This is not routine.....

This month has been a whirlwind and I can't believe that it is nearly over. We are trying to get back into school mode and Joseph is playing on his school soccer team again this year. It has been challenging to adjust his diabetes management with the new physical activity and the hot weather that we have been having! We are desperately trying to fight off those low blood sugars with the help of our Dexcom CGM and NIGHTSCOUT (see details here) Learning how is body responds is one of the single most difficult things to accomplish because it never seems to be the same....EVER!

Along with the school and soccer we have also had to take Joseph to the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. This is a bittersweet moment for us because Joseph actually had a surgery scheduled to remove his tonsils and adenoids. Joseph has very large tonsils that cause him to snore and have sleep apnea. Joseph's surgery never happened because he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes just 2 weeks before his surgery date and there was NO WAY that we could put him through a surgery while he and we were still learning to cope with having shots, finger pokes and managing his diabetes. His snoring and apnea are continuing to worsen, so we decided that it was finally time to schedule that dreadful surgery. This time is it a lot more worrisome than pre-T1D.

This time we have to worry about so much more than just the surgery itself. How we are going to managing no food or liquids after midnight? If he has a low blood sugar we have no choice but to give him something to treat it! What blood sugar range do we send him into surgery? How will his blood sugar react being under anesthesia, and how will he react? Will they let us monitor him via NightScout while he is in surgery? How are we going to get him to eat and drink after surgery to be able to regulate his blood sugars?  These questions are continuously running through my mind and my nerves are already shot and surgery isn't for another month.

This is no longer the normal outpatient routine procedure that was scheduled before diagnosis. We are now having his surgery done at the hospital. The hospital where they have the T1D pediatric unit in case something goes wrong and he has to stay for treatment, the hospital we spent the first 3 days of his Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis. We must have consultations with his Endocrinologist, Pediatric Anesthesiologist, and Surgeon. There has to be a plan and there has to be a backup plan if god forbid the need arises.

This is not routine, but then again, this is what life is like when you are living with Type 1 Diabetes, nothing is routine!

Am I an Advocate? ABSOLUTELY!

This past month I have been eating, sleeping and breathing Diabetes Advocacy and I love every minute of it.

I have done everything from a speaking engagement, fund raising, writing a magazine article, to helping a fellow D-Mom get a revolutionary Free Diabetics Movement off and running!

This is what dreams are made of, standing up for what you believe in and never looking back! Fighting for awareness, fund raising and a cure is a battle I will win. I will not stop until my son is no longer bound to the shackles of Type 1 Diabetes.

Thank you to all who have supported and encouraged me on this journey. It truly means the world to me and has shown me how much compassion and generosity is still left in this world and that gives me the hope and drive to continue fighting!

If you haven't done so already visit the Free Diabetics Movement pages on Facebook, Twitter @freediabetics_ and Instagram @freediabetics You don't have to be a diabetic to post a picture, you can post one on behalf of a friend or loved one living with Type 1 Diabetes. Just tell us how long it has been since you or they have been "free" and hashtag #FREEDIABETICS. If you would like to post one on behalf of Joseph he hasn't been "free" in 1 year 8 months!

I look forward to seeing your beautiful faces!

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart for all of the love and support!!

-until next time

#FREEDIABETICS

Have you heard of the newest movement in the diabetes world?
Free Diabetics Movement

This is one of the most brilliant advocacy movements that I have seen since the "No More Pricks" campaign.
The objective: A mug shot! Why a mug shot? Well because those living with Type 1 Diabetes have been sentenced to Life in Diabetes Prison.
It is simple, take your mug shot and tell the world how long it has been since you have been "FREE". The creators of the movement are going to make a video for November's Diabetes Awareness month. The cool part about this campaign is, the mug shots don't just have to be of the diabetic. You can take a mug shot for a loved one or friend living with Type 1 Diabetes and telling the world how long it has been since they've been "FREE".

Here is Joseph's Mug Shot that I posted to my social media accounts today.

 

 

Join the movement and let's start getting the awareness that Type 1 Diabetes deserves! Don't forget to post your pictures to the Facebook page listed above, as well as use the hashtag #FREEDIABETICS on your social media posts!

 

 

-until next time

Tomorrow isn't guaranteed......

The last week was....well, a complete disaster.

We lost a close family member to Leukemia just a few short days after his diagnosis. I had a medical procedure done to try and figure out the source of my health problems. My dad got his biopsy results from a procedure and they came back precancerous. Then on my 10 year wedding anniversary my grandfather fell off of a 7ft ladder while working in his garage and broke his hip. He went in for surgery on Friday and that began a whole new battle, as his life was in danger with low blood pressure and a high heart rate. He had a triple bypass 20 years ago and the doctors were mentioning a potential heart failure. We all prayed that wouldn't be the case and just waited for his condition to improve. Thankfully he was able to pull through (with the help of some amazing doctors) and is now on the road to recovery.

I am sure you are asking where Diabetes was this whole time?!? Well actually it sort of just became the background noise to all of this chaos. Nothing too crazy to report just the normal daily struggles.

A week like last week just reminds me that life is often taken for granted. One minute you can be here and the next is never a guarantee. Diabetes makes that a daily reality in our lives for Joseph, but I never really think about the rest of us. Just because we don't have T1D doesn't mean that we will be alive tomorrow. We need to embrace today and our loved ones because we never know what tomorrow will hold!

Sugar Stalking 101

Today is Joseph's first day of school.

Last year, we were spoiled with a set of teachers/aides who were familiar with Diabetes care. They were so on top of everything and we never really had to worry about his safety while at school. Then, he went to summer school and he wasn't around those same set of teachers anymore. A lot of situations came up that made me afraid of what this year would hold in store for his care.

Well here we are......
A new set of teachers with no experience in Diabetes care and not only does he have a main Teacher and Aide but this year he also goes to different teachers for P.E. and Computer class.

I feel like I should be more worried, but with having CGM in the Cloud and being able to see what is happening with his blood sugars, we now have peace of mind. We don't have to be stressed or worried, wondering what is going on and if they are paying attention to his CGM and behavior. We can see it first hand, and we have the ability to make decisions as if he were home with us.

He's at school, I'm at home and Anthony is at work

but

We Are ALWAYS Watching!

 

Thank You to those who made this possible! Your brilliant minds have given us "D-Parents" the ability to Stalk Blood Sugars from anywhere at anytime! #WeAreNotWaiting

-Until Next Time

Just Breathe......

Last week, I was asked by Anthony from Duck Fiabetes NorCal to speak at a Lions Club International meeting. Anthony is a fellow T1D advocate, who also just happens to live with T1D himself- Super Hero Status! Anthony is fighting to get backing from our local Lions Club members to start a Diabetes Specialty Group and he has been given a forum time at this weekend's meeting. Anthony will be speaking and has also rallied some of us local D-Mom's (one being fellow D-Mom Blogger Heather from Eden's Effort) to share our stories! No Pressure! LOL

Those who know me, know I am NOT a public speaking fan. Actually, just the mere thought of it makes me want to hyperventilate, puke and pass out! Oddly enough, I am not a shy person by any means of the word. I have no problem speaking one on one with people and sharing our story. It is the getting up in front, all eyes on me that I just can't seem to get over. However, Anthony found my weak spot!

T1D Advocacy!

I feel that I owe it to my son, to step outside of my comfort zone and do whatever it takes to help spread awareness and education. I owe it to the Diabetic Community to use this platform and stand alongside of Anthony and the other D-Mom's and fight to change the course of how this disease is treated and recognized! T1D's deserve a cure just as much as any other disease and they certainly deserve the backing by organizations as large as the Lion's Club!

So for now, I am going to put on my Big Girl Panties, take a BIG deep breath and get my public speaking on!

Wish Me Luck!

-Until Next Time

Lucky Number 7

Yesterday was Endo Day!

As always we had a great trip to the doctor! He is always so comforting and encouraging. He always picks my brain about my latest Diabetes obsession. Yesterday, it was the CGM in the Cloud ;)
We are the first in the practice to have it and he was showing it off to some of the office staff and jealous that he can't recommend it to his patients due to the lack of approval by the FDA. He told me that I needed to be on TV and make videos, to which I just laugh because I HATE public speaking! He also advised me to go back to school and become a Certified Diabetes Educator so that I could share my tips and tricks with everyone and get paid while doing it. I again laughed and said "Ya, in all of my spare time" LOL maybe one day!


Then comes the dreaded A1C results!! If I had to guess I would have said about the same as last time, queue the drum roll, loss of breath and panic attack.........

 

WOO HOO!!!! We dropped from an 8.2 to 7.7! This translates into an average blood sugar of 175! I still can't believe it. We haven't seen these numbers since going on the pump in December. We have been working so hard to get back on track and finally our hard work is paying off! Our Endo was just as thrilled as we were and told us not to change a thing, that we were doing everything exactly the way it needed to be done.

 

Success is a double edged sword in this life. You are excited for the moment but then quickly realize that the battle begins again tomorrow. Success today doesn't always mean success tomorrow, but we know that we are learning and growing and are on the right track to successful management of T1D.

We will continue working hard and doing our best, and hopefully that will continue to show in our A1C "report cards".

 

So for now, we celebrate our little victory and always have in the back of our heads

 

 

-Until next time :)