough room to maneuver and get the hang of it.
The girls and I have gone out on the lake a few times this year, and even once on a river. Ellee gets in her little red kayak while Dani helps me paddle mine. We have a rope tied to the back of mine in case El gets tired, she can hold on for a little bit! It comes in handy when we get to the areas of the lake that go out towards the "open zones" of the lake where the wake is a little too rough for her to paddle against on her own.
We've been very busy the last month and haven't had time to go out on the lake. But a family reunion at G&G L's house was the perfect opportunity to get them out and allow others the chance to give it a try! After lunch I went to take El & my cousin's daughter B out to putt around the channel. After getting El in her kayak, I started getting B into the other little red one. As I lowered her down, she kept telling me that her feet were getting really wet as she stood on the seat getting ready to sit down. Conclusion: Only a small 8 year old can use it! So we put B in a big kayak to see how she would do. B did great in the large one (which I worried was too wide for her) and El struggled in the little one. With the way she was whining, I thought that maybe her sugar was low and she was having a hypo.
We get back to shore, changed her clothes, and take a little break. Later on we try it again, this time, I want to see how she does in a big kayak. What do you know, the little fish took to it like water! Conclusion: the little red ones have a weight limit of 45-50 pounds. The problem with El & B both in big kayaks is that there wasn't one for me to go out there with them! We did have a canoe that some others were out in, so they followed them around to make sure they were okay!
The great thing about family reunions is that others get a chance to try new stuff! My 2nd cousin's kids wanted to try it! While E & B were out, I had T & M sit in the little ones in the yard and I showed them how to paddle. Since T is at least 8, I had put him in his own, and even though M is the same age as El (5), I had her ride with me. T did a great job and was even able to paddle through the lily pads! M tried her heart out and really enjoyed trying to race her brother! Poor thing didn't really have the arm strength to control the boat by herself and hold the paddle up, but she will in another year or two!
Despite the weather being a little on the chilly side on Sunday, we had a great time! I love when kids get outdoors and learn new things that engages them with nature! And I am so proud of Ellee for being able to handle a bigger kayak like it's nothing!
The girls and I have gone out on the lake a few times this year, and even once on a river. Ellee gets in her little red kayak while Dani helps me paddle mine. We have a rope tied to the back of mine in case El gets tired, she can hold on for a little bit! It comes in handy when we get to the areas of the lake that go out towards the "open zones" of the lake where the wake is a little too rough for her to paddle against on her own.
We've been very busy the last month and haven't had time to go out on the lake. But a family reunion at G&G L's house was the perfect opportunity to get them out and allow others the chance to give it a try! After lunch I went to take El & my cousin's daughter B out to putt around the channel. After getting El in her kayak, I started getting B into the other little red one. As I lowered her down, she kept telling me that her feet were getting really wet as she stood on the seat getting ready to sit down. Conclusion: Only a small 8 year old can use it! So we put B in a big kayak to see how she would do. B did great in the large one (which I worried was too wide for her) and El struggled in the little one. With the way she was whining, I thought that maybe her sugar was low and she was having a hypo.
We get back to shore, changed her clothes, and take a little break. Later on we try it again, this time, I want to see how she does in a big kayak. What do you know, the little fish took to it like water! Conclusion: the little red ones have a weight limit of 45-50 pounds. The problem with El & B both in big kayaks is that there wasn't one for me to go out there with them! We did have a canoe that some others were out in, so they followed them around to make sure they were okay!
The great thing about family reunions is that others get a chance to try new stuff! My 2nd cousin's kids wanted to try it! While E & B were out, I had T & M sit in the little ones in the yard and I showed them how to paddle. Since T is at least 8, I had put him in his own, and even though M is the same age as El (5), I had her ride with me. T did a great job and was even able to paddle through the lily pads! M tried her heart out and really enjoyed trying to race her brother! Poor thing didn't really have the arm strength to control the boat by herself and hold the paddle up, but she will in another year or two!
Despite the weather being a little on the chilly side on Sunday, we had a great time! I love when kids get outdoors and learn new things that engages them with nature! And I am so proud of Ellee for being able to handle a bigger kayak like it's nothing!
Friday, September 10, 2010
The Pen
Our first full week of school is finishing up! The past two weeks have been extremely busy with a new routine of school AND playing soccer, but we survived! Ellee is still relatively excited about school, she likes her teacher, loves recess & art class, and isn't giving the nurse any problems (that are in her control anyways)! She got her glasses a week ago and tells me that she's wearing them during class and the one day wore them out to recess. I will admit that the glasses are a battle I'm not willing to fight right now, at least not until we get everything squared away with the T1D!
Mrs. M (the nurse) & I had a second T1D meeting on Wednesday morning to "refine" the game plan now that we can see where we are lacking clear definition. *giggle* That is funny because its an oxymoron in itself, any one who deals with T1D knows that there are no set rules in this game: you have to be able to learn fast, go with the flow, and have a fast reaction time to stay in the game. After this meeting, I am more confident and my nerves eased! We have a game plan worked out, we now have a "school set" and "home set" which makes things so much easier!
Ellee starting school has forced me into the transition of "The Pen". It's not that I was against it, I'm just reluctant to change! ;o) I am loving the NovoLog Pen Jr! So far have only found one down side to it - exposed needle in the caps after use (hoping that once I get a small bag for the used ones that this won't bother me any more). I also found that there are two different sizes of needles, so I need to do research to make sure I get the smallest ones next time I order!
In the process of getting extra stuff to leave at school, I found something interesting in with the new meter! I Not only did I get the meter on sale, but there was also something in there about only paying $15 for test strips. I asked the pharmacist about it, and she said they should be able to honor it! YAY!!! I also found that they are now selling silicone covers and cute cases for the meters, which Ellee loved the idea of being able to turn it from black into a cute pink! I'm also hoping that she'll love the cute pink flower case I have picked out!
Our first soccer game in the morning, so wish us luck!!!
Mrs. M (the nurse) & I had a second T1D meeting on Wednesday morning to "refine" the game plan now that we can see where we are lacking clear definition. *giggle* That is funny because its an oxymoron in itself, any one who deals with T1D knows that there are no set rules in this game: you have to be able to learn fast, go with the flow, and have a fast reaction time to stay in the game. After this meeting, I am more confident and my nerves eased! We have a game plan worked out, we now have a "school set" and "home set" which makes things so much easier!
Ellee starting school has forced me into the transition of "The Pen". It's not that I was against it, I'm just reluctant to change! ;o) I am loving the NovoLog Pen Jr! So far have only found one down side to it - exposed needle in the caps after use (hoping that once I get a small bag for the used ones that this won't bother me any more). I also found that there are two different sizes of needles, so I need to do research to make sure I get the smallest ones next time I order!
In the process of getting extra stuff to leave at school, I found something interesting in with the new meter! I Not only did I get the meter on sale, but there was also something in there about only paying $15 for test strips. I asked the pharmacist about it, and she said they should be able to honor it! YAY!!! I also found that they are now selling silicone covers and cute cases for the meters, which Ellee loved the idea of being able to turn it from black into a cute pink! I'm also hoping that she'll love the cute pink flower case I have picked out!
Our first soccer game in the morning, so wish us luck!!!
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