Thursday, June 16, 2011

How to celebrate??

Skyler and I set a goal after our last visit to the endo to try to have an A1C below 7. At that visit it was 7.4.  The visit before was 7.9.

She was up for the challenge.

I told her that this was a long term goal and we may not reach it right away. Well, we just had a visit and her A1C was 6.9!!  Hooray!!!!!!!! Now I hadn't thought about how to celebrate this accomplishment so I asked Skyler what she thought and she immediately responded "ice cream!" Hmmmmm seems a bit silly to celebrate a great A1C with a treat like ice cream, but she is a kid and she did deserve it so ice cream it was. Two Scoops, chocolate syrup, and rainbow sprinkles!!!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Corn on the Cob



We are heading into summer and I, once again, can not get a grip on corn on the cob. Skyler's blood sugar goes bananas. I have stretched the bolus, I have increased the stretch, I have given a little up front and stretched the rest out, I have increased the up front and stretched the rest. You get the idea. I can't make it work.

Of course, the kid loves corn on the cob!!!

Any advice out there?

 It took me a while to master pizza, but I did after a good long time. Corn on the cob seems to be a tougher battle.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

What is Hiding Behind Diabetes?

I have been going through a tough time with diabetes lately. If you read my last post about guilt, that  sums up the main reason for my recent sadness. I can usually pull myself out of D related sadness by being positive and finding the good hiding behind Diabetes.  This time, for some reason, I am taking longer to snap out of it.

In trying to understand and sort out my feelings I turned to my best friend. She is someone who "gets it." She has two healthy, beautiful children and besides Skyler (her Godchild) she does not have any other experience with diabetes. Somehow she "gets it." You know what I mean. She understands how I feel, she understands how difficult diabetes is, she understands what my fears are and how they make me feel. Her and her husband often find themselves in situations where they discuss how Skyler would have to handle, whatever it is, in a different way. She is an advocate for Skyler. She is an advocate for me. She knows me so well and cares so much that she will talk me through my difficult time and then come back to me hours or days later with more advice because she has been thinking about it or researching it.

 I find that most people don't "get it."  Many people think they understand, but they don't really take the time to ask questions, or read about diabetes, or put themselves in our situation. I don't want to waste my time being angry with  people who don't "get it." I would much rather put my time and energy being in awe of, and full of gratitude towards, those who do "get it." I am fortunate to have some of these people in my life.

I am always amazed by the understanding of my best friend, but really it simply comes down to the fact that she cares deeply for myself and my family. She has taken the time to think about our daily lives and because of that, can feel empathy. She pays attention when others are not. She is taking it all in and processing all of the little steps that Skyler and our family take to ensure her health and saftey. It matters to her. Skyler's health matters to her, Skyler's little girl feelings matter to her, and my feelings matter to her. She has also read about diabetes care and management as well as various blogs. She has taken the time to educate herself and to pay attention to myself and Skyler.

I should mention that her and I went to college together, moved to the same small town, married our husbands here, had our children here, and teach together here where our children go to school. Our families are like family, our children are growing up together and will forever have a special bond. Everything happens for a reason and I believe God put her here with me and made sure our paths met because I don't know what I would do without her.

I am working on pulling myself out of this funk.

 As I am looking for the good hiding behind diabetes, I find an unbelievable friendship that many people never have the opportunity to experience. I will never take this for granted and I pray that when she needs me to "get it" that I will.

I hope all of you reading this have someone in your life who "gets it." God knows we all need at least one.