Introducing.....

THE POWER PUMP GIRLS!

 "Annie" is Kaceys new insulin pump. She's only been hooked up for 24 hours but she adores it already! Without this device, she would have to take a shot every single time she wanted to eat. It holds 200 units of insulin and she gets her infusion set changed every 2-3 days.

"Daisy" is her Continual Glucose Monitoring System. This shows us blood sugars in real time and helps us identify trends and Kacey is able to see her blood sugar rising and falling and treat it before it becomes a danger.

"Pippi" is her blood sugar meter and remote. With a few simple touches of a few buttons, she is able to administer her insulin by this remote instead of pulling her pump out. She's only had this device for 24 hours and she's in love with it! She can now have the freedom to tuck her insulin pump away and wear the dresses she wants to without having to go diving up her dress to pull her pump out.

All three of these wonderful girly devices keep Kacey alive every day. We're so thankful to their power and individuality. Each of them plays such a special part in making sure Kacey stays on track with her diabetes care.

We're so blessed to have such a wonderful insurance company. Yeah, I know I've had my share of gripes with them but this time...Blue Cross Blue Shield...you rocked the process! It was only about 2 weeks from the time we started paperwork til the time the new pump was in our hands. We're also blessed that we only had to come out of pocket $102 for a $5000 device. Believe me....the power of prayer WORKS! We prayed every single day about this and I had friends praying for us to make sure this was possible. THANK YOU everyone!!

TRUE LOVE!!

Ping Hookup

Today we had our pump training for the new Animas Ping that Kacey will be hooked up to.

Arriving in the Diabetes Center and waiting for our favorite CDE to come in for training.

Our amazing CDE sitting with Kacey and showing her how to operate the pump. They're linking up the systems for the first time here. Kristen said "They're married" and Kacey said "Nope they're best friends"...LOL!

Kacey holding an Inset 30. She's really wanting to try her sites on her own but doing the Comfort Shorts, she just can't do them so we're thinking about switching to the Inset 30 but Kacey wanted to try it first to see if thats what she wants. After some convincing, Kacey agreed to let our CDE helped me put one in. She was too nervous to push the buttons on her own but she was thrilled afterward and said, "Wow! I didn't even feel it!" Ahhhhhh! We're stepping in the right direction!

Look at that smile! :) I haven't seen that during a site change in a LONG time!!

Pure love!! She's so in love with this new system. I'll admit...I was waiting for some tears when it came time to disconnect "Goober" (her Cozmo pump) but she disconnected and was more than ready to hook up to the new pump.

Cheezin as she shows off the PINK site! She was so excited to find out about the colored sites. Guess we'll be asking for some Inset 30's with the next shipment!

Thank you Kristen for being such an amazing CDE. Not sure how we'd of made it this far without your support! You've been there since Day One and we're so blessed to have you to turn to each week.

Thank you Heather at Animas for crossing your fingers and praying for this to go through. You were there the night Kacey chose this pump system and we're blessed to have you along for the ride of this journey.

Thank you Blue Cross Blue Shield for being a great insurance company and making this process so easy for us!

Thank you to Frankie's work company for offering such a great insurance! So many families struggle without insurance and you all are kind enough to offer it as well as pay a portion of the monthly due.

Thank you to everyone that prayed for us during this process. God heard those prayers!

Thank you to my family and my BFF, Jillie for listening to my complaints, my worries, my hopes and praying for us during this whole process and before.

Thank you God for being YOU! You held my hand through this process and You never left my side. You heard and answered all our prayers about the pump. You are an Awesome God! We're so blessed!

Ping! Pink! Ping!

It's here!! It's here!! It's really here!!

I've never been so happy to see the UPS man. I know he thought I was insane as I danced on the porch when he pulled up. He wouldn't understand, would he? As I signed for it, I explained there was a $5000 piece of equipment in that box. He laughed and I told him it was Kacey's new insulin pump. He smiled and I knew he didn't understand how important this box was to us.

Kacey was in school when it arrived but I could hardly contain my tears as I popped open the box. I felt the angels singing when I saw this beautiful little machine staring back at me. I wanted to hold it. I HAD to hold it. I pryed open the plastic and I held it for the very first time. I wanted to put the battery in it right away but I felt like I needed to wait for Kacey and we could do that together. So I pulled out the materials and I spent the afternoon reading. I feel like we're going from a flip cell phone to an iPhone! I'm so excited for Kacey.

I ended up taking to box with me when it was time to pick her up from school. It was so exciting to see her face when she saw the box. She walked out with 4 of her friends. They all knew the pump was coming so they were just as excited to see it.
"Wowww Kacey!"
"I'm so happy for you!"
"Kacey, thats so cool! It looks like a little TV"
"I love the pink!"
Those were all comments flying out of their mouths as Kacey held her pump in the box. We got in the car and she said, "Mom! I wanna hold it! Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee! I just want to feel it!" She took it out of the pastic and held it in her hands. She hugged it. She kissed it. She cried.

Sometimes we forget how attached these kids get to these little devices that keep them alive. Some kids get more attached than others do. Some could care less. Some are too young to understand yet.

I remember when Herbie first arrived. It was like watching that bond form all over again. New pump. New name. New bond. I could barely hold my tears back as I watched her in the back seat. When we got home, she ran inside with the box and opened it up. We put the battery in and gave the pump life.

Isnt this the prettiest pink pump you've ever seen?

Check out that smile! She was so excited to see that beautiful screen lit up! She sat in the chair just staring at it. Then I saw the tears flowing again.
"Kacey? Whats wrong?"
"I love it so much but this means I only have a few more days with Goober."
***crap! I knew this was coming!***
"It does and this means you can cherish those last few moments with Goober before you switch over on Tuesday."
"Tuesday?"
"Yes, I talked to Kristen and we go down to the big hospital on Tuesday."
She smiled through her tears. We have a date set. Tuesday at 10am. We have to make the drive down to the big hospital and thats always a bitter sweet moment because it's a reminder of where we were 3.5 years ago. It's a reminder of how sick Kacey was. When we drive that long hour and a half drive, I think back to the drive we made that day she was diagnosed. I replay the events in my head.

We put the batteries in her meter and we talked about how the system will work. She's excited about the remote. She's excited that she won't have to pull her pump out of she doesn't want to. She's excited to have a new life full of dresses again. Yes my friends....sometimes it's the little things that we miss. She won't have to go diving up her dress in search of her pump. It's going to be nice. Then I got a smack in the face. CRAP! This meter will take One Touch strips and we're using Freestyle right now. So I had to call back to the doctor and have them call in a new script for One Touch strips. I know once Kacey starts using the new meter, she won't want to go back to using the other one.

Now the countdown begins...TUESDAY is the DAY! :)

Report Card Fail

Yes...you see it? There it is...in black and white. See it? That's what Kacey's A1c was this morning.

OK...you can close your mouth from the shock anytime now. I wasn't shocked. I knew it was going to be bad. Her doc knew it was going to be bad. But you know what? I'm ok with it.

Yes, before you bash me let me explain. We've struggled with a balance. The doctor is well aware of the struggle because we email blood sugars in each week and we get help with changes but it seems that hormones and growth spurts are maxing out. Kacey is now 5'1" and 152 pounds. She's grown again and she's remained the same in her weight. Her body is certainly changing (thanks puberty!) and diabetes is rearing it's ugly face with it all. We knew that. We expected the high. I saw it in her numbers! 

Now what do we do to change it?

The doctor adjusted basals...again! We also changed her carb ratio to see if that helps. Unfortunately with Cozmo, the logbook doesn't break things down as good as the others do so we'll make better adjustments once we get the new pump. Only a few more days!!

For those of you with little kids....if you think the growth spurts are bad now...just wait til hormones and puberty hit! You'll be pulling your hair out!!!!

I'm very thankful for a doctor that is compassionate enough to tell us, "We know you're doing all you can do. You're a great parent and we know you're staying on top of it. I can see Kacey is testing enough. She's bolusing before every single meal. But sometimes when they hit puberty things get a little wonky but we'll work though it." ......YES we will! We will get through this and we will see that A1c come back down.

Strike One!

I am NOT very happy with Animas today.

STRIKEEEEEEEEEEEEEONE!

When I talked to the rep on Friday, she assured me the pump would be here today. It is now 7pm and NO PUMP! I called Animas and spoke to a really nice man, who explained to me that there was a delay.

DELAY?!?! What do you mean, DELAY?

Something happened in processing, it's not UPS's fault this time. It's stuck in the processing department and the best we can do is overnight it to you tomorrow and you will not get it until Thursday.

WHATTTTTTTTTTTTT?!?!

Do you realize the inconvenience this has now caused? I called and made an appointment with our CDE for pump training at 9:30am and our Endo appointment is at 1:15pm. We live 45 minutes from the sattelite Children's Hospital and if we miss this training then we have to drive to the big hospital which is an hour and a half away (on a good day with no traffic!) GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Plus this means I have to cancel the appointment and now the office is closed and our CDE drives 45 minutes to meet us at the other hospital. This inconveniences everyone all the way around. It also means Kacey will miss another day of school.

****breathe****

He assured me they were very sorry and I'd be called by a rep in the morning that could let me know what happened. I agreed and hung up. I turned to a very sad 11 year old that had tears streaming down her face. "Mommy, my pump isn't coming today is it?"
"No"
"So that means I won't be hooked up tomorrow?"
"No"
***cry***
"So when will it be here?"
"Thursday, I promise! But that means you have time to give Goober more kisses and we can prepare for pump training."
***try and keep it positive Jill!***

I smiled and hugged her and told her she'd have some more time to think of a name too! She's changed her mind a few times and she said she would decide when she finally has her pump in her hands.

So for now...it's hurry up and wait! C'mon Animas! We're not starting out on the right foot here!

Faces Of Blue

Happy WOrld Diabetes Day!!

Today is the day we celebrate. A day to thank Fredrick Banting for his discovery of insulin. A day to be thankful for a drug that keeps my daughter alive. A day to wear BLUE to support Kacey on her journey with diabetes.

The 2am check brough is this...

Yeah thanks diabetes! We love you too! Now GO AWAY!

Today I'd like to share some faces that support us....not only today but EVERY day.

 A sign made for Kacey from Nae~Nae

 My best friend Jill and her son Trenton

 Kaceys friends~ Justin, Andrew, Trenton & Elaina

 My brother~ Kacey's Uncle Chuck

 Nae~Nae

 Me, Kayleigh & Kacey

 Brian & Kacey

 Kayleigh

Kayleigh's best friend, Emily

HAPPY WORLD DIABETES DAY from all our faces of blue!!
(BTW, this isnt the greatest picture...Kacey had just woken up to find her Oscar fish dead...not a good way to start the day!)

Unplanned Meeting

Do you sometimes wonder if you were put in the right place at the right time for a reason? Of course you were! God knew He was going to put you there at that exact moment. Sometimes we know why we were put there and other times we don't. Then there are the times when we *think* we know why but then it's not until years later that we REALLY know why we were put there.

Thursday night, youth group night, was one of those moments.

I was sitting at check-in like I always do, and a mother of one of the girls that was visiting for the 2nd time came over to the table. She quietly said, "Who do I need to let know about my daughter's medical problem?" .... "Medical problem?" ....I explained to her that she could let me know and I could let her group leader know. "Ok, she's a Type 1 diabetic and she has an insulin pump." For a split second, my breath left my body!!!! "WOWWWW! I just happen to be the Mom of a T1 too!" "Thats awesome! She's in 8th grade" ...."O-my-goodness! She will be in MY youth girls group too since we have 8th-9th grade girls."

Our conversation seemed to rattle on and youth group was starting so we had to cut it short but there was soooooo much left to say! I was on cloud 9 and couldn't wait to introduce her to Kacey. I do have a confession though....as the preaching went on....all I could think about was connecting with this family. She's only been on a pump for 6 months. They had questions. The Mom wanted that connection and we probably could have talked for hours.

After youth group was over, I met with her Mom. We exchanged numbers. We exchanged some brief stories. The girls shared pumps. It was a REALLY neat moment.

As we drove home, Kacey rattled off about how cool it was to have someone else in youth group with diabetes. She doesn't even have that connection at school because the other 2 boys there are 7th grade, both on shots, no CGM and could care less that she wants to discuss diabetes. So it was fun to have someone so close to share this with.

Unplanned on my calendar but perfectly planned on God's calendar.

PINGGGGGGGGGG!

Did you hear that sound? Shhhhhh! Quiet! Listen....

*ping* *ping*
*Ping Ping*
*PING PING*
*PINGGGGGGGGGGGGGG*
*PINGGGGGGGGGGG*
Yep thats such a sweet sound rolling off my lips. It's the sound of the... PINK PING being stuffed into the box and shipped to our doorstep!!!

You all will probably NEVER believe the way things unfolded but I have to tell you all what happened.

I blogged about the pump yesterday. I blogged about faith. I closed my computer and I prayed about it. Yep, I've prayed about it alot lately but yesterday was a little more heart wrenching. As I sat in prayer, I asked God to please make things financially able for us to make this happen for Kacey. I put my computer away and went to pick the girls up from school. As we arrived home, my cell phone rang. Normally I wouldn't answer an unfamiliar number but I accidently clicked answer instead of ignore.

"Hello?"
"Hi can I speak to one of the parents of Kacey"
"This is Jill"
"Hi this is XXXX from Animas and I just wanted to go over your benefits with you."
***holds breath** (insert the sound of my guts swirling because I'm about to find out how bad this is gonna sting)
"Ok"

So the nice rep goes on to explain
"You have a $500 deductible before the insurance will pick up the 80/20% and you've already met that deductible so that means you will be responsible for 20%."
*puke*
"Ok so how much will that be?"
"Well the pump is $5075 and normally your responsiblity would be 20%...."
(before she went on I felt like I was gonna vomit)
"Ok"
"You have an out of pocket copay of $1000 and after that then it's covered 100%"
**I continued to listen**
"As of right now you have $898 toward that."
"So what does that mean?"
"Well that means that you've almost reached your max so you would only have to pay $102 for a new pump"

Ok so at this point I got completely choked up and I wanted so bad to tell this woman about answered prayers and all that but all I could do was cry! I composed myself and explained my excitement.

"I can make your excitement even better because we're going to give you a $700 credit for her Cozmo and there will be a $0 balance"
"Wait! So we can just pay $102 and we can KEEP her Cozmo?"
"Yes"
"Can I pay it NOW?!?!"

She giggles and said they would take a down payment and then bill me for the balance. I couldn't even begin to explain my joy. She was clearly excited for us as well.

"So how does Wednesday sound as a delivery day?"
"Ummmm as in NEXT Wednesday?"
"Yes NEXT Wednesday."
"Wowwwwww! Thats the day we go to the Endo so that would be great!"
"So how about Tuesday then? That way you will have it to take it with you. Just give them a call and let them know you're expecting the pump and they can set up training for you when you go."

OHHHHHH------EMMMMMMMM-----GEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
Could this really be happening?!?! So we finished up our conversation and I hung up the phone and began to cry. Thank you Jesus! Thank you for answering our prayers! Thank you for making me strong enough to hold up!

I walked out into the living room and the girls were watching TV. I asked them to mute the TV because we needed to talk. I turned to Kacey and said "I just got off the phone with Animas." She had this worried look on her face. "Ummmm....how does a delivery of NEXT Tuesday sound for a new pink Ping?" Her jaw dropped and she jumped off the couch and began crying. I tried to pry her away from me but she continued to cry. She was thrilled!

Can you believe the way things happened? Like I said....they happened the way God intended them to. So for that, I'm very greatful! Thanks again to everyone that kept us in their prayers. And now....as Misty said....P is for PARTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

P is for Patience

I will never forget the time my Mom taught me about "P is for Patience". It's been a running joke and everytime I see a single letter P thats all I used to think about but now.... P has another meaning as well.

Patience.

Prayers.

Pumping.

PINK.....

PINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!

That's right friends....last night we got a call from our amazing Animas rep and she told me she only had a few minutes but she wanted to share some good news.

INSURANCE APPROVED THE UPGRADE!!!!

This has been something I've been praying hard about latelty. Insurance companies are weird. VERY weird. When we got Kacey's other pump, we were with an old insurance company. So why in the world would it be so difficult to get a new company to cover the cost of a new pump? You've never made a claim for a pump with them so why so difficult? Also, the pump Kacey is currently on is now almost 4 months til warranty expiration. By the time we get everything done, it's going to be close to being expired. Why would those companies make you wait til the expiration is completely expired with a pump company that is no longer in business and will NOT honor a warrany past the expiration? That's insane! Talk about making a Momma panic...geesh! Our Animas rep is amazing...as I said...but she was not very hopeful that it would go through because of that "warranty" so you can imagine our excitement when she called yesterday! Now we just have to fill out the "Trade-In" form and we should be all set. We're still not sure what upfront costs we will have. We do know our DME copay is an 80%-20% so we know that 20% of the cost is our copay but then I'm not sure what we will have to pay once we get the trade-in for her old pump. Either way...fingers crossed...she will have a brand new PINK PING by Christmas.

I have faith. My faith continues to hold strong. I know God answers prayers. He's showed me over and over that all we have to do is ask. So today I'm asking for prayers with finances. Pray that the upfront costs are within our budget. God knows...He knows before we do the path our lives are taking...He knows things will work out and the money is going to be there for this. I also pray for NO road blocks. I know we've got the approval but Satan wants to continue to munch in my ear and tell me that something is going to happen and they're going to say no. So for now I say....Satan, STAND BACK! All these things I pray and I ask that you pray in Jesus' name... Amen.

Music is L-O-V-E!

When Kacey was in my tummy, the one thing that seemed to excite her was...music. Any kind of music. Even me singing would make her move. After she was born, she developed colic and refulx. It seemed like all she did was scream and puke...but something magical happened when I put music on. She'd settle her tears. She'd bounce up and down in her exersaucer and was full of smiles. She loved being sung to and she'd bounce to the beat. As she grew older, she would sing every song that came on the radio. She had a passion for 60's & 70-'s music (yep! she's an old soul!) but she'd beg me to buy her oldies music and she'd dance around her room singing it word for word...almost as if she'd known the words all along. It was about 2nd grade when she started to mention playing an instrument. We didn't have the extra money to pay for lessons but we continued to feed her music passion with CDs and iTunes. After she was diagnosed, her passion for music seemed to grow. Anytime her sugar was high, she'd grab some water and go lay down in her room with her radio on or she'd crash on the couch with the TV on the oldies music channel. The music calmed her as much as it excited her! By the end of 3rd grade, she was talking to her music teacher about band. He explained to her that they wouldn't be playing any instruments until 5th grade and then it would only be the recorder. She was bummed but continued on her musical path. All of 4th grade was spent counting days til 5th grade when she finally got to play. When 5th grade arrived and she got her recorder in hand, she was thrilled!

But that wasn't enough...she wanted MORE! She continued to count down til the end of 5th grade because she knew once she started Middle School then she would be able to take band. She'd been saying since 3rd grade that she wanted to play the Saxaphone. I kept reminding her that she needed to keep an open mind because she'd get a chance to try all the instruments.

Open House for Middle School arrived and she was thrilled to meet her band teachers. The moment she was waiting for had finally arrived. (And I secretly hoped and prayed that she wouldn't get her bubble bursted and find out it wasn't something she really wanted to do...Boy was I wrong!) The first 2 weeks of school were spent blowing each instrument. She learned that just because you WANT to play an instrument, doesn't mean you CAN. There are certain ways you have to hold your lips and tongue to make sounds and if you have an overbite, crossbite, underbite, braces, ect, it all affects the way you play. She still had in her heart that she was playing the saxaphone. As the first week passed, she found that she wasn't getting any sound out of some of the instruments and other days she would get sound but she said it sounded like "someone farting". LOL! So as the week wore one, she was becoming a little discouraged. She has a cross bite and she hasn't gotten braces yet to fix it so that meant she was somewhat limited. I began to pray...Please Lord just let her be able to play something! The middle of week two came and she was really upset. Several kids had dropped band already because they couldn't get the sound out of the instruments or they found they didn't like it. Then....Thursday of week 2....the time came for her to play the saxaphone. She'd waited so patiently and she said she was so nervous to blow because she was scared no sound would come out. And then......*blow*.....she said she almost cried because "the prettiest sound she ever heard came out of that saxaphone" ....SHE DID IT! The ONLY instrument she could get sound from was the one she'd longed to play. Her teacher stopped what she was doing...looked over at Kacey...and said "Wow! That was the best I've heard all day!" Right then and there, her confidence went through the roof. That was it! She didn't even want to try the drums...haha!

So we signed up...and she got her saxaphone. What happened next was beyond what I could have ever imagined! She brought it home and started to play. I mean...like REALLY play. She was making the prettiest sound.

 As the days went on, she learned the notes, she learned how to read music and she was putting it all together. She was so excited because she could look at any sheet music and she understood it. Thats something I've always dreamed to be able to do and she was actually doing it! She practiced....every single night... some days 15 minutes and other days for over an hour! And some days I had to MAKE her put it away. You wouldn't think that sitting in a chair playing a saxaphone for an hour would affect your blood sugar, right? Well it seems that it DOES! Kacey won't just sit in a chair and play...she wants to MARCH! She stomps her feet to the music as she plays. It's so fun to watch because I know that it won't be long and she will be out on that football field with our high school marching band.

Yesterday she came home heartbroken though. She found out there were tryouts for the middle school marching band. She asked if she could try out and she was told it was only for Advanced Band members. She's in Beginning Band but her teacher told her if she keeps moving along like she is then she is going to move her to the Advanced Band class because she's doing so well and she doesn't want to hold her back with those that really aren't practicing. So now she's stuck in limbo :(  She hasn't moved yet so she can't be in marching band but shes sooooooo ready for it! I had to sit her down and remind her about how long she waited to get to where she was now. It's been 4 years! So one year of good practice is only going to make her that much better when it comes time to try out for it next year. She agreed!

After she got over her "fit", she told me Mr. O (her chorus teacher) gave her a copy of a piano and he put a C where the C key is and he asked her to fill in the rest. She did it and then she pulled out her keyboard and began to mark the keys with a Sharpie marker. WHAT?!?! OK...so how could I be mad that she's marking up the keys?

For the next 3 hours, she banged away on the keys and she finally called me in her room. She said, "Hey Mom! Watch this!" and there I stood watching her play "Jingle Bells" on her keyboard. SERIOUSLY?!?! This kid just took her saxaphone music book and learned to play those songs on the keyboard she'd just marked up hours before. I stood there in awe just watching her.

She's happy. She's happiest when music is involved. She's over the moon when she puts instruments to the music. Yes, it drops her blood sugar but she's found a TRUE LOVE. She's so determined and she knows this is what her passion is right now.

So what do we do now? We feed her passion! My Mom has printed off sheet music for her and she's going to surprise her with it. Kayleigh is getting her a music stand with a light for Christmas. And we've decided it's time for us to look for a saxaphone to purchase that won't break the bank. We know she's not giving this up anytime soon!

ONE Thing

Suppose you're standing in line at your local grocery store...or you're waiting for your child to get out of school with other parents...or you're in a doctor's office with other parents...or you're sitting in a restaurant and you see someone watching your child check their blood sugar and they won't stop staring.

If you only had a few minutes that you could educate that person about Type 1 diabetes and you could ONLY tell them ONE thing....you knew what you said HAD to make an impact for diabetes awareness....What would you say to them?

I asked this very question to my girls and this is what I got:

Kayleigh: "Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and there is NO cure for it."

Kacey: "My pancreas is dead. I take insulin every time I eat something. Insulin is not a cure but I need it to stay alive. Type 1 diabetes is not the same as Type 2 diabetes and you can look online for more information about it."

Me: "My daughter has Type 1 diabetes. It is an autoimmune disease. We didn't do anything to cause it and she's not diabetic because she's overweight. She can eat whatever she wants (within reason) as long as she gives herself insulin for it. Insulin is not her cure, it just keeps her alive everyday. Everyone needs insulin to stay alive, even you! Please don't confuse Type 1 and Type 2...and if you'd like to support our journey for a cure, then you can go to http://www.jdrf.org/ and make a donation to help us find a cure and read more about Type 1 diabetes.

What would you say?

Diabetes Doesn't Wait

Every Thursday, the girls have youth group at church. This past Thursday wasn't any different. We ate dinner before we left. We arrived in time for the girls to meet up with their friends. They listened to the message and participated in worship singing. Then it came time to break down into their small group...their Accountability groups. These groups are kids in their own grade...going through the same things...and growing in the same spiritual journey. We all meet in different parts of the church and I trust Kacey's leaders (plus I am only around the corner if they need me). About 10 minutes into group time, there was a knock on the door. I looked up and it was Kacey standing there mouthing "I'm low!" So I invited her into the hallway and sat her down beside me. She was shaking. Her legs were weak. Dexcom read 76 but she said she felt lower but she was also scared because she couldn't find me at first. OK...did you treat your low? She ate 1 glucose tab. ONE? Ughhhhh! Why only ONE? Because she'd forgotten to refill her tube. GREAT! So I had to drop what I was doing and leave to go outside and get her a snack and juice box.

As I treated her low, it made me ticked at diabetes. She missed her group time. DIABETES DOESN'T WAIT!! You have to stop what you're doing right then and treat the low. Diabetes isn't patient and it wants attention immediately. Diabetes affects EVERY SINGLE MINUTE, HOUR, DAY of Kacey's life. She can't just run outside and play without knowing what her blood sugar is. She can't just hop on her bike and ride down the drive way without looking at Dexcom. She's never gone to a sleepover. She can't just grab a snack without dosing herself. She can't do anything without knowing that blood sugar number. It sucks! It really does. But does she let that stop her? Nope!

After her blood sugar came back up, she went back to playing with her friends at church like it never happened. Thats what I love about her...she lets diabetes roll right off her back. Sure there are days when it affects her worse than others but for the most part, shes a normal, happy, compassionate and loving girl.

Conversation

Kacey's fingernails & toenails for November :)

The conversation as she came home from school yesterday...
Kacey: "Mom, I'm glad I have diabetes."
Me: **choke** "Why are you glad?"
Kacey: "Because it gives me a chance to meet new people."
Me: "You could still meet new people even if you didn't have diabetes."
Kacey: "No, it wouldn't be the same."
Me: "Why wouldn't it?"
Kacey: "Because I wouldn't have a chance to educate people and tell the TRUTH about diabetes."
Me: *sigh*
Kacey: "Plus, I wouldn't have so many friends that I've never met."
Me: "Yep! You're right! So how have you been educating?"
Kacey: "Yesterday was my book review and when I stood up to tell everyone about it, someone asked about my painted fingernails and I told them about it being Diabetes Awareness Month and they thought it was really cool!"
Me: "Wow! Thats neat! So what did you say to educate them?"
Kacey: "I told them that having diabetes sucks!"

LOL! LOL! LOL! Enough said! :)

Invisible

Invisible. Sneaky. Silent.

That's what diabetes was before we met. I was like any other ignorant person I come across that doesn't know what diabetes is or how it affects Kacey's body. I had only been around Type 2 diabetics. So I didn't know those warning signs they tell you about. Those dreaded symptoms that squeeze my heart when I see a child drinking a lot of water or running to the bathroom all the time. Those dreaded symptoms that include:

• Extreme thirst
• Frequent urination
• Sudden vision changes
• Fruity or sweet breath
• Increased appetite
• Sudden weight loss
• Drowsiness and heavy sleeping
• Heavy and labored breathing
• Unconsciousness

The morning after Kacey was diagnosed, we were put into a class and shown this list. A check list of symptoms and she had EVERY single one of them except *Unconsciousness*. How could we NOT see these symptoms coming on? How could we not see the warning signs? Invisible....Sneaky....and Silent. Diabetes had crept into our world and we had NO idea that it had been wreaking havoc on Kacey's poor little body until it was almost too late. I often think about...what would we have done if she'd just passed out? What if she'd fallen out while she was on the softball field? How would we have reacted? And of course it does cross my mind....what if she'd gone into a seizure and not made it? As a parent, we think some crazy things! We're scared for our children. Not a night goes by that I don't worry that Kacey's sugar will drop too low.

So...back to the ....How could you NOT see the warning signs?
To look at Kacey....she looked like a normal child....

January 2008...New haircut and Onset that we didn't know was happening. She'd been sick with a double ear infection, bronchitis and upper respitory infection.

 February 2008- Diabetes sneaking it's way into our life. She still looks so happy and healthy.

March 2008- Still smiling and totally unaware of what was happening.

April 2008- Still hasn't loss her sense of humor! She started to drink more here. She was going to the water fountain at school so much that her teacher asked me to start sending her a water bottle. She also had a really bad cough and was sick again.

May 2008- Really getting sick here and we still had NO clue!



June 2008- She had ALL the warning signs here and red flags were going off. She was drinking all the time...peeing all the time....wetting the bed...still had a bad cold...she'd started to tell me she saw black spots...she was exhausted after games....asleep before we could get out of the ball park....eating more than usual and she'd lost weight. The signs were there.

End of June 2008- She was drinking 2 bottles of Gatorade during a game and a whole bottle of water before the game. Sure it was 90+ degrees out...it was HOT! You make sure your child has enough fluid while it's hot, right? And if she drinks all that then she's surely gonna have to pee more, right? And if she was playing games in that heat, surely thats the reason she was so tired, right? And if she's burning all that energy running around then being hungry is normal, right? All the signs were there.

Beginning of July 2008- Can you tell she's sick? Does it show? 

July 4, 2008- Can you see the water spills on her shirt? She was downing water by the jug! This was 11 days before she was admitted into PICU. Does she even look sick? Sure, she's lost some weight but she's been playing softball and being active for a change. But....how do I explain the bed wetting? She'd started to wet the bed, something she hadn't done since she was 2! Did she have an infection? Was the virus back? She started having some flu-like symtoms but she stopped throwing up so is she feeling better? She wants to sleep all the time. This isn't normal. My Mommy-gut had finally kicked in and decided it was time to go to the doctor. It's probably just a virus or a bladder infection. What I thought would be a quick trip to the doctor.....landed us in PICU for 3 days.

July 15, 2008- Type 1 diabetes finally reared it's ugly face and showed us what it could do to a human body.

3 days in PICU...24-48 hours of going into a diabetic coma...and we never saw the train that was coming to hit us!

Diabetes is silent. From the outside you can't tell that it's tearing you apart on the inside. Until...it's almost too late!
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http://www.jdrf.org/
If you or someone you love exhibits one or more of these symptoms, call a doctor immediately.


Education about the symptoms of T1D is critical because type 1 can easily be mistaken for more common illnesses, such as the flu. JDRF has literature which lists the symptoms and treatments of type 1 diabetes and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)--available for download here.

Each year, more than 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with T1D; 15,000 adults and 15,000 children. That's about 80 people each and every day.

Misdiagnosis can have tragic consequences, including death. Knowing the warning signs of T1D can save a life. Please share what you've learned with everyone--family, friends, teachers, doctors. Until a cure is found, the more who know, the more lives will be saved.

Please help JDRF raise awareness about the warning signs of T1D--a chronic, debilitating autoimmune disease that is most often diagnosed before the age of 30. As with many diseases, early diagnosis goes a long way toward preventing serious health problems, and even death.

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