what the...?

So K has been home sick three of the four days so far this week. Ugg. She's not that sick and that's not why I write. It was just an explanation of why she was home for her mid-morning check. She was quite high midmorning: 256 mg/dl or something. About an hour or so later, she said her tummy hurt and I checked her and she was 54 mg/dl. Another "ugg". No idea why. She had 10 grams of carbs to bring up her BG. Checked her about half hour later and meter read "200 mg/dl". Thinking it had to be a mistake, I rechecked and it read "232 mg/dl" . So many "what the...??" How was the meter so off?! But whether it was 200 or 232, how could 10 grams take her up so high?! She'd had NO carbs since an early breakfast!  Luckily, the rest of the day wasn't AS wonky... Wonder what tomorow will bring?

Tough questions

"Mommy, what part of my body is broken again?" K asked me as she was gettng out of the car yesterday. She was very matter of fact about it, not sad. I explained like I have before that it's her pancreas that doesn't work right (that's the simple version - and all she needs for now). She followed up with, "But the rest of me is good, right, like my heart and lungs?" It was the first chance I got to explain, after an emphatic "YES!" that one reason we have to check her so much and follow the good habits we've worked so hard to establish is to keep her other organs and limbs healthy. She took it in stride, and didn't ask anything further.

Anyhow, I loved that question and had to write it down before I forgot. It has been so long since I've written and there are so many things I've wanted to write down and/or share but I just don't seem to make the time. We've had some good diabetes moments since the last writing. For one thing, we went to diabetes family camp at Camp Conrad-Chinnock in January. We all had a GREAT time. The kids loved playing with other kids and playing in the snow, including sledding, sledding and more sledding. The hubs and I enjoyed connecting with other type 1 parents and just being around other people that "get it". I'm very happy we made a camp connection for K. She could go by herself as early as seven. I'm not sure if we'd do that, but we know now that she'd be in good hands. I think if we do one more camp together as a family (maybe this summer), she'll be clamoring to go by herself the following summer (the boys might have strong feelings about that though... since they loved it too). After the trip, I asked K if she liked being around other kids with diabetes and she said, "I don't care who does and doesn't have diabetes, Mom." But I know that's not true; she does feel very normal at school and the like, but I know she appreciates, in some small way, seeing others like her, checking their BGs, wearing pumps, talking carbs. K also loves having a teen girl with diabettes babysit her.

Earlier in January, a good friend kept all three of our kids for a night!! It started early, like 5ish and my husband and I actually had a night to ourselves!!!  However, it's never truly away. I was texting with the friend through the night and early morning - and that's just the way it is. I wouldn't have been comfortable if I hadn't heard from this friend and so many decisions are based on experience. So, as great as it was, it was a fair reminder that we're never truly away from diabetes. Doesn't mean we won't keep trying though: another friend is taking K one night this weekend and the boys will be away the entire weekend!!! 

Yesterday, we went to a local JDRF symposium. Great panels, speakers, information sessions, visiting with some people we knew and some we'd never met - but can easily connect because we have one huge thing in common. It was a good day. But, long story short, we somehow came home with someone else's test kit - that looks exactly like K's. It got mixed up in the childcare room and my husband only figured it out when I complained that the meter was "not communicating" with the pump. We tracked down the other family through the pump company and we exchanged meters this morning, meeting about half way between here and their home near Long Beach. It was inconvenient, and scary - because when K's BG was checked at the symposium, her BG was high, but she was checked with that other meter, which is synced with that other pump, so when K was dosed down with that meter, another child got that insulin - and what if that child wasn't high!? If that child was low, it could have been a deadly dose!!!  I was beyond thankful to hear from the other mother that her daughter did not go low. PHEW! So we both learned to better label our meter cases at these events with a bunch of diabetics in the room. I also plan to glam up the remote itself before another such event. I also learned that we chose the right pump: dosing from the meter remote is so much more convenient (assuming you're dosing the right child...) than fiddling with the pump to give the insulin.

I'll try to write again sooner rathe than later. There's always something...