Results Are In

Today has been more chaos than I thought it would be!

Last week, Kacey's Endo office called to reschedule her check up appointment because on the 18th, there was a conflict with several doctors using the same office at the same time. So the receptionist asked if we could come on the 19th instead. I agreed the 19th would be better because at the time she was going to the dermatology appointment as well and it would only be one lost day of school. This morning, the NP that we were scheduled to see called my cell phone and asked me if I'd like to take one of the appointments at the Newport News office (40min drive) tomorrow instead of the Norfolk office (1hr 30min drive) today. Ummm....NORFOLK OFFICE?!?! We changed appointments and they scheduled us for the wrong office! :( I'd already taken Kacey out of school for the day and so we decided to keep the Norfolk appointment and just make the drive. This meant we had to rush around because it was already 11:30am and we still needed to get ready!

We made it to the hospital at 1:42pm....the appt was at 1:45pm!! Whew! I got Kacey registered in and we only waited about 5 minutes before they called her back. Why, oh why, did I have this knot in my throat? I knew her A1c had gone up but I wasn't prepared for HOW MUCH! They took her stats...everything perfect. Her height and weight are in sync and there's nothing to be concerned about. She's growing fine and developing as she should. This is the first time the nurse gave Kacey the clip board and asked her to answer the first 3 questions at the top by herself. WOW! Kacey was so excited to do a "big girl" thing. Here are her questions and answers...

We sat and looked over her pump settings and she tweaked those overnight basals some more because I'm still correcting those 2am sugar checks. She said her sugars during the day are wonderful compared to what they were prior to the carb ratio and correction factor changes so we're going to leave those alone for now. I did ask to speak to someone in more detail about using the Extended and Combo dosing. We've been at this pump thing for almost a year now and we always use the straight bolus and when she eats the pizzas and pastas, her numbers are out of control and I think thats whats causing her to keep those highs. We were thrilled to hear that our favorite CDE was working and she popped in to see us. She sat with us and explained how to use those boluses in more detail and I think I'm confident enough to start using them.

The results of her A1c..... 8.6%

YUK!! I'm so disappointed! I know I shouldn't be because I couldn't control what happened to her body the last month, but I am. I tried not to let Kacey see how much it upset me. Our NP explained to Kacey that she went through ANOTHER growth spurt... 1/2 inch so she's now 56 1/2 inches tall and she also started her period so that made her hormones go crazy and so it was expected for her A1c to go up. She told us we were still doing a great job and to keep testing and trying to keep her sugars as in range as we could. ***sigh***

Before we left, we had to go to the lab for more bloodwork. We stopped off at the restroom first because Kacey was so nervous that she had to go. When we got into the lab, the first thing they did was hand us a pee cup....HAHAHA! I knew she wouldn't be able to go so they did her bloodwork first and then we tried again. Nope! Nada! Nothing! I tried running the water. I danced around the bathroom trying to make her laugh so she would have to pee....still NOTHING! So we had to pass on the pee test and they'll just have to deal with it ;)

So there ya have it....up ONE FULL POINT since October! We have until May to bring it back down...fingers crossed!

Dreaded Report Card

Tomorrow is our D-report card day! Kacey goes to the Endo at 1:45pm and I'm REALLY not looking forward to it...wait...I never am! It's just a reminder of how rough those sugars have been and I really don't need to be reminded. I was sitting here thinking earlier....it was this time ONE YEAR AGO that we were making the decision for the pump and getting the green light for pump class. Amazing! It's hard to believe that Herbie will be celebrating his 1yr birthday in just two months. Heck, it's even harder to believe that Kacey will be celebrating her 10th birthday in less than 2 months! For those of you out there that are still torn on whether the pump is right for you....take the leap! It will be the best decision you ever made for yourself or your child. It's a scary process but it's a process that I'd go through again in a heartbeat. We LOVE Herbie and I can't even begin to think about taking Kacey back to shots!

Kacey was also scheduled to have the warts burned off her feet. Well, I was just getting her into the bath and I asked to check her feet. Ummm....the place we put the medicine on is peeling off and where it was all inflamed is all dried up. I got a nail file and gently buffed where the warts were and I can see the black part!! Something inside me is saying "Cancel the appt and don't go with the burning!" You know what happens when you get that naggy Mommy voice inside. So I think I'm gonna cancel the appt and see how this heals up and if they go away. I'm scared to mess with her feet and burning a wart causes a sore, right? Diabetics shouldn't have sores on their feet! So yeah, the naggy voice is winning and if I need to make her another appt then I will.

More on sleepovers....Kayleigh's friend, Kerri, ended up staying another night with us! They were off of school today and she brought extra clothes. She didn't bring them with the intent on staying but since she had them and because she was such a joy to have around, I told Kayleigh she could stay one more night. All 3 of the girls were like kids in a candy shop! This is the first friend that Kayleigh has invited over that actually included Kacey in what they were doing and didn't mind having her around. Usually the other girls tell Kayleigh to kick Kacey out and then it all ends in tears. Maybe thats why it was such a joy! I was laying on the couch with Frankie last night watching TV and we couldn't believe how well the girls were getting along. They played hide and seek though the house, played games on the laptop and even made dinner and dessert! Since they had the day off and we didn't meet my Mom on Saturday for breakfast like we usually do, we decided to do that today and take Kerri with us! She was shy at first but she quickly warmed up to my Mom and was calling her "Nae" by the end of the afternoon. We went to breakfast and then out shopping like usual. It was like having a 3rd daughter along for the ride and Mom couldn't believe how well mannered she was. It was SOOOOO much fun! We even took the girls in a store called Plato's Closet. It's a thrift store that sells nothing but gently used brand name stuff (Aeropostle, Hollister, American Eagle, etc). They had a ball! :) We didn't give Kerri back until 3:30pm today and it didn't even feel like we had her for 48 hours. LOL! We all giggled because this is the first friend that Kayleigh invited over that I didn't rush out the door at 10am the next morning.

What a wonderful 3 day weekend for us! It's back to normal schedule for Kayleigh tomorrow and Kacey get's one more day to relax :) I'll update after the Endo appointment!

Sleepovers!

Tis the season for....SLEEPOVERS!

With the holidays behind us and the newness of all the toys wearing off, it's time for friends again! Both my girls are total opposites when it comes to being social. Kayleigh has always been very quiet and holds just a few close friends, while Kacey is my social butterfly and she's friends with everyone.

Kayleigh started having sleepovers when she was about 7-8 years old. All her birthday parties would end with girls asking their Moms to stay or they'd just bring their stuff to stay because they'd have so much fun playing that they wouldn't want to leave. She used to have a very close group of friends that came over a few times a month during her middle school years. As she got into high school, she quickly found out that those friends were not her "true" friends and they drifted apart. The sleepovers dwindled and the house was quiet. This year has been a trying year for Kayleigh with friends. She's now very aware that there are some people she doesn't want to hang out with for one reason or another and she's becoming very choosy about her friends. She doesn't want her name mixed in with the wrong crowd and I'm thankful that she's able to see that at such a young age. She began to talk about a select group of "new" friends. One girl in particular named Kerri. They have the same lunch block and so they eat together every day. They're also in Culinary together so she's been an ear for Kayleigh. Kerri moved here this year, she's kind of quiet just like Kayleigh, shares the same interests as Kayleigh and doesn't have many friends either. In fact, before they knew that they had lunch together, Kerri ate with one other girl. I remember how difficult it was to make friends in high school and things are even harder in this day in time! Kids are so cruel! So, when Kay and Kerri started talking, it was instant friendship! She's been talking about her alot and she asked if Kerri could come over to visit. So we arranged for her to come over.

Kacey on the other hand, has never had a sleepover. With the diagnosis of diabetes happening around the time that she'd start having friends come over, it's not been something we've really ventured into. Kacey is about 10 times more social than Kayleigh! She's the child that walks down the hallway at school and everyone waves to her or they're yelling "HI KACEY!" She's got many friends and they've come to visit but none that we've ever asked to sleep over....until now! Kacey has become really good friends with my friend Jill's daughter, Elaina. Jill and I met when we were in high school. We both played softball and traveled in the same circle of friends but we never hung out together then. It wasn't until Kacey started playing softball that we met back up. Jill's oldest son is the same age as Kacey and they ended up on the same team. Yes, the team she was playing on when she was diagnosed *sad*. Jill's husband and Frankie have been friends since they were little so when we all met back up, it was one of those "AH-HA!" moments. Our families meshed well! Jill and I went through the sub class together and we're both sub's in the school system now. So Elaina and Kacey ended up becoming really good friends since we've started hanging out together and they've been planning a sleepover.

Last night, both girls invited their friends over. Kayleigh invited Kerri and Kacey invited Elaina. I doubled the girls in the house and can you believe there wasn't a single agrument! They were all occupied and having tons of fun! I knew as soon as we met Kerri that she was a sweetie! She's much more quiet than the friends Kayleigh had come over before so for a while I was having to check on them because it was so quiet. She's so polite and those little "thank-you's" go a long way in our house! This morning, the girls got up and we all had breakfast. Frankie and I cooked for them all. After they finished breakfast, they all got dressed and they wanted to take some fun pictures. Kayleigh and Kerri went to do their hair and when they came out, Kerri was thrilled about being able to use a wide flat iron on her long hair. She said she had one of those skinny ones and because her hair is so curly, it takes so long to make her hair straight. They went into the other room and I could hear them in there acting all giddy about how pretty her hair was. I was sitting on the couch with my coffee and Frankie was kicked back in his recliner. I looked over at him and asked, "Do you think I should give her my old straightener?" His reply....YES! I called Kayleigh into my bathroom without Kerri and asked her if she wanted to give Kerri the straightener because we had a really good one and that one was collecting dust in the drawer as a "backup" and I thought she could use it more. I thought Kayleigh was gonna cry! She started jumping up and down and took off running into the other room where Kerri was. She gave her the straightener and I could hear the giggles and excitement all the way in the living room. Kayleigh came running back in and said Kerri LOVED it and was so excited because she didn't have the money to buy a bigger one and the one she has is just a cheap one from the dollar store. *sigh* So why does my heart feel like it's about to bust? She's such a nice girl and getting to know her over the last 24 hours just proves to me that some kids have such a tough life but she's striving to make the best of it. It's also proven to Kayleigh that she needs to be greatful for what she's got because she's got so much more than most kids could ever have! It also showed Kayleigh...if you've got something that you're not using but someone else could use then give it away!

It's 1pm here and this is the first time I've never rushed their friends out! I'd have to say....thats a GOOD thing!

EGG-stra Special Conversation

OK...this is another TMI post so if talking about period bothers you then stop reading now!

I've tried to educate Kacey as much as I can about her period without actually going into too much detail that would scare her or confuse her. I've got another period funny that I have to journal for her so she can laugh later when she grows up. For now, we can be the ones to laugh!!

We found out that she is not alone in her school. There are three other girls in her grade that have already started and so now she doesn't feel so alone. Yesterday, her school nurse gave us the "packet". You know the one you get with the samples of pads, coupons for free pads and the wonderful little booklet that tells you all about the arrival of Aunt Flo and body hair. Yep! That one! I was excited to get it home and actually share it with her since I knew it would be written in terms she could understand...NOT! We started the book with "sweating" and all the stuff that goes along with that. Then the book went into changes in your breasts. Ok, we can handle that. We're doing good! Then the big chapter...Starting Your Period. Ahhhhhhh...the diagrams! So it shows a diagram of the female parts. Kacey sees "eggs" and immediately has a "freak out" moment! "MOMMY! I have eggs inside me???" (scared look on her face) Ohhhhh brother! I can tell where this is headed. So I explain that she does have eggs but they are not the same as chicken eggs. She immediately wells up with tears and asks "Are they gonna hatch?" OK...this is the very moment that as parents we have to laugh and cry at the same time. I literally busted a gut!!! I knew I had to stop because I had to be sensative to her feelings. She was SERIOUS! I wanted to explain this to her so she didn't feel "weird" but yet she had some sort of understanding.

Whew! I wasn't expecting that curve ball, Dear Lord! I've always said God gave me Kacey to keep my sense of humor in check. :) LOL! Boy did she do that this last week!! I've laughed more with her about things she's said and done than I have in a long time. Between all the giggling and questions...one thing is for sure...I've established that there is no such thing as a stupid question and she should never be afraid to ask me what anything means if she's confused about her body. So she smiled at me with this cute little grin and she says, "So Mommy, is a vagina the same thing as a cootie?" *sigh* HYSTERICAL GIGGLES!!!! I give up!!!

For those of you with little girls.....see what you have to look forward to? LOL! And to those of you with boys...I don't know how you're hold a straight face when you finally have the "boy talk" with them?!?!

Period.....HELP!

Boy, oh boy! I'm really needing some help with period questions and diabetes. More TMI....but this is MY blog and if you don't have anything nice to say to help me then STOP reading!

I've really forgotten what it's like to be a little girl with a period and I have no clue how diabetes affects these things. Kacey has been an emotional mess and she ended up home from school today because she's still having some cramping. We're on Day 3 and she's got hardly any bleeding now but I can tell that her body still doesn't know what is going on. Her numbers are a mess! She's gone from 45-300 and then back down again.....and NOT FEEL THEM!!! She told me that she feels crappy but she doesn't know if it's her blood sugars or her period. *sigh* I'm feeling pretty helpless at the moment and I don't know how to make it better. I've tried Motrin and that only seems a temporary fix. I don't know if she can have things like Midol because of her age?!?!

I contacted her CDE and we go back to the end on Jan 19th. I let her know that she started and sent her most recent week of blood sugars by email. With the aggressive changes her blood sugars were not as high this past week and her average was 161....good I guess? Her CDE said not to make any changes and we'll see what happens with her numbers over the next week. She wants me to start charting and looking for trends before/during her periods.

Those of you that are older can probably help me with this! What happened to your numbers when you started your period? How do you deal with the crappy feeling of PMS combined with the crappy feeling of sugar swings? Did any of you start early? How did you handle it?

I contacted Kacey's school nurse this morning and let her know why Kacey was absent today. I told her to give Kacey's teachers a heads up and let them in on whats happening. She doesn't think there is any other girls Kacey's age that have started yet so there isn't another peer that Kacey can turn to yet. I've explained to Kacey already that this isn't something you go blurt out to your classmates because many of them don't even know what it is yet and I know none of the boys understand either. I told her if she has a problem at school she can go to the nurse or to her teachers because they all know. Ugh!

Thats the best way I know to handle it.

JDRF Awards

CONGRATS TEAM DIABETES SWEETIES!!!

Last night was the JDRF Awards Ceremony. It was a beautiful set up, once again! This year, we had my Mom & Brian there along with Kacey's lifelong friend, Hunter and my friend, Jill and her 3 kids. It was nice to have enough people there to fill one of those huge 10 seater tables (plus a chair)!

Our team raised a total amount of $3059.00!!!

Kacey raised a total of $2698.00!!!

We're so thankful to everyone that donated and were so generous with their time to help us raise this money. We couldn't have done it without you!

Kacey received 3 awards. She got the GOLD level award for teams that raise $2500-$5000. She also got the Golden Sneaker Award for raising over $1000 on her own. And.....we won the t-shirt contest!!! They gave her the framed picture in the above pic I took. It was AWESOME!! They matted the picture so we could have everyone from her team sign the mat. How cool is that?!?!

I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone at JDRF for all their hard work putting this event together. We are every thankful for our awards and the gorgeous banquet you provided for us.

I'll post all the pics up on Facebook when I get a chance :)

Uncle Tom & Aunt Flo

They decided to visit Kacey for the FIRST time!

Yes, you heard me right! She started her period! She will be 10 in 2 months and at our October Endo visit, he told us that Kacey was at the start of puberty. I noticed that she'd really started to develop up top but had no clue that her period was so near. I guess her Endo is more experienced with "seeing" it in her numbers than I am. She's been running really high and we've been increasing basals, making corrections EVERY time she tested, changed her carb factor and then he just made those changes this week. I knew he was going to start being more aggressive with her insulin since nothing was bringing her down and keeping her down.

Now for the story.... (those of you that can't handle TMI then STOP reading because I'm putting this in writing for her so she'll have it when she's older)

We had just come home from school. It was a little after 4pm and we were ALL happy it was Friday! I was pretty much emotionally exhausted from the meeting with Kay's principal and both girls were tired from a long week. When we got inside, Kacey put her things away and Kayleigh hopped on the computer. About 10 minutes later, I was talking to Kayleigh about what happened at school when I heard a yell from the bathroom.... "MOMMMMMMMM! COME HEREEEEEEEEEE!" I went running to the bathroom because it wasn't a normal call from Kacey. As I stood in the bathroom doorway, there Kacey sits with pink stained toilet paper in her hand. "Mom, I think my period is here!" I literally felt like my knees were going to buckle under me! It can't be! Did you poop? Maybe it was a hard poop? "NO MOM!" My reply was "OH MY GOODNESS!" Kayleigh came running from the other room cuz she'd heard me and so here we are....all 3 of us in the bathroom. LOL! I giggled thru my tears and told Kacey she was always going to remember this day and all of us in the bathroom. We're going to laugh when she is older about it. Kayleigh and I use the same pads but they aren't going work for Kacey so I put a pantyliner on her and told her we would go to Walmart when Daddy got home. I had to laugh because here I am trying to put it in her panties while Kayleigh stands there in the doorway and they giggled together and Kayleigh says "Welcome to the life of a big girl!" That made me cry even more :(

So then came tons of questions!

Do I keep this pad on all the time? Do I have to wear it for the rest of my life? Do I have to wear it every day? Will I get sick? Will there be alot of blood? My tummy hurts....will it get worse? I have a headache. Does Sissy feel like this when she gets her period too?

HOLY COW! I didn't realize that even as much as I prepared her, there is still TONS of unanswered questions for her! I'm REALLY glad I did have the "talk" with her about her body. After her Endo visit back in October, and he said she was starting puberty, I felt like it was better to prepare her early than to let it go and her be scared to death if she saw blood for the first time. I'm just amazed that her Endo could see it in her numbers. I guess he's been doing this long enough that he could see what was happening.

She wasn't scared at all but after everything settled down, she sorta broke down. I think it was a major mix of emotions. I hugged her while her sister sat there and talked to her. I gave her some Motrin and all 3 of us shared a piece of chocolate since her blood sugar rang in at an 80!

Now for a funny... Once Frankie got home, he got a shower and while we were getting ready to go to Walmart, we were talking about different sizes of pads. Kayleigh and I both use the overnight ones all the time because we're both so self conscious about "leaking" so to make sure we have "coverage" we use those. They are too big for Kacey. We tried pantyliners and those are too small. So I told Kacey we would look to see what different sizes they had since it's been so long since I bought anything different that what I usually get. She looks at me with this serious look and says "Mom, I don't have to try them on at Walmart do I?" HAHAHAHAHA!!! I couldn't stop laughing and she was just as serious as she could be!! So we had to explain that there are some things that you just don't try on.

She started a diary called "My Pearid Book" (spelled exactly how she wrote it) *sigh* The spelling is just another reminder of how she's still teeter tottering between a "little" girl and a "big" girl body. It's bad enough she's got the responsibility of diabetes on her shoulders at 9 years old....now her period!
Not sure how the next few days will go but I'll update how we're handling it soon!

Happy 1/2 Birthday Mom

On this day, 57 years ago....my Mom was born. On this day, 57 years later...she celebrates her 1/2 birthday. What is a HALF birthday, you ask?

Seven years ago when my Mom turned 50, she decided that she no longer wanted to celebrate her birthday on January 5th.

Why Mom?

Because for 50 years she had to celebrate her birthday in the cold. She couldn't have the outdoor cookouts and pool parties. Her birthdays were celebrated inside. She is from Maryland and winters there are very cold and they get snow this time of year. Many of her parties were spent inside while there was snow on the ground. She watched her brother, whose birthday is in July, get what she called "cool parties" and she longed for the day she could have parties like that!

When do you want your birthday to be?

July 4th! So for the last seven years, we've celebrated my Mom's other HALF of her birthday with an outdoor cookout (complete with a bushel of steamed crabs...her favorite!), pool party and of course we end it with amazing fireworks!

Every January 5th, I am allowed to tell her "Happy Birthday" but we don't celebrate her birthday today...we just acknowledge the day she was brought into this world!

So on this day....HAPPY 1/2 BIRTHDAY MOM!

I LOVE YOU BUNCHES!!!!!

Happy New Year

WOW! What a year 2009 was for the West household! We've had so much happen and I thought I'd just do a brief recap of some highlights of 2009. To read more about most of the events mentioned, you can scroll back through my blog by month over at the right. I hope everyone has a very safe and happy new year!

January~
1st JDRF Awards Banquet
Jill goes back to work as a sub teacher
Kacey’s checkup at CHKD
A1c is a 7.3%
Kacey takes fieldtrip to Air & Space Center
Kacey featured in “Nuggets of Wisdom” (Diabetes E-book)
Obama wins
Kacey’s 6 month D-Anniversary
Kacey’s first Science project
Pump choices- Cozmo vs. MiniMed


February~
All 4 of us attend Pump Class
All 4 of us get pump sites put in
Kacey back to CHKD- Flu & dehydration
Diabetes Doll- Amy arrives
Amy gets a pump
More carb ratio changes
Henry dies
Kacey starts testing and doing shots in classroom
“Sugar Sick” – Kacey’s new diabetes term
Celiac test is negative


March~
Kacey turns 9 years old
Frankie turns 41 years old
HERBIE ARRIVES!
Pump class and hook-up
Snow
Took girls to PBR (Professional Bull Riding) show
Cozmo dilemma- Keep Herbie or send him back?
Mellow the Pump Bear is made


April~
Spring Break
Granny has kidney surgery
1st water day with Herbie
504 Plan revised
Kaceys grades slip
Decide to keep Herbie
Kacey gets her first pump alarm in school
Kacey puts Cleo in herself
Nae makes pump packs
Girls Cure Quote


May~
Jill joins the gym
Jill & Frankie celebrate their 10 year Anniversary
Jill fractures her foot
1st Scrapbook day for Jill
Kacey to CHKD for checkup
A1c is a 7.2%
Try out Dexcom for 6 days
Happy 7th Gotcha Day to Kayleigh
Kacey does Y3W at school
Jill gets Mono
Miley has kittens


June~
Kacey breaks her arm
Kacey gets a pink cast
Kacey gets awards at school
School’s out for summer
Kayleigh leaves for 7wks in Hawaii
Kacey gets orange cast
Get Kaceys SOL scores- all PASS ADVANCED
Granny dies


July~
Granny’s funeral
Celebrate 4th of July on the boat
2nd Scrapbook day for Jill
Kacey’s 1st D-Anniversary
Kacey gets cast off
Took Kacey to Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum
Boat Races
Vacation Bible School
1st Blog Anniversary
Bird nest found in the grill
McDonald’s Scare


August~
Kacey to Jumping Joeys
Kayleigh comes home
Frankie’s Aunt moves
3rd Scrapbook day for Jill
Jill’s 34th birthday
Jill gets EMG done for carpal tunnel


September~
Back to school
Jill gets EMG results- severe carpal tunnel
JDRF Fundraising event
Youth Hunt Day
Pump Pack Giveaway
Kacey gets gift from Elliot Yamin
Kayleigh’s 15th birthday
Jill puts off surgery


October~
Tupperware JDRF fundraiser
Kacey checkup at CHKD
A1c is 7.6%
JDRF Car wash
Kacey fieldtrip to Jamestown
Kacey & Jill get their eyes checked
Kacey gets glasses
Jill gets glasses
Kayleigh goes to Homecoming
JDRF Walk to a Cure
Both girls get the flu
Frankie gets the flu
Celebrate Halloween at home


November~
History making Nor’easter
House floods
4th Scrapbook day for Jill
Fall Festival at Kaceys school
Kacey gets H1N1 shot
World Diabetes Day
Herbie falls off
Start of Diabetes Chat
Start of Secret Santa


December~
Family pictures
Necklace from Nicole
Kayleigh gets the H1N1 shot
Kacey gets awards at school
1st annual Cookie Swap
Kaceys correction factor changes
Christmas break begins
Kacey tests Kayleigh’s blood sugar
Blog Award from Lora
Kacey shows positive attitude
Christmas cards to D-Moms
Secret Santa gift from Kathy & Kaitlyn arrives
Kacey shows what 9 months of test strips looks like
New Years Eve party at home

BUSY YEAR!! Here's to a wonderful 2010!!!