It's been so long that I just wanted to check in. Joyful Monkey's BG levels have been pretty good (knock on wood). This is extremely comforting since we had been dealing with major highs and several lows...glad to be leveling out again. Softball has begun and our life has become INSANE again. I told myself we weren't going to coach again this year so that we could be more cognizant of JM's needs during practices and games. Circumstances left a need for a coach, so of course my hubby and I stepped in.
This year will be different, though. We begin this season with great attention. Last year, we didn't notice her BG crashing and she tested at a 33 during a softball game. It's hard to be in charge of 15 eight year olds during a game and keep a special eye out. JM's health is of immeasurable more importance than having to hold-up a game for a few minutes. We won't let the pressure deter us. That's what we do while walking the road of T1D right? Learn from our mistakes so we'll be better prepared for next time AND thank the Lord for his protection!
You may not know that I am a substitute teacher by profession. April has been an extremely busy month FULL of jobs. A blessing, but also a bit stressful (especially with our new added job as softball coaches). Anyway, this is the reason for my long absence. I don't know how so many of you blog so consistently, but I'm glad you do! I know that while in the midst of this crazy life, I'm not alone. Hopefully, we'll see ya soon!
Oh, and a little update: JM has her Celiac endoscopy this Friday. If you think about us, you could pray that everything would go well. I know it's small, where procedures are concerned, but anytime you put your child under, it's scary. Thanks!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Spring Break Surprise
Our family just enjoyed our Spring Break at the coast with some family friends. The weather was typically rainy, but we didn't let it spoil our fun! We even saw a baby seal on the shore, left behind by the tide. We visited Fort Clatsop where the girls became Junior Rangers & Fort Columbia where they had a great time exploring.
Oh, and let's not forget the lovely information we received. Our wonderful doctor called my cell to give me the results of Social Butterfly's lab tests. She had been having some tummy issues and we went in and she had 7 vials of blood drawn. Her labs came back positive for Celiac Disease...Social Butterfly! We already have Joyful Monkey's endoscopy scheduled for the end of April because her numbers keep creeping up on the Celiac blood tests, but SB's number was 120! Ahhh! So, now we have another endoscopy to schedule. We may have the Celiac Sisters! I guess it won't really matter if they officially diagnose JM yet or not, because we'll be going gluten-free for SB anyway. At least we know why her tummy has been hurting. But, I can't say I'm happy to go GF. It changes so much! Thankfully, there are so many GF recipes out there, and it's such a fad right now, that it's pretty visibly marketed. Now I just need to find the time to figure out how I am going to be able to do this effectively with softball season starting this week. I think God is using this to make me a better food planner/preparer. =) I tend to not put a lot of thought in food preparation and don't like to spend time on it since we are so busy, but I guess it's an area I will need to work on.
Spring break just isn't long enough. =) Hope you enjoy yours!
*I'm sure History Buff is just wondering when her life will change...
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| Social Butterfly at Ft. Clatsop Interpretive Center |
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| Our Crew at Fort Clatsop |
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| History Buff being sworn in as a Junior Ranger |
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| Joyful Monkey at Ft. Clatsop Interpretive Center |
Spring break just isn't long enough. =) Hope you enjoy yours!
*I'm sure History Buff is just wondering when her life will change...
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Heaven is just a bit sweeter...
An enthusiastic, hand-clapping song of "I'll fly away, oh glory..." really makes me reflect.
I think of a lot of wonderful things when I think of Heaven...first and foremost, the privilege of standing (okay, lying flat on my face) before the LORD. Seeing His glory face to face will be incredibly AWEsome!
I also think of the wonderful people I will be united, or reunited, with. Aside from God, I am most looking forward to meeting my Grandma Jane. There are so many other family members and friends I look forward to praising the Lord with, too.
It doesn't seem that it could get any sweeter. Lately, however, I've taken great hope in the idea that JM's body will someday be working perfectly. Someday, she will be free of the 7-10 finger pokes a day and all of the set changes, and "pain" of T1D.
While I hope for a cure for her in this life, I have faith that the ultimate cure is awaiting her someday because her hope is in the Lord! After all, "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1)." I can't be sure that my hope for a cure in this life will be found, but I am absolutely certain that my hope in the Lord will one day be seen with my own eyes. And it brings me such joy to know that Joyful Monkey's hope is in the Lord, as well. This faith will bring complete healing to both of us; not just our bodies, but our souls! Praise the Lord!
I think of a lot of wonderful things when I think of Heaven...first and foremost, the privilege of standing (okay, lying flat on my face) before the LORD. Seeing His glory face to face will be incredibly AWEsome!
I also think of the wonderful people I will be united, or reunited, with. Aside from God, I am most looking forward to meeting my Grandma Jane. There are so many other family members and friends I look forward to praising the Lord with, too.
It doesn't seem that it could get any sweeter. Lately, however, I've taken great hope in the idea that JM's body will someday be working perfectly. Someday, she will be free of the 7-10 finger pokes a day and all of the set changes, and "pain" of T1D.
While I hope for a cure for her in this life, I have faith that the ultimate cure is awaiting her someday because her hope is in the Lord! After all, "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1)." I can't be sure that my hope for a cure in this life will be found, but I am absolutely certain that my hope in the Lord will one day be seen with my own eyes. And it brings me such joy to know that Joyful Monkey's hope is in the Lord, as well. This faith will bring complete healing to both of us; not just our bodies, but our souls! Praise the Lord!
"So we'll wait till Kingdom come,
all the highs and lows are gone.
A little bit longer, and I'll be fine!"
-Nick Jonas (from his song A Little Bit Longer)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thank You!
Last week, our family was thrilled to find that we had won the sugar bolus...our first! We received both prizes in the mail today. Needless to say, our household is very excited. Thanks for hosting a great giveaway Wendy (www.candyheartsblog.blogspot.com)!
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| Joyful Monkey's new pump pouch from PumpWear, Inc. |
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| AromaDough...gluten free! |
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Roller Coaster Ride with My Guy
So, after having whined and complained, I started feeling pretty guilty. I probably shouldn't blog when I'm tired and frustrated! ; ) Sorry!
Good news, though! My wonderful hubby has taken the D-night shift for the last two days. While I still woke up at 2:45 on my own (apparently I now have an internal alarm for that time), I was able to get some wonderfully restful sleep...Praise the Lord! It's amazing how your outlook changes after some good quality rest. What a roller coaster ride this whole D-life is.
Last Sunday, while at church, Joyful Monkey was falling asleep during worship. That seemed a bit odd, but we had enjoyed a full week and I could see how she would be tired. I didn't want to overreact, but we were a bit concerned. My hubby was like, what the heck...let's just check her to be sure! We were SHOCKED when the meter read "HIGH". We have never before had a reading like that. Had her pump been working? Yes! Her numbers were good all night and before breakfast. Was it kinked or not correctly attached? Nope; everything looked good on inspection. Did her morning bolus go through? Yup! What was going on? Her breakfast was a typical breakfast that she has had many times before. It didn't make sense. However, we needed a plan. We had just changed the set the day before and didn't want to go that route until we knew what was going on. So, we grabbed a syringe and the Novolog to give a correction shot.
We were pretty surprised at how apprehensive JM was to have a shot again. She hadn't had one since we started the pump in July. And she wasn't feeling good...after all, she was over 600! Thankfully it only took a little bit of coaxing. We went to the church library for our "recovery" time. While there, JM and I invented a great game of hair band hockey. The long table made a great "air" hockey table for her hair band. While we passed our time playing hair band hockey in the church library (That is what the church library is for, isn't it?), her numbers steadily dropped.
The rest of the day was uneventful and the pump and set worked perfectly fine. I still have NO CLUE what spiked her that morning. But I am grateful for an ever-persistent husband! In not wanting to overreact, I would have let that BG go.
Just this morning in Sunday School, it was mentioned how having a child with an illness can be a source of relationship stress in a marriage because the wife's main focus becomes the ill child instead of her husband. I am so blessed that my husband and I team up for Joyful Monkey's care. Rather than causing stress in our marriage, I believe it has bonded us all the more. Thank you Lord for the guy you put in the seat next to me on this crazy roller coaster ride!
Good news, though! My wonderful hubby has taken the D-night shift for the last two days. While I still woke up at 2:45 on my own (apparently I now have an internal alarm for that time), I was able to get some wonderfully restful sleep...Praise the Lord! It's amazing how your outlook changes after some good quality rest. What a roller coaster ride this whole D-life is.
Last Sunday, while at church, Joyful Monkey was falling asleep during worship. That seemed a bit odd, but we had enjoyed a full week and I could see how she would be tired. I didn't want to overreact, but we were a bit concerned. My hubby was like, what the heck...let's just check her to be sure! We were SHOCKED when the meter read "HIGH". We have never before had a reading like that. Had her pump been working? Yes! Her numbers were good all night and before breakfast. Was it kinked or not correctly attached? Nope; everything looked good on inspection. Did her morning bolus go through? Yup! What was going on? Her breakfast was a typical breakfast that she has had many times before. It didn't make sense. However, we needed a plan. We had just changed the set the day before and didn't want to go that route until we knew what was going on. So, we grabbed a syringe and the Novolog to give a correction shot.
We were pretty surprised at how apprehensive JM was to have a shot again. She hadn't had one since we started the pump in July. And she wasn't feeling good...after all, she was over 600! Thankfully it only took a little bit of coaxing. We went to the church library for our "recovery" time. While there, JM and I invented a great game of hair band hockey. The long table made a great "air" hockey table for her hair band. While we passed our time playing hair band hockey in the church library (That is what the church library is for, isn't it?), her numbers steadily dropped.
The rest of the day was uneventful and the pump and set worked perfectly fine. I still have NO CLUE what spiked her that morning. But I am grateful for an ever-persistent husband! In not wanting to overreact, I would have let that BG go.
Just this morning in Sunday School, it was mentioned how having a child with an illness can be a source of relationship stress in a marriage because the wife's main focus becomes the ill child instead of her husband. I am so blessed that my husband and I team up for Joyful Monkey's care. Rather than causing stress in our marriage, I believe it has bonded us all the more. Thank you Lord for the guy you put in the seat next to me on this crazy roller coaster ride!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Burnout
I'm sure that everyone who deals with a T1D, or is a T1D, suffers from this periodically. I'm just tired of it! It's not even that I am wondering "Why?" or feeling sorry for "us". I'm too tired to even feel emotion about it. All I know is that I want a full night's sleep free of worry.
My hubby and I take turns getting up with Joyful Monkey to check BG levels. The problem lies in the fact that even when it's not my turn, I wake up wondering if she was indeed checked and what her number was. He's not getting much sleep either. Little sleep makes for a less-than-ideal household. (My house is a wreck as I just feel too tired to deal with it right now.)
The ultra sad thing is that here I am complaining and I'm not even the one having my finger poked or putting infusion sets on my body or feeling the physical tolls of varying sugar levels. Joyful Monkey will never have a "break" from this. Throughout my life, I'm sure I will have short stints of a D break. This line of thought just makes me more discouraged and frustrated with myself...it's a vicious cycle. I know that the Lord will give me the strength; I just wish I could store some up so I don't have to feel so drained!
So for now, I'm just dreaming about what life will be like when a cure is found (when my thoughts are coherent, that is)...
What do you do when D burnout hits?
My hubby and I take turns getting up with Joyful Monkey to check BG levels. The problem lies in the fact that even when it's not my turn, I wake up wondering if she was indeed checked and what her number was. He's not getting much sleep either. Little sleep makes for a less-than-ideal household. (My house is a wreck as I just feel too tired to deal with it right now.)
The ultra sad thing is that here I am complaining and I'm not even the one having my finger poked or putting infusion sets on my body or feeling the physical tolls of varying sugar levels. Joyful Monkey will never have a "break" from this. Throughout my life, I'm sure I will have short stints of a D break. This line of thought just makes me more discouraged and frustrated with myself...it's a vicious cycle. I know that the Lord will give me the strength; I just wish I could store some up so I don't have to feel so drained!
So for now, I'm just dreaming about what life will be like when a cure is found (when my thoughts are coherent, that is)...
What do you do when D burnout hits?
Monday, January 31, 2011
An Unfair Opponent...
This week, the DOC has heard of several who have lost their battle with T1D. Hearing these stories and the significance of each loss is devastating! I can't imagine what those families are going through; and to try would be to acknowledge our vulnerability as well. While we know that T1D can kill, we don't like to think of it. Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, it is a constant, ever-present thought. It is this very knowledge that drives us to set an alarm, pull ourselves out of bed at 3am, and drag ourselves into our child's room to check blood sugars. We do our very best to care for and watch over these delicate T1Ds.
The problem, however, lies in the fact that even if we were to do every single thing "correctly", T1D doesn't follow the rules. There are so many variables (growth, hormones, activities, nightmares, etc.), that we can never care for our children perfectly. It is in this helplessness, that we continue to do our best, hoping and praying that our child will always wake up the next morning. There have been so many mornings I go to wake up Joyful Monkey and I find myself holding my breath. I guess, I just know that I can't completely control it.
I do know, however, who IS able to control all of JM's blood glucose levels. I must rest in the knowledge of His sovereignty because I know my vulnerability and helplessness. We will walk this walk with the strength He gives us each day. We will pray for a cure. We will pray for those families who lost loved ones this week. And, we will hold our loved ones a bit closer as we're reminded of how fragile life is.
The problem, however, lies in the fact that even if we were to do every single thing "correctly", T1D doesn't follow the rules. There are so many variables (growth, hormones, activities, nightmares, etc.), that we can never care for our children perfectly. It is in this helplessness, that we continue to do our best, hoping and praying that our child will always wake up the next morning. There have been so many mornings I go to wake up Joyful Monkey and I find myself holding my breath. I guess, I just know that I can't completely control it.
I do know, however, who IS able to control all of JM's blood glucose levels. I must rest in the knowledge of His sovereignty because I know my vulnerability and helplessness. We will walk this walk with the strength He gives us each day. We will pray for a cure. We will pray for those families who lost loved ones this week. And, we will hold our loved ones a bit closer as we're reminded of how fragile life is.
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