What I did over the first weekend of Spring Break

Jessica & I got to go away from home this weekend, the first weekend of her Spring Break. We had room service, well, Jessica did, I had to go to the cafeteria. And we had maid service. I got to sleep somewhere other than home, which is something I've wanted to do lately. But the real estate agents are right. What matters really is location, location, location. Because while where we went took care of our needs, it certainly wasn't the vacation I've longed for. 

See, to enjoy such things, I've realized that you have to be in good health, which just wasn't the case.

After watching Jessica's dark circles around her eyes get darker and darker, and listening to her get up for the last couple of weeks and pee during the night, and listening to her tell stories of how sometimes she can see the teacher's whiteboard clearly, but other times it seemed blurry, and how her friends have taken to slapping her hands that turn purplish during school time because sometimes that makes them go back to a normal color, I finally realized what was going on and took her blood sugar level on Saturday morning before she had a chance to eat. And I found that her blood sugar level was 282. While I was calling the doctor's office, she ate sausage gravy on homemade whole wheat bread and her levels went up to 383. 

So we took her into the doc on call and he had Jessica pee in a cup. Sure enough, there was sugar in her pee. After getting the results, the doc came in and told us that my girl has Type 1 Diabetes. 

So over the weekend Jessica & I stayed at the hospital and learned about managing diabetes. It isn't as bad as it once was. They taught us that damage isn't done to the body unless high blood sugars are sustained. So we'll keep her blood sugars down in a certain level with insulin and she should be just fine.

    

So, I'm learning to count carbs. For instance, did you know that a 1 oz. cookie and 1 oz. of bread have about 15 carbs? I didn't. But a 1 oz piece of bread is bigger than the 1 oz cookie. And for every 15 carbs he has to have unit of insulin. Carbs are found in lots of things, even sugar free candy as we found out on Easter Sunday. 

I am a person who likes to see the silver lining. "It could be worse" is my mantra. So for me, discovering that most poor kids are lethargic when they finally discover they have diabetes, and Jessica just looked like she was sick with some unknown flu bug makes me feel thankful that I had a glucometer around to check her with and catch hers early in the game. The fact that she was diagnosed in 2009, instead of in some past decade when they had less knowledge and diabetes seemed like a death sentence, makes me feel thankful. That we were only there for Saturday, Sunday, and through to Monday afternoon is wonderful. That we get to learn how to manage diabetes this week during Spring Break instead of my kid missing a ton of school is amazing luck. That we had such knowledgeable people surrounding us with love, good wishes, and a vast amount of information to make Jessica's life more enjoyable makes me humbled and oh so grateful. And they gave me their cell phone numbers to call anytime, which relieves me. And knowing that we'll come home and be helped through life by such wonderful family and friends is tremendously comforting.

 

 And she is thankful that she feels so much better. Better than she has in months, so she tells me. So she just couldn't quit smiling for the pictures I snapped for her scrapbook.

It could have been worse. So much worse. So while it was tiring to have to wake up with her at 3 am last night to make sure her blood sugar levels hadn't plummeted, how glad I am that she woke up. And she was glad that she had a reason to eat some of that dried pineapple that we bought yesterday for when her blood sugars were low. She wasn't very low, but after reaching up to 403, 80 seems low to her body for now. She was a bit shaky and feeling funny, which is what a low feels like, so she ate some pineapple and came right back up.

And I got to sleep in my own bed without having to dash out of the house at 6 to make sure I can talk with the doc when he comes around for rounds like I did Monday morning. Or sleep on a fold out chair that I can feel all of the springs and bars and wake up every 3 hours to check on Jessica like on Saturday night.

 Managing Jessica's diabetes will become routine and normal and second nature. And for that I am truly grateful.