Today's doctor appointment.....

So today Carter had a diabetes check up and he did awesome! They had to draw labs, check his sugar twice, and check for keytones, and all the other basic stuff they do at doctors office. Carter told the doctor that "sugars are carbs and he can't eat sugar." What 3 year old knows that! Then I told him if he did his  blood draw like a big boy he could have gum. He told me he wanted Starbucks instead. It is hard for me to go to his appointments because I don't like when the doctor makes me feel like I'm not taking care of my child. She always tells me check him every 2 hours and at 2am, but sometimes Carter & I get tired of checking so often & I cannot wake up in the middle of the night. She also tells me to give him shots on his legs & back but when my baby cries and says it hurts in those spots I don't want too. It's hard enough poking my babies callus and spilt finger tips the last thing I want is for him to tell me his shots hurt. Maybe the doctor should try raising a diabetic child. 

I'm back!!!!

It has been quite some time since my last post, but luckily I'm back! I still wake up everyday wishing I could take away my son's diabetes so he can be a normal 3 year old. It seems like the market makes so much money on diabetic supplies that they will continue to take their time to find a cure for diabetes. So until they do or until they allow family members to do pancreas transplants, our family will work together by making people aware of diabetes.

In September, I decided it would be better for Carter if I worked from home, so I applied for a home daycare license. Now, I run my own child care business! I am home with Norah, Carter, and four other children. I love being with my children and I have developed a great love for my four "adopted" children. Now that I am home with the kids, Carter and I have established a routine for his blood sugars and homemade meals. More importantly, Carter is growing and learning so much about his diabetes. 

Carter's haircut

Carter got his hair cut today!! He sat very still and told the stylist he didn't like the blow dryer. 

Carter's pass time in the hospital

The Road to Recovery

I’ve shared the story of what we went through when Carter was first diagnosed with diabetes (here and here) but today I want to share what happened in the days immediately after his diagnosis, when we were still in the hospital. His condition was so bad he stayed for several weeks.

We were originally in the pediatric ICU, but eventually were transferred to a small private room. In there, Carter had a crib, a rocking chair and a tv. Kyle and I sat, slept, and ate right next to Carter. We were quite fortunate because Kyle was able to get time off from work to be with me and Carter. My mom and brother brought Norah a couple of times to see us.

The nurses would come in every two hours and check his sugar. Because he was so small they would prick his heel. Carter had bruises and his legs, ankles, and arms from all the different nurses who tried to get an IV started. He was so tired that he slept for about 12 hours. After that he would move or fuss when the nurse came in to check his sugar. I was nursing Carter so when I held him he would fuss and turn his head to nurse. It became easier for me and him to not pick him up until the doctor gave us the ok for him to eat.

We meet so many different people the first couple of days. Different nurses and doctors would come in and help us. We were given a note book with different articles on diabetes. A counselor came into our room and told us she was the person in charge of insurance. She said she would report Carter's case to CCS (California Children’s Service). I started crying because I thought she meant CPS (Child Protection Services). In a panic, I told her we didn't know he was diabetic and why did she need to report me to CPS. She smiled and put her arm around me then quickly explained what CCS was. Kyle started laughing and said, “Why did you think CPS? We didn't purposely give Carter diabetes!” I learned that CPS is a California funded program that helps families with children who need medication for life. The program helps with copays and doctor care and our counselor did all the paperwork for us so we didn't have to worry about a thing. This is truly a great program!

Carter was not allowed to have food and water for three and a half days. He laid in his crib and slept. His lips were really dry so I soaked a pink sponge in ice and rubbed it on his lips and mouth. I used a wash cloth to wipe his little chubby body off. After two days, Carter's heels were covered in dry blood spots from being poked so much. His color was normal again but he was very drowsy. He cried a little every time the nurses would check his sugar. He was on the road to recovery, thankfully, but Kyle and I weren't getting any sleep at all...

Diabetes: A Background

Today, I'm going to give a little medical background on T1D and T2D.

First off, you need a simple explanation on how your body works. For all the doctors/science nerds reading this largely simplified explanation, deal with it. I’m no smarty pants. So here is how it goes: You eat food. Your body eventually breaks the food down into glucose (a type of sugar your body needs in order to keep you walking and talking). However, in order for the glucose to get into your bloodstream and be used, it needs insulin. So your body makes insulin, which attaches itself to glucose and as friends, they enter the bloodstream.

Insulin and glucose. Friends like Sam and Frodo. All out to accomplish a bold mission.

The problem with diabetics? Their body doesn't properly make insulin. Sometimes, it makes too much. Sometimes, too little. It all depends on whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. What are the differences?

T1D:
*Your pancreas doesn't make insulin at all.
*Requires an insulin shot or insulin pump in order to stay alive.
*It is not preventable. No eating habit, workout routine or surgery can fix it. Their body is just broken.
*It is generally diagnosed at a younger age. Carter was diagnosed at six months, his dad at three years.
*Individuals with T1D are usually thin. Kyle is thin, but Carter still has his adorable baby rolls!

Those rolls are NOT messin' around!

T2D:
*Your body makes insulin, but for various reasons, the cells stopped responding.
*Those various reasons mainly include bad diet and exercise.
*Generally, with proper diet and exercise, the individual can reverse T2D effects.
*It is generally diagnosed at an older age, but as Americans have become increasingly fat and lazy, it is showing up in younger and younger children. Go Amerucka!

Feel a bit more educated? Good. So do I! The point is...we love Carter!

Kyle's Diabetes

While this blog is for Carter, he isn’t the only member of our family who has T1D. I’ve mentioned before that my husband Kyle also has T1D. This is my story of how I was first affected by Kyle’s blood sugar.

I meet my husband in 2006. He told me he was diabetic and I just thought it meant he couldn't eat sugar. He ate anything he wanted and drank a lot of soda; occasionally he would have a diet soda. For the most part Kyle monitored his own sugar and took care of his shots. He would tell me things about his diabetes like how he felt when he goes high and symptoms of a low. He would tell me if he ever went low it would seem like he was drunk. He also warned me to put honey under his tongue if he was low.

We got married in the summer of 2007. About seven months later Kyle and I were talking at the table. He stared to seem confused and was having trouble talking. I asked him if he was okay. He just gave me a blank state. He stood up and took a couple of steps. His legs buckled and he fell to the floor. My heart was racing because I wasn't sure what was wrong with my husband. I started to panic and remembered what Kyle had told me about low blood sugar. I went to the cupboard and got a bottle of honey. I put Kyle’s head on my lap as I put the honey under his tongue. After about twenty minutes, Kyle’s color stated coming back and he was able to talk. At this time we didn’t even own a glucose monitor! I sat on the floor with Kyle and told him we needed to talk. I made an appointment to see a doctor.

At the doctor’s Kyle took an A1C test, a common blood test used to diagnose diabetes and gauge how well it is being monitored. A normal range is between 4.5 to 6 percent. Kyle was at 15. The doctor gave Kyle a prescription for all the diabetic supplies and most important, a glucose monitor. He told us that Kyle needed to check his sugars 2 hours before and after meals and bedtime. Kyle explained how to check his sugar, the sliding scale and carb counting. I learned a lot about diabetes but I never checked his sugar or my own or gave him any shots. I did start buying foods with more protein and made sure Kyle ate better. He now has a A1C of 7! But it wasn't until Carter was diagnosed that we changed our entire life style and I learned more about diabetes then I could ever imagine!