Thanks goes to Karen, my knitting friend, over at Bitter-Sweet, for rallying the bloggers in the DOC for the 1st annual Diabetes Blog Week! It's an awesome idea. And she already has a list of 100+ bloggers set to type their hearts out this week! Way to go Karen!!
And, it's not too late to join in the fun! Just head over to her blog and let her know you're in...She's even gone the extra mile and given us some great topics. I totally appreciate that because I could use a little jumpstart this week. : )
DAY 1: A Day in Our Family's Life...with Diabetes
6:30 Wake up; get myself together
6:45 Go down the hall...wake up Middle C, wake up Big C, go in and do first bg check on C...123...beautiful!
7:00 Set out breakfast stuff...make lunches...re-stock C's bag...bolus C accordingly...say the words "hurry up!" about 100 times...teeth brushed, hair fixed, sunscreen on...
7:50 Out the door with C and Middle C...pick up one of C's friends
8:00 At school...quick prayer...hugs and kisses...say bye to Middle C...walk w/C to Health Office...drop off diabetes bag and snacks...chat with Health Aide...one more hug to C
8:20 Back home...turn on computer...put a load of laundry in...COFFEE...chat with Big C as he gets ready
8:40 Out the door with Big C...pick up one of his friends
8:50 Drop off the boys at middle school crosswalk (no hugs in public...just a "see ya later" and a "have a great day!"...got my hug at home!)
9:00 Back home...back to work
9:45 Get a call from school: C's at 101...Health Aide will bolus for a 10 gram snack
9:50 work, cleaning, laundry, errands
11:45 Get a call from school: C's at 89...Health Aide will bolus for 31 gram lunch
12:00 Lunch for me!!
1:00 Get a call from school: C's at 167...good number prior to PE class...no correction bolus...back to work for me
2:05 Pick up C and little friend...drop friend home
2:15 At home...wash up...bg check: 118...bolus for snack...18 grams...start homework
2:50 Pick up Middle C
3:00 Finish up snacks...homework...piano practice...talk about the day
3:30 Pick up Big C...rinse and repeat!
3:45 bg check: 178...good number prior to gymnastics...detach her from the pump
4:00 Take C to gymnastics class...hang around class with boys dressed in baseball practice clothes of course!...leave class to drop off Middle C to his practice
4:45 Back to gymnastics to pick up C...bg check: 113...perfect!...re-attach pump...
5:00 Drop Big C off at his practice
5:15 Back home to dinner already prepared in the crock pot...fix salad...C sets the table
6:30 Everyone's back home including the husband...bg check: 100 (love that #!)...DINNER!
7:00 Dishes...showers (unhook C from pump..."free shower" perhaps?)...finish homework...TV...relaxing...site change for C
8:30 Goodnight to C and Middle C
9:00 Goodnight to Big C
9:30 Bg check: 125...relax...finish up computer work...TV shows...
11:00 Check on kids...one more bg check: 119
Sleep...
Okay...I confess that the above scheduled day has NEVER happened. Maybe it is my perfect day with diabetes...Maybe it's what I'd like to experience on a regular basis, with diabetes. But the truth is: there are no typical days with this disease. There are those times when C will have several in-range numbers in a row...and it's awesome! And, those readings of "100"...love them! (Sometimes we love them so much, we take pictures of the meter!!) But honestly, diabetes does not behave in any typical pattern day to day. In fact, C could eat the exact same foods, same amounts, same boluses of insulin...even the same amount and intensity of activity and get a huge range of numbers.
It's tiring. It's frustrating. And sometimes, it's very unmanageable. But, we persevere. We must. We continue to strive for those in-range numbers, 70-120 or so...
On many days, there are mistakes made. C's diabetes bag might be forgotten at home. I might overlook that she's down to just 1 test strip. There have been countless trips back to school. The nurse might be absent and the checks are up to me to do. There have been mornings when we've forgotten to bolus for breakfast and she ends up at 427. I've raced down to school to do emergency site changes when the tubing has major air trapped in it or her site was pulled out at recess. Or, maybe she's had a couple big numbers in a row and, no matter, how much we correct her, she just doesn't come down.
So, a day in our family's life...with diabetes? It's different every day. It keeps us on our toes.
...as for coming home to a prepared meal in the crock pot??...rarely does that happen!
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Ahhh.
ReplyDeleteIf I could pick a "great" Diabetes day, mine would look like that too. Without the kids or activities. Ha. :-)
Oh if.
All we can do is go with the flow of things. Life And Diabetes.
I was so impressed as I read and then things were just a little too perfect. When she went into gymnastics with another great pre-activity number, I just knew something was up. Not that I doubt your or Little C's ability, Nan, but because I know that D is our nemesis.
ReplyDeleteWe did have a day like this - it was Caleb's 7th birthday, in fact - what a great gift. If days were like this always, or even every once in a while, it wouldn't be such a challenge.
I love your posts! Looking forward to the rest this week.
While I've loved reading everyone's posts today - I think I've really appreciated the posts from the diabetes parents the most. It's a side of things I find I don't think about all that much anymore - and I realize that I don't always remember to thank my parents for all they went though to help me grow up healthy with diabetes!! :)
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