Thats how I'd describe my life and Kacey's blood sugars the last few weeks!
I'll start with the blood sugars. We've adjusted basals and can't seem to figure out what her body is doing. Diabetes is frustrating enough but when you add in hormones and growth spurts then it becomes insane! Right now she has 4 different basal rates. According to Herbie....over the last 2 weeks, shes only been in range 21.13% of the time and her average is a 209!! I know her A1c has gone up this time and so I'm already dreading the October appointment. She's not eating anything different than she normally has. I've emailed logs to her CDE and hope to hear back about making some basal changes. She's hitting some 400's and then going down to the 60's. I've changed sites every 2-3 days thinking insulin was going bad. She's corrected...tested...corrected more....tested again. It's just a nasty cycle and we can't seem to keep her levels on the lower end.
Now for me...I celebrated my 34th birthday on Saturday. Friday night, my wonderful hubby came home and gave me an envelope. Inside was a gift certificate for a full body massage!!! I was so excited and not only did he give me the gift certificate, he informed me that he'd made my appointment for 10am the next morning....the day of my birthday!!! I cannot begin to tell you how exciting that was for me. He went out of his way to ask around about local spas, found one with class, stopped during his work hours to get me the certificate and then booked the appt! When I woke up the morning of my birthday, I was greeted with 2 very happy girls holding 3 gift bags. I opened the first one from Kayleigh....a cell phone charm for my Pandora bracelet...because she's always on her cell phone. I then opened the one from Kacey...a butterfly charm for my Pandora bracelet....because we all love butterflies and she's got a special story that links her to them. Then they both handed me the third bag....a tulip charm with MOM written in the middle of the flower....from both of them! I was thrilled!! My Pandora bracelet is so special to me and I love that they pick the charms so when I look at them, I will think about what each one stands for. After gifts, we all got dressed and headed out for breakfast. I didn't want to eat too much since I knew I was going to be laying on a table soon! I was dropped off at the spa for an hour of relaxation at 9:50am.
I have to back track a little because I haven't mentioned what all is going on. For over 6 weeks now, I've been having some trouble with numbness down my right arm when I sleep. It started out happening once a week, then it went to once a night, now it happens at least 5-6 times a night. It's so bad that I have to physically get out of bed, stand up and walk around to make the tingling and pain in my arm stop. The pins & needles sensation goes away but the tingling remains. I've had carpal tunnel surgery on my left hand before but this isn't how it felt before the surgery. I went to the doctor last week and she sent me for xrays. The xrays showed some arthritis in my back but they didn't seen anything wrong with my discs (thank goodness) but she thinks it might be a pinched nerve so I have to go for an EMG on Thursday of this week. So this is another reason my blog has been neglected. Sitting here and typing with my fingers tingling isn't a good feeling.
So, when Frankie got me the massage, he was hoping that whatever was wrong could be helped with a rub down. After the massage, I was like a cooked noodle. And...so far....no tingling. We ended up going out to dinner later that evening at my favorite place, Golden Corral and then back to my Moms for cake and ice cream....and some presents ;) I got a few more pieces to my Sizzix that I'm excited about using. We left there and went to Frankie's cousins house, where we ended up playing Spades and talking til nearly 1am! That night, no tingling and I slept all night! Wow! Could this REALLY have worked?
Sunday morning was the final walk through of Granny's house. A sad day, but it was only our family and Frankie's Aunt there so it was easier than I thought it would be. The place was spotless and the landlord was very nice about it! His Aunt will be getting the deposit back :) so thats a little "nest egg" that she really wasn't expecting to get back. After we were done there, we took the girls to Busch Gardens. Ohhhhh it was so hot! We didn't get on many rides and we saw one of the shows we hadn't seen before. On our way home.....light tingling in my fingers. OHNO! :( Sunday night....woke up 4 different times with the numbness again. So something is wrong...not sure what...but there is definately something wrong.
Yesterday, I took Frankie's Aunt to get her post office box, change her address so her mail is forwarded and then took her grocery shopping. Wowwwwww! I've got such a system when I go to the store and I go up and down each aisle so I don't have to run back and forth from aisle to aisle in a Super Walmart. She had her list of about 15 things but once we got in there, she got more excited about cooking and us coming over to eat so she picked up more stuff. It just took us longer because she didn't know where everything was...LOL! All day, I had the tingling in my fingers and last night was another night with waking up 4 times.
I'm hoping on Thursday they can tell me what is going on :( My time on here is up for now. I can barely feel my fingers. I'll keep everyone updated as I can!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Flowers
I know you all are tired of hearing about everything going on with moving Frankie's Aunt and Granny's death but I've got something else to talk about.
The morning we went down to Granny's, the day she died, I'd complimented her on her flowers. They were all in full bloom and they were gorgeous! I asked her when I'd be able to take some of her Touch-Me-Nots. I'd asked for the last 2 years but my timing to get them was never right. She told me to wait til the seeds were about to drop and she's save me some.
During this whole process of moving her things, the only thing I asked for was flowers. No one else wanted any of them and it was the one thing Granny took pride in at her house. She had a green thumb and could take a piece off of a plant and with her TLC, she could grow just about anything!
The house is cleaned out, the walls are painted and the last thing I needed to do was get the flowers. I walked around outside just admiring all of them. If Granny was there, she'd be hobbling along with me and telling me the same stories about each flower, bush and tree...just like she always had. I never seemed to get tired of her telling me and it always made me feel so good to see how flowers made her smile. I looked over at the mimosa tree. I remembered when she planted that from a 6-inch seedling. Her lilac bushes were spreading and there were little baby ones. I remembered her giving me several small seedlings and Frankie ran them over with the lawnmover before I could tell him they weren't weeds...LOL! As we were poking around in the flowers, a few signs....first a small black shiny rock. Among the weeds and over grown flowers, was a small flat rock that just appeared. It was smooth and I picked it up and it was very cold. I smiled as I handed it off to Kayleigh to put in her pocket. Both of my girls have always been rock collectors and this was not a rock from the drive way. It was about the size of a 50 cent piece and jet black. Were we trying to be told something? The next sign...a praying mantus. It was sitting very still on a bunch of marigolds.
I'd passed by this bunch and never saw it. It never jumped, never flew. Kayleigh picked it up and it sat right on her hand without moving, just looking around. 
Was it Granny watching and making sure we got the flowers? Then....her mums. Every year for Easter or Mother's Day, we always bought her a mum. She loved them because they'd get so full and bloom with tons of flowers in the fall. I got the shovel and began digging. The tree....the lilacs....and 12 mums! I also got those Touch-Me-Not seeds. They are done blooming and the seed pods are about to drop. The exact time that Granny said I needed to take them. I held my emotions together as I loaded all the flowers onto Frankie's trailer to haul home. When we got home, it was nearly 7:30pm and I knew I didn't have much time before it got dark and I had to get the flowers in the ground or they'd die.
With Granny's shovel in my hand, I began to dig the first hole. With each shovel, I cried harder. I was sad because I knew how much all these flowers meant to Granny but I was also happy because we could now watch them grow, just like she had and we'd know they were a small part of her. In that first hole, right out in the center of my front yard, went the mimosa tree. I then layed out all the mums. They're anywhere from 1ft-2ft around so I had to make some space for them. As I started digging for those, I began to cry again. Then all of a sudden, the sky turned an eerie orange. With tears streaming down my face, I looked up at Kayleigh, who immediately began to cry as well. Through my sobs, all I could choke out was, "Granny is smiling because we've got her flowers and she's telling us so!" I firmly believe that loved ones that have passed on send us "signs". Some of us choose not to see them and some of us are very intune and would like to believe it's our loved ones way of telling us something. The sun had already set here in VA and it was nearly 8pm when the sky turned orange. It was only bright for about 5min and then it was gone. Had Kayleigh of not been there and if I hadn't of taken the picture, then some people would probably think I was crazy. But I felt it and I know it was her way of saying "Thank you!" I felt a peace that I haven't felt since all of this happened on June 28th. It was the closure I needed to know Granny made it. Not that I doubted she'd spend eternity in Heaven but sometimes we just need to be reminded that our loved ones made it there.
This is how the sky looked. Those clouds swirled around for only a few minutes and then the sky calmed to look like this....
The morning we went down to Granny's, the day she died, I'd complimented her on her flowers. They were all in full bloom and they were gorgeous! I asked her when I'd be able to take some of her Touch-Me-Nots. I'd asked for the last 2 years but my timing to get them was never right. She told me to wait til the seeds were about to drop and she's save me some.
During this whole process of moving her things, the only thing I asked for was flowers. No one else wanted any of them and it was the one thing Granny took pride in at her house. She had a green thumb and could take a piece off of a plant and with her TLC, she could grow just about anything!
The house is cleaned out, the walls are painted and the last thing I needed to do was get the flowers. I walked around outside just admiring all of them. If Granny was there, she'd be hobbling along with me and telling me the same stories about each flower, bush and tree...just like she always had. I never seemed to get tired of her telling me and it always made me feel so good to see how flowers made her smile. I looked over at the mimosa tree. I remembered when she planted that from a 6-inch seedling. Her lilac bushes were spreading and there were little baby ones. I remembered her giving me several small seedlings and Frankie ran them over with the lawnmover before I could tell him they weren't weeds...LOL! As we were poking around in the flowers, a few signs....first a small black shiny rock. Among the weeds and over grown flowers, was a small flat rock that just appeared. It was smooth and I picked it up and it was very cold. I smiled as I handed it off to Kayleigh to put in her pocket. Both of my girls have always been rock collectors and this was not a rock from the drive way. It was about the size of a 50 cent piece and jet black. Were we trying to be told something? The next sign...a praying mantus. It was sitting very still on a bunch of marigolds.
I'd passed by this bunch and never saw it. It never jumped, never flew. Kayleigh picked it up and it sat right on her hand without moving, just looking around. Was it Granny watching and making sure we got the flowers? Then....her mums. Every year for Easter or Mother's Day, we always bought her a mum. She loved them because they'd get so full and bloom with tons of flowers in the fall. I got the shovel and began digging. The tree....the lilacs....and 12 mums! I also got those Touch-Me-Not seeds. They are done blooming and the seed pods are about to drop. The exact time that Granny said I needed to take them. I held my emotions together as I loaded all the flowers onto Frankie's trailer to haul home. When we got home, it was nearly 7:30pm and I knew I didn't have much time before it got dark and I had to get the flowers in the ground or they'd die.With Granny's shovel in my hand, I began to dig the first hole. With each shovel, I cried harder. I was sad because I knew how much all these flowers meant to Granny but I was also happy because we could now watch them grow, just like she had and we'd know they were a small part of her. In that first hole, right out in the center of my front yard, went the mimosa tree. I then layed out all the mums. They're anywhere from 1ft-2ft around so I had to make some space for them. As I started digging for those, I began to cry again. Then all of a sudden, the sky turned an eerie orange. With tears streaming down my face, I looked up at Kayleigh, who immediately began to cry as well. Through my sobs, all I could choke out was, "Granny is smiling because we've got her flowers and she's telling us so!" I firmly believe that loved ones that have passed on send us "signs". Some of us choose not to see them and some of us are very intune and would like to believe it's our loved ones way of telling us something. The sun had already set here in VA and it was nearly 8pm when the sky turned orange. It was only bright for about 5min and then it was gone. Had Kayleigh of not been there and if I hadn't of taken the picture, then some people would probably think I was crazy. But I felt it and I know it was her way of saying "Thank you!" I felt a peace that I haven't felt since all of this happened on June 28th. It was the closure I needed to know Granny made it. Not that I doubted she'd spend eternity in Heaven but sometimes we just need to be reminded that our loved ones made it there.
This is how the sky looked. Those clouds swirled around for only a few minutes and then the sky calmed to look like this....
Saturday, August 15, 2009
It's DONE!
Another rough day today.
Over the last few days, I've helped Frankie's Aunt pack up the house. Helping to go through Granny's things was one of the hardest things I've ever had to help with. I laughed, I cried and I got a few sentimental things that would have been tossed to the side. I was trying to think ahead and when I came across Granny's handkerchiefs, I thought it would be nice to get 2 of them. One for each girl. Why? So they already have their "something old" when they get married. I carried my grandmother's handkerchief when I got married and it came in handy! LOL...sweaty palms and tears!
Today we moved all of her stuff. Wow! That was a chore! Good thing is...the uhaul was rented and it only took 3 trips to get everything. I'll help her get everything unpacked next week.
In the middle of all of that, Kayleigh had a "date" lined up. Yep...her first date since she broke it off with her very first boyfriend back in the beginning of the year. She ended up getting in contact with a boy she was in kindergarten and 1st grade with. He moved at the end of 2nd grade and their paths haven't crossed since then. They found one another through Facebook while she was still in Hawaii and they've texted non-stop since then. Funny thing....Frankie and I both went to school with his parents! LOL! So we've known him since...uhhhh....yeah that would be ...birth! We know how he's been raised and he's a straight A Honor student. (**brag brag**) I'm glad she's finally moved forward and ready to begin "dating" again. They went to the movies and then the conversation came so easy for them that we all stood around talking afterward for about 20min. His Mom was so funny and said, "Who'd of thought that 9 years later they'd be going to the movies together....without US!" So that was definately a highlight in the day.
Now onto a Mommy vent...
Once we got back home, Kacey went on a drive with Frankie to take a hunting dog to a friend of his. While they were out, they stopped off at KFC. (Yikes! Can you feel the carb overload coming?) He called me and asked me how much to bolus for mac & cheese, tater wedges and a biscuit. Ummmm....hello?!?! I can't SEE how much she's eating so I don't know? He said she had about 10-11 tater wedges, small mac & cheese and a biscuit smaller than one from McD's. Great! Like that tells me anything! So he said Kacey figured 60g for the wedges, 45g for the mac & cheese and 15g for the biscuit. 120 carbs. Ok...I trust Kacey's "guessing" by now so we'll go with that but keep in mind, she's still going to go HIGH cuz she's on carb overload! He was a bit miffed with me and hung up. They got home around 8pm and I had her test...121. Not bad! "Wow Kacey! That was good guessing!" ......WAIT! She's still got over 6 active units on board. CRAP! She goes on to tell me... "Daddy said you told him I was going to go high so he took away 5 of the tater wedges and I told him I bolused already but he said well Mommy said you were going to go high if you ate them all." WHATTTTTTTTTTTT?!?!?! Now the protective Mommy in me jumped him like a mad rooster. He said, "But you told me she was going to go high and I didn't realize she'd bolused already." Grrrrrrr! So I waited another hour....test....125. Mmmk. Let's not do anything and let this play out. Another hour passes...85. Hmmmm....by now it's after 10pm. She's complaining she's hungry but her tummy hurts too. Let's try 2 cheese sticks and see how that does. By 11pm, she's a 99. OK....so now she's going back up and has no insulin on board. She went on to bed and I went and got my bath...got my jammies on...11:30pm...and started to lay down when the "Mommy instinct" kicked in and I went in to test her one more time.....68!!! HOLY LOW NUMBERS BATMAN! Now thats a crash! She can't be sleeping with a number that low. I woke her up and she was still complaining of her tummy hurting. A few wheat thins later....she's gone back to sleep. So now...guess who will be up all night long testing blood sugars? Yup, Mommy! What ticks me off about this is the fact that Kacey probably would have nailed the right dose but instead it was sabbotaged and now the only one that suffers for it is her. Ok....LOL....I'll stop my ranting now :) I love my husband dearly...but after a year...C'MON! He should be able to guess the carbs in stuff like that ...and get pretty close!
Tomorrow brings more cleaning at Granny's to have it ready for the walk through and also some scrapbooking. God knows I need a little break!
I'd also like to express my sincere sympathy to The Turner family over at No Sugar Needed. Their beautiful dog, Buddy, was rushed to the ER vet this afternoon unexpectedly and later died during his surgery. Please keep the entire Turner family in your prayers as they deal with the loss of a loving pet. Sheri, Amber & Nikki....we love you and we're praying that you get through this difficult time. ((((HUGS)))) from Va!
Over the last few days, I've helped Frankie's Aunt pack up the house. Helping to go through Granny's things was one of the hardest things I've ever had to help with. I laughed, I cried and I got a few sentimental things that would have been tossed to the side. I was trying to think ahead and when I came across Granny's handkerchiefs, I thought it would be nice to get 2 of them. One for each girl. Why? So they already have their "something old" when they get married. I carried my grandmother's handkerchief when I got married and it came in handy! LOL...sweaty palms and tears!
Today we moved all of her stuff. Wow! That was a chore! Good thing is...the uhaul was rented and it only took 3 trips to get everything. I'll help her get everything unpacked next week.
In the middle of all of that, Kayleigh had a "date" lined up. Yep...her first date since she broke it off with her very first boyfriend back in the beginning of the year. She ended up getting in contact with a boy she was in kindergarten and 1st grade with. He moved at the end of 2nd grade and their paths haven't crossed since then. They found one another through Facebook while she was still in Hawaii and they've texted non-stop since then. Funny thing....Frankie and I both went to school with his parents! LOL! So we've known him since...uhhhh....yeah that would be ...birth! We know how he's been raised and he's a straight A Honor student. (**brag brag**) I'm glad she's finally moved forward and ready to begin "dating" again. They went to the movies and then the conversation came so easy for them that we all stood around talking afterward for about 20min. His Mom was so funny and said, "Who'd of thought that 9 years later they'd be going to the movies together....without US!" So that was definately a highlight in the day.
Now onto a Mommy vent...
Once we got back home, Kacey went on a drive with Frankie to take a hunting dog to a friend of his. While they were out, they stopped off at KFC. (Yikes! Can you feel the carb overload coming?) He called me and asked me how much to bolus for mac & cheese, tater wedges and a biscuit. Ummmm....hello?!?! I can't SEE how much she's eating so I don't know? He said she had about 10-11 tater wedges, small mac & cheese and a biscuit smaller than one from McD's. Great! Like that tells me anything! So he said Kacey figured 60g for the wedges, 45g for the mac & cheese and 15g for the biscuit. 120 carbs. Ok...I trust Kacey's "guessing" by now so we'll go with that but keep in mind, she's still going to go HIGH cuz she's on carb overload! He was a bit miffed with me and hung up. They got home around 8pm and I had her test...121. Not bad! "Wow Kacey! That was good guessing!" ......WAIT! She's still got over 6 active units on board. CRAP! She goes on to tell me... "Daddy said you told him I was going to go high so he took away 5 of the tater wedges and I told him I bolused already but he said well Mommy said you were going to go high if you ate them all." WHATTTTTTTTTTTT?!?!?! Now the protective Mommy in me jumped him like a mad rooster. He said, "But you told me she was going to go high and I didn't realize she'd bolused already." Grrrrrrr! So I waited another hour....test....125. Mmmk. Let's not do anything and let this play out. Another hour passes...85. Hmmmm....by now it's after 10pm. She's complaining she's hungry but her tummy hurts too. Let's try 2 cheese sticks and see how that does. By 11pm, she's a 99. OK....so now she's going back up and has no insulin on board. She went on to bed and I went and got my bath...got my jammies on...11:30pm...and started to lay down when the "Mommy instinct" kicked in and I went in to test her one more time.....68!!! HOLY LOW NUMBERS BATMAN! Now thats a crash! She can't be sleeping with a number that low. I woke her up and she was still complaining of her tummy hurting. A few wheat thins later....she's gone back to sleep. So now...guess who will be up all night long testing blood sugars? Yup, Mommy! What ticks me off about this is the fact that Kacey probably would have nailed the right dose but instead it was sabbotaged and now the only one that suffers for it is her. Ok....LOL....I'll stop my ranting now :) I love my husband dearly...but after a year...C'MON! He should be able to guess the carbs in stuff like that ...and get pretty close!
Tomorrow brings more cleaning at Granny's to have it ready for the walk through and also some scrapbooking. God knows I need a little break!
I'd also like to express my sincere sympathy to The Turner family over at No Sugar Needed. Their beautiful dog, Buddy, was rushed to the ER vet this afternoon unexpectedly and later died during his surgery. Please keep the entire Turner family in your prayers as they deal with the loss of a loving pet. Sheri, Amber & Nikki....we love you and we're praying that you get through this difficult time. ((((HUGS)))) from Va!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Difficult Day
Today has been a difficult day.
Yesterday I got a phone call from Frankie's Aunt...the one that lived with Granny for 64 years. She said that she was going to have to move because she couldn't afford the rent where they were staying. Understandable. She asked if I'd come down there today and help her with patching some holes. When I got there this morning, I could tell she'd probably been up the entire night going through stuff. This was Kayleigh's first visit there since she'd been home and since Granny died. She sat silently with tears rolling down her face. Frankie's Aunt had already gone through everything in the kitchen. She'd gotten some rubbermaid totes and everything off the walls was in the totes. She didn't have a single box to pack anything so I made phone calls to local places and found some. As we drove, I asked her why she didn't want to try and keep the apartment? She told me that it was too difficult to sit in there and look at everything that was Granny's. One of our family friends is going to let her rent a little house not far from Frankie's Mom and his other Aunt. She needs a new start! We swung through and picked up the boxes and then we rode down to the house. I called Frankie's Mom to let her know we were on our way and they met us there to let us in the house. It's really cute! It's 2 bedroom, a living room, bathroom and huge kitchen....just enough for her! We walked through and I thought she was going to start crying but she didn't. I really think she's actually excited! In 64 years, she's never owned anything other than her car. She's never lived without Granny. So, as hard as it is, this new start will be good for her.
We left the house and came back to her house. I put the boxes together for her and we started to go through things. The more we went through, the harder it got. The reality of never walking back into "Granny's house" had really hit me. I choked back my tears because I didn't want his Aunt getting upset. She asked me if there was anything I wanted? Nah, not really. I told her the only thing Kacey wanted was Granny's brush. Yeah, weird thing to want, right? But every Sunday when we'd go down there for breakfast, Granny would be in her gown. After breakfast, she'd go in her room to get dressed and Kacey would go with her. Granny would brush her hair and then she'd brush through Kacey's hair. After that, they would both put on a little lipstick to "be pretty" and then come back out and we'd sit and visit. She's done this with Granny since she was big enough to toddle. So having that brush was something that brought some happy memories for her. She got that brush :)
We're still not done going through things and it's going to take a little time. I took a breather and walked outside. As I walked around, I got upset because all of Granny's flowers are in full bloom. She'd of been so happy to see them. She always had gorgeous flowers! I asked Frankie's Aunt is she was taking any of the flowers with her and she said no but I could take what I wanted. Once again, I got choked up because she's got a flowerbed of mums that I gave her over the last 10 years. Every Easter and Mother's Day, I'd bring her a mum for her garden. She told me to dig those up and bring them home. She's also got a mimosa tree that is 2 feet tall and I remember when she planted it when it was only about 6 inches tall...2 years ago! I'm going to bring that home too. That will be known as "Granny's tree".
Losing a loved one is never easy. The hardest part is letting go of things you know you can't use but you hope someone else can, like the clothes. I hope this move makes things easier for Frankie's Aunt. I can't believe that Granny has been gone nearly 6 weeks! Once she gets moved, she asked me if we would still come over for Sunday breakfasts? I think for me, thats been the hardest part of all of this. The week after Granny died, we went over there for Sunday breakfast and his Aunt wasn't mentally ready for us to be there and she spent that time crying while I made breakfast. We're used to walking in and Granny having everything cooked and waiting for us. But now, she's ready to have us back over which shows progress....and I'm glad! As hard as it is to walk in that house and know Granny isnt there, I'm happy Frankie's Aunt is moving forward and realizes that Granny isn't coming back so she needs to do what she has to do to live her life. She's 64 years old, never been married, never had kids and always lived with Granny & Grandaddy. Grandaddy died back in 89', so it's just been her and Granny for the last 20 years!
As I got ready to leave, she hugged me and asked me when I was coming back down? I asked her if she wanted me to come back down tomorrow? She smiled and said, "Well, yeah, and we can go through the rest of the stuff." I know what that means....she wants me there because the only room we hadn't really gone through was Granny's. Today was hard.....tomorrow is going to be rough! Lift us up in prayer because we're going to need it as we dig through all of Granny's most prized possessions. I asked God give us the strength to part with the things we can't use and I pray they go into the hands of someone that can.
Yesterday I got a phone call from Frankie's Aunt...the one that lived with Granny for 64 years. She said that she was going to have to move because she couldn't afford the rent where they were staying. Understandable. She asked if I'd come down there today and help her with patching some holes. When I got there this morning, I could tell she'd probably been up the entire night going through stuff. This was Kayleigh's first visit there since she'd been home and since Granny died. She sat silently with tears rolling down her face. Frankie's Aunt had already gone through everything in the kitchen. She'd gotten some rubbermaid totes and everything off the walls was in the totes. She didn't have a single box to pack anything so I made phone calls to local places and found some. As we drove, I asked her why she didn't want to try and keep the apartment? She told me that it was too difficult to sit in there and look at everything that was Granny's. One of our family friends is going to let her rent a little house not far from Frankie's Mom and his other Aunt. She needs a new start! We swung through and picked up the boxes and then we rode down to the house. I called Frankie's Mom to let her know we were on our way and they met us there to let us in the house. It's really cute! It's 2 bedroom, a living room, bathroom and huge kitchen....just enough for her! We walked through and I thought she was going to start crying but she didn't. I really think she's actually excited! In 64 years, she's never owned anything other than her car. She's never lived without Granny. So, as hard as it is, this new start will be good for her.
We left the house and came back to her house. I put the boxes together for her and we started to go through things. The more we went through, the harder it got. The reality of never walking back into "Granny's house" had really hit me. I choked back my tears because I didn't want his Aunt getting upset. She asked me if there was anything I wanted? Nah, not really. I told her the only thing Kacey wanted was Granny's brush. Yeah, weird thing to want, right? But every Sunday when we'd go down there for breakfast, Granny would be in her gown. After breakfast, she'd go in her room to get dressed and Kacey would go with her. Granny would brush her hair and then she'd brush through Kacey's hair. After that, they would both put on a little lipstick to "be pretty" and then come back out and we'd sit and visit. She's done this with Granny since she was big enough to toddle. So having that brush was something that brought some happy memories for her. She got that brush :)
We're still not done going through things and it's going to take a little time. I took a breather and walked outside. As I walked around, I got upset because all of Granny's flowers are in full bloom. She'd of been so happy to see them. She always had gorgeous flowers! I asked Frankie's Aunt is she was taking any of the flowers with her and she said no but I could take what I wanted. Once again, I got choked up because she's got a flowerbed of mums that I gave her over the last 10 years. Every Easter and Mother's Day, I'd bring her a mum for her garden. She told me to dig those up and bring them home. She's also got a mimosa tree that is 2 feet tall and I remember when she planted it when it was only about 6 inches tall...2 years ago! I'm going to bring that home too. That will be known as "Granny's tree".
Losing a loved one is never easy. The hardest part is letting go of things you know you can't use but you hope someone else can, like the clothes. I hope this move makes things easier for Frankie's Aunt. I can't believe that Granny has been gone nearly 6 weeks! Once she gets moved, she asked me if we would still come over for Sunday breakfasts? I think for me, thats been the hardest part of all of this. The week after Granny died, we went over there for Sunday breakfast and his Aunt wasn't mentally ready for us to be there and she spent that time crying while I made breakfast. We're used to walking in and Granny having everything cooked and waiting for us. But now, she's ready to have us back over which shows progress....and I'm glad! As hard as it is to walk in that house and know Granny isnt there, I'm happy Frankie's Aunt is moving forward and realizes that Granny isn't coming back so she needs to do what she has to do to live her life. She's 64 years old, never been married, never had kids and always lived with Granny & Grandaddy. Grandaddy died back in 89', so it's just been her and Granny for the last 20 years!
As I got ready to leave, she hugged me and asked me when I was coming back down? I asked her if she wanted me to come back down tomorrow? She smiled and said, "Well, yeah, and we can go through the rest of the stuff." I know what that means....she wants me there because the only room we hadn't really gone through was Granny's. Today was hard.....tomorrow is going to be rough! Lift us up in prayer because we're going to need it as we dig through all of Granny's most prized possessions. I asked God give us the strength to part with the things we can't use and I pray they go into the hands of someone that can.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Kay's Home & Basal Changes
MY BABY IS HOME!!!
It's been a busy few days so I'm going to re-cap everything.
On Saturday morning, I got a call from Kayleigh at 5:20am to tell me she was in Atlanta. I was WIDE awake then and couldn't go back to sleep. She had a 4 hour layover in Atlanta. She was flying home by herself but we paid $100 extra to have the chaprone program through Delta. If anyone ever has to have kids fly alone....Go Delta! They were so good to her! From the time she boarded in Hawaii...then when she landed in Atlanta...to when she landed back home in Virginia. During her Atlanta layover, her gate changed 4 different times. It's a good thing we had the chaprone because they put her right on the plane and knew exactly where the plane was coming in. She had that 4 hour layover and she was held in a game room with a few other kids. She absolutely loved the chaprone she had in there. His name was Mr. JJ (Jimmy Johnson) and she ended up sharing her breakfast with him because she couldn't eat. He ended up calling my cell when she was on the plane because he thought she left her camera but he told me what a "delightful young lady" she was and that really made me feel good. Once they took her to her plane, she was the first to board (about 20min before the other passengers). She got to meet the pilot and co-pilot. Then while she was sitting in her seat waiting, the co-pilot walked over and asked her if she wanted to see the front of the plane? Thankfully Kayleigh took her camera and imagine her excitement when the pilot got up and told her she could sit in his seat and he'd take her picture!!!
She ended up calling me from the plane and she was so excited that I thought she was crying! Amazing! How many people can say they got to sit in the front of the plane they were getting ready to fly in? She was the only unaccompanied minor on the flight so she had the plane to herself during that time and got some pretty cool pics!
I arrived at the airport at 10am. I checked in with the front desk and got my security clearance pass. Then we sat and waited! Around 10:40am, I went on through security check and to her gate. It took me about 20min to get through all of that and once I was at the gate, I could see the runway. The excitement started to build then because I knew in 20min that she'd be touching down. I saw one of the Delta employees at the desk and I walked over to show him my ID and pass and told him Kayleigh was on that flight and asked where I went to pick her up? He chuckled and said "Right here!" So I could feel more excitement build. I walked back over to the window and about 5min later, his voice came over the speaker telling everyone that the flight was delayed til 11:49am. I started crying and he asked me if I was ok? LOL! Of course I am but my baby has been gone for 7 weeks and its been the LONGEST 7 weeks and you just delayed my baby being in my arms another 20min! He winked and told me he was sorry and everything was fine with the plane and for me not to worry. Then at 11:45am....THERE IT WAS.....her plane!!! I watched all the passengers unload and come out...still no Kayleigh....more people....still no Kayleigh...then the guy went down to the plane and I got really nervous. I knew she hadn't missed her flight because she called me from the plane! God I hope that was the right plane! Then my phone buzzed...."Hi Mom! I'm HERE!" OMG! OMG! OMG! Once all the passengers were off, then they brought her off. The guy peeked around the doorway and he smiled and she stepped out from behind him and said "Thats my MOMMMM!" and took off running to me *sob sob* There was no controlling the tears then! He asked me for my ID again and I had to sign for her. My hands were shaking so bad and I had to ask him twice where the line to sign was because the tears were blocking my view. I looked at her....hugged her again...kissed her forehead and looked at her some more. She laughed and said needed to pee! LOL! All the excitement ;) After a quick bathroom break, it was now time to go see everyone else waiting for her. All she kept saying was, "I wanna see my sister!" so as we got closer to be able to see them she got more excited. I took her stuff and told her to go! She took off running to Kacey, who was waiting for her with flowers and a balloon. My heart once again overfilled and I couldn't stop the tears as I watched my girls reunite. Next she hugged Daddy and then Nae, who were standing there with a Welcome Home banner. I couldn't tell you what was happening around us for about 5 min because we were so excited for her to be home. As soon as we got her bags and headed out to the car, I hear her say, "Mom, I'm hungry now!" LOL! She couldn't eat much because of nerves but now that she was home, she was ready to eat! My mom laughed and said, "Let's all go to Subway!" So we went and had lunch and listened to her tell us all about the flight home. I ate, I cried, I ate, I cried....I was just so happy to have my baby back. We came home, she unpacked and then our best friends came over to see her. She made herself stay up til 9pm but she was exhausted and went on to bed.
Sunday morning, we woke up and she was still a little jet lagged so we decided not to do church. We're going to wait til next week. Instead, we took a drive and then we went out to dinner later on....her fav place....Olive Garden.
Yesterday she was feeling a bit more like she was back on our time. We got up and went to get "back to school" haircuts. She cut about 6-7 inches off!!!! It's adorable and I'll have pics to show soon. Kacey just got hers trimmed up. We also went to visit some more friends of ours and then we had to make the trip over to Children's Hospital to pick up Kacey's school forms/medical care plan. When we got there, our CDE was just walking in as well and Kacey ran up to hug her. She asked us how things were going? Last week, we made some basal changes at her 10pm rate and 12am rate. She's still hitting the 200-280 range at night and when she wakes up. So while we were there, we adjusted basals again at the 4am time. Hopefully that will help things a bit and if not, then we need to go back to the 12am and 10pm one and up it some. So we updated her on things that have been going on....McDonald's scare, Cola can colors and some other stuff. She went and got our forms for us and I signed them and we were on our way home. Since we couldn't get the forms til 5pm, I knew Frankie would be getting off before I got home. He called me to let me know he was on his way home just as I got to the hospital. When we were done, I called him to tell him I was on my way home and I was rushing so I could get dinner going. He laughed and told me not to rush because he was heating leftovers. Ugh! I forgot he had dinner left from Olive Garden. So all I had to worry about was feeding the girls when we got home. Once I got home, I walked into a house with the music blasting! Where was Frankie? I walked in the kitchen. The dishes were washed but no Frankie! I walked into our room and there he stood, singing along to the stereo and folding laundry....LOL! He'd already had a shower, eaten, washed the dishes, folded laundry and asked me if there was anything else that needed to be done? Who was this man and what did he do with my husband? HAHA! The girls ate dinner and then we spent the evening in the living room together. Frankie & Kacey played the Wii and Kayleigh and I were on the computer and organizing scrapbook stuff for the upcoming All-Day Crop. We finally felt like our family was whole again!
What does today bring? Ummm....cleaning! We need to get the bathrooms cleaned and then we're done for the day. We're going to hang out at home today since we've been so busy the last few days.
It's been a busy few days so I'm going to re-cap everything.
On Saturday morning, I got a call from Kayleigh at 5:20am to tell me she was in Atlanta. I was WIDE awake then and couldn't go back to sleep. She had a 4 hour layover in Atlanta. She was flying home by herself but we paid $100 extra to have the chaprone program through Delta. If anyone ever has to have kids fly alone....Go Delta! They were so good to her! From the time she boarded in Hawaii...then when she landed in Atlanta...to when she landed back home in Virginia. During her Atlanta layover, her gate changed 4 different times. It's a good thing we had the chaprone because they put her right on the plane and knew exactly where the plane was coming in. She had that 4 hour layover and she was held in a game room with a few other kids. She absolutely loved the chaprone she had in there. His name was Mr. JJ (Jimmy Johnson) and she ended up sharing her breakfast with him because she couldn't eat. He ended up calling my cell when she was on the plane because he thought she left her camera but he told me what a "delightful young lady" she was and that really made me feel good. Once they took her to her plane, she was the first to board (about 20min before the other passengers). She got to meet the pilot and co-pilot. Then while she was sitting in her seat waiting, the co-pilot walked over and asked her if she wanted to see the front of the plane? Thankfully Kayleigh took her camera and imagine her excitement when the pilot got up and told her she could sit in his seat and he'd take her picture!!!
She ended up calling me from the plane and she was so excited that I thought she was crying! Amazing! How many people can say they got to sit in the front of the plane they were getting ready to fly in? She was the only unaccompanied minor on the flight so she had the plane to herself during that time and got some pretty cool pics!I arrived at the airport at 10am. I checked in with the front desk and got my security clearance pass. Then we sat and waited! Around 10:40am, I went on through security check and to her gate. It took me about 20min to get through all of that and once I was at the gate, I could see the runway. The excitement started to build then because I knew in 20min that she'd be touching down. I saw one of the Delta employees at the desk and I walked over to show him my ID and pass and told him Kayleigh was on that flight and asked where I went to pick her up? He chuckled and said "Right here!" So I could feel more excitement build. I walked back over to the window and about 5min later, his voice came over the speaker telling everyone that the flight was delayed til 11:49am. I started crying and he asked me if I was ok? LOL! Of course I am but my baby has been gone for 7 weeks and its been the LONGEST 7 weeks and you just delayed my baby being in my arms another 20min! He winked and told me he was sorry and everything was fine with the plane and for me not to worry. Then at 11:45am....THERE IT WAS.....her plane!!! I watched all the passengers unload and come out...still no Kayleigh....more people....still no Kayleigh...then the guy went down to the plane and I got really nervous. I knew she hadn't missed her flight because she called me from the plane! God I hope that was the right plane! Then my phone buzzed...."Hi Mom! I'm HERE!" OMG! OMG! OMG! Once all the passengers were off, then they brought her off. The guy peeked around the doorway and he smiled and she stepped out from behind him and said "Thats my MOMMMM!" and took off running to me *sob sob* There was no controlling the tears then! He asked me for my ID again and I had to sign for her. My hands were shaking so bad and I had to ask him twice where the line to sign was because the tears were blocking my view. I looked at her....hugged her again...kissed her forehead and looked at her some more. She laughed and said needed to pee! LOL! All the excitement ;) After a quick bathroom break, it was now time to go see everyone else waiting for her. All she kept saying was, "I wanna see my sister!" so as we got closer to be able to see them she got more excited. I took her stuff and told her to go! She took off running to Kacey, who was waiting for her with flowers and a balloon. My heart once again overfilled and I couldn't stop the tears as I watched my girls reunite. Next she hugged Daddy and then Nae, who were standing there with a Welcome Home banner. I couldn't tell you what was happening around us for about 5 min because we were so excited for her to be home. As soon as we got her bags and headed out to the car, I hear her say, "Mom, I'm hungry now!" LOL! She couldn't eat much because of nerves but now that she was home, she was ready to eat! My mom laughed and said, "Let's all go to Subway!" So we went and had lunch and listened to her tell us all about the flight home. I ate, I cried, I ate, I cried....I was just so happy to have my baby back. We came home, she unpacked and then our best friends came over to see her. She made herself stay up til 9pm but she was exhausted and went on to bed.
Sunday morning, we woke up and she was still a little jet lagged so we decided not to do church. We're going to wait til next week. Instead, we took a drive and then we went out to dinner later on....her fav place....Olive Garden.
Yesterday she was feeling a bit more like she was back on our time. We got up and went to get "back to school" haircuts. She cut about 6-7 inches off!!!! It's adorable and I'll have pics to show soon. Kacey just got hers trimmed up. We also went to visit some more friends of ours and then we had to make the trip over to Children's Hospital to pick up Kacey's school forms/medical care plan. When we got there, our CDE was just walking in as well and Kacey ran up to hug her. She asked us how things were going? Last week, we made some basal changes at her 10pm rate and 12am rate. She's still hitting the 200-280 range at night and when she wakes up. So while we were there, we adjusted basals again at the 4am time. Hopefully that will help things a bit and if not, then we need to go back to the 12am and 10pm one and up it some. So we updated her on things that have been going on....McDonald's scare, Cola can colors and some other stuff. She went and got our forms for us and I signed them and we were on our way home. Since we couldn't get the forms til 5pm, I knew Frankie would be getting off before I got home. He called me to let me know he was on his way home just as I got to the hospital. When we were done, I called him to tell him I was on my way home and I was rushing so I could get dinner going. He laughed and told me not to rush because he was heating leftovers. Ugh! I forgot he had dinner left from Olive Garden. So all I had to worry about was feeding the girls when we got home. Once I got home, I walked into a house with the music blasting! Where was Frankie? I walked in the kitchen. The dishes were washed but no Frankie! I walked into our room and there he stood, singing along to the stereo and folding laundry....LOL! He'd already had a shower, eaten, washed the dishes, folded laundry and asked me if there was anything else that needed to be done? Who was this man and what did he do with my husband? HAHA! The girls ate dinner and then we spent the evening in the living room together. Frankie & Kacey played the Wii and Kayleigh and I were on the computer and organizing scrapbook stuff for the upcoming All-Day Crop. We finally felt like our family was whole again!
What does today bring? Ummm....cleaning! We need to get the bathrooms cleaned and then we're done for the day. We're going to hang out at home today since we've been so busy the last few days.
Friday, August 7, 2009
More Nit-Picking
***McDonalds Update***
I got a call back from the owner of the McDonald's we visited. The lady was so nice and she expressed the concern for not only Kacey's safety but for all other diabetics that happen to come to the restaurant. She told me that she'd met with the manager that turned his back on me as well as the other employees. It turns out that before she owned these local McDonald's she was a pediatric nurse for 17 years so she understands my concern and upset. She explained the dangers to the staff and also posted my email (without my name, address & phone number) up on the board in the back where the staff can see it. She continued to apologize for everything that happened and assured me that it wouldn't happen again.
So yes, I forgave her but I'll still be very leary and cautious as we eat out.
~~~~~~~
Now for another surprising find. My Mom was out shopping for an upcoming cookout and picked up a few cases of soda, regular and diet. It was the Food Lion brand. When she got home, she took the sodas out and she was shocked at this find. To me, it looked as if I was looking at the same soda.....
But when she flipped them over, imagine my surprise!
Two cans, same color, same writing....and only "Diet" and a Splenda logo seperating the difference. Some of you may not find concern in this because you can read. But for me, yes my child can read, but if I gave her a blue can of soda to drink and she asked for another one and I told her to get one out of the cooler....do you think she'd stop and read the can? Probably not! She'd grab a blue can and think it was diet because thats what she was drinking and what I gave her to start with. Scary! My Mom wrote Food Lion a letter and told them they might want to consider changing the can colors to distinguish the difference in "diet" and "regular" and told them about the dangers of diabetics and regular soda. (Go Nae!) So yeah, I guess I'm being nit-picky but this is something that just really scares me now.
Funny how something so simple could turn into something so dangerous! A year ago, I never would have given this a second look but when you know what could happen, you take every measure to protect your child. We'll see what Food Lion says ;) I'm interested to hear their response!
~~~~~
For those of you that don't know yet.....in 6 more hours, my baby girl will be on a plane back home! She leaves Hawaii at 3pm. She is due to arrive home at 11am tomorrow. I'm SOOOOO happy she's coming home! I'll post more pics soon!
Monday, August 3, 2009
McDonalds Scare
Right now I've still got steam coming from my ears!
This morning, we had errands to run and I took Kacey by McDonalds for breakfast. She got her regular...egg & cheese biscuit, hashbrown and diet coke. The idiot behind the counter was wearing a manager uniform and had about as much personality as the tile on the floor! He took my order and he began to put everything on the tray. I picked the tray up and Kacey looked at me with this scared look on her face and said "Mommy! Thats COKE in that cup!" What?!? She said "I saw him put regular coke in the cup." So I turned to him and said "Is this REGULAR Coke?" And he said "Yeah." OMG!!! I felt the steam roll then! I looked at him in front of a line of about 5 other people and said "I specifically asked you for DIET Coke. Do you realize that my daughter standing here is diabetic and if she was to drink that LARGE Coke you just gave her then her blood sugar would go over 1000 mg/dl and she'd pass out in your floor and possibly go into a diabetic coma?" He just stood there and looked at me with this dumbass look on his face and the other lady standing there said "OMG! Let me get her a new one!" and she grabbed a cup and got her a DIET Coke while the manager went and hid behind the counter where they make the food. I'm so mad right now! What if Kacey hadn't of seen him do that? I usually always sip her drink when we go out to eat to make sure some idiot didn't give her the wrong drink. But what if I hadn't of sipped it? What would of happened if she drank that LARGE regular Coke? I know that we tried treating a low with regular Pepsi once....ONCE and only ONCE....because she was in the high 60's and 1/2 cup of REGULAR Pepsi sent her to almost 500 in 15 min!!! Never again! She got sick, threw up and then had a headache the rest of the day because her blood sugar went up so fast. So what would McDonalds have done? Give me a free meal? GRRRRRRR!!! It's so dang scary to think about how cautious you have to be when eating out. Then to top it off....when we got to the table to eat our biscuits this is what we saw....
BURNT EGGS!!!!
This morning, we had errands to run and I took Kacey by McDonalds for breakfast. She got her regular...egg & cheese biscuit, hashbrown and diet coke. The idiot behind the counter was wearing a manager uniform and had about as much personality as the tile on the floor! He took my order and he began to put everything on the tray. I picked the tray up and Kacey looked at me with this scared look on her face and said "Mommy! Thats COKE in that cup!" What?!? She said "I saw him put regular coke in the cup." So I turned to him and said "Is this REGULAR Coke?" And he said "Yeah." OMG!!! I felt the steam roll then! I looked at him in front of a line of about 5 other people and said "I specifically asked you for DIET Coke. Do you realize that my daughter standing here is diabetic and if she was to drink that LARGE Coke you just gave her then her blood sugar would go over 1000 mg/dl and she'd pass out in your floor and possibly go into a diabetic coma?" He just stood there and looked at me with this dumbass look on his face and the other lady standing there said "OMG! Let me get her a new one!" and she grabbed a cup and got her a DIET Coke while the manager went and hid behind the counter where they make the food. I'm so mad right now! What if Kacey hadn't of seen him do that? I usually always sip her drink when we go out to eat to make sure some idiot didn't give her the wrong drink. But what if I hadn't of sipped it? What would of happened if she drank that LARGE regular Coke? I know that we tried treating a low with regular Pepsi once....ONCE and only ONCE....because she was in the high 60's and 1/2 cup of REGULAR Pepsi sent her to almost 500 in 15 min!!! Never again! She got sick, threw up and then had a headache the rest of the day because her blood sugar went up so fast. So what would McDonalds have done? Give me a free meal? GRRRRRRR!!! It's so dang scary to think about how cautious you have to be when eating out. Then to top it off....when we got to the table to eat our biscuits this is what we saw....
BURNT EGGS!!!!That just makes my day...ugh!
For those of you that don't know the little trick to test sodas....If you have a hard time telling the difference in regular soda and diet soda....Dip a new ketone strip into the drink. If it stays negative then its DIET and if it turns color then its REGULAR. We learned that at diabetes class when Kacey was first diagnosed and I used to carry a bottle of ketone strips just for that. Now I guess we need to keep them with us again! Better safe than sorry!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
5 MORE DAYS!!!
Whew! It's been a long 6 weeks and we've got this last week to go. Kayleigh will be home this Saturday. She leaves Hawaii on Friday afternoon and she will be home Saturday morning. I'm SOOOOOOOOO excited to see her!! I've missed her more than I ever have. I haven't blogged much about it because every time I started to write, I'd get myself so upset that I couldn't finish it. She's never been away from us this long and it's really taken it's toll on our family. I know she's almost 15 years old, but she's still our baby! It's really gonna make us treasure the next 3 years until she turns 18.
She's had a chance to do lots of sight seeing but she's been VERY homesick! It's hard for me as a parent because I couldn't just fly her home. At one point, we looked into bringing her home early because she was so upset and it was going to cost us $1700 ONE WAY and that was in addition to what we paid for her ticket. She's been a trooper and she hung in there and now she's on the final countdown. She's got some amazing pics that I can't wait to scrapbook for her.
Thanks SOOOOOO much to my brother and my sister-in-law. She got to see and do things she never would have had the chance to do otherwise. Thank you for putting up with her being upset and wanting to come home. This was a BIG step for her and she was definately out of her comfort zone!
Here are a few of the pics to share....
This pic was taken at North Shore with the tea turtles on shore. She had the chance to snorkle with them but they didn't have the underwater camera that day. This was one of the most exciting things she'd ever done!
This was taken at the blow hole.
This one is snorkling with the small fish.
She had tons of fun boogie boarding.
This was taken in the rain forest. She got drenched that day...yes...it rains in the rain forest but on this day...it POURED!
She loved hiking and having the walking stick. They finally made it to the waterfall where she said it was so beautiful!
Here she is with my 2 nephews hiking to the top of Koko Head Crater. It's over 1,000 steps to the top and the only way back down is the steps!
At the top of Koko Head
Gorgeous view from the top!
She's had a chance to do lots of sight seeing but she's been VERY homesick! It's hard for me as a parent because I couldn't just fly her home. At one point, we looked into bringing her home early because she was so upset and it was going to cost us $1700 ONE WAY and that was in addition to what we paid for her ticket. She's been a trooper and she hung in there and now she's on the final countdown. She's got some amazing pics that I can't wait to scrapbook for her.
Thanks SOOOOOO much to my brother and my sister-in-law. She got to see and do things she never would have had the chance to do otherwise. Thank you for putting up with her being upset and wanting to come home. This was a BIG step for her and she was definately out of her comfort zone!
Here are a few of the pics to share....
This pic was taken at North Shore with the tea turtles on shore. She had the chance to snorkle with them but they didn't have the underwater camera that day. This was one of the most exciting things she'd ever done!
This was taken at the blow hole.
This one is snorkling with the small fish.
Here she is holding a sea cucumber.
She had tons of fun boogie boarding.
This was taken in the rain forest. She got drenched that day...yes...it rains in the rain forest but on this day...it POURED!
She loved hiking and having the walking stick. They finally made it to the waterfall where she said it was so beautiful!
Here she is with my 2 nephews hiking to the top of Koko Head Crater. It's over 1,000 steps to the top and the only way back down is the steps!
At the top of Koko Head
Gorgeous view from the top!She's done alot more than just this...including....hiking Diamond Head, going to the Polynesian Culture Center, going to Sea Life Park, going to the water park, visiting all the beaches, going to the Dole Pineapple Plantation as well as shopping at the mall and swap meet.
The next pics are ones my brother took of her outside. He's been working on his photography skills and I'd have to say....he's doing a great job!
My goodness! She's changed so much in just 6 weeks. I'm looking forward to her coming home and spending the rest of the summer with us. We've only got 4 more weeks til school starts!
5 MORE DAYS!!!
My goodness! She's changed so much in just 6 weeks. I'm looking forward to her coming home and spending the rest of the summer with us. We've only got 4 more weeks til school starts!5 MORE DAYS!!!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Walk to a Cure 2009
Dear Family and Friends, It’s that time of year again! I will be participating in my 2nd Walk to a Cure this fall in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. As you all know, in July of 2008 at the age of 8, I was diagnosed with Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes. Life for me and for my family was never the same. Since then, daily life for me has revolved around the many tedious and painful tasks associated with diabetes. Like every person with Type 1 Diabetes, I must check my blood sugar at least 10-12 times a day. I must count every carbohydrate that I eat and give myself insulin every time I eat.I was getting about 8 shots a day but in March 2009, I got my first insulin pump. I am now able to give myself insulin with the press of a button. The insulin enters my body through a small cannula in my skin. The infusion set gets changed every 3 days. These tasks go on 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at school, on vacation, on holidays, when I’m sick, and when I’m playing. It doesn't stop. I do these things to not only keep myself alive, but to ward off the devastating complications that can arise from out of control blood sugar; eye disease, nerve damage, kidney disease, heart disease and stroke. Every family touched by diabetes must do the same.
Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease – My body has attacked itself and has stopped my pancreas from making the cells that make insulin. Insulin, in the very simplest terms fuels the body. I must take that insulin by injections or my insulin pump. But insulin isn't a cure for me. It only keeps me alive. Without the insulin I inject, I would die within days. Since the discovery of insulin in 1922, they haven't found anything that actually cures diabetes. They've made many advances in technology to help people with diabetes live better and longer lives, but these aren't cures. And that's what I want: A CURE.
Luckily, for me, we do have the technology that allows me to live a pretty normal life. I love to ride my bike. I enjoy long days at Busch Gardens and I enjoy playing with my friends. But diabetes is always there! Swings in blood sugars affect my daily performance and attitude, so I have to constantly check my sugar, take my insulin, watch my activity & food and find a good balance. At school, I test my blood sugar 3+ times a day, often missing out on valuable class time. Just a simple bike ride requires carrying supplies of fast acting glucose, a water bottle and my blood sugar monitor.
So while my life is just like any other 9 year old, and I rarely complain about my diabetes, I must constantly be alert, constantly be on guard, because diabetes is always there. The good news is that a cure for Type 1 Diabetes is within reach. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is the leading charitable funder and advocate of Type 1 Diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.3 billion to diabetes research, including more than $156 million in FY2008. In FY2008, the Foundation funded more than 1,000 centers, grants in laboratories, hospitals, and industry, and fellowships in 22 countries.
This year, our family will be taking part in JDRF’s Walk to Cure Diabetes on October 17, 2009 at York High School at 9am and I’m asking for your support because now more than ever, each of us can play a part in bringing about a cure. Each of us can make a real difference, for me and all the children and adults like me. Please help us meet our goal of $10,000 this year! Thanks to each of you that supported my team last year and continue to support us this year. We couldn’t have done it without you! Please visit http://www.walk.jdrf.org/ and register for the team Diabetes Sweeties. If you can’t walk, we still welcome ANY donations and you can donate under my name, Kacey West. You can make the check out to JDRF and ALL donations are tax deductible. With any donation over $25, you will receive a team t-shirt. The shirts are not the same ones you received last year so please be sure to let us know your size! For every business donation over $50, we will feature an advertisement in the books we will be handing out. Please include your business card with your donation. You will receive a FREE copy of the book.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email my mom, Jill.
I look forward to having a bigger team than I did last year and I can’t wait to meet everyone on walk day!
Thanks again for all your support!
With All My Love,
Kacey West
& The Diabetes Sweeties Team
http://diabetes-sweeties.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)