Low, low, low.

Last night was one of those nights.  Rosie went to bed low and stayed low all night.   We were both up a lot last night, and we're both tired and a little grumpy this morning.

We're out of juice, in both boxed and bottled form.  That never happens, but last night, it did.  So my treatment options were glucose tablets or fruit snacks.  I chose glucose.

When Rosie is really out of it, whether it's from the low or from being asleep, she fights.  She clamps her mouth shut and literally pushes me away when I try to get some sugar into her.  At one point she was keeping her arm held straight up in the air, for no apparent reason.  It strikes me as funny this morning, but in my sleep-deprived fog, it was just one more thing to contend with.  She was really out of it.   That hasn't happened for a couple of months now.

Temporary basals, several rounds of glucose, and lots of prayers got us through the night.

My new flavor of coffee (buttery caramel) is getting me through this morning.

I hope God understands why we didn't go to church this morning.   The idea of dragging us there to sit through mass just didn't seem feasible- Rosie and I are exhausted, and her little brother is always a challenge at mass anyway.   Resting quietly at home seemed like a better plan. 

Note to self:  buy juice on the way to work this evening.
 

Routine

Rosie went to bed an hour ago, then came back downstairs half an hour later because she felt low.  She was 95 and dropping.  We decided on a snack-sized Skittles pack (post-Halloween lows have extra treatment choices, LOL), she ate it and went back to bed, over and done in minutes.

I guess it's good, the routine-ness of it all.  Sometimes I barely think about it- we just deal with the numbers and go. 

There was a time when I would have stressed and worried over what to do with that 95... after all, it's not technically a low.  We could just monitor it.  We could reduce her basal rate.  We could suspend her pump.  We could try a partial dose of carbs, or carbs plus protein.

But over the years, we've learned that if Rosie is dropping fast enough that she can feel it, even if she's not technically low yet, we need to treat with fast-acting carbs, the same as if she was already low.   Would that work for everyone?  No, of course not, but it works for us.

I remember when I didn't think anything about diabetes would ever become routine- it was all so new and so scary.  There are still stubborn highs and scary lows, and there always will be.  But somehow I take comfort in knowing that we can deal with this scary monster as a part of our normal daily routine.
  I'm posting daily in November in honor of Diabetes Awareness Month and the WEGO Health's National Health Blog Post Month. #NHBPM

Nasty Low, Aisle Six

To passers-by, she probably looked like a bored or pouting child, sitting there staring straight ahead and clutching a giant bottle of soda.   To me, she looked like a sick kid fighting back tears and fighting to stay focused on the moment.

We were in the store about an hour when it hit: a bad low.   The kind that comes out of nowhere and causes Rosie's eyes to be "fuzzy" in a matter of seconds.  She went from chatting and laughing to the verge of tears in about 30 seconds.  Her Dex showed her in the 70's and dropping, but she told me she knew she was already lower than that.  I normally have glucose in my purse, but I was out-- in fact, there was a bottle at the bottom of our cart waiting to be purchased.  The lines at the check-outs were insanely long. 

I decided to buy Rosie a soda through the self-check lanes (which had the shortest lines) and have her sit by the nail salon until I could join her.  I abandoned my cart, rushed through the self-check line, and settled Rosie in with her bottle of soda.  She took several big swigs and sat, staring blankly ahead.  I asked her if she'd be ok if I went and got in line, and she said yes.   I could see her from my place in line, but she wasn't seeing me-- she had that "zombie stare" that she gets when she's really out of it.  I don't think a wait in line has ever seemed so long to me.

I finally get through the line, rush over to Rosie, and sit down next to her.  She immediately tries to crawl in my lap- a sure sign that she's feeling rotten.   We sit together and watch the crowd for a while, until she feels strong enough to walk to the car.   We make the ten minute drive home and within half an hour she's ready to go play outside with her friends, like nothing ever happened.

There's nothing I hate more than these crazy, out-of-nowhere lows.  She feels rotten, and I feel so helpless.  What would have been a routine shopping trip for anyone else was turned into a near-emergency situation, and I doubt that most people around us had any clue that anything was wrong. 

 

15 carb Juicy Juice Deal

EDITED 11/18/12: This is one of my most visited posts, but sadly, Amazon no longer offers this "subscribe and save" deal on Juicy Juice.    I'll update again if I find a similar deal.  

 Juicy Juice 4oz boxes are one of those things that it seems nearly every diabetic child I know always has on hand.   (If you're not familiar with these, they are the toddler-sized juice boxes... perfect for a diabetic who is low and needs about 15 grams of carbohydrates to bring their blood sugar back up.)  Unfortunately, they are not the cheapest thing to have on hand, and we go through a lot of them.

Locally, I can buy an 8-pack of the 15 carb Juicy Juice boxes for around $3.99.  I generally wait until they are on sale if I can, but if we're out of juice boxes for school, I wind up paying that $3.99.  Ouch. 

Amazon sells the Juicy Juice Apple, 8-Count (Pack of 5) for $11.12, which breaks down to $2.22 per 9-pack.  Other flavors are the same price, but Rosie is partial to the apple. Five packages of the 8-packs at my local store would be $19.95.... so we're already saving money, right?  

It gets better.   Sign up for the "Subscribe and Save Program" to save 15%, and your total price drops to $9.45.  You can set it to automatically ship another box to you once a month, every other month, every six months... whatever you choose.  Or, you can simply cancel after the first shipment.. you're not obligated to continue.

AND... you don't need to pay shipping!   The juice boxes are eligible for Super Saver Shipping, so if you spend $25 in that transaction, they ship for free.  Or, you can join the free Amazon Mom program (you don't need to be a mom) and get free shipping any time with no minimum purchase.

I am a member of the Amazon Mom program, so we're paying $1.89 per 8-pack  and we receive free 2-day shipping... or $9.45 in total for 40 juice boxes.   I've been doing this deal for a couple of months now, and it works out great for us!     Check out more Works for Me Wednesday tips HERE!

Disclaimer: Obviously I have included some Amazon affiliate links here.  Nobody asked me to link up or post about this deal.  I would make a few pennies if you choose to purchase something through my links, but that's not why I've linked up... I truly feel that this is a great deal on a necessary d-supply, and I wanted to share!