Our D-history:

My daughter, *Rosie, was five years old when she was diagnosed on September 19, 2008, with Type I Diabetes. We started out on MDI, but in October 2010 we switched to a pump. We also added a Dexcom CGM in May of 2011. In February 2014 we changed to the Medtronic Enlite system- a pump and CGM all in one.

*Rosie is not her real name... I let her pick her own pseudonym for the blog!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Math Homework? Try Carb Counting!

This morning, my 8 year-old is wandering around the kitchen, calling out numbers as she goes--  32, 13, 13... and adding them up in her head.  (Oatmeal= 32, milk= 13, yogurt= 13.)  She adds them up correctly in her head, confirms the number with me, and boluses for her breakfast carbs.   This is fairly new- usually I am the one to figure out her carbs, but lately, she's enjoyed the challenge of doing it herself.   I smile, listening to her figure out the numbers and double-check herself. 

I have to admit, I laugh when she comes home with a homework assignment to practice her math facts.   Flash cards? Worksheets?  Ha!  If there's one thing that diabetes has given her, it's the understanding that HER math skills can literally come down to life or death.   I'm guessing that math comes easily for a lot of our d-kids!
 

Monday, March 12, 2012

4:30am Site Changes

 I changed Rosie's pump site and Dex site at 4:30am today. Non-D families would find that interesting, or think it was something scary... nope.  Same old routine here in the Sugar Shark house.  

I've started doing all of Rosie's site changes at night, mainly because it's less stressful to her.  She's a brave girl and takes the site changes without a lot of fuss if needed while she's awake, but she much prefers that I do them while she's asleep, so she doesn't have to think about them.   I'm fine with that.   There will come a time when she's doing this all on her own, so while she's little (8, 9 in a few weeks), I'm willing to do all that I can to make D easier on her.    

She woke up to a beautiful 126, after being 360 when I changed the sites.   I credit the fact that I changed to a hip site, which always gives her better numbers, yet is the most painful site location if she's awake.  That alone makes it worth doing these while she's asleep.

Anyone else out there doing their child's site changes at night?
 

Monday, March 5, 2012

Prayer Request: Schuhmacher Family

You know how sometimes you need to see the grace with which someone else handles their challenges to give you perspective on your own?  Well.  Meri Schuhmacher has always done that for me.  I don't know Meri, but I have been a faithful reader of her blog, Our Diabetic Life, for quite some time now.  If you're not familiar with her, she is the mother of four boys, three of whom have Type 1 Diabetes.  She can guesstimate carb counts by phone, mentally keep track of the basals of all three boys, and more... your basic Superwoman D-mom.  

Right now, this Supermom's family needs our prayers. Meri's husband Ryan recently received a diagnosis of brain cancer.  He has numerous brain tumors and it's a grave situation.  

The DOC is wrapping it's arms around the Schuhmacher family. You can follow the Schuhmacher Family's Miracle on Facebook.  You can donate money to help with their medical billsAnd most importantly, you can lift this family up in prayer.  They are a family of strong faith, and Meri has written that they are already feeling a sense of calm and choosing to focus on hope

I am cross posting this post on both of my blogs because I want to spread the word and prayerfully support the Schuhmachers as much as possible.