I've been meaning to tell everyone we found a solution to J.J.'s dermatitis problem(you can read about it here.) Shortly after the last endo appointment I went on a quest to find something J.J. could wear at night other than diapers. Besides we couldn't even find a diaper that would fit him anyway....and we weren't going to go through a medical supply company to buy something in his size.
What I did find are Goodnites. They are for bedwetting, so they keep the moisture away from his skin. Plus the really awesome thing is that they contain everything really well. Almost eliminated the daily sheet washing....which is what we did when we ran out of the Goodnites and went to Pull-ups as a back up.....NOT GOOD!
The only drawback is that they are more expensive than diapers or pull-ups.....so while it's an awesome thing to find something that works, it's hard forking out the extra dollars. We've gotten an online coupon and a sample that had another coupon which helped.....but if all my friends and family would keep an eye out for coupons to these I'd really appreciate it. Every dollar or two counts!:)
I wish I could say it is a "goodnite" here....but unfortunately I am able to punch out this blog post because I'm waiting to check J.J. in another hour. It's was a long, tiring day....(btw, J.J.'s class went great...the teachers seem comfortable caring for him).....and just as I'm ready to slip in bed I check J.J. one last time only to find him in the 400's!!! It's another "head scratcher"......like, WHAT? HOW??? WHY???? I put him to bed at 9:30 pm in the low 100's....thinking he might tank because he was only on the insulin for an hour, hubby checks him at 10:30.....180's.....doses for the 180....thinking WOW, he's going up too fast....... I check him at 11:30 450!!!! ARGH......
R O A
O C S
L R T
L E E R !!!!!!!!
Well...such is our odd life...but at least he is wearing his GOODNITES!!!!:)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Diabetes On My Mind........
I have the Willie Nelson song "Always On My Mind." floating in my head for some reason..... Willie had a woman in mind when he wrote that song......duh!! I, however, have diabetes floating in my mind. So I come here now to purge my mind and maybe, just maybe I might have a few lone readers out there who can help with a small "new"situation, and will understand when I reveal my heart about an "old" situation.
First, the new.....we are now attending a much larger church which has a Sunday school that is a lot like a school type setting. It's an hour and a half .....so not a lot of time. I'm really kicking myself, however, for not listening to our CDE's and Endo as they talked about "school plans". We were asked if we needed any....and being homeschooled J.J. really didn't need any sort of school plan then....but now....??
I sat in the class last week because J.J. wanted me to....but after about 5 minutes I could tell he didn't need me. My biggest concern wasn't about him liking or not liking the class....my biggest concern was WILL THERE BE A SNACK? Yes, there is snack time....
So.....this week I've been training J.J. how to dose himself with the pump. He understands the concept but my concern is that he still gets his numbers mixed up. Like instead of putting in 25 carbs he'll put in 52.
Other concerns have popped in my head.....like him having to use the bathroom a lot because of highs. Or what about lows? So basically I've decided I need to give the teacher a sheet with just the basics. BUT....what are the basics? I've perused some of the 504 plans on the internet, but those seem so extensive for a simple Sunday School class. This feels like one of those dreaded writing assignments in high school.....the ones where you have to start with an outline and you have no clue how to even organize the outline. UGH!!!
In the end I know it will all be fine.....because he actually wanted to go back to the class and really liked his small group leader......that's something new for him....I'm excited to see him branching out!! Diabetes will just have to take a backseat.....once I finish my writing assignment! If anyone knows of any quick forms people have used for caregivers, babysitters etc....please...do share!!
Now...."old" business.....A year ago this time we were dealing with a pump start .....so my mind is going back to this time last year. Not a good time....but I feel like we've come through a major storm and we can at least see a break in the clouds. Which is good. All good. However, seeing how his A1C rising makes me think that we've really been slacking in managing his diabetes on the pump. I'm thinking I need to get back to journaling his numbers and making more course corrections like we did on shots. But really.... do I want diabetes.....
ALWAYS ON MY MIND???
Because I feel like that is what it takes to get the incredibly good A1C's.....hey, at this point just a good A1C would be nice.
Finally......last week driving home from the gym the radio station did it again.....played that song.....THE SONG.....Why oh why? I BAWLED my eyes out!! I got home.....song still going....parked in the garage and continued to bawl. J.J. was spying on me!! He popped his gorgeous little head up to the window....then asked why I was crying. I told him, "It's the blasted song!! Can't hear it without crying." He said, "Oh...the one about the boy in the hospital?" Yep...that one....get's me every time!!! EVERY TIME!! He got in my lap and gave me a huge squeezer and ran away unphased......
........but for me.......
....diabetes is always on my mind!!!!
(There....I've purged....now my mind can move on.....right?....maybe???... SIGH...)
First, the new.....we are now attending a much larger church which has a Sunday school that is a lot like a school type setting. It's an hour and a half .....so not a lot of time. I'm really kicking myself, however, for not listening to our CDE's and Endo as they talked about "school plans". We were asked if we needed any....and being homeschooled J.J. really didn't need any sort of school plan then....but now....??
I sat in the class last week because J.J. wanted me to....but after about 5 minutes I could tell he didn't need me. My biggest concern wasn't about him liking or not liking the class....my biggest concern was WILL THERE BE A SNACK? Yes, there is snack time....
So.....this week I've been training J.J. how to dose himself with the pump. He understands the concept but my concern is that he still gets his numbers mixed up. Like instead of putting in 25 carbs he'll put in 52.
Other concerns have popped in my head.....like him having to use the bathroom a lot because of highs. Or what about lows? So basically I've decided I need to give the teacher a sheet with just the basics. BUT....what are the basics? I've perused some of the 504 plans on the internet, but those seem so extensive for a simple Sunday School class. This feels like one of those dreaded writing assignments in high school.....the ones where you have to start with an outline and you have no clue how to even organize the outline. UGH!!!
In the end I know it will all be fine.....because he actually wanted to go back to the class and really liked his small group leader......that's something new for him....I'm excited to see him branching out!! Diabetes will just have to take a backseat.....once I finish my writing assignment! If anyone knows of any quick forms people have used for caregivers, babysitters etc....please...do share!!
Now...."old" business.....A year ago this time we were dealing with a pump start .....so my mind is going back to this time last year. Not a good time....but I feel like we've come through a major storm and we can at least see a break in the clouds. Which is good. All good. However, seeing how his A1C rising makes me think that we've really been slacking in managing his diabetes on the pump. I'm thinking I need to get back to journaling his numbers and making more course corrections like we did on shots. But really.... do I want diabetes.....
ALWAYS ON MY MIND???
Because I feel like that is what it takes to get the incredibly good A1C's.....hey, at this point just a good A1C would be nice.
Finally......last week driving home from the gym the radio station did it again.....played that song.....THE SONG.....Why oh why? I BAWLED my eyes out!! I got home.....song still going....parked in the garage and continued to bawl. J.J. was spying on me!! He popped his gorgeous little head up to the window....then asked why I was crying. I told him, "It's the blasted song!! Can't hear it without crying." He said, "Oh...the one about the boy in the hospital?" Yep...that one....get's me every time!!! EVERY TIME!! He got in my lap and gave me a huge squeezer and ran away unphased......
........but for me.......
....diabetes is always on my mind!!!!
(There....I've purged....now my mind can move on.....right?....maybe???... SIGH...)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
In my socks......?????
You know you're a Type 1 Mom when you find a test strip.........
........while putting on woolies on a cold SUMMER night!!
A couple months after J.J. was diagnosed I would grab my camera every time I found a test strip in an odd spot. A year after he was diagnosed I realized that test strips would be found in odd spots ALL THE TIME!!! So I stopped taking photos. BUT last night.....
I was in bed slipping on my wool socks and felt a cold hard object. I thought....."Oh, I wonder if it's hay....or maybe a needle." Both have been found in my socks before. And I can see how they could "needle" their way into a sock.....but..... for the life of me I have NO IDEA how this USED test strip got in my sock....none!!
I showed my husband...he laughed....then we both said at the same time......ONLY A TYPE ONE MOM!!!
........while putting on woolies on a cold SUMMER night!!
A couple months after J.J. was diagnosed I would grab my camera every time I found a test strip in an odd spot. A year after he was diagnosed I realized that test strips would be found in odd spots ALL THE TIME!!! So I stopped taking photos. BUT last night.....
I was in bed slipping on my wool socks and felt a cold hard object. I thought....."Oh, I wonder if it's hay....or maybe a needle." Both have been found in my socks before. And I can see how they could "needle" their way into a sock.....but..... for the life of me I have NO IDEA how this USED test strip got in my sock....none!!
I showed my husband...he laughed....then we both said at the same time......ONLY A TYPE ONE MOM!!!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Oh me Oh my.....it's been awhile!!
I started a long wordy blog post this evening.....thinking I really had time to do this...but I don't so.... here is the short version.
Endo appt. 3 months ago.....
A1C..... 7.5....yes steadily rising!
LOTS of LOWS!! He wasn't feeling them until he hit 30's. NOT GOOD. Endo wanted to see us keep him high for a month at least. Told us not to worry about the next A1C....YEAH RIGHT!!!
Had his yearly blood draw....did AWESOME!! And results were all good. The not so good thing is that our insurance renegotiated rates with the clinic so we ended up paying close to $400 for those tests and found out the rest of the year we'd be paying near $70 for each A1C!!!! NOT GOOD!!
Dermatitis...he began developing really bad rashes where his pump sits on his stomach at night.....due to the fact that he goes high overnight.....thus peeing more.
Our endo suggested trying a professional type continuous glucose system for a few nights to see if we can pinpoint exact times he skyrockets. But finances halted us from pursuing that any further.
Endo appt. this week......
A1C....8.2.....UGH!!!!!!!!!!!! Endo is fine with it since we are trying to get J.J. to feel his lows....but it made me sick to my stomach.
Lows.....he's feeling them in the 50's now, but endo would like to see 60's and 70's!!!
Dermatitis.....still a problem. Endo suggested switching from a pull-up to a diaper.....to which J.J. laughed a nervous laugh....and to which my Mama heart broke.....the thought of putting my 6 year old BACK in diapers is just plain SAD to me!! Anyway.....her reasoning is that diapers are meant to wick the moisture away from the body while pull-ups are meant to have the child feel the moisture so they can be potty trained. His moisture problem has to do with the diabetes (I'll explain in a sec.).....so we aren't trying to get him to potty train....in fact he sleeps through just about everything....including when he's low and we have to give him something to drink!!!!
Night time highs......we've watched this happen for such a long time now.......J.J. will come down beautifully from his dinner dose, we put him to bed and WHAMMO.....TO THE MOON!!! He can sometimes jump nearly 300 in an hour!!! We've tried many different food/exercise/bolus/basal options....but like with most diabetes....there is no consistancy!!! Endo said that he is just one of those kids that it happens to......not every parent has to deal with this....we must be the lucky ones!!
The obvious question educated people are asking right now is "So....why don't you just increase his basals to match this trend to skyrocket?" Ahhhhh.....easier said than done. The problem is J.J.'s insulin sensativity. We can increase his basals, and we have in the past, but then we are risking lows.....which we saw when we increased even by .05 increments!! Often we are chasing a high all night, and then risk the crash in the morning. My wonderful husband gets up 2-3 times a night trying to keep the highs in check. He wanted to stop after we talked to another type 1 mom who said they never got up in the night with their daughter!! But I convinced him (and thankfully the endo concured) that everyone's diabetes is different.....we can't go off of what this other person is doing.....J.J. is unique and so is his diabetes.
The solution at this point is to try increase his basal again.....TRY it ONE MORE TIME!! See if we can get him to stay a bit steadier.....but it really looks like we're in for a long battle with this.
What we've learned this summer:
90 degree weather + pump=HIGH's from insulin being destroyed in the heat
rolling down hills=breakage of pump clips
sliding (falling) down slides=pump being jammed into side and causing an injury
....if you remember to bring extra insulin in case of emergency....don't forget the syringes!!!!
slushies or freezies=REALLY high carbs!!!(But they're so cheap here...89 cents for 44 oz!!)
LOT 8----we're sitting on 3 boxes .....hmmmmm!!!
....situations with a lot of candy are way too much pressure for a little kid with diabetes....J.J. succumbed to "sneaking" after a couple incidences.....SAD!!!
.....some people get really squeamish if you do a blood check in front of them!!! HAAAAHAAA!!!
....remember to bring a pump clip if he's wearing a pump-pack with belted pants and wants to change later into elastic type shorts!!
......the free shake they gave away at the end of the fair=132 carbs & causes little boys to get bad tummy aches!!!
AND FINALLY........
.....if a person starts telling you about someone they know that has or had diabetes and wants to add a "yeah but" (like "yeah but he has kidney disease" or "yeah but he lost a leg" or "yeah but he went blind.").....put your hands over your ears and start singing The Smurf Song.
Endo appt. 3 months ago.....
A1C..... 7.5....yes steadily rising!
LOTS of LOWS!! He wasn't feeling them until he hit 30's. NOT GOOD. Endo wanted to see us keep him high for a month at least. Told us not to worry about the next A1C....YEAH RIGHT!!!
Had his yearly blood draw....did AWESOME!! And results were all good. The not so good thing is that our insurance renegotiated rates with the clinic so we ended up paying close to $400 for those tests and found out the rest of the year we'd be paying near $70 for each A1C!!!! NOT GOOD!!
Dermatitis...he began developing really bad rashes where his pump sits on his stomach at night.....due to the fact that he goes high overnight.....thus peeing more.
Our endo suggested trying a professional type continuous glucose system for a few nights to see if we can pinpoint exact times he skyrockets. But finances halted us from pursuing that any further.
Endo appt. this week......
A1C....8.2.....UGH!!!!!!!!!!!! Endo is fine with it since we are trying to get J.J. to feel his lows....but it made me sick to my stomach.
Lows.....he's feeling them in the 50's now, but endo would like to see 60's and 70's!!!
Dermatitis.....still a problem. Endo suggested switching from a pull-up to a diaper.....to which J.J. laughed a nervous laugh....and to which my Mama heart broke.....the thought of putting my 6 year old BACK in diapers is just plain SAD to me!! Anyway.....her reasoning is that diapers are meant to wick the moisture away from the body while pull-ups are meant to have the child feel the moisture so they can be potty trained. His moisture problem has to do with the diabetes (I'll explain in a sec.).....so we aren't trying to get him to potty train....in fact he sleeps through just about everything....including when he's low and we have to give him something to drink!!!!
Night time highs......we've watched this happen for such a long time now.......J.J. will come down beautifully from his dinner dose, we put him to bed and WHAMMO.....TO THE MOON!!! He can sometimes jump nearly 300 in an hour!!! We've tried many different food/exercise/bolus/basal options....but like with most diabetes....there is no consistancy!!! Endo said that he is just one of those kids that it happens to......not every parent has to deal with this....we must be the lucky ones!!
The obvious question educated people are asking right now is "So....why don't you just increase his basals to match this trend to skyrocket?" Ahhhhh.....easier said than done. The problem is J.J.'s insulin sensativity. We can increase his basals, and we have in the past, but then we are risking lows.....which we saw when we increased even by .05 increments!! Often we are chasing a high all night, and then risk the crash in the morning. My wonderful husband gets up 2-3 times a night trying to keep the highs in check. He wanted to stop after we talked to another type 1 mom who said they never got up in the night with their daughter!! But I convinced him (and thankfully the endo concured) that everyone's diabetes is different.....we can't go off of what this other person is doing.....J.J. is unique and so is his diabetes.
The solution at this point is to try increase his basal again.....TRY it ONE MORE TIME!! See if we can get him to stay a bit steadier.....but it really looks like we're in for a long battle with this.
What we've learned this summer:
90 degree weather + pump=HIGH's from insulin being destroyed in the heat
rolling down hills=breakage of pump clips
sliding (falling) down slides=pump being jammed into side and causing an injury
....if you remember to bring extra insulin in case of emergency....don't forget the syringes!!!!
slushies or freezies=REALLY high carbs!!!(But they're so cheap here...89 cents for 44 oz!!)
LOT 8----we're sitting on 3 boxes .....hmmmmm!!!
....situations with a lot of candy are way too much pressure for a little kid with diabetes....J.J. succumbed to "sneaking" after a couple incidences.....SAD!!!
.....some people get really squeamish if you do a blood check in front of them!!! HAAAAHAAA!!!
....remember to bring a pump clip if he's wearing a pump-pack with belted pants and wants to change later into elastic type shorts!!
......the free shake they gave away at the end of the fair=132 carbs & causes little boys to get bad tummy aches!!!
AND FINALLY........
.....if a person starts telling you about someone they know that has or had diabetes and wants to add a "yeah but" (like "yeah but he has kidney disease" or "yeah but he lost a leg" or "yeah but he went blind.").....put your hands over your ears and start singing The Smurf Song.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Heart Tugs.....
I know it's been a while since I've written. Such is a blogger's life. I haven't had much to write about. Although.....I could write about the MANY, MANY, MANY lows we've been having lately.....like 30's and 40's!! But you've heard about all that before. I could write about the heart attack at the pharmacy when the guy tells me that my insurance will only approve 100 test strips!! NOT THAT AGAIN!!! Yes, we have to go through the approval process YEARLY!!! NO... I will not bore you with the same-O.....same-O.
Tonight I'll just mention a couple of heart tugs that have happened recently.
The first one was when J.J. was pretending to be blind. I know I used to do it a lot when I was a kid. Tie something around my eyes and see if I could maneuver around the furniture or "catch" my parents. Sometimes I just squinted really hard....but was really peeking. It was a fun thing to do.....and it was fun for J.J. as well. I smiled on the outside as I watched him trying to climb the stairs.
"Look at me, Mama!! I can't see. I'm BLIND."
Oh... I may have been smiling, but there was that heart tug....that pull on my heart....NO...that 50 lb weight being thrown on my heart.
I said in my head:
"Please, baby, don't say things like that. You have no idea how BLINDNESS could be a reality in your life. I will do everything I can to prevent it, but.....Oh please God spare him....ah, but...Your will be done."
The second one was during nightly devotions. We were talking about "good deeds".(1Peter 2:12) Jason asked J.J.:
"What are some good deeds your parents have done for you?"
Do you know what J.J.'s very first reply was?
"You guys dose me."
NOT.....you guys read books to me, build lego sets with me, play games with me, go on bike rides with me, etc. In fact none of that came up....it all had to do with dosing him, feeding him, taking care of his diabetes!!!
That tugged at my heart. I'm thankful he recognizes that we "manage" his diabetes for him....but I wish he didn't have to have that as his answer......let alone his VERY FIRST answer!!
I'm sure there will be many more heart tugs along this journey.....but that's what being a MOM is all about.....caring!!
Tonight I'll just mention a couple of heart tugs that have happened recently.
The first one was when J.J. was pretending to be blind. I know I used to do it a lot when I was a kid. Tie something around my eyes and see if I could maneuver around the furniture or "catch" my parents. Sometimes I just squinted really hard....but was really peeking. It was a fun thing to do.....and it was fun for J.J. as well. I smiled on the outside as I watched him trying to climb the stairs.
"Look at me, Mama!! I can't see. I'm BLIND."
Oh... I may have been smiling, but there was that heart tug....that pull on my heart....NO...that 50 lb weight being thrown on my heart.
I said in my head:
"Please, baby, don't say things like that. You have no idea how BLINDNESS could be a reality in your life. I will do everything I can to prevent it, but.....Oh please God spare him....ah, but...Your will be done."
The second one was during nightly devotions. We were talking about "good deeds".(1Peter 2:12) Jason asked J.J.:
"What are some good deeds your parents have done for you?"
Do you know what J.J.'s very first reply was?
"You guys dose me."
NOT.....you guys read books to me, build lego sets with me, play games with me, go on bike rides with me, etc. In fact none of that came up....it all had to do with dosing him, feeding him, taking care of his diabetes!!!
That tugged at my heart. I'm thankful he recognizes that we "manage" his diabetes for him....but I wish he didn't have to have that as his answer......let alone his VERY FIRST answer!!
I'm sure there will be many more heart tugs along this journey.....but that's what being a MOM is all about.....caring!!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Caps for Sale....not really......
After receiving word from people that know me and love me wondering why I haven't posted.....wondering ......is everything o.k.? I began to think I should probably write a blog post. An update-y sort of blog post. But there isn't much to update....just LIFE. Which led me to thinking about my life and the many caps I wear....then that led me to the book I read to my oldest (who BTW turned 16 this week!! YIKES!!).....over and over when she was a little girl. It's called "Caps for Sale: A tale of a peddler, some monkeys, and their monkey business" by Esphyr Slobodkina.
I saw in my minds eye the picture of a small little man carrying a bunch of hats on his head. Yep, that's me....I thought. That's my life.....I wear a ton of caps. But last year I really only wore ONE. The others were knocked off my head.....those blasted monkeys!! Last year I was adding one to my already full line of caps. It was the role of a nurse......actually more like a CDE.... because everyone in the D-OC has met a clueless nurse out there that doesn't know squat about type 1!! Anyway....... last year I had to focus on learning about J.J.'s disease, while the other caps were on autopilot....or in the hands of monkeys.....very scary to think about!!
"So the peddler picked up his caps and put them back on his head---first his own checked cap...."
This is where I'm at. I'm in the process of picking up the caps and carrying them again. Not letting the monkeys have them, but bearing the weight and responsiblity they bring. They weren't completely gone last year, but they didn't have my focus and attention.....now they do. So while I am still here.... I am still dealing with diabetes and the many frustrations and heartaches and joys it brings, I also have these other caps that take up a lot of my time, and leave very little time for blogging. I have, however written blog post after blog post in my head....and some in my personal journals....so maybe some day I'll be able to get those posted on here.
"CAPS!!! CAPS for SALE!! Fifty cents a CAP!!!"
I suppose the only difference I have with the peddler in "Caps for Sale" is that I'm NOT selling (most of) my caps. They've been handpicked by a loving and gracious Father...Who knows exactly what caps I need!!!
NOW.......off to put on my accountant cap....April 15th is coming too fast!!! (Oy! Oy!Oy!......when are we going to "sell" this one?!)
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
You Never Know Who's......
LURKING!!!
Last week I wrote a quick post about the events of the previous 24 hours. I didn't think much of it......ya know....just relaying some more "firsts" in our journey.
Well, Saturday morning as I'm just getting out of the shower hubby comes with the phone and says in a whisper, "It's Medtronic. They want to talk to you about your blog. Do you want to talk to them?"
A lot went through my mind in that instant. Why do they want me? What did I write? I was a little fearful, yet excited. What was this all about?
Adrian was her name. She made sure I was the author of J.J.'s diabetes journey at blogspot dot com, then went on to explain how she was alerted to my blog.....something about an e-mail, and a vice president of something, and whatever. Somehow, someway she was in charge of the situation at this point.
She complimented me on my writing.....thought I was a nurse.....yada, yada, yada... I really wasn't paying much attention I just wanted her to get to the point!! Turns out there were multiple "points".
Basically I believe my last post was a bit concerting to the folks over at Medtronic. J.J. had the "bleeder" when he took out the site, said he wanted to switch to shots(nothing new), a piece on his clip had busted off, and there was a cannula that was a tad longer than normal. To me, just a relay of information....not to the folks at Medtronic. Maybe it was bad press for them to write what I did. I was in no way lambasting or even complaining about Medtronic. All of it was typical for kids with type 1.
At any rate....Adrian was sweet and offered us a new pump clip to replace the broken one. She also wanted J.J. to enjoy his pump and offered to send us a pump skin to make his pump more "fun". Then I was transferred to another nice lady who recorded the lot number of the "long" cannula for future reference and quality control. She threw into the mix a couple of infusion sets.
Pretty nice "offers" for simply writing about my day dontcha think?
So.....I guess the good folks over at Medtronic have blog lurkers out there. Who knew? I wonder why they weren't listening when I talked about the $500 transfer fee for donated and/or used pumps. I didn't receive a phone call then!
Last week I wrote a quick post about the events of the previous 24 hours. I didn't think much of it......ya know....just relaying some more "firsts" in our journey.
Well, Saturday morning as I'm just getting out of the shower hubby comes with the phone and says in a whisper, "It's Medtronic. They want to talk to you about your blog. Do you want to talk to them?"
A lot went through my mind in that instant. Why do they want me? What did I write? I was a little fearful, yet excited. What was this all about?
Adrian was her name. She made sure I was the author of J.J.'s diabetes journey at blogspot dot com, then went on to explain how she was alerted to my blog.....something about an e-mail, and a vice president of something, and whatever. Somehow, someway she was in charge of the situation at this point.
She complimented me on my writing.....thought I was a nurse.....yada, yada, yada... I really wasn't paying much attention I just wanted her to get to the point!! Turns out there were multiple "points".
Basically I believe my last post was a bit concerting to the folks over at Medtronic. J.J. had the "bleeder" when he took out the site, said he wanted to switch to shots(nothing new), a piece on his clip had busted off, and there was a cannula that was a tad longer than normal. To me, just a relay of information....not to the folks at Medtronic. Maybe it was bad press for them to write what I did. I was in no way lambasting or even complaining about Medtronic. All of it was typical for kids with type 1.
At any rate....Adrian was sweet and offered us a new pump clip to replace the broken one. She also wanted J.J. to enjoy his pump and offered to send us a pump skin to make his pump more "fun". Then I was transferred to another nice lady who recorded the lot number of the "long" cannula for future reference and quality control. She threw into the mix a couple of infusion sets.
Pretty nice "offers" for simply writing about my day dontcha think?So.....I guess the good folks over at Medtronic have blog lurkers out there. Who knew? I wonder why they weren't listening when I talked about the $500 transfer fee for donated and/or used pumps. I didn't receive a phone call then!
Monday, February 9, 2009
It's a bleeder......
Boy, I tell ya.... I go away for a weekend and get baptized with fire--um, blood--when I get back!!
As I pulled away from the retreat center I called hubby to let him know we are on our way. Sarah answered the phone and said her Dad was in the bathroom....sick!! A lot was going through my head at the time, but I couldn't get enough info to find out how sick he was. I called back about 15 minutes later to find out it's a migraine....it ends up being the worst he's ever had. Poor guy. I ended up managing the household from the car on the way back.
J.J. was low and needed a correction, but also wanted to go outside to play. We've been seeing way too many lows lately....I've adjusted some, but not nearly enough...I'll have to evaluate the numbers again.
The evening was fairly uneventful.....we stayed in the basement watching TV so hubby could rest in a dark quiet bedroom.
This morning, however...very interesting. I needed to change J.J.'s site because....well.....Jason doesn't do it much. I sent J.J. off to the tub to soak it off as usual. But just as I was sitting down to eat my oatmeal I hear a frantic call for Maaaaaa--Muuuuuhhhh!! I went running in to find blood streaming down J.J.'s leg.... already turning the bath water pink. I quickly grabbed some toilet paper and applied pressure.
And applied pressure......
And applied pressure......
The toilet paper soaked through fairly quickly so I had one of my girls grab a paper towel. After what seemed like an eternity, the blood stopped flowing. Thankfully when we first got the pump I had done a little forum and blog reading to catch me up to speed on removing sites. I came across a few "bleeder" stories at that time, so I knew what to do....and not to panic.
It happens sometimes.....not much we can do.
However, it really freaked J.J. out. He asked me not to leave him alone while he took a bath. He was afraid it would start bleeding again. My scientific mommy brain took over and I explained in great detail-- to my 5 year old son-- the concept of coagulation. Hee-hee!! I then grabbed my oatmeal and milk and ate my breakfast sitting on the toilet seat.
When I was sitting there I examined the site he just took out.....the cannula was larger....I could tell. I grabbed another site from the tub he had taken out (who knows when) and compared the two. Yep, definitely a longer cannula. I then got out my metric ruler....again scientific mommy brain...and yep a whole millimeter longer!! Now, laugh if you want, but to a tiny behind a mm is a big deal.
I'm not sure the extra mm helped contribute the the exorbitant amount of blood flowing from my son's behind, but I'm stumped as to why it would be so much longer. I double checked my supply again......it says 6mm, not 9mm.....but maybe the cannula "grew" a whole mm while he was pulling it out??? Who knows??? I'll give up that scientific evaluation....but it is odd to be so much longer.
When J.J. came out of the tub he said he didn't want to wear the pump any longer. He wanted to go back to shots. I asked "Why?" He said it was because he didn't like the needle poke. So again I ask him if he prefers 6 needle pokes a day or just one every 2-3 days. He still said he prefers the shots. This is a routine conversation for us. He definitely doesn't like site changes....but we matter-of-factly have to do them.....and once they are done he goes on with his life for 2-3 more days!
As I was getting him ready to wear a pump case today a small piece from his Medtronic clip broke...very frustrating.....but that's how our life is going on this blessed Monday after a nice weekend.
I'm rolling with the punches. What's a little blood? Or a little broken piece? Or a migraine.....well, I felt absolutely horrible about the migraine....I don't think I've ever heard my husband throw up before so I was in tears....so I'm sure he won't say the migraine was all that "small"......but it is "just" a migraine! All manageable blips on the radar.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Kid quote.....
Last night while we were watching The Biggest Loser the kids were running around, doing push-ups, lifting weights etc. I know......very weird....but I notice them doing this when we watch this show. Don't tell anyone, but hubby has also gotten in on the act before!! Shhhh....it's our secret!
Anyway....J.J. collapses in front of me saying he's low and needs to check his blood. I tell him to check his blood!! After checking his blood....he very dramatically says:
"It's 73....I'm low.....need...to....eat....something."
I heard the number and decided not to act immediately since he wasn't truly low, and the show was on!!! It was toward the end during the weigh-ins....and if any of you watch the show you know toward the end it's like 5 minutes worth of commercials vs. 30 seconds of show....very annoying. At any rate, I decided he could wait a few seconds while I watched the heaviest person ever on the show weigh in.
J.J. was getting a little perturbed (there's your vocubulary word, Hannah!) with me. At some point he realized I wasn't getting up right away to get him something to eat and this is what he said to me....with a stern, authoritative, know-it-all look and tone:
"Which is MORE important....DIABETES? OR this MOVIE?"
Oh, I couldn't help but chuckle.....he was so serious!! I told him at that point the show was more important, but I also told him that if it was that bad to grab his diabetes bag and I'd give him some Smarties....otherwise he could wait a few seconds. I ended up giving him a whopping 3 grams worth of candy!!! He miraculously recovered and started running around again!!
He had pizza last night so I knew it would kick in.....and it did....to the tune of 200's most of the night!!! But he doesn't get all that yet. In fact he prefers to go low so he can get some candy!!!:-) He'll tell me he's low when in fact he isn't......I'm ever so thankful for blood glucose meters!!!!
As a side note......it's my 1 year blogiversary!! I started blogging a year ago this week. I forgot the count....somewhere's near 180 blog posts! Not bad. I've been so blessed by this experience, and (hopefully) been a blessing to others as they see they aren't the only ones dealing with this disease. I'm finally feeling the fog lift a little....adventuring back into my normal life where diabetes isn't the first thing I think about in the morning or research all day or cry about in the shower. It's finally finding it's rightful place in my life.....important... yes, always there...yes, always causing me to scratch my head and say "What? Where did that come from?".....yes. But for now it has to take a backseat to life and the lives of my family!!
Here's to a New "bloggy" Year!!!
Anyway....J.J. collapses in front of me saying he's low and needs to check his blood. I tell him to check his blood!! After checking his blood....he very dramatically says:
"It's 73....I'm low.....need...to....eat....something."
I heard the number and decided not to act immediately since he wasn't truly low, and the show was on!!! It was toward the end during the weigh-ins....and if any of you watch the show you know toward the end it's like 5 minutes worth of commercials vs. 30 seconds of show....very annoying. At any rate, I decided he could wait a few seconds while I watched the heaviest person ever on the show weigh in.
J.J. was getting a little perturbed (there's your vocubulary word, Hannah!) with me. At some point he realized I wasn't getting up right away to get him something to eat and this is what he said to me....with a stern, authoritative, know-it-all look and tone:
"Which is MORE important....DIABETES? OR this MOVIE?"
Oh, I couldn't help but chuckle.....he was so serious!! I told him at that point the show was more important, but I also told him that if it was that bad to grab his diabetes bag and I'd give him some Smarties....otherwise he could wait a few seconds. I ended up giving him a whopping 3 grams worth of candy!!! He miraculously recovered and started running around again!!
He had pizza last night so I knew it would kick in.....and it did....to the tune of 200's most of the night!!! But he doesn't get all that yet. In fact he prefers to go low so he can get some candy!!!:-) He'll tell me he's low when in fact he isn't......I'm ever so thankful for blood glucose meters!!!!
As a side note......it's my 1 year blogiversary!! I started blogging a year ago this week. I forgot the count....somewhere's near 180 blog posts! Not bad. I've been so blessed by this experience, and (hopefully) been a blessing to others as they see they aren't the only ones dealing with this disease. I'm finally feeling the fog lift a little....adventuring back into my normal life where diabetes isn't the first thing I think about in the morning or research all day or cry about in the shower. It's finally finding it's rightful place in my life.....important... yes, always there...yes, always causing me to scratch my head and say "What? Where did that come from?".....yes. But for now it has to take a backseat to life and the lives of my family!!
Here's to a New "bloggy" Year!!!
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