"BG is over 500- Check Ketones"
That is the message that came up on "Herbie" last night around 8pm. It's a message that we've never had to deal with before and it really scared us. It took me about an hour to get Kacey to settle down. She kept crying and I couldn't understand why. Through her sniffles, she pleaded not to go back to PICU. Ohhhhh boy! She immediately associated that high with having to go back to the hospital. So I made her a deal *wink* and told her that she wouldn't have to go back to the ER unless she didn't drink water to flush those trace ketones. She immediately downed two bottles of water mixed with Crystal Light and we waited. About 30 min later, she'd dropped to a 451. As soon as she saw the number coming down, she let out a huge sigh and asked for more water. She sipped on another bottle and an hour later she'd dropped to a 355. Whew! She had a really bad headache so I made her a "bed" on the couch and let her go on to sleep there, where I could see her. By 9:30pm, she was down to a 292 and I gave her another correction. She was well on her way to coming back into range. Just another 140 points to go. I ended up dozing off and jumped to my feet when I heard the alarm go off. CRAP! It's 2am!!!!!! I rushed in to the living room and she was sleeping so sound. I ran my hand over her forehead and she was warm again. I didn't have my glasses on but when Herbie showed BG at a 74, I did a double take and then I thought I'd vomit! From over 500 down to a 74....WTF?!?! Talk about shouting "GOOD HELL!!" (thanks Wendy2) It's times like this that you wish you had that damn CGM. I wasn't sure which direction she was going so I gave her one glucose tab. Wait 15 min.... retest.... 97. Ok, so shes coming up but doesn't mean she's gonna stay up. Wait 15 more min....retest.... 114. Still having those pangs in my Mommy gut and couldn't go back to sleep all the way. Reset the alarm to 4am (just in case I doze) get up ....listen to Frankie mumble from the bedroom about "Kacey's poor fingers"...grumble back at him for being an ass at 4am....retest.... 127. Ok....so I can lay back down. Reset the alarm for 6am...get up and retest... 173. Frankie is off work today and I had a sub job for 1/2 day so I went in to work and he kept her at home since her fever was 99.1...ughhhhhh! Now that means no school tomorrow either. THIS SUCKS!
While I was gone, Frankie made her test every hour...LOL!
8am- 225
9am- 334
10am- 415
11am- 258
12pm- 168
How's that for going to the moon and back? UGH! No wonder her head hurts! Mine hurts just thinking about it! I went on and emailed her CDE to see if she could help me any. I'm not sure what to adjust and how much because she's bouncing more than Tigger!
On a good note, her throat is feeling better ....LOL I did end on a good note this time ;)
Hopefully I will hear back from her CDE this afternoon!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Million Dollar Real Estate vs. The Farm
To anyone else, that title wouldn't mean anything but to us it has very special meaning.
Back when Kacey first started pumping, we used to refer to different site places as "real estate". I first heard it called that by Kerri and it was easier for Kacey to understand, "used" or "unused" real estate and where we were going to "build a new house". As time went on, Kacey started to adapt her own meaning of the site placement. Just a few weeks ago, Kacey started to call it "Million Dollar" real estate and "The Farm".
Million Dollar Real Estate~ Her tummy. Thats the "good" spots. It's also the tender spots and where she gets the best blood sugars. That's the expensive stuff ;)
The Farm~ Her back hips. When she needs to give her tummy a break, she likes to have her sites on that fatty part of her hip above her butt cheek. It doesn't hurt quite as bad but she doesn't get as good blood sugars for some reason.
Tonight was site change and because she's been using tons of insulin the last 48 hours, she was down to 7 units in her pump. Usually she has about 15-20 units when it's time to change. I was in washing dishes when she came in and said it was time for site change. I finished up what I was doing and I walked into the living room and she had all the supplies layed out. We have a system and I lay each supply in the same spot before I do anything and then I start the site change. She had it all layed in the right spot and she'd already taken her old site out. She said she was going to surprise me and fill the cartridge but she didn't know how many units to put in it because she's been using more than normal. All I could say was....W-O-W! She'd done all of this on her own and she was READY! This time a year ago, we'd already been to pump class and we were waiting on approval :) Amazing how far she's come in one year!
While I'm filling her cartridge, the first thing I always ask her is, "Are we putting it in Million Dollar real estate or are we going on The Farm?" This way I know how to prep everything. While I was filling her cartridge she piped up and said, "Mom, I think the Million Dollar real estate needs a break and I think we should go grazing out on The Farm." I thought I was gonna crack up laughing! We giggled and I told her that I thought grazing with the cows out there was a perfect idea ;) She then informed me that the Million Dollar real estate was getting crowded and there were too many houses built....as she showed me all her "speckles". I put her new site in her hip and as I pulled out the needle, I moo'd like a cow. We both started giggling again and she said, "Yep! Those cows are happy cuz it didn't hurt!" Ahhhhhhhh! :) I love site changes like this. She's so funny sometimes and even though she's still not feeling 100%, she's still got her sense of humor!
She's finally fever free! Her throat is still a little sore but the white puss is gone and it's just really red. She's played this afternoon, which is always a good sign. So we're going to try going back to school tomorrow and see how it goes. Thanks for all the "get well" wishes :)
****Update****
I don't think she will be going to school tomorrow. She just tested her blood sugar and her pump meter read BG OVER 500!!!! CRAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!! It scared her so bad. She's gone into an emotional tailspin and was crying saying "I'll go back to Million Dollar real estate, I promise" We checked ketones and they are only trace so thats a good sign :( Dammit!!! I hate you Diabetes!
Back when Kacey first started pumping, we used to refer to different site places as "real estate". I first heard it called that by Kerri and it was easier for Kacey to understand, "used" or "unused" real estate and where we were going to "build a new house". As time went on, Kacey started to adapt her own meaning of the site placement. Just a few weeks ago, Kacey started to call it "Million Dollar" real estate and "The Farm".
Million Dollar Real Estate~ Her tummy. Thats the "good" spots. It's also the tender spots and where she gets the best blood sugars. That's the expensive stuff ;)
The Farm~ Her back hips. When she needs to give her tummy a break, she likes to have her sites on that fatty part of her hip above her butt cheek. It doesn't hurt quite as bad but she doesn't get as good blood sugars for some reason.
Tonight was site change and because she's been using tons of insulin the last 48 hours, she was down to 7 units in her pump. Usually she has about 15-20 units when it's time to change. I was in washing dishes when she came in and said it was time for site change. I finished up what I was doing and I walked into the living room and she had all the supplies layed out. We have a system and I lay each supply in the same spot before I do anything and then I start the site change. She had it all layed in the right spot and she'd already taken her old site out. She said she was going to surprise me and fill the cartridge but she didn't know how many units to put in it because she's been using more than normal. All I could say was....W-O-W! She'd done all of this on her own and she was READY! This time a year ago, we'd already been to pump class and we were waiting on approval :) Amazing how far she's come in one year!
While I'm filling her cartridge, the first thing I always ask her is, "Are we putting it in Million Dollar real estate or are we going on The Farm?" This way I know how to prep everything. While I was filling her cartridge she piped up and said, "Mom, I think the Million Dollar real estate needs a break and I think we should go grazing out on The Farm." I thought I was gonna crack up laughing! We giggled and I told her that I thought grazing with the cows out there was a perfect idea ;) She then informed me that the Million Dollar real estate was getting crowded and there were too many houses built....as she showed me all her "speckles". I put her new site in her hip and as I pulled out the needle, I moo'd like a cow. We both started giggling again and she said, "Yep! Those cows are happy cuz it didn't hurt!" Ahhhhhhhh! :) I love site changes like this. She's so funny sometimes and even though she's still not feeling 100%, she's still got her sense of humor!
She's finally fever free! Her throat is still a little sore but the white puss is gone and it's just really red. She's played this afternoon, which is always a good sign. So we're going to try going back to school tomorrow and see how it goes. Thanks for all the "get well" wishes :)
****Update****
I don't think she will be going to school tomorrow. She just tested her blood sugar and her pump meter read BG OVER 500!!!! CRAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!! It scared her so bad. She's gone into an emotional tailspin and was crying saying "I'll go back to Million Dollar real estate, I promise" We checked ketones and they are only trace so thats a good sign :( Dammit!!! I hate you Diabetes!
Strep, Diabetes & Drivers Ed
WOW! What a combo that title is!
I took Kacey to the doctor yesterday morning and she's definately got strep throat. Her poor body is completely worn out. HOLY HIGH NUMBERS BATMAN! She's been hanging out in the 300-400 range for over 24 hours now. She's cried...she's whined...she's been irritable....and this strep is taking a toll on her body. She's not had much of an appetite and I even bought her some V-8 Fusion Light to help get some nutrition in her and build her immune system as much as I can. THIS SUCKS! Just sucks! Seeing her so tired like this gives me flashbacks to 2 years ago before diagnosis. She was so tired all the time and VERY whiney! So what's a Mom to do? Your child feels like crap and theres not a single thing you can do to help them feel better. I hate this helpless feeling! Not sure if she's going to make it back to school tomorrow. Hopefully she starts to feel better by the afternoon.
Last night was the mandatory Drivers Ed- Teen Safe Driving class. YOWSA! I'm certainly glad that only Kayleigh and I went. This was NOT something that smaller children should of seen. It was a presentation about safe driving and what COULD happen if you didn't wear your seat belt, you were speeding, you were drinking and driving or you were talking on a cell phone or texting while driving. YUK! I was doing ok until it got to a photo and the state trooper said, "This is what is left of his head." O-M-G! I turned to Kayleigh and she had a wide eyed look on her face. Yep, that was his brains. Ewwwwww! Thank goodness I didn't eat much for dinner! It was definately an eye-opener. Most of the pictures they showed were from local accidents. One of the accidents they showed wasjust 5 miles from our house and there were 5 kids in the car and 4 out of the 5 were killed. Kay has heard me talk about this accident but this was the first time we were seeing pictures from it. Also SO many things have changed since I took Drivers Ed. We did the class through school and then took the driving part right after we finished the class. Well, the VA laws have changed and when a teen gets their Learners Permit, they have to hold it for 9 months before they can take the Behind The Wheel part and it's $125 and taken AFTER school. During that 9 months, the parents are given a book (which we got last night) and it's a 45 hour training book. Its divided into sections and each section is a 2 hour session that should be broken into 4- 30min sessions of training. During these sessions, we are teaching our teen how to drive. YIKES!!! We have 9 months to complete it, then she takes Behind The Wheel with an instructor and then she's given a 180-day provisional license once she shows proof that she's taken the class at school, gone to the presentation we went to last night, completed the 45 hour book and passed the Behind The Wheel. During that 180 days, she still cannot have anyone under 18 in the car with her, she cant drive after 9pm (unless an adult is with her) and absolutely NO driving from 12am-4am. Once that 180 days is up, we will get a notice to appear in court and we have to go before a judge who then issues her a VA State Drivers License. AHHHHHHH!!! I'm REALLY not ready for this! After we left the presentation last night, it was silent in the car. She then spoke up and said, "I don't want J to pick me up and drive me to school now." (J is a friend of hers that got her license not long ago) and I asked her why. She went on to talk about how much that presentation really made her stop and think. YAYYYYY! There were over 100 people there last night and if they got through to just ONE student then they've accomplished something. They definately got through to my daughter! I take Kay to get her Learner's Permit on March 29th. I'll update more about that then.
Kay has a busy week this week. She's got 2 really big cakes going out on Saturday. One of them is a rainbow cake which I know is gonna be REALLY cool. It's a layer cake and each layer is a color of the rainbow. Then she's got a two tier baby shower cake to do. So watch for new pics of those! :)
I also just signed the final copy of her schedule for 11th grade. Yep, I cried again when I signed it. I just can't believe how fast these days are flying! This is what she is taking:
*English 11
*U.S. History
*Algebra 2
*Chemistry
*Accounting
*Culinary 2
She's going to have a very full and busy schedule! Good news....No More Spanish!!! She's done her 3.5 years that she needs for her Advanced Diploma and so she's thrilled! She's done well with Spanish 3 this year and she's holding a solid B in that class. I'm very pleased to see that she pushed through it and made it.
More updates to come!
I took Kacey to the doctor yesterday morning and she's definately got strep throat. Her poor body is completely worn out. HOLY HIGH NUMBERS BATMAN! She's been hanging out in the 300-400 range for over 24 hours now. She's cried...she's whined...she's been irritable....and this strep is taking a toll on her body. She's not had much of an appetite and I even bought her some V-8 Fusion Light to help get some nutrition in her and build her immune system as much as I can. THIS SUCKS! Just sucks! Seeing her so tired like this gives me flashbacks to 2 years ago before diagnosis. She was so tired all the time and VERY whiney! So what's a Mom to do? Your child feels like crap and theres not a single thing you can do to help them feel better. I hate this helpless feeling! Not sure if she's going to make it back to school tomorrow. Hopefully she starts to feel better by the afternoon.
Last night was the mandatory Drivers Ed- Teen Safe Driving class. YOWSA! I'm certainly glad that only Kayleigh and I went. This was NOT something that smaller children should of seen. It was a presentation about safe driving and what COULD happen if you didn't wear your seat belt, you were speeding, you were drinking and driving or you were talking on a cell phone or texting while driving. YUK! I was doing ok until it got to a photo and the state trooper said, "This is what is left of his head." O-M-G! I turned to Kayleigh and she had a wide eyed look on her face. Yep, that was his brains. Ewwwwww! Thank goodness I didn't eat much for dinner! It was definately an eye-opener. Most of the pictures they showed were from local accidents. One of the accidents they showed wasjust 5 miles from our house and there were 5 kids in the car and 4 out of the 5 were killed. Kay has heard me talk about this accident but this was the first time we were seeing pictures from it. Also SO many things have changed since I took Drivers Ed. We did the class through school and then took the driving part right after we finished the class. Well, the VA laws have changed and when a teen gets their Learners Permit, they have to hold it for 9 months before they can take the Behind The Wheel part and it's $125 and taken AFTER school. During that 9 months, the parents are given a book (which we got last night) and it's a 45 hour training book. Its divided into sections and each section is a 2 hour session that should be broken into 4- 30min sessions of training. During these sessions, we are teaching our teen how to drive. YIKES!!! We have 9 months to complete it, then she takes Behind The Wheel with an instructor and then she's given a 180-day provisional license once she shows proof that she's taken the class at school, gone to the presentation we went to last night, completed the 45 hour book and passed the Behind The Wheel. During that 180 days, she still cannot have anyone under 18 in the car with her, she cant drive after 9pm (unless an adult is with her) and absolutely NO driving from 12am-4am. Once that 180 days is up, we will get a notice to appear in court and we have to go before a judge who then issues her a VA State Drivers License. AHHHHHHH!!! I'm REALLY not ready for this! After we left the presentation last night, it was silent in the car. She then spoke up and said, "I don't want J to pick me up and drive me to school now." (J is a friend of hers that got her license not long ago) and I asked her why. She went on to talk about how much that presentation really made her stop and think. YAYYYYY! There were over 100 people there last night and if they got through to just ONE student then they've accomplished something. They definately got through to my daughter! I take Kay to get her Learner's Permit on March 29th. I'll update more about that then.
Kay has a busy week this week. She's got 2 really big cakes going out on Saturday. One of them is a rainbow cake which I know is gonna be REALLY cool. It's a layer cake and each layer is a color of the rainbow. Then she's got a two tier baby shower cake to do. So watch for new pics of those! :)
I also just signed the final copy of her schedule for 11th grade. Yep, I cried again when I signed it. I just can't believe how fast these days are flying! This is what she is taking:
*English 11
*U.S. History
*Algebra 2
*Chemistry
*Accounting
*Culinary 2
She's going to have a very full and busy schedule! Good news....No More Spanish!!! She's done her 3.5 years that she needs for her Advanced Diploma and so she's thrilled! She's done well with Spanish 3 this year and she's holding a solid B in that class. I'm very pleased to see that she pushed through it and made it.
More updates to come!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Getting To Know Me
Ok Shamae....I read your post so here goes....
1. I like to be in charge and organize events but I don't like to stand up and take the credit for it. I like being in the "behind the scenes" role because I don't do well with crowds and speaking in front of people.
2. Whenever we go out to eat, I can never have my back to the door. LOL! Guess I'm too nosey and I have to sit facing the people walking in.
3. I'm a nail biter...always have been and probably always will be. I don't bite them as bad as I did but I can't seem to let my nails go past my finger tips so that means I never have my nails painted (unless we're taking pictures for something) because they don't last.
4. I love coffee! When I stay at home, I drink the whole pot throughout the day and sometimes put on a fresh pot around 4pm and drink it before bed. I have to drink it with creamer and splenda. If I'm out of one or the other then I won't drink it.
5. I hate the smell of vanilla. Vanilla everything....room spray, candles, body spray, lotion and even the coffee creamer! Blech!
6. Over the last few months, I've developed a sensitivity to room sprays and body sprays. I can't be in the room when they are sprayed or shortly after because I start the "asthma cough" and just a month ago I had a full blown attack and had to puff my inhaler twice after my husband sprayed too much body spray when he got out of the shower.
7. I collect Willow Tree Angels. I have 13 of them now and each one has a special meaning and I know that meaning for every one of them :)
8. It took me over a year to accept that someone other than me was capable of caring for Kacey after her diagnosis. I'm a very protective Momma and I was wrestling with the fact that no one could take care of her like I do.
9. I sell AVON. I've been doing it for about 9 years now. After I quit my job teaching, I wanted something to occupy my time (yeah a new baby with colic and reflux wasnt enough...LOL) I've always worn their products and so I figured it would give me a discount on what I was wearing and also give me some extra spending money. I've thought about giving it up since sometimes it's a headache but my customers look forward to getting their books every 2 weeks so I keep it up.
10. I carry my camera everywhere! I'm always worried that I won't have it at one of those moments when I wish I had so I just make it a habit of tossing it in my purse. I've managed to catch some of those thankful moments over the years.
11. Yearbooks & School Pictures. It's something my Mom always made a priority in my life and I've carried on the same with my girls. I have all my yearbooks and still enjoy looking back at them and what was written. I also have an 8x10 of every single school picture from Pre-K-12th grade. My Mom put them in an album for me. I've done the same for my girls. I order the pack of pictures where I can get one 8x10 and they've both gotten a yearbook every year since they started Kindergarten.
12. My favorite candy is Ferrero Rocher and to this day my husband can go pick it out but he calls them "Fresha Rose-a" (long a sound...and the rest sounds like I spelled it) It's hilarious because he knows thats not what they are called but he can never remember the name of them.
13. My nickname is "Sunshine" and I've got a small collection of "Little Miss SUnshine" things. I've always loved that little yellow character! My Grandaddy gave me that nickname when I was a baby and he used to sing the "You Are My Sunshine" song to me. Another weird fact....my name came from a book called "Sunshine" My Mom was going to name me Kelly Jean until she read the book and the little girls name was Jill. She bought the book and gave it to me when I was old enough to read it and understand it.
14. I have 2 tattoos and ever since I took Kayleigh to get her belly button pierced in the same shop I got my tatts done in, I've been thinking about getting another one. Not sure what I want yet or where I wanna put it, but I've got the itch to get "inked" again!
15. I get my feelings hurt very easily and I take everything said to heart. I've always been a people pleaser and when things don't go the way I hope they would then I get bent out of shape. I also get very upset if I think I've hurt someone elses feelings and I feel that I have to apologize and try and make things better as fast as I can. LOL...bottom line....I don't like people being mad at me :)
16. I was driving with Kayleigh last weekend and had these vivid flashbacks. I remember my Mom at the same age that I am now. It was a scary moment because it doesn't seem that long ago since I was Kayleigh's age and I remember loving music and singing along to every song on the radio and my Mom just humming because she didn't know the words. Guess what? I was actually doing that when Kayleigh was belting out the words!!!!
17. I can't seem to accept the fact that I've got gray hair growing in. I put dye on it and within about 3 weeks, I've got more showing through. ***blush*** So I took the tweezers and pulled out 4 of them!!!
18. I miss my minivan. After having to deliver Kayleigh's cakes in a car last week, I've come to the conclusion that I NEED another van! I never thought I'd miss it this much but I do! We're hoping to run across a deal soon and get another one :)
19. Tonight I have to attend the Drivers Ed Safety class with Kayleigh. I can't believe this day has finally arrived and that in about 5 more weeks she will be getting her Learner's Permit. It scares me to think that in only 2 short years she will be graduating!
20. And last but not least....I'm a doodler! I like to draw silly pictures when I'm talking on the phone and if I've called a number out of the phone book then I doodle all over the page that I called from. I keep a notepad on my desk beside my keyboard that I write all over. Usually it's stars and flowers but sometimes I will write my name and draw out from it.
There ya go Shamae! LOL! Some weird and some normal ;) Anyone else reading this, I encourage you to take Shamae's challenge and blog your own "Get To Know Me" :) That was fun!
1. I like to be in charge and organize events but I don't like to stand up and take the credit for it. I like being in the "behind the scenes" role because I don't do well with crowds and speaking in front of people.
2. Whenever we go out to eat, I can never have my back to the door. LOL! Guess I'm too nosey and I have to sit facing the people walking in.
3. I'm a nail biter...always have been and probably always will be. I don't bite them as bad as I did but I can't seem to let my nails go past my finger tips so that means I never have my nails painted (unless we're taking pictures for something) because they don't last.
4. I love coffee! When I stay at home, I drink the whole pot throughout the day and sometimes put on a fresh pot around 4pm and drink it before bed. I have to drink it with creamer and splenda. If I'm out of one or the other then I won't drink it.
5. I hate the smell of vanilla. Vanilla everything....room spray, candles, body spray, lotion and even the coffee creamer! Blech!
6. Over the last few months, I've developed a sensitivity to room sprays and body sprays. I can't be in the room when they are sprayed or shortly after because I start the "asthma cough" and just a month ago I had a full blown attack and had to puff my inhaler twice after my husband sprayed too much body spray when he got out of the shower.
7. I collect Willow Tree Angels. I have 13 of them now and each one has a special meaning and I know that meaning for every one of them :)
8. It took me over a year to accept that someone other than me was capable of caring for Kacey after her diagnosis. I'm a very protective Momma and I was wrestling with the fact that no one could take care of her like I do.
9. I sell AVON. I've been doing it for about 9 years now. After I quit my job teaching, I wanted something to occupy my time (yeah a new baby with colic and reflux wasnt enough...LOL) I've always worn their products and so I figured it would give me a discount on what I was wearing and also give me some extra spending money. I've thought about giving it up since sometimes it's a headache but my customers look forward to getting their books every 2 weeks so I keep it up.
10. I carry my camera everywhere! I'm always worried that I won't have it at one of those moments when I wish I had so I just make it a habit of tossing it in my purse. I've managed to catch some of those thankful moments over the years.
11. Yearbooks & School Pictures. It's something my Mom always made a priority in my life and I've carried on the same with my girls. I have all my yearbooks and still enjoy looking back at them and what was written. I also have an 8x10 of every single school picture from Pre-K-12th grade. My Mom put them in an album for me. I've done the same for my girls. I order the pack of pictures where I can get one 8x10 and they've both gotten a yearbook every year since they started Kindergarten.
12. My favorite candy is Ferrero Rocher and to this day my husband can go pick it out but he calls them "Fresha Rose-a" (long a sound...and the rest sounds like I spelled it) It's hilarious because he knows thats not what they are called but he can never remember the name of them.
13. My nickname is "Sunshine" and I've got a small collection of "Little Miss SUnshine" things. I've always loved that little yellow character! My Grandaddy gave me that nickname when I was a baby and he used to sing the "You Are My Sunshine" song to me. Another weird fact....my name came from a book called "Sunshine" My Mom was going to name me Kelly Jean until she read the book and the little girls name was Jill. She bought the book and gave it to me when I was old enough to read it and understand it.
14. I have 2 tattoos and ever since I took Kayleigh to get her belly button pierced in the same shop I got my tatts done in, I've been thinking about getting another one. Not sure what I want yet or where I wanna put it, but I've got the itch to get "inked" again!
15. I get my feelings hurt very easily and I take everything said to heart. I've always been a people pleaser and when things don't go the way I hope they would then I get bent out of shape. I also get very upset if I think I've hurt someone elses feelings and I feel that I have to apologize and try and make things better as fast as I can. LOL...bottom line....I don't like people being mad at me :)
16. I was driving with Kayleigh last weekend and had these vivid flashbacks. I remember my Mom at the same age that I am now. It was a scary moment because it doesn't seem that long ago since I was Kayleigh's age and I remember loving music and singing along to every song on the radio and my Mom just humming because she didn't know the words. Guess what? I was actually doing that when Kayleigh was belting out the words!!!!
17. I can't seem to accept the fact that I've got gray hair growing in. I put dye on it and within about 3 weeks, I've got more showing through. ***blush*** So I took the tweezers and pulled out 4 of them!!!
18. I miss my minivan. After having to deliver Kayleigh's cakes in a car last week, I've come to the conclusion that I NEED another van! I never thought I'd miss it this much but I do! We're hoping to run across a deal soon and get another one :)
19. Tonight I have to attend the Drivers Ed Safety class with Kayleigh. I can't believe this day has finally arrived and that in about 5 more weeks she will be getting her Learner's Permit. It scares me to think that in only 2 short years she will be graduating!
20. And last but not least....I'm a doodler! I like to draw silly pictures when I'm talking on the phone and if I've called a number out of the phone book then I doodle all over the page that I called from. I keep a notepad on my desk beside my keyboard that I write all over. Usually it's stars and flowers but sometimes I will write my name and draw out from it.
There ya go Shamae! LOL! Some weird and some normal ;) Anyone else reading this, I encourage you to take Shamae's challenge and blog your own "Get To Know Me" :) That was fun!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Love Is In The Air
Happy Valentine’s Day!L-O-V-E
It’s a four letter word that often gets misused or taken for granted. We’ve all over used it at one time or another… “I just love….” or even saying “I love you.” and not meaning it. Valentine’s day has always been a day I wasn’t fond of. A day to tell and show your wife, husband or significant other how much you love them. Why can’t EVERY day be Valentine’s day? Why do we have to show it once a year in February? I’d much rather my husband show me he loves me on a day other than February 14th! OK…off my soapbox now….lol! On Friday, Kacey’s class exchanged vaelntines. Once you get to 4th grade, there are no time for parties. Which is sad but true! I’ve mentioned Kacey’s “friend”, Hunter, before. They’ve been friends since…well….before birth. They were inseperable in preschool for 2 years and then when they went to Kindergarten, they were in different classes. They still played together on the playground but that was the only time they saw one another unless it was to wave across the lunchroom at one another. By 1st-3rd grade, they were playing in their own circle of same gender friends. Boys were…”yucky”. Hunter’s parents are friends of ours and his dad and Frankie have been friends since they were little. So during this time, we still saw them but Kacey & Hunter had lost that closeness they had when they were little. Then came Open House this year. We walked into the classroom and there sat Hunter with his Dad. They were finally back together again! All of a sudden, it was like they were never apart. They played together every day on the playground and when it was raining outside and they couldn’t go out, they played games together in the classroom. The only thing they didn’t do was eat lunch together. All of the boys sat at one table and all the girls sat at another. Each class gets 2 tables and they didn’t eat together. Right before the walk last year, Kacey came home so excited. Hunter had come over to her table to eat with her. That was the beginning of such a special friendship….AGAIN. This time it was a bit different though. Hunter hadn’t been around much of the last 2 years so he didn’t know what “diabetes” involved. He joined her walk team and supported her the day of the walk by walking with her for the entire time. It wasn’t long before he was sitting beside her at the table, not across from her. He was curious. The questions came and Kacey answered them with such grace. “What is a pump?”, “Why do you have to do that?”, “Does it hurt?”, “Can you still eat cookies?” and many more. Each day she would come home talking about “educating” Hunter and how happy she was that she had a friend that WANTED to know about diabetes. Why was he different from any of her other friends? Why did she feel so elated when he’d ask if she “felt ok”? Because he genuinely cared, that’s why! He wanted to learn about her diabetes so when they played together and she said she didn’t feel well then he could help her. To have a friend like that is just a gem! She said when they play, he always asks her if she feels ok or he’ll ask her if she’s been in range. These are questions that normal kids wouldn’t ask one another but two friends that are joined like this would. No, he doesn’t have diabetes but he gets it. He cares. Christmas came and they exchanged “special” presents with one another. I could see the special bond between them. They were just like they were when they were in preschool. Wherever Kacey was, Hunter wasn’t far behind. They walked together at Walk-n-Talk every day and it was such a neat thing to watch. Then…Valentine’s Day. She spent the days before making Valentine’s for all her friends but then came Hunter. She asked if she could get him something special. Then she went in her room and came out with one of the sweetest notes that I’d ever seen written. I couldn’t let this note disappear into the hands of someone else without having a copy of it for safe keeping. I took a picture of it. Was it her first love note? Was it just a heartfelt note to a friend? I don’t know! It’s such an innocent kind of friendship and love they have for one another. They’re so sweet together! She took him a stuffed dog with 3 different pictures she made him. Then I got a message from his mom asking if Kacey could come to his birthday party on Saturday. Hunter did NOT want any girls there, except Kacey. Honestly, I don’t think they think of gender when they are together. They’re ….FRIENDS. That’s what makes this so sweet and innocent. I know she will laugh later in life when she sees what she wrote and she’ll probably be embarrassed that I shared it but she’ll get over it!
Now…changing subjects…
I saw one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long while. “Julie & Julia”. It touched me in more ways and inspired me so much! There has always been a love of cooking in our house. Ever since I was a little girl, I have such fond kitchen memories of baking with my Mom and that followed through with Kayleigh. She’s become quite a little baker and her love of cake decorating is in full bloom! This movie combined two of my favorite things….cooking and blogging! I had to giggle when she first talked about blogging and I remember the feelings I felt when I first started blogging (almost 2 years ago). I blogged daily…sometimes twice a day. Over the last few months, I’ve not been as good at blogging because of my carpal tunnel. I REALLY needed that break from all the typing because it was taking a toll and I was in so much pain that surgery seemed my only option but I knew if I left the long blog posts for a bit then I could manage the pain with some meds and then come back to it once these nerves settled down in my wrist. It worked! I’m doing MUCH better with it. Back to the movie…so Julie vowed to blog 365 days and make it through Julia Childs entire recipe book of over 500 recipes. It was so heartwarming and a wonderful movie. If you haven’t seen it then it’s a MUST if you love cooking…or blogging! I giggled when she got her first blog comments. When she finally knew that someone other than her mother was reading her blog. I remember those feelings! It was nice to know that your voice didn’t go unheard in blog world.
Speaking of baking…Kayleigh has been pretty busy with her cakes lately. She got several orders for Valentine’s Day. She’s getting so much practice! She has 2 orders due this week and then she’s got 7 orders for Easter already! Here are a few of the cakes she’s done lately.
Not bad for only being 15 years old! :) She's doing fantastic!
Hope you all had a wonderful day!
Monday, February 8, 2010
When The SAINTS Go Marching
CONGRATS to the SAINTS as they take home their FIRST EVER SuperBowl win!!!
I was glued through the whole game and continued to cheer for the Saints as they pushed through and won the game. I must admit, the emotional moment that Drew Brees shared with his son on the field make me choke up! The commercials were hilarious :) some of the best I've seen yet!
Way to go Saints! You deserve this win!!!!
I was glued through the whole game and continued to cheer for the Saints as they pushed through and won the game. I must admit, the emotional moment that Drew Brees shared with his son on the field make me choke up! The commercials were hilarious :) some of the best I've seen yet!
Way to go Saints! You deserve this win!!!!
Lizzie Update
I got this email from Lizzie as an update and my heart goes out to her :(
~~~~~~
jill,
Thanks so much for posting that on your blog! I have a few updates and clarifications for you since we first talked. 1. I have gotten a hold of two paradigm reserviors that use luer lock sets so last resort I could reuse those for a while since luer lock sets are way easier to come by. 2. I do have a blog, just not a dblog, www.ailoveineverimagined.blogspot.com in case you or someone else is interested in hearing a little more about me. 3. I'm not eligible for any kind of government assistance. I was emancipated from my mother when I saw sixteen (long story) and that forfetted all my rights to any government assistance programs. 4 my daddy passed away thursday night just 24 hours shy of his birthday.
thanks so much for your help!
lizzie
~~~~~~
Lizzie~
You are in my thoughts and prayers as you move forward without your Dad. (((HUGS)))
~~~~~~
jill,
Thanks so much for posting that on your blog! I have a few updates and clarifications for you since we first talked. 1. I have gotten a hold of two paradigm reserviors that use luer lock sets so last resort I could reuse those for a while since luer lock sets are way easier to come by. 2. I do have a blog, just not a dblog, www.ailoveineverimagined.blogspot.com in case you or someone else is interested in hearing a little more about me. 3. I'm not eligible for any kind of government assistance. I was emancipated from my mother when I saw sixteen (long story) and that forfetted all my rights to any government assistance programs. 4 my daddy passed away thursday night just 24 hours shy of his birthday.
thanks so much for your help!
lizzie
~~~~~~
Lizzie~
You are in my thoughts and prayers as you move forward without your Dad. (((HUGS)))
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Test Strip Pics Go Green!
I've been meaning to share this for a while now and since we're snowed in and Kacey is going to start working on test strip pictures again, I feel like it's time to share it.
A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a blogger I'd never met before. His name is Ron and his blog is The Poor Diabetic. He sent me the nicest email asking more information about the test strip pictures that Kacey makes. He was doing a blog post about "Going Green" and wanted permission to write about her. I was dumbfounded! OF COURSE you can write about her!
You can read the article--- HERE!
Thank you Ron for such a special post!
A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a blogger I'd never met before. His name is Ron and his blog is The Poor Diabetic. He sent me the nicest email asking more information about the test strip pictures that Kacey makes. He was doing a blog post about "Going Green" and wanted permission to write about her. I was dumbfounded! OF COURSE you can write about her!
You can read the article--- HERE!
Thank you Ron for such a special post!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
D-Community Help
I received an email that really touched my heart and I thought I'd share it with the D-Community in case anyone could help. Unfortunately since we use Cozmo, we're of no help to Lizzie. She uses a MiniMed 512 insulin pump. She doesn't have a D-blog but she does read several of our blogs. She's from Kansas and I just felt like I needed to share this in case anyone out there was able to help her.
~~~~~
Jill,
I've been reading your blog for a while now and I have just found it so encouraging. I am a college student and I was diagnosed when I was 6. I have been under my dad's insurance up until two weeks ago when my dad lost his insurance. He has been unable to work for the past 6 months due to stage 4 cancer. As a college student, my funds are very limited and I was wondering if you know of any resources to help get me buy until I figure something out. I am currently pumping and trying to avoid going back to shots at all costs. I'm certainly willing to if it come down to it, but I thought I would try reaching out to the d-community for possible suggestions first.
Thank so much,
Lizzie Poe
~~~~~
If there is anyone that is able to help her, please feel free to email me @ mom2knkc@inna.net and I will put you in contact with her.
THANK YOU!
~~~~~
Jill,
I've been reading your blog for a while now and I have just found it so encouraging. I am a college student and I was diagnosed when I was 6. I have been under my dad's insurance up until two weeks ago when my dad lost his insurance. He has been unable to work for the past 6 months due to stage 4 cancer. As a college student, my funds are very limited and I was wondering if you know of any resources to help get me buy until I figure something out. I am currently pumping and trying to avoid going back to shots at all costs. I'm certainly willing to if it come down to it, but I thought I would try reaching out to the d-community for possible suggestions first.
Thank so much,
Lizzie Poe
~~~~~
If there is anyone that is able to help her, please feel free to email me @ mom2knkc@inna.net and I will put you in contact with her.
THANK YOU!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
New "Pricker"
Over the last few days, Kacey's lancet--or "pricker" as she calls it-- has started to act up. It was getting harder and harder to press the button and once she pressed it then sometimes it wouldn't even stick her finger. I had several boxes of glucose machines since my sister-in-law works for Endo. She got her hands on several different ones for us just to keep as spare back ups. You never know when your glucose machine is gonna die and you need one. So I pulled out the One Touch, Accu-Check, Accu-Check Aviva, Contour and Breeze 2.
The One Touch lancet was very similar to the Freestyle ones. She's been using the Freestyle machines since she was diagnosed. In the hospital, they gave her the Freestyle Lite and we used that until she got Herbie and there is a Freestyle machine attached to Herbie so that's what we've always used. She had 4 lancets, all the same thing. Over time, two of them stopped working so she was down to two. She carries one in her purse that she takes everywhere with her and then we keep one at home for testing in the house so she doesn't take her lancet out and then leave the house without it (she's done that before!) Last night, she came to me and said "Mom, I think my pricker is broke." She kept trying to push the button and it wasn't working right.
I set the One Touch box aside and opened the Accu-Check. That one was connected to the machine so that wasn't gonna work. I opened the Accu-Check Aviva and that had a Multi-Clix with it. I was thrilled because I'd wanted to get her one of them after hearing everyone rave online about how nice they were. Whew! I'm glad I didn't buy one! She didn't like it at all. Not because it hurt but because it was bigger and made a loud --CLICK!-- when it released. It startled her when she pricked her finger and she said it reminded her of the ones they used on her in the hospital. She didn't like the push top and small button to press. After all, she's only gonna be 10 years old and she has to use whats comfortable for her! We set them aside and I opened the Contour. Ohhhhhhhh! Her eyes lit up! It was a lancet like she'd never seen before. It was different, it was new, it used the lancets she's used to, it had a small end where she could see where on her finger she was placing it and most of all...she was excited about it!
We took it out of the plastic and she ran to get a new lancet. We loaded it and I watched her stick her finger....not once...but TWICE with it! Just to see how it works.
It's called a Microlet 2. It's small and thats what she likes about it. That small little it so much easier to see where you're going to stick your finger. Another nice thing is on the tip there are little blood drops. One small, medium and large. There are no numbers! I remember Kacey getting so upset when we had to move her lancet number from a 1 to a 3 because her fingers were getting tougher. This shows the drops so there are no numbers to upset her. She tested with the small drop first and didn't get any blood. I'm guessing thats about a 1-2. Then she used the middle drop and got a perfect drop. So thats probably a 3-4. She laughed and said she didn't need that large drop! ;)
When I opened up the Breeze 2....there was the SAME lancet!! So we replaced the one in the house and the one in her purse with new ones. She was so excited! Sadly, I wasn't feeling the same thing. I was happy that she found one she liked but it made me really sad to watch her prick her fingers 6 times trying to find out which one she liked best and then it not phase her at all that she'd just pricked her fingers that many times. Like my D-Mom's said on FB...it's "Bitter-Sweet". In the end, I'm just happy that she's happy. It's like a "new toy" and the excitement of trying something new for a change.
I'm anxious to see how long these hold up? On an average...we've had these lancets last only a year. I guess thats good considering they get used 10-12 times a day! We will see!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Where Have We Been?
Holy cow! I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I've blogged! I know that I've kept most of my D-Moms updated by Facebook but I guess it's time to catch everyone up here on whats been happening!My carpal tunnel has been acting up again and thats been keeping me from typing too much. I had that EMG done a while back and they tried to talk me into surgery but I just wasn't ready! I've already had CT surgery on my left hand and I know how difficult that was and so this is my right hand that needs to be done and I'm a dominant right handed person so I am NOT ready to go through all of that right now. The only way to get it to settle down is to take a break from all the typing ;)
Virginia got slammed with snow last week. We got 9-11 inches of the nasty white stuff! It completely shut down our county for a few days and the kids have been out of school since last Friday. We're hoping to get back in the swing of things tomorrow. All that being said, the girls were THRILLED to see all the snow and Kacey couldn't remember playing in snow this deep so she had a ball. I posted pics on FB for you all to see.
Frankie started his new job on Monday. W-O-W! What a difference it makes! A difference in attitude was the best part. He said it's NOTHING like the company he used to work for and thats in a good way. He said they aren't yelling at him all the time and they aren't blowing up his phone. Then when you drive 34 miles to work vs. driving 78 miles to work (ONE WAY) ...it makes a HUGE difference!
Yesterday was an exciting day at our house! I took Kayleigh to get her belly button pierced. OUCH! Well I say "ouch" but Kayleigh said it didn't hurt at all :) She's still so skinny and petite so it looks so dang cute!
Things are pretty stable on the diabetes front. The new ratios and basal changes seem to be working. She's had a few lows but nothing under 50 so it's ok. LOL I say that like 50 is an ok number! She feels the lows long before the 50's but we just deal with them, right?
Been thinking alot lately! This time two years ago, Kacey was getting really sick. She had a cold we couldn't get rid of and her teacher was on her about leaving the classroom to get water all the time. Little did we know, she had her diabetes onset. We're getting close to the 1 year pump anniversary and the 2 year diabetes anniversary. It's hard to believe how far we've come!
Thats all for now. Can't type too much but I'm hoping that once this CT settles down then I can get back in the swing of things. Sorry that I haven't posted to many blogs. PLEASE know I'm thinking about all of you and I'm keeping updated as much as I can :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)