1st day of school

The 1st day of school was a good day. I was glad for that. The morning went well. Everyone remembered their lunches, and book bags and school supplies.

When I picked up the kids from school, Nathan said.......wow....you weren't kidding.....Miss (insert teacher's name) really IS meaner!! All I will say is ......I really hope he has a good year. I know 4th grade is already going to be difficult for him. But.....well.....let's just leave it at that. :/

Maddie is excited for volleyball. This is her 1st year in sports. I think she has looked forward to this time for a couple years now. She had her 1st game Tuesday. For only having 1 practice (let's just not talk about that!!!) they did a good job. They did lose. But they got....experience.

I pray they have a good school year. I am a nervous wreck with Maddie at school without me this year. Her sugar already dropped to 32, thankfully it came up quickly. It was the 2nd day of school. I almost flipped out. Thankfully Uncle Doug was there and her teacher did a good job keeping me in the loop. Excitement really messes with her sugar. With a new schedule and all new things going on around her, it has taken some adjusting to maintain her sugar. If you think of it, say a little prayer as we find a schedule that works well for us to help curb any potential diabetic problems. I pray for wisdom in dealing with this as well. I am also thankful that I work with such great people that if I needed to, I could go take care of her at any given moment.

A trip to the zoo

Last week, Maddie had her doctor's appointment in Madison. So we decided to go as a family and then make a day of it.

After the appointment, we ate some lunch, and then went to the zoo. Emma was very impressed of her first time at the zoo. (Actually what she wanted was to just go to sleep.)

Her 1st carousel ride was a hit.

The carousel is my kind of ride!!

I love this picture of Maddie.

We had to get our traditional picture of the kids on the lion.

Emma was to tired to get her picture taken. :(

Yep, sure looks like 2 monkeys to me!!

(can you tell how thrilled Maddie was??)

After the zoo, we stopped at the mall and got the kids some new school shoes. (I still can't believe how expensive it is to get kids ready for school.)

 

These were the only ones I could find.  I know I have other pictures of the kids at the zoo. Look how little they were!!

 

Oh....and Maddie's appointment could have gone better. Her A1C is 10.1!! She hasn't been putting her blood sugar # into the pump when she should be and it has thrown her numbers out of whack. The dr gave her a new blood sugar machine that will link her pump to her meter, but the insurance won't cover the strips for that meter!! stupid insurance.

A hosptial stay for Dada....

What a week we have had.

Last Saturday-Monday Dada was sick. She was fighting SOMETHING, we just don't really know what. She was very nauseous, but never threw up. She didn't have diarrhea or a fever. Just felt AWFUL! Her sugars were normal, they weren't really high, or really low. She didn't eat much. She just would kinda graze. But nothing normal.

Monday night, I sent her to bed with a normal sugar. She had eaten some mac and cheese for lunch and then had an apple before bed. I boosted her for her apple and sent her to bed. Daddy checked her sugar when he came home and it was in the mid 400's. He boosted her, thinking that would be ok, and then went to bed. In the morning, we checked her sugar and it read HI. (which means it's over 600)

We called the doc. The nurse said to stop using the pump and give her injections according to her sugar, which we had to check every 2 hours. She was supposed to eat and drink non diet things.....popsicles, reg pop, ice cream. Anything with sugar in it. So that's what we did. We also were supposed to monitor her ketones. Which we hadn't even thought to check b/c until Monday night her sugar wasn't high. When we 1st checked them, they read, large, which isn't good. The regular pop and popsicles are supposed to help flush out all these ketones which were built up in her body. The doc at that time wasn't so concerned about the high blood sugar as he was the large ketones. He wanted to get those down.

We followed the doc's instructions and her body started responding. Her sugars came down and by Tuesday night her ketones measured just a trace amount in her urine....which is great. We kept her home from school also Wednesday just to let her little body rest and recuperate. Wednesday and Thursday she had good days. By Thursday, she was back to her perky little self. I was so happy to see it.

Friday morning she woke up saying her tummy hurt. We checked her sugar and she was 199. She had some water and off to school we went. At 9 that morning, she came to my office to get her sugar checked. She was almost in tears saying she didn't feel well and her tummy hurt. We checked her sugar and it read HI. In less then 2 hours it had raised over 400 points. I immediately was worried b/c she hadn't eaten anything and it shouldn't have been that high. So I thought we would take her to the doc. To see if something else was causing this high sugar. We stopped at home and I by chance had her check her ketones. I wasn't at all expecting them to be any since her sugar had only been high for such a small time. But her ketones read large again. Shocked me.

We thought we might just need to take her to the ER. So that's where we headed.



Thankfully we did. We had quite the sick little girl. Dada was in DKA.

(Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a potentially life-threatening complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. It happens predominantly in those with type 1 diabetes, but it can occur in those with type 2 diabetes under certain circumstances. DKA results from a shortage of insulin; in response the body switches to burning fatty acids and producing acidic ketone bodies that cause most of the symptoms and complications.
DKA may be the first symptom of previously undiagnosed diabetes, but it may also occur in known diabetics due to a variety of causes, such as intercurrent illness or poor compliance with insulin therapy. Vomiting, dehydration, deep gasping breathing, confusion and occasionally coma are typical symptoms. DKA is diagnosed with blood and urine tests; it is distinguished from other, rarer forms of ketoacidosis by the presence of high blood sugar levels. Treatment involves intravenous fluids to correct dehydration, insulin to suppress the production of ketone bodies, treatment for any underlying causes such as infections, and close observation to prevent and identify complications.
DKA is a medical emergency, and without treatment it can lead to death.


After some lab work, they determined her sugar to be 800.

They put her on an insulin drip. Finally by late afternoon her sugars came down to mid 400's. By that night they admitted her. With high sugar, large ketones and dehydration, the hospital was the best place for her.

Saturday was spent pushing fluids to try to flush out the ketones.


(Dada taking a phone call from Brother)

In the Pedes unit they have a wonderful thing called the activity room where the kids could kinda play. The activity room director came and would bring Dada whatever she wanted. She brought her a pillowcase that she could decorate.



With the help of Daddy and some of her friends that came to visit, she had that pillowcase decorated in no time! :)



By late Sat night, she was ketone free, and off her I.V. She was thankful for that.

By Sunday morning her sugars were down to a more normal range. Before we were discharged, her Dr increased her insulin through her pump. I do agree that they probably weren't as high as they needed to be. Growing little girls need more insulin from time to time.

We have an appointment to see her Dr at the end of Jan, but I am hoping that they will move the appointment sooner. We are to call them tomorrow.


We are thankful for God's watch care over our daughter. I am thankful for Him giving us wisdom in when to call the Dr and when to know when it's over our head. I am also thankful for the friends and family who took the time to pray for Dada. We were showered with phone calls, texts and visits from people concerned for our little girl. We are blessed.

Last week, I heard this song on the radio by Mark Schultz. It's called He will Carry Me. It's playing on my playlist. I fell in love with it instantly. The words to this song would rush over me this weekend. I would think of them while I was watching her sleep, or I was worried about her high sugars. They really came rushing to me the 1st night after everyone had gone home and it was just Dada and I tucked into bed. In the still of the night, listening to her IV pushing her fluids through her veins, I heard the words....you never said it would be easy, but you said you'd see me through the storm. It is never easy to see your child sick, in the hospital and everything is out of your control. But the God that I serve saw us through the storm. To his hand I will hold tight.

Of Plays, notes and slumber parties

Last night was our school play. Beth and I were able to go together, which was so nice. The kids did such a good job in the play. Ben and Matt Y especially did a great job. Matt had me laughing so much of the time!



Brother was not so much in a mood to be photographed last night. But the girls were!!!! They were havin a good ol time.



I had to run to the store this morning right when I got to school. This note was on my desk when I got back to school. It made me giggle throughout the day!! At 1st I though, oh my look how sweet Brother wanted to get me something and got me tic tacs.......but no, that wasn't quite the idea behind the note!! ;)



Tonight is a slumber party for a little girl in the 4th grade. After a phone conversation with the Mom, I felt comfortable sending Dada for the night. Dada has had her bags packed since Monday night. I threatened her 1 night that if were room wasn't clean that she wouldn't be going to the party. While I thought she was sleeping, she immediately started cleaning her room and went to bed that night with a clean room and has kept it clean the rest of the week. By 3 o clock this afternoon she was barely able to contain her excitement. Elisa came home with is after school so Joanna wouldn't have to make another trip down. This is on the way to the party.



I just got a phone call from the Mom and she told me that Dada's sugar is 37!!!! ( that is how excitement effects her!!! ) Thankfully the Mom is a nurse and was able to handle the situation. Some orange juice and smarties brought her sugar up. And pizza will be arriving soon. Pray for me tonight. I am sure that I will not be sleeping that much.

An update on a diabetec day

Just an update. Dada did end up staying at the play. I had told Janelle to check her sugar in 1/2 hr and if he hadn't gone down, then they would need to leave.

I so did not want her to miss seeing the play.

Janelle said that they prayed right before the play started that her sugar would come down. And it did.

When they check it it had come down to around 300. Still high, but at least lower.

So they were able to stay and watch the play.

By intermission it was 200 something.

I cannot begin to tell you the relief I felt when I heard that it had gone down.

Thankfully, it wasn't the pump that messed up. I think that the excitement of the day, mixed with not enough insulin from her last meal, was a major factor in her high sugar. I have known that when she is excited it messes her sugar up.

Hopefully soon I will have pictures to post so you can see her big day.

Thank you all for your prayers!!

Another Diabetec day

Most days,or weeks, or months, I am okay with Dada's diabetes.

I think I handle her disease well. I am not angry, I have excepted it. It is our way of life.

We do things differently then "regular" families, out of necessity. We eat regularly, plan snacks. Measure food, always, measuring food, count carbs. We think about where we are going, how long it will take, etc. We try to plan for the unexpected. And I am OK with this. It is just what we do. And most days, everything works out.

But then there are days, like today, when the very thought of my sick child makes me angry and resentful for a normal life. For freedom to not think, to just be able to go and not have to try and plan for the unexpected. To not be racked with guilt every waking moment for what you aren't doing, and what maybe you should be doing.

You see Dada is in love with the Phantom of the Opera. She has watched the movie 4billion 300 and 76 times. Added on top of it that she listens to the soundtrack ALL the time. She can probably sing every song by heart.

So Janelle thought for Dada's birthday, that she would take her to Milwaukee to see, on Broadway....Phantom of the Opera.

Maddie has been SOOOOOO excited about this. She left last night to spend the night with Janelle.

We changed her site before she left. We should have done it sooner to make sure everything was working. But we didn't. (Guilt.) But, we sent her supplies with her so Janelle could take care of it all, if something happened.

It happened.

Her site wasn't working properly, so at 12:00 last night, Janelle calls us saying that her sugar is 500 and won't come down.

She gets a chot, and I walked Janelle through how to change the site and how to put the new insulin in the pump.

I talked to her this morning, Dada's sugar was down, and normal. Good, the site and the pump are all working. Relief. What a good day, Dada will have.



I get a call at 1:15 this afternoon from Janelle saying that Dada's sugar was 300 an hour ago and it is now 400 and it won't come down. So the pump isn't working properly. What?? This has NEVER happened before!! And her needle and insulin are back at Janelle's house.

They are at the theater an hour away from Janelles. The play is going to start any minute.



I think at that moment, I was instantly angry. Not at Janelle, she did nothing wrong. But at the diabetes. For ruining this special day for Dada. Why can't she just enjoy these days? Without the fear of high sugar and vomiting and diabetic coma? I just DON'T UNDERSTAND. Why today?!?!?! Can't she just enjoy this day with her Aunt?



I will be ok. I will be. But today, I am angry. Today, I want this cross she has to carry gone from her life. I don't want her to have to be so strong and brave. I don't want to be racked with constant worry and guilt.

I want her to be the healthy, care free 8 yr old that she should be.