I Love OMNIPOD!

We just returned from a wonderful week in the Outer Banks of NC. We went with my husbands parents, my husbands brother and his family and our 4+ 1 (diabetes). We rented a big house on the ocean and had a blast.

 All that D packing and organizing was well worth it. We had everything we needed and no major D problems at all. This brings me to the title of this post. I love the Omnipod. I am used to spending the warm months of summer chasing diabetes around like a chicken with her head cut off. Summer fun feels like perpetual motion mothering.

Usually a warm day on the beach meant unplugging from her pump to swim, then plugging back in and correcting the high. Also, an entire day of that usually meant a night of chasing lows and me continuing my perpetual motion mothering all night long. In the summer we spend most of our time on the beach and Sky loves being in the water. This is why we decided to switch to the Omnipod and we are so happy we did!!!! We got the omnipod in September so we hadn't had the summer like experience yet.

So this past week was our first experience with the omnipod in the water and warm sun. She had a few lows, but for the most part was pretty level. I turned her basal rate down in the morning on the hot days and that seemed to allow her to swim and play safely. Her night time readings were great which allowed me to not be in perpetual motion, relax, and enjoy a few drinks.

I am also happy to say that the pod stayed put and didn't need to be changed and more than normal.
D is hard and nothing is going to change that all that much, but the omnipod technology has given us some relief from the stress of managing this disease and I am so grateful for that!!

On a sour note the morning we left poor Skyler had a fever and a sore throat. She was a trooper the entire 12 1/2 hour car ride home. Being sick is bad enough and having diabetes is bad enough, but to be sick with diabetes and stuck in a car for 12 1/2 hours is really rough. She never complained she just asked that we keep driving and get home.  My fingers are crossed that it is not strep throat!!

Out There Alone

Last night Skyler said to me, completely out of the blue,"Ya know mom, pretty soon you'll have to set my alarm for the middle of the night so I can check my own blood sugar."
My immediate mom response was, "No way, your nine!" At which point she asked me how long I would do it for and I said, "I don't know, but at least 18."
To this my husband responded, "I think it better be sooner than that since at 18 she will be somewhere in college."

My heart sank.
I can't even imagine.
How will I ever be able to handle that?
I will call her in the middle of night.
I will automatically wake up at that time anyway, for the rest of my life.
Come on technology move along so she can be safe when she is out there alone!!!





Family Vacation for Five

Yes, if you were thinking there are only four members of their family your right. There are only four members of our family, but diabetes can feel like the third child. The VERY high maintenance child that always wants your attention, never lets you sleep, and requires a lot of equipment. The funny thing in our family is that Skyler, who carries diabetes around all day and night, is the exact opposite of the above description. 

The reason I started thinking about this post is because I am in the process of packing for our spring break vacation. On top of  packing all the clothes, toys, car entertainment, bedding, etc. there is the job of packing the diabetes supplies. I need to think about diabetes for every situation, starting with the drive. We will drive  more than halfway the first day and finish the second day. 

The Sugar Bin

Snacks

We have rented a house with some of our family. Having a kitchen when we go away has become a given for us. It is easier with kids, but especially with diabetes. We will still go out for dinner a few times and we will eat things that we normally don't, but having a kitchen and doing our own grocery shopping is a huge stress reliever. I am pondering bringing the food scale (the salter 1450). I am trying to pack light (as if that is possible), but it really helps to have it. I haven't asked the opinion of anyone else in the family for good reason. When we first got the salter I loved it so much that I commented that I was going to bring it everywhere I went. That comment was met with " Well that's too bad because the rest of us will now never go to a restaurant with you again." (wise ass husband) Then came the comment, "We better watch her closely because she can fit anything in that purse." (wise ass child) I have just decided that I am bringing it!!

The beloved (only by me) Salter 1450

Finally, all the daily supplies!! I have enough pods for about two weeks. Enough insulin for about a month (I'm always afraid I will drop one).Enough strips for a month. I have enough alcohol swabs, uni slove, and preps that I could bathe in them. I have two glucogons that I need to remember to keep out of the hot car. I also have syringes and Lantus, God forbid the pump fails.



After all this packing and organizing along comes Skyler. She plops something down in front of me and says, "Mom, don't forget these they're my favorite"

I mean really, where are my priorities :)







Choices

I spend  a lot of time these days questioning the career choice I made at the age of 18. Don't get me wrong I like being a teacher and I strive to be the best one I can be; however, I don't know that it was the right career choice for me. I think it is hard for  anyone to make the right choice at 18. I often think of the millions of career choices there are out there, and at the age of 18 I went off to college with the goal of being a teacher for the rest of my life. It is 20 years later and sometimes I wish I could go back and explore more options. I could go on for a long time about this, but I won't bore you. The reason I am writing about this is because my sweet little girl is turning 9 tomorrow ( which is just about killing me) and her party last weekend was based on the fact that she wants to be a cake and cupcake baker and decorator when she grows up  ( which is happening too quickly for her mother). Her favorite TV show is DC Cupcakes. For her party we had a local baker come over and teach her and 8 friends how to decorate cupcakes with an under the sea theme. Our baker came with  fondant in a million colors, cool tools, and patience. It was great!!!






                                        

One of Skyler's creations

Skyler,her buddy, and another cupcake creation









There is a point to all of this.


 I can't tell you how many people comment on the fact that she is diabetic and wants to be a baker. "My child has diabetes, but it will not rule her life" is what I want to say. My husband and I made that decision  in the hospital when she was diagnosed. We swore it would never stop her from doing anything she wants. I realize that her career choice could change a million times in the next 10 years, but no matter what it is (as long as it is legal and moral  :) ) she has our full support.  Diabetes or not I believe most parents want their children to live happy, fulfilling lives. If baking and decorating cupcakes makes her happy and she can wake up every morning excited to go to work than to me that is success.

I am asked,  "Wouldn't that be bad for her health?" My response is , "she would need to have self control and not eat everything she makes, but shouldn't anyone in that career follow that advice?" I want to add, "You have no idea how much self control she already has. In a society that centers holidays and rewards on junk food she has regular practice with self control."

I am asked, "Wouldn't it be hard not to eat that stuff all day?" I say, "Yes, I guess for anyone that would be hard." What I want to say is, "Have you been paying attention to how hard diabetes is and the fact that she handles it with such grace?"

Now,  I do have to add that there are MANY people that surround Skyler that have the mentality about diabetes that my husband and I have. These are the people that help us stick to the promise that she will do whatever she wants and we will manage diabetes through it all.