Cowboy Herbie

Herbie decided that he was gonna try and be a cowboy today. Kacey is home again today because she had blood sugars running in the 400's again. She finally woke up at 11:30am but she still wasn't hungry. Yeah, I know....weird! She's high, yet she's not feeling the need to stuff her face? Nope! She's actually got an upset stomach. By 12:30pm, I'd convinced her to eat a lunchable. She finished lunch and was on her way into the bathroom to potty before getting back in bed. Herbie decided to lasso her tubing around the bathroom doorknob and Kacey experienced a ripped out pump site. She had Herbie in her pump bear so her tubing was dangling free. I heard her scream and she came running in crying. I'm not sure which hurt worse....the pain from it being ripped out OR the fact that she was holding Herbie in her hand with her site attached to it. Poor thing! I calmed her down and explained we had to put in another site after just doing a site change yesterday. Ugh! I promised to get it over with as quickly as I possibly could. We moved her site back to her front tummy and she's gone back to bed.

***Lesson Learned***- When you're not laying in bed, put Herbie in a pump pack!!

15 Years Ago....

On this day, 15 years ago, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl!

On 9-22-94, I went out of work on complete bedrest. My official diagnosis....toxemia. I still had 5 weeks to go and my OB doctor said "The baby just isn't ready yet, so we're putting you on complete bedrest until it's time." For a whole week, I layed on the couch and did nothing! I gained 13 pounds in water weight that week and I was one very scared 19 year old.

On 9-29-94, I woke up around 8am. I was still living at home and my Mom had gone to work. As I got out of bed, I realized I'd wet the bed (so I thought). I was upset because I'd never felt myself pee and I figured the baby must have pushed on my bladder. I went into the bathroom to clean up when I felt another rush of pee down my legs.....or was it? It was clear. It was warm. But this time it had a little blood in it. I started to cry and I called my Mom at work. She told me to call the doctor and she was on her way. Meanwhile, I called my doctor and put on a pad to keep myself from peeing all over my clothes. (hahaha...yep I still thought it was pee) The nurse told me to come on in because she thought my water broke. HUH?!? So I hung up, packed my hospital suitcase because I wasn't ready yet and then waited for my Mom. Within 30 minutes, she was home and out the door we went. I'd started to have some pain but it wasn't too bad. By the time we got back over to the OB, I was having some pretty bad pains. The nurse took my pad and tested the "fluid". My OB doctor walked back in and he clapped his hands together and smiled as he said, "We're gonna have a baby today!" I started to cry. NOOOOOO! I wasn't ready! I still have 4 weeks! I was leaning against the bed with my hands and rocking back and forth. The pain was all in my lower back and it was starting to make me sick. Thankfully the hospital was right across the street. We got into registration and they put me in a wheelchair. How do I breathe through the contractions? I'd only made it to my first lamaze class last week. It's too early! A million things were swirling through my head! I got registered in and they took me on to the elevator. I shouted out, "I think I'm gonna get sick!" and my Mom kept saying, "Use your shirt! Don't throw up in the elevator!" I managed to hold it back til I got into my room. Thank goodness they had a trashcan at the doorway. Ugh! I have NO pain tolerance! My Mom paged Kayleigh's bio-dad and then called my brother. Both of them rushed to the hospital. By now, it's nearly 10am. I'm REALLY feeling the pain and the nurse finally convinced me to get the epidural since I was only 4cm dialated. Don't let anyone ever tell you that getting the epidural doesn't hurt! It burned and I was so scared....BUT....I only had 2 more bad contractions and I was resting in "La-La Land" :) The nurse kept coming in to check me and by 2pm it was time to push! My doc came in and he was laughing and joking as usual. At 2:30pm, I was holding a beautiful baby girl, Kayleigh Breanne! She was perfect.... and at 4 weeks early....she weighed 6lbs. 12oz. and was 18.5 in long. She was so tiny and everything we bought was too big. I was released from the hospital 24 hours later and Kayleigh made her 1st trip to Walmart...haha! I had to buy her preemie sleepers.

Now, 15 years later, she still makes me the happiest Momma in the world! I'm so proud of her and what she's becoming.

So today... HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYLEIGH BREANNE!!! Mommy loves you!!

Back In Range

Finally after a few days, Kacey is back in range! It took a new site change and sugar checks every 2 hours and dosing to get her down...but we did it! She was a 136 at 2am this morning and then a 154 at 6am. It was really nice to wake her up and start the day with a smile. She got up out of bed...got dressed and made her own breakfast before I ever got myself ready. She was in such a great mood and she continued to hold steady through the day :)

I've noticed that a lot of the kids are running high and then Cara and my friend Tracy posted about their crazy highs on my Facebook and it made me really start thinking. It seems like Kacey is high when many others are high and then when we're battling lows, so are others. I blamed the moon on Cara's Facebook! Heehee! I hope all of them start feeling better. Cold season is in full swing!

***Moronic Mommy Moment***
Kacey usually packs her own lunch and I check behind her and usually stuff an "I love you!" note in there. This morning we were running behind and she packed up her backpack and I never checked her lunchbox. She got to school and when snacktime rolled around, she went into panic mode...LOL! She pulled her lunchbox out to get her snack and it was EMPTY! She'd forgotten to pack her lunch and this Moron Mommy forgot to check behind her! BUT...she knew that I'd put a basket of food in the closet in the nurses office. She had water, chips, crackers, cookies but I also have other things for lows. So she went to the nurse, gathered things for lunch and never even had to call me! So...just an idea for those other Moms out there that are always rushing around...take a container with extra stuff and stash it in the nurses office on days like these :)

I also wanted to let the gentleman that made the rude comment to my McDonald's post know...I responded to you and from now on if you can't say something nice on here please don't respond to my posts. I am not a doctor, I am not an expert, but the one thing that I am is a RESPONSIBLE and SENSATIVE parent that is controlling this uncontrollable disease the best way I possibly can. Oh, and BTW, I will continue to let my child eat McDonald's :) Thank you!

Pump Pack Giveaway

I have to start this post by thanking Cara for starting an addiction that is going to follow Kacey for the next few years. When Kacey first got her pump, Cara was so thoughtful and sent Kacey her very first pump packs. One with Tigger and the other with Jonas Brothers. Because Kacey found such a love for these packs, my Mom decided to use one of them as a model and make Kacey more. Last year, Kacey had about 15 different packs and she'd match them to whatever she was wearing that day. It became a "fashion trend" and her friends looked forward to seeing which pump pack she came in with next. So to continue the trend, my Mom doubled the amount of packs and got creative. She has been a sewing freak the last few weeks. She whipped out a whopping 30 pump packs for Kacey to start school with this year! She made her ones to match different outfits but then she even made a few for holidays! She's got one with fireworks, one with jack-o-lanterns, one with green swirls and one with hearts! She even made one with paw prints which is Kacey's school mascot logo!!! Thanks Nae for all your hard work! Below is a pic of what she surprised Kacey with.....
While she was on a sewing binge, she whipped out a few extra packs for me to use as "giveaways" on here. If you're interested in getting one of these packs, all you have to do is post :) Please do not put your address on here for privacy reasons. Just tell me you're interested, your name, your child's name, diagnosis date and most importantly....your email! On Friday, Oct 2nd, I will be putting everyones name in a bowl and letting Kacey draw them out. I've got at least 6 packs to give away so far :) So....POST!!! :) :) :) :)

Sorry that the packs are not in a boy print. My mom did these with extra material she had from making Kacey's packs. The packs that are made straight up and down will hold either a pump or a lancet and test strip bottle. So if your little one is going outside to play and already has a different way to clip their pump, then she can use this to carry her lancet, test strips or even a bottle of glucose tabs/gel.

One very special grand prize winner will receive a ***secret*** pump pack and another special surprise that will be shown on Friday Oct 2nd when Kacey does the drawing.

GOOD LUCK!!! <3

Another SICK Day

So, we're out on another sick day. Kacey woke up this morning with a blood sugar of 315, sore throat, stuffy nose and she said her body was so tired and she could hardly move. Just a simple task like getting out of bed, took her over 20 minutes. She just couldn't get moving! When she finally got to the couch, I took this pic....
And then....10 minutes later....

I just can't imagine how she feels. I know what a cold feels like. I know what it feels like to be tired because of a cold. But the frustrating part is NOT knowing how it feels to have a high blood sugar and a cold. High's zap her body and then top it off with a cold and this is what we get!

So we're spending the day at home today!

And...on an exciting note....this is my 400th post!! :)

"DDD"

DAMN DIABETES DAY!

Thats what we're having today in the West household.

This morning, Kacey woke up at a 197. Not bad but not great. It took her 15min to move out of the bed and slowly grumbled as she got dressed. Ugh! "Please God don't let this be a sign of how the day is gonna go!" I asked her what she wanted for breakfast? Just JELLO, Mom. HUH? Did I hear her right? JELLO? She said her tummy wasn't feeling too good and all she wanted was JELLO. I convinced her to have 2 waffles and a scrambled egg instead. She ate but was s-l-o-w moving.

As we drove to school, she got tears in her eyes and said her tummy felt "nervous". I told her she'd be fine once she got to school. We walk in and she's more clingy than usual. Hmmm? Wonder whats going on? She's loving school. She adores her teachers. So I don't know why she's doing this? I kissed her goodbye and she went on to class. I scooted off to the gym after stopping to visit a friend. I walk in the gym, put my stuff in a locker, walk out to put my name on the board for one of the treadmills when.....*ringgggg* ~School Nurse~ shows across the screen of my phone. UGH! The nurse tells me that Kacey is in her office complaining of a sore throat, headache and sick tummy. Great! So she tells me that she is going to have her test her blood sugar and call me right back. About 5 min later....*ringgggg* "Hi Jill, her blood sugar is almost 300 and she really doesn't feel well." I asked to talk to her and she started to cry and tell me she wanted to go home because she didn't feel good. So I erased my name off the board and go pick her up. When I got there, she had absolutely NO color in her face! Eeep! Her nose is stuffy so I'm thinking maybe allergies are getting to her. We get home, I give her a dose of Zyrtec and within 40 minutes she's sound asleep! She slept til almost 1pm and when she woke up she was hungry. She ate and then went back to bed. About 30min later, she came out of her room holding her head. What now? She said she felt light headed and she had her meter and lancet in her hand but she was too "out of it" to do anything. I sat her down on the couch and checked her sugar...52! She ate a glucose tab and came up to a 95 in 15 minutes and then went to lay back down. Two hours later....292! WTF?!?! I give up! She's been on this stupid roller coaster and her poor body is ready to get off :( All she's done is lay around and watch movies because she says "My body is too tired to get up." I hate this!

Hopefully she'll start feeling better by tomorrow :(

She Continues to Amaze Me

I don't think there is a day that goes by that my daughters don't do something to amaze me. I'm so in love with the young ladies they are becoming and I couldn't be more proud of them.

Yesterday, Kacey did something on the D-side that really floored me. Since the school year has started, she manages her diabetes on her own. Unless she goes really low, the school nurse is not involved, her teachers are not involved, and what happens with her diabetes is between her and Herbie until she comes home from school. She's only had 2 lows at school this year. The first one was a 65 and she couldn't remember where her glucose tabs were. She got a new Vera Bradley Hipster bag and she didn't know where she put them. One phone call to me and she remembered exactly where they were! The second time she went low, she was getting ready for lunch and she was only a 72 so she just ate lunch and she did fine. But yesterday something really cool happened. She has PE once a week and it's midmorning after snack. She packed JELLO for snack.... 0 carbs...uhoh! She had snack and when it was time to go to PE, she tested....92. Hmmm? She knew that they were going to be playing flag tag. She made the decision to eat 1 glucose tab to keep her from going low. When she tested before lunch.... 80! She was so proud of herself because she said that she knew she was only a 92 and all the running would have made her go low and she didn't want to pass out on the field and she knew she could eat 1 glucose tab and it would bring her up enough so she could play. How cool is that? Only 9 years old and she cares for herself like shes 19! I praised her so much for knowing exactly how to treat herself. It's only been a year, but she knows her body so well now and she's so intune with what to look for! I wish there were times she didn't have to be so responsible but in the long run, I'm so thankful that she is :)

Another exciting note....we're still having to do site changes without the numbing cream. Yesterday was also site change day and I dread those days. I've got the "bribery" thing going so I was hoping that would still work. Herbie beeped at her to tell her it was site change. She just gave me this look and I told her to press ignore and I'd give her an hour to get herself together. She smiled and said she didn't need an hour cuz she wanted to get it over with and then asked me if I had a dollar ready? HAHAHA! She took her old site out and I stared at her speckled tummy. Each scar a reminder of where I'd stuck her. Since it's just me and her when we do site changes, she always takes her clothes off so she's not having to hold her shirt up. I turned her around and her hips were just as scarred :( She turned back to me and I asked her where she wanted it? She ran her fingers over her scars and told me that she thought we needed to try a new spot. NEW SPOT?!?! I held my breath as she looked over her tummy. All of her "speckles" are on her sides. She then said, "I think we'll try....there!" and she pointed to a new spot on her tummy that was closer to the front. ***gulp!*** There? She confidently shook her head yes and then told me to hurry before she changed her mind! LOL! I told her that if we did it there and there were no crying fits then I'd give her $5! She smiled as I prepared her site. 1....2.....*deep breath*.....3- *stick* .....waits for tears.....huh? No tears? Nope! She said she never even felt it go in. Wowwwwwww! Then she smiled and asked for the 5 bucks. Ahhhhh! You know, some people might not agree with me giving her money to build her confidence with these site changes but until you're the parent of a diabetic child on the pump and you have to manually stick those needles in while your child is screaming "Please Mommy! Don't hurt me! I'm scared!" then you don't know how graciously I hand over that dollar....or in this case...5 dollars! And where does this money go? Right into her JDRF jar that we throw all of our change into and donate it when it's time for the Walk to a Cure. Sure, she knows that this money isn't hers. Those dollars are a reminder of how much we want that cure! Every site change is a dollar (or $5) closer to a cure! If you add that up over a year....$1 for every site change...$10 a month x 12 months .... $120 for her JDRF team that she will donate in her name! Nope! I don't mind giving her that dollar :)

On the flip side, Kayleigh floored me this week when she asked to join the Spanish Club at school this year. She's taking Spanish 3 and has the same teacher she had last year (thank goodness!). She said she knew it would help her get through the class! She's really buckled down with her grades and she's loving all her classes this year. She is going to apply for a catering job with her Culinary class and she's really excited about that! She will actually get paid for working and she'll gain the experience she needs to further her career.

Both girls just amaze me!

From One T1 to Another

The giggling and excitment running through my house is uncontrollable right now!

Thanks to my Mom, Kacey just received a package from Hollywood! She's been in contact with Elliot Yamin's staff and they graciously sent out this package to her. I knew what was inside, but neither of the girls did. The anticipation of what was in the FedEx envelope was almost too much to bear. Imagine the scream as Kacey pulled out an autograph picture of Elliot Yamin along with 2 CD's!!! Her eyes welled up with tears as she tore the wrapper off the CD and immediately put it in the stereo. She gazed down at the picture as we listened to the CD and she looked back up at me and with the most compassionate look on her face she said, "Mom, you know he has diabetes too and he is famous." *sigh*
Just more proof that diabetes doesn't limit you! Your child can be whatever they want to be.

I just want to take a moment and thank the kind staff member that put this package together for Kacey and sent it overnight mail. You have no idea how much you've made her smile! She's one very happy little girl :) God Bless You!

Also, Thanks Mom! Without your efforts, she wouldn't have gotten this!

JDRF Car Wash

Many of you may or may not know this....

Advance Auto Parts has teamed up with JDRF and will completely furnish ALL supplies to carry out a car wash and the profit you raise will go directly to support your JDRF Walk team.

This past weekend, we took advantage of that offer. We arrived at Advance Auto Parts at 7:30am and I met with the manager who gladly went and got all the supplies for us.

hose with sprayer

buckets

car wash

rags

sponges

towels

We had everything we needed and we set up our JDRF table and we started with our cars and then moved on to 3 of the Advance Auto trucks. After that, we washed 9 more cars. Yep, only 9. We were in a bad location and even with the signs we posted, it was hard to find where the car wash was. So unfortunately, I'm cancelling the one at Advance Auto in October and I'm relocating it to another location that will put us right off the main road.

I'm pleased to announce we did raise $183 with only 14 vehicles! The best part, we had fun! Kacey battled a low of 50 while we were there. Nothing 2 glucose tabs couldn't fix! :) She did a great job. We did take "Coz" (the CozMonitor) off of Herbie because I was a bit paranoid about her getting wet. The CozMonitor is her glucose machine that connects to the back of Herbie and if that gets damp/wet then it's ruined. Herbie is waterproof and so she could stay connected without the worry of water. After she took Coz off, it was a freeforall....and that included Mommy throwing some soap bubbles her way! ;)
It was a good day! :)

Where Were You?

They say that you will never forget where you were when the Twin Towers were hit.

I haven't.

I was at Jennifer's house (my best friend at the time). She called me to take her and her daughter to a doctors appointment. She was in blow drying her hair and I was getting Lexie dressed while Kacey was playing on the floor. I was sitting on the floor in front of the TV when all the commotion was being broadcasted. I yelled into the bathroom for Jen to come see what was going on and we both sat there and saw the 2nd plane hit the tower LIVE! I couldn't believe what we were watching. Unfortunately we had to pull ourselves away from the TV and drive to the doctors office. They had the TV on there and we could see what was happening.

In 2006, we had the chance to take the girls to NYC and visit the site where the towers once stood. We took the ferry into NY and it was weird seeing the NYC skyline without the towers. We then took the subway to where the towers stood. As the doors of the subway opened, I had this overwhelming feeling rush over me. It was an eerie quiet and I slowly walked up to the ledge to look out. The tears rushed down my face and my heart felt like it was squeezed. I walked along the wall looking at all of the 12x12 squares....daddies, mommies, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, brothers, sisters....all of them were strangers to me but my heart felt the pain these families felt. We walked outside to see the construction going on from the street. I looked around and I recognized this street from the horrific scenes they showed those days following the collapse. As I gazed through the fence and saw the construction, I couldn't help but feel sad and angry. I was sad for all the families that will never have the remains of their loved ones. I was angry because I felt like they should have turned that place into a park, like Central Park. Sorta like a memorial ground. No, they don't have the remains of the people that died, but at least give the families some place to go to that would be like a cemetary for them.

On this day....please take a moment to remember all the heroes.

Can Color Update

A few weeks ago, I posted about the color of the soda cans at Food Lion. My Mom had written a letter to Food Lion as a concerned customer over the fact that the color of the COLA vs. DIET COLA of the Food Lion brand soda were nearly impossible to tell the difference between unless you could read the label. I'd like to share the correspondence between them to show that one very small voice can make one huge change.

~~~~~
(THEIR RESPONSE)
September 10, 2009
Dear Chris xxxxxxx (last name omitted for privacy):

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding your recentexperience with Food Lion Cola and Diet Cola. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced.

At Cott, we are committed to producing premium quality products. It is our goal that every beverage leaving our facilities meets our rigidquality control standards. As such, your comments have been shared withthe appropriate department to ensure quality excellence and consumer satisfaction.

We would like to speak with you about your experience with our product. At your earliest convenience please call us at 1-888-260-3776.

Again, thank you for taking time to draw our attention to this matter. We trust that you will continue to be a valued customer.

Sincerely,
Monique Hooker
Senior Consumer Affairs Specialist

~~~~~
(MOMS RESPONSE)

Thank you for responding, I am unable to call at this time so I am responding via this message - I got a call from you/someone there but by the time I leave work it is after 4:30pm. This is basically the same response I was given weeks ago - I would just like to know what your intentions are concerning this matter - it is very evident that it has not been elevated to the appropriate authority because nothing has been done. Until you have been diabetic or have to deal with a diabetic, this incident would not matter. We have elevated this matter to the Diabetes Association and to the moms on the diabetic board. If you are not familiar with diabetes, go online and read about it and what happens when you get the WRONG drink and how life threatening this is. I would like a response because this is a matter that I will not drop. It is far more important than you can imagine.
Thank you.

(Go Mom!)

~~~~~~~~
(THEIR RESPONSE)

Thank you for your quick response. There are plans to redesign the FoodLion labels to make the regular and diet versions more distinctive. We very much appreciate the feedback and understand your concerns. Please note our labels do conform to FDA label regulations. All ingredients are listed in the ingredient listing and additionally, the front of the cans indicate "Cola" or "Diet Cola." The color of the cans is also a differing shade of blue. Again, please be assured I have shared your valuable feedback with our sales and marketing teams and they are taking steps to redesign the labels.

Thank you,
Monique Hooker

(Holy cow! Did that say REDESIGN?)

~~~~~~~
(MOMS RESPONSE)

Monique

This is wonderful news and I am sure all other diabetics will agree -but even with the slight difference in color, for a child, they would see BLUE and pick up the can - and it could be that one time that could cause death. I didn't say that it didn't conform to the FDA regulations, I was just asking for someone to help in making a change to show a difference between COLA and DIET COLA. My daughter has a diabetes blog and all correspondence has been posted to be shared with the others. We will be watching for this change. I appreciate you taking time to respond and to know that what you are doing could save someones life.

Thank you

~~~~~~

Ok, first of all, I'm so thankful that my Mom has taken this to the next level and pressed on with something she firmly believes in. She is so right when she says that the color of the can could be dangerous for a child that can't read. If I handed Kacey a blue can of soda, then if she wanted another one, she'd reach for that blue can knowing that it was "safe" to drink because thats what she had to start with. Scary thing is, if she didn't read the can, then her blood sugar would shoot to the moon.

Second, I'm glad that someone is listening to the customer. All to often, the customer's voice is shoved to the side with something like this. I'm thankful that Food Lion & Cott Beverages is listening to our voice. They know that a change needs to be made and I'm thrilled to watch this change happen. Why? Because we spoke up LOUD and clear!

Does it make me feel good? Sure it does! To know that my Mom will be the cause for the change in the can color. To know that my Mom spoke up and was an advocate for not only Kacey but all other diabetics out there. To know that a simple can color change could save a diabetic the hassle of the ER or save their life. It's VERY exciting!

For those of you that missed the original pics of the cans and post... CLICK HERE.

I'll keep you all updated and until then....don't ever be afraid to RAISE YOUR VOICE!

The C-Word

What? There is a C word?

C-O-N-S-T-I-P-A-T-I-O-N

Kacey is having a terrible time with this. We've tried different things but I was wondering if this was something common with diabetes? I know I've blogged about it before but I was wondering if anyone has any "miracle" tricks to get things moving along?

First Day of 4th Grade & 10th Grade

Yesterday my girls went back to school...Kacey in 4th grade and Kayleigh in 10th grade.

The morning went very quick and we were blessed with some pretty nasty weather. Kayleigh got on the bus at 6:45am and then I drove Kacey to school at 8:30am. Both girls came home with huge smiles on their faces and their lips were going 100mph! They've both got some excellent teachers and I just feel so relieved this year. Kacey's blood sugars stayed in range the entire day and she was so excited about it! Her teachers let her share her diabetes at snack time, since it was time for Kacey to check her blood sugar and bolus. She said that one of the boys asked what her pump was and she said, "It's for my diabetes." and she said he got a funny look on his face and asked "What's diabetes?" and she said she tried to tell him what it was and he smiled and said "Oh! Thats cool!" Cool? Diabetes is cool? Ummmmm....I asked her what she said? She said she just told him that it wasn't cool because it makes her sick sometimes. She said, "Mom, I really don't think he understands but thats ok cuz he's a boy." HAHAHAHA! Ahhh ok, so it's ok for boys to not understand? Too funny! One thing I'm very thankful for is...her best friends are in her classes again this year! Those same girlfriends that already know Kacey has diabetes, don't care that she's a little different and always look out for her on the playground. :) No drama for both girls....What a great day!

As for me, I took the time that I didn't spend at school and I went to the gym! It felt so good to get back in there and workout. My intentions are to go to the gym every day that I'm not subbing at school.

We all ended up in bed and asleep by 9pm! Guess we were all exhausted in our own way ;)

BIG Day Tomorrow!

I'm sitting here wondering where in the world our summer went?

My girls go back to school tomorrow! I got choked up earlier thinking about how I felt this time a year ago. I was one VERY nervous Mommy! Kacey was only a few weeks into her diabetes diagnosis and I wasn't ready to let her go with anyone. Last year, I met with teachers, made so many different charts that I knew would never be used but felt like I had to make, packed more diabetes supplies than I knew she'd ever need and then spent the first few weeks going to school every day to give her those insulin injections after MANY tears! This year, I feel so much more confident about Kacey's care. She does everything on her own and she knows what she's doing :) I've still made the charts, but narrowed them down. I've only packed the diabetes supplies that I know she'd need. And this year....I don't have to go up there for daily injections! I can't begin to tell everyone how much easier our life is with Herbie. I was helping Kacey lay her clothes out for the week and I got a little teary eyed and she tapped me on the arm and said, "Mom, you don't have to walk me to class every day now. I know my diabetes and I know how to take care of myself." ***the tears fall*** "Mom, why are you crying? You don't have to worry about me this year." ***wipes tears*** "You know Mommy is always going to worry about you. I'm not crying because I'm worried, I'm crying because I know you CAN take care of yourself and you're not going to need me there right beside you." ***sharing a hug*** "Mom, I always need you to take care of me but I can do it at school now." ***sigh*** "Yep! I know you can!"

It's times like these that really give me a reality smack at how responsible my 9 year old is! She's grown so much over the last year and diabetes forced her to grow up so fast. I'm sad that she was "robbed" of a normal childhood but then again I sit and wonder, is any childhood ever normal? When we're kids, we all have something that makes us grow up. For some, it's divorce. For others, it's death. For some others, it's illness. For Kacey, it's diabetes. If we all step back and think about when we were kids, there is some time that made an impact on us and made us who we are today. Diabetes has certainly had an impact on our family and it's certainly made us different people than we were a year ago. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Both! It depends on the way you look at it and the way you choose to deal with what you've been dealt. For Kacey, there was never any other option than to take this disease and move forward. She's proven that she's a much stronger person than I ever could have been! She's embraced this illness and she now tells everyone about it like it's a common cold. Sure, diabetes still makes her cry during site changes and when she has highs or lows....but after those rough days, she still manages to smile and continue daily life as normally as she possibly can!

This past weekend, she was part of a HUGE fundraiser. It was a benefit to JDRF in her name. Local hunters came out to support her and donate to her walk team. I was overwhelmed with the support we received but I was even more overwhelmed with the lack of knowledge still out there. We had people say to us, "We're so sorry! Maybe one day she will get well enough to take the pill." What do you say to that? I've tried to educate before but for some reason I didn't have the energy to explain the difference in Type 1 and Type 2. Instead I handed them a brochure about JDRF and Type 1 diabetes and said "Thanks for your support!" Yes, I felt like a loser because I didn't educate these people but then again, I don't think it would have sunk in anyway. I'm just so greatful that we had the turnout that we did since it was a holiday weekend and Kacey had the chance to stand proudly at her table and raise money for the cure she's hoping for.

This coming weekend brings on a car wash! Advance Auto Parts has teamed up with JDRF and they will furnish all the supplies you need to do the car wash (buckets, soap, hoses, car wash, water, towels, etc) and all we have to do is show up! All the proceeds will go to JDRF and our walk team, Diabetes Sweeties. We're so excited! Once again, we will have the table set up and I hope to be better at educating this time!

Tomorrow is back to school and that also means I will be back to substituting and also back to the gym...YAYYYYY!

Great Numbers

I know I will probably jinx myself (as always)...LOL...but I had to share how excited I am about Kacey's numbers lately. I've worked with her CDE and adjusted some basals recently and I think we've got it....FOR NOW! Haha! Diabetes is such a crazy disease! The second you think you've got it, then it takes you for a pitfall and through another loop. I really like these numbers since she's going to be starting back to school next week.

Check out these numbers....

9-1-09 (from 10-1 we were at Busch Gardens and then at 2:30 we had the meeting with her teachers so excitement was working on her)
7:33am- 174
10:57am- 378 (she'd just gotten off a roller coaster at Busch Gardens)
12:47pm- 194
3:02pm- 282
5:57pm- 46 (oops!)
6:14pm- 85
8:32pm- 103
10:16pm- 115
10:52pm- 82 (eat one cookie and don't bolus)

(9-2-09)
2:01am- 125
7:06am- 165
7:58am- 174
12:07pm- 68
3:47pm- 213 (over corrected for the low)
5:03pm- 146
6:22pm- 57
6:38pm- 75 (almost corrected right)
7:38pm- 112 (ok, maybe we got it right!)
9:16pm- 145
11:00pm- 154

(9-3-09 This morning)
4:52am- 166 (oops! I overslept the 2am check)
8:13am- 166
9:26am- 136

Take THAT diabetes!! :)

I want to go into some detail with the low she had on 9-1-09...the 46....this was one of the worst lows she'd ever experienced. We usually have dinner at 5pm. She was playing with her Barbies and wasn't very hungry so she continued to play. I put off making dinner and then at 5:55pm she came out of her room and grabbed her bottle of strips and lancet and plopped on the couch. She gave me the "look" and said her head hurt. She went to put the test strip into Herbie and she bursted into tears. I knelt down beside the couch and asked her what was wrong? She said, "Mommy, I feel like I'm going to pass out!" Hmmmm....she's never passed out before so I don't know how she knew thats how she felt but she said everything was making her dizzy and she didn't feel good. Herbie beeped and she was a 46. Ahhhh ok, so shes low....let's eat! She didn't want much because she said she didn't feel good. She just wanted to make herself a sandwhich and chips. She went into the kitchen with Kayleigh and then about 5min later she came back into the living room and sat down and busted into tears again. Kayleigh came running around the corner and said Kacey told her that she was going to pass out and she couldn't stand. ***TREAT NOW*** I went on and gave her one glucose tab because I didn't want her coming up too fast and then eating and going to the moon. She ate the glucose tab with tears rolling down her face. Kayleigh finished making her lunch and brought it in where we were sitting. Kacey just sat there...so lifeless...the white powder around her mouth from the glucose tab...and her shirt wet from the tears. My heart actually hurt for her. My brain went into fast forward....10 years....15 years down the road. How will Kacey ever be able to live by herself? What happens if she goes too low and theres no one there to help her come around? I know it's a long way off yet but it still weighs on my mind and I know it weighs on hers as well. I've never said anything about my worries to her before and the other day she said to me, "Mommy, when I get married, I am going to marry a man that knows how to take care of my diabetes and before I get married I am going to get a dog like Dixie (thanks Molly!) so you won't worry about me." It's comments like that, that really sting me. But it also made me think even more. Our CDE had said before that teen years were going to be a challenge because her diabetes would be hard to control. She was going to want to act like she didn't have diabetes and forget to bolus for stuff. And it made me wonder...when diabetics are in their late teens/early 20's...is their diabetes out of control because they are more afraid to go low and worry that there is not anyone around to help them? Do they purposely keep their sugars high because the highs are easier to deal with than the lows? Like I said, I know I'm years away from these worries but they are things I think about!

As for me, I go see the Orthopedic doctor at the end of September. He's the same one that took care of my foot fracture and Kacey's broken arm. I really like him! Once I see him then I will have a surgery date (*cry*).

Thanks to everyone for their support! I'll write as I can :) Not typing as much as really helped and I'm not getting as much numbness but I miss blogging so much!

EMG Results & Teacher Meeting

It's hard to believe that a week has passed since I wrote last.

I had my EMG test on my arm. Let me say, thats one of the most painful tests that I've ever had done! The results showed that the nerves in my arm are good but I've got severe carpal tunnel in my right wrist. So...that leaves me with the only option of surgery. I'm not looking forward to it. Typing has become more painful because my hand and fingers go numb so I'm not on here very long anymore. I'll update as I can with surgery details.

I also had the chance to meet with Kacey's teachers this year. I've always heard that 4th grade is a tough year but after meeting all 3 of the teachers, I'm confident that this will be one of her easiest years. They were all very understanding and I'm really looking forward to Kacey going back. I was able to explain highs and lows, all about Herbie, glucose testing and what to expect from Kacey on a daily basis. They were all open and so nice! I had both girls with me. These 3 teachers are the same ones Kayleigh had 6 years ago in 4th grade so they were excited to see her. Kacey showed off Herbie, pulled her shirt up to show off her tummy site, showed them how she tests her sugar and she acted so confident with herself. I can't believe how easy this was compared to last year. I went into the school last year as a scared Mommy but this year I went in feeling much safer. I know Kacey can care for herself and she's grown by leaps and bounds this past year. We go back to school for Open House on Thursday and then school starts back next Tuesday!

It's gonna be a GREAT year!