Not bad at all...

What a relief. Justin's A1c was a whopping....

6.5

It did go up.. (was 6.2) but I am not going to complain when I was waiting to hear an 8. (seriously)

We had a great appointment. We got a new purple meter(Justin's favorite color)

Dr. D sat with us for a while (as usual) and chatted about the lunch time dilemma.

He says that I can just correct him when he gets home... that's not so bad.

Then it was onto the pump...

Just as Wendy said "we have a choice of 3"

Ping ~ Minimed & Omnipod

Dr. D said it was our choice when we were ready and all I had to do was a little homework.

This is apparently to see if I am competent enough to count carbs in the proper manor :)

Hmmm ~ we shall see!!

I have decided to leave it up to Justin. He can get the pump if he is ready. On the way home(little more than a 45 min drive) we talked about it. I told him how it was 1 shot every 3 days and how within 3 days he now has 6 shots and could be getting up to 9 from now on.

He's pretty smart... he quickly did the math and the light bulb turned on :)

At that point, I gave him the brochures and let him look through them. I pointed out the CGM and told him what that was all about. In his words "I'll take that".

I don't even think he cares about the pump... he just wants the CGM.

Do you think maybe he's tired of poking his finger?

Either way, we need to make a decision though I believe it will happen when it ready to.

Dr. D did say that I don't have to deal with the Insurance...
That's good in a way, but I hate to convince Justin to go with it only to find out our NEW insurance isn't having any part of it. UUG!

Again, we will cross that bridge when we get there.

to everyone for your advice. I GREATLY appreciate all your support and I am sure I will be posting more questions soon :)

Hi Ho - Hi Ho... It's off to the Endo we go!

Yikes! This appointment has snuck up on me. I am dreading this one because I KNOW Justin's A1c will not be pretty.

WHY?

Because his lunch numbers at school are messing us all up.

PLUS!!!

I dread it because I am going to talk about adding another injection to help with the above mentioned problem. Poor Justin. I hate doing that to him.

On a side note... I was told to look start looking into the pump during our last appointment. Not really sure what exactly I'm suppose to look into. Where do you start? What questions do you ask? Who do you ask? I have poked around on the Internet and don't think I've learned a whole lot. Granted, I am not much of a reader.

I like hands on experience and real conversation.

EVERYTHING I know about the pump... I think I've learned from a blog(or was it Facebook?).

For example:

• Always have extra batteries with you
• Batteries like to go out in the middle of the night when you want sleep
• When you cant find your pump... look under your pillow
• Our pump needs a cool name
• Pumps require a full rewind... ummm like a video???
• If you detach your pump in front of your teacher... she may have a heart attack!

I do still have a few questions...

-I would like to know which pump also goes with the sensor thing that also checks your bg and eliminates the need to poke your finger??? That would be nice... Justin's fingers are all beat up and it makes me sad. I met a mom at a run we did and she was telling me about her daughters that did this. Why can't I remember the name?

-Are there any pumps I should avoid?

-I also hear that it's a whole lot more expensive... oh boy! Can it get worse?

-I do think(and I've said it before) our biggest challenge is going to be the injection site. At this point, Justin will ONLY use his arms. I haven't been able to convince him to try anywhere else. Anyone have this challenge?

I would love some feedback if you have any. AND a little prayer for an A1c that doesn't make me cry :)

Thanks for any advice~

We hope you all has a memorable Christmas. Ours was wonderful. Busy as usual and I am worthless from all of the running and planning and running and cooking... OH did I mention all of the running around?
It's okay though because the kids truly give us a reason to celebrate.

For us, the celebrating begins during the annual Christmas Eve party at my sister-in-laws house. Lot's of family and friends to celebrate with... good food and the "big guy" himself even stops in to say "HO HO HO"... share some candy... take a few pics... and hand out a couple Christmas Eve presents to all the excited kids.

AND~ did you know Santa now has 3 (not one... not two... but THREE) RABBITS?

AND~ Santa also does balloon swords and animals. (he's known how to do those for years!)

Yep... the kids love Santa :)

THEN... there was Christmas morning. Leighanna was up at 6am. Not sure how since they were up ALL NIGHT waiting for Santa who couldn't come while they were awake. I ended up letting her wake up Justin at 6:30(not sure why).

After they racked up at home... we headed over for the annual brunch at Nonie's house where they raked in the presents again. They are truly blessed children for sure!!

Then it was back home to cook dinner for my family... and it was yummy!

Good thing because we will be eating it for a few days :)

Soo we hope you enjoyed your celebrations as much as we did.

From our family to yours...

Happy Holidays... 2009

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas...

when he's exhausted... you know it's bad!

It's bad enough when we have to get up/stay up at night, but when they are so drained that they can't even keep their eyes open... you know it's bad!


I felt so terrible for Justin tonight. He is so tired from the interrupted sleep that he just passed out. This is sooo unlike him. He is just like me, a night owl. But he's exhausted!!! Beyond exhausted!! At first I have to admit... it kinda worried me because it is so unusual.

Friday night Justin was 239 before bed. He ate pasta which makes him go up after a few hours so I thought... he will be good, but I will check him around 11:30 when he peaks. So I set my alarm and tried to get some rest. At his 11:30 check he was 148. So I thought GREAT... he usually wakes up fine with this...(in the 80's~ ish). So back to sleep I went :)

4am rolls around and I feel a tap tap tap tap tap tap... on my arm??? Groggy and confused; I peel open my heavy eyelids to find Leighanna standing there. She says that Justin doesn't feel good. So I pop up and head in with our One Touch Mini in hand to check it out.

He was 60 ~ what? He always makes it through the rest of the night when he's around 150.
UHG! Okay~ so I give him a snack and sent him back to bed. (I don't think he was able to go back to sleep at that point though).

Then there was last night... we were sitting on the couch watching all the cute puppies on Animal Planet. Next thing you know, I said something to him and he was O-U-T... OUT! I have NEVER seen him fall asleep sitting STRAIGHT UP before. WOW~ okay. So I check his blood, he's 358, whoa... high, But okay let me get him in bed and I will check around my usual 11:30.

I was still awake, so I checked him around midnight~ UMMM 58??? Dang it!!!
I made him a piece of peanut butter toast and headed in... I couldn't wake him up! I rubbed his back, talked to him, sat him up etc... his eyes would crack open and his head would roll backwards and it was LIGHTS OUT! Once I was able to get him to take a bite... he actually fell asleep mid chew. Oh dear! It literally took me about 20 minutes to get it in him.

After that, I came out here to start this complaining post... :). I wanted to give him some time and check him again before I went to bed. Well I think I dozed off because I could have swore I just blinked, but when I opened my eyes I saw this: ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
OOPS! Delete :)

At that point it was almost 2am... this time he was 62... 62?? Crap! So a juice , back rubbing, talking to, sitting him up and so on... he finally drank it laying down with his eyes closed. He would have a little and roll over... I would rub his back.. and stick the straw in his mouth. At his 4am check, he was 95. At this point Humulin was done and his dad was getting up at 5:30. Anything I gave him now would shoot him way high, so I left him alone.

This morning... he didn't wake up until 8:30 (again unlike him) I went in to check on him several times, but figured he needed the sleep. His bg was 117 ~ not bad :)

So I am exhausted... he's exhausted... were ALL exhausted~ right?

Here's wishing all of us a restful Sunday :)

Hot chocolate update...

Thank you all for your comments... I knew you all would back me up :)

I made a point to drive the kids to school so that I could talk to Justin's teacher about the hot chocolate. I explained to her how upset he was and how diabetes is hard enough without having to miss out on special things. I told her how excited he was about polar express day and how he was crushed by the whole outcome.

She was very apologetic. Said that she was TRYING to do the right thing. She told me she felt terrible about the whole not giving it to him and how she doesn't like handing things out anymore because she's worried about him. I greatly appreciate that and don't know if I am able to convince her that on occasion it IS OKAY!!!

When Justin came home yesterday, he told me that Mrs ___ told him she was sorry and she gave him some hot chocolate. I asked him what he said and he told me... "I told her it was okay mom".
So this morning; I found out that Mrs. teacher also stopped by and talked to the nurse. Mrs. nurse told her that the last thing that ALL the diabetic parents want is for their child to be left out.
I think she sincerely felt bad and she IS a great teacher.
I now feel bad for making her feel bad... ya know?? But I guess it had to be done.

Thank you all for your comments... I appreciate you listening to me wine.

Happy Thursday

Speachless and heartbroken...

I think I can speak for most of us when I say that this last week of school before holiday break is surely a dreaded one for us D moms. The parties, the treats, bla bla bla... And as a parent, all I want is for my kids to feel equal... like they are not "different" even though when it comes to the D Justin is.
Today at school; Justin's class was having a Polar Express day. Jammie's, hot chocolate.. the whole 9 yards. Justin was SO excited. He wore a new set of pj's, his gator slippers and even his Santa hat. I was excited for him too. You see Justin is still at the point that the hot chocolate won't make his numbers crazy... will they go up? Yes. But he is usually low at school, so if they hit more than 200... I would be surprised.

So when he came home today... he didn't say much(?).
So I asked him... "hey, how was Polar Express day" ...
(J) "Okay"...
(M) "Okay? Did you have fun?"
(J) "Well, Mrs. wouldn't give me any hot chocolate..."
(M) ???"wwwhhhyyy???" (long and drawn out just like that too)
(J)She said it had to much sugar and said I could have some hot water.
(M) HOT WATER? WTF? (I didn't say that out loud, but I sure thought it!!)
(M) "Did she talk to Mrs. (Nurse)? Were you high?"
(J) no

Justin and I continued to talk for a few minutes. He was sad... truly sad. Like diabetes just ripped his heart out again. He told me that he told Mrs. _ that he "really wanted some hot chocolate". I literally teared up and my heart ached for him. My heart ached for an 8 year old boy who had to sit there and watch 17 other kids drink hot chocolate. A little boy who already has a low self esteem because of everything that he's gone through in his short life. Things that an 8 year old shouldn't have to think about.

I had no idea that she would do this... I would have never imagined... I knew they were having hot chocolate... I worked yesterday and all last week... I was in the break room with her every one of those days. I have told her that as long as I know whats going on I will adjust. I have said the Dr does not want him excluded. I have said... if there are ever any questions... call the nurse or call me.

I did end up calling the nurse to see if maybe there was a reason for the way it was handled. She had heard nothing... and it turns out his bg was 52 in the afternoon. I guess the hot chocolate would have helped after all.

I don't even know what I am going to say to her tomorrow. There's so many things running through my head... mostly I think I would like to tell her that this disease is hard enough on him... it has changed his life(and not for the good)... this disease is hard enough on it's own without being left out... singled out... and saddened because of it.
Damn Polar Express Day...
Damn Celebrations...
Damn people that make them sad...
DAMN DIABETES!!!

Phew...

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends, if they are OK, then it's you~~ Good thing my friends are crazy:-) LOL

Happy Tuesday...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

WHAT??? HE LEFT ME!!!

Justin and I had a plan... or maybe I just had one(?).

Let me fill you in...

Once upon a time there was a run- a "jingle bell run". And this year the proceeds were going to support JDRF.

Then there was a mom... a loving mom... who has not ran in... we'll just say "some time".

And this mom had a son... a diabetic son... who wanted to run the race. So this mom decided to support the cause, but she didn't know how her sweet son would do since his sugar liked to randomly drop low.

So this mom made a plan... she made shirts, she signed them up and she told her sweet son that they would run the 1 mile together. This mom thought that this was a "grand" plan.

So on race day... this running duo headed out. They stopped at McDonald for a few extra carbs, got their numbers, cheered on the 5k runners, adorned their running shoes with a few bells of jingle.
they also meet up with some good friends....
Right before the race we checked our blood... 88... what?? So the sweet boy enjoyed a piece of cookie and a piece of cinnamon roll and we headed to the start line.

As soon as they got there the mom new she was in for trouble... the siren rang and the little boy took off... AND HE LEFT HIS MAMA BEHIND!!!
So in the end the little boy finished in 4th place in the kids race... and the mom is just happy she made it.

Happy Saturday

Be thankful...

I received this in an email and thought it was sweet enough to share...

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things. A life or rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.

My first award...

I am so excited! I just received my first award... ~thanks Amy at Diary as the Mom of a diabetic princess for sending The Circle of Friends Award to me :)

Now I must also list 5 things that I love... (in no particular order)

1. I LOVE THIS BLOG COMMUNITY! I am a quiet person(always have been). I like to hang back and take it all in(both in bloggyville and IRL). Just reading every ones stories, challenges, happiness, accomplishments etc. lets me know that I am not alone here. Even when I don't know what to say... there are others with the same thoughts and feelings as mine. Whether we have a bad day or were on top of the world... you can ALWAYS count on words of hope or cheer from this WONDERFUL circle of friends. And I love that!

2. My hubby... I am a pretty independent gal. But when I need him... there's no question. He is there. When Justin was diagnosed; I fell apart(literally) and there he was... without him I may not have regrouped.

3. My children of course... craziness and all. I am proud of who they have become. I am proud of how well Justin has adjusted and how Leighanna takes care of him when I am not around(shhh, don't tell her I know). They are my joy... they are what keeps me exhausted... AND yet they are also what keeps me going.

4. I love my faith. A while back I lost a little of it. I love that when I found it, it was like I never fell apart. I also love how much stronger it makes me.

5. Our school nurse... She has made my like better. She has taken some of the pressure of of me when it comes to "dealing" with teacher. I trust her judgement more than I trust my own at times. I don't think she knows how wonderful she is or how much I appreciate her.

And now... to share this award with 5 people... again in no particular order.

Meri at Our Diabetic Life

Hallie at Window to my World

Laura at The Houston five

Phonelady at The older side of life

Jill at Diabetes Sweeties

Okay ladies... it's your turn. List 5 things you love and pass it on.

Just a little silly...

Quote of the day... a little humor :)

"I am nobody
Nobody is perfect
Therefore, I must be perfect!"
~Anon

Happy Tuesday

Christmas Card Exchange...

I copied this from Candy Hearts... just in case someone may have missed it...

"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 every one'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."

My 5 minutes of fame...

My friend Joann called me up for a favor the other day... that usually means trouble(lol). As usual this time didn't disappoint :) (I'll tell you about getting kicked out of the library later)

So.... Turns out she had a project due for her photography class and needed a victim (hehe). So giggling all the way and not knowing what lied ahead... we headed out for my photog debut.

The story:

An unknowing woman(me) heads out to the library to do some research...

She tracks up and down the rows and rows of books looking for titles unknown.

As she sits down to read, she notices how empty the library has become and that she is now alone... not thinking to much of it... she continues to read.

Still in search of the perfect book, she heads down the empty isle and sees an open book on the floor. Not noticing the black shadow creeping behind her... she reaches down to pick up the book.

As she pick up the book, she notices the odd photos and a single written word...

Turning the page reveals another photo and single written word...

Confused... the woman reluctantly continued to slowly turn the page to reveal a final written word...

Just then a slight chill ran through her. She turns around to find...

No one knows what happened to the woman that night...

The end

Happy Sunday!

Honeymoon land...

I have been sitting here in "honeymoon land" with my reality check around the corner just waiting to smack me!

What does that mean?? Well, I have mentioned before that Justin is still in the honeymoon stage~ right? So I have been reading all of these blogs talking about 4 or 5 shots a day and how fellow D moms are setting alarms for every couple hours to check bg's at night. For months, I have been thinking... wow~ I am glad I don't have to get up in the middle of the night... And 5 SHOTS?? Holy insulin batman!

Besides the numbers during school, I would say I have had it easy. I couldn't even complain about our measly 2 shots a day. NOW... I think our time is coming. For the past few weeks, I have found myself setting the alarm for a night time check and one of the questions on my Endo list will be "shall we add in a lunch time dose?

I hate to do that to Justin, but I don't know what else to do. The problem is the time he eats lunch at school. They are literally the LAST class to go to lunch... by this time he's about 6 1/2 hours into his Humulin. I don't give him a ton of food for lunch, but he has to eat.

What sucks is that we have to feed him a half a sandwich between 8 and 8:30 and then a snack around 10:30 or he drops into the 40's(one time 39). He usually has great numbers right before lunch (under 100), but after... upper 300's for several hours after.

I guess it will straighten out soon... ~right?