Just Keep Swimming

Today is Day 4 of DBlogWeek and today's topic is: Mantras and more

When J is having a hard diabetes day and we are struggling to find the correct action to get him back on track here are a few things that I remind myself in those moments of mental despair.

First and foremost, I remind myself that we are doing everything humanly possible to successfully manage this disease. We have an insulin pump, CGM and a Diabetic Alert Dog. We are not failures and sometimes there won't be answers to why his blood sugar is so high and stubborn or why he is low all of the time.
My motto is this: Treat the number in front of you and move on.
Then weekly, I print up the Dexcom G4 trend data so that we can make the changes needed according to his patterns that week.

This disease is ever changing and impossible to understand at times. J's endocrinologist put it best "This is a marathon, not a sprint" you just have to look at the big picture. You'll make mistakes but you'll learn from them. You'll be frustrated but it will pass and it will get easier, not better, but easier as time goes on.

Secondly, I remind myself to reach out to those living with and also managing this disease. You don't have to re-invent the wheel. There are different techniques, products and approaches to managing this disease, so if your way isn't working, use your resources to find alternative ideas. You are never alone! When all else fails you call your Endocrinologist for help and ideas, and they will help to steer you back on track.

Lastly, I have the hope that one day my son will have a cure, but I know that while we are waiting for that cure, technology is advancing. Diabetes technology is helping make diabetics life easier, and preventing more and more serious complications. This makes my job as a caregiver more successful. Just his CGM alone has allowed us to more successfully manage his diabetes and gain knowledge about how is body responds to foods, exercise, and the adjustments that we make to his insulin. My son is only 4 so the advances that he will see in his lifetime will be amazing! The artificial pancreas is coming and that will allow him to regain yet another piece of freedom back from Type 1 Diabetes.

Never lose sight that things will get easier and we are living in an age of major medical advancements. Today might be a "bad" day but that doesn't mean that tomorrow will be, so just "treat the number and move on" life is too short to obsess about the uncontrollable.