We have been needing to sell our house for about 2 years now. We tried when I was pregnant with my son Wyatt, but it didn't sell. Wyatt is now a year and a half old and we have totally outgrown this house. Its a GREAT little house, but its little. We have no play area's, no game room, no "extra" anything. There is no hallway closet/s for storage either. We store our blankets in the corner by the couch. I'm love doing arts and crafts with the kids, but unfortunately there is no room to do big fun things because I have nowhere to store the stuff. In our small little coat closet I have shoved all our art supplies on the top shelf. That would be fine, but where do I put the things such as umbrellas and hats/mittens/scarves that need to be in the coat closet. You get my point...back to the diabetes blog, Krista.
So today I started do the massive cleaning and boxing up of things we don't need on a daily basis. We CANNOT put our house on the market the way it is now. In Wyatt's closet we have an old sub-woofer of Nicks, a guitar of Nicks (PS, he doesn't play guitar...at all), extra diapers that kids grew out of that size before we ever got to use them....clothes boxes....and its not a very big closet! So Wyatt's room got my attention today. I went CRAZY. The cleaning bug got me good. Lysol wipes even got some major use in there...then...the xmas stuff started to get put away. Boy, I am on a roll... I also got 1 load of laundry washed, dried and put away...one more in the dryer and one in the wash.... THEN...I feel weak. Again. Everyday for the past few days I've been going low. Not at the same time as it would usually happen though. It might be at 10 in the morning, it might be at breakfast, after lunch, bedtime. UGH. So all my cleaning that so desperately needs my attention is stopped dead in its tracks. I usually don't really care about having diabetes; I'm so used to having it that I hate it, but I don't let it get the best of me. When it stops me from being able to do anything, I get kind of ticked off though.
Have I mentioned I've been looking into CGM's? I was. I decided against it because there seems to be more CON's than PRO's for me. So, no thank you CGM, even though my insurance would pay for a great portion of it... Want to know what I've been looking into though? DAD's. Diabetic Alert Dogs. Pro's and Con's again though. I NEED something to help me out though. I need something that will give me a heads up before I go low, and before I get too high. I can't keep living like this, I'll never make it. I don't really know what to do...so I'm going to keep looking into things. Right now, the DAD is looking like a pretty good option. Keep reading to see where this takes me!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Bringing Up the Low's
I belong to this wonderful diabetes blog on facebook. Its a blog for parents of diabetics, but I belonged to a different group on facebook and was asked to join the parents group. I did thinking it was kind of silly, but boy am I ever glad I did join. It is suck an amazing group, I feel really lucky to belong to it.
Anyways, this morning there was a posting from one of the moms who had given her daughter a glass of milk and her daughters blood sugars went through the roof. Her sugars were normal, then they skyrocketed after the milk. She was so confused as to why! I thought, its MILK, that's why she's high. I wrote to her saying when my blood sugars go low that the BEST thing there is for me to bring my sugars up is milk. It shoots me up while still being an easy to drink to try and get down when the yuckyness of the low sets in. Its smooth, and really easy to gulp! I was surprised when so many parents said they had never thought of using milk to bring up a low because its...well...milk.
I mentioned that she could try a test to see how the milk effects her blood sugars. Give her a glass of milk when she hasn't ate or drank anything, then test her sugars every 3-4 minutes for a while after. See how it brings her sugars up. Some foods and drinks affect us different so milk might be one that really brings me up, but not so much other people.
Some of the other things I use to raise my sugars are apple juice, and if there is nothing else around I will drink orange juice. Glucose tabs don't do a thing to me! NOTHING. Straight sugar tabs, and they do nothing. We were shopping at a grocery store a few months back and I felt weak. My blood sugar was low 40's. I ate 4 glucose tabs, checked about 6-8 minutes later....and I was the exact same number. It hadn't budged an ounce.
Anyways, this morning there was a posting from one of the moms who had given her daughter a glass of milk and her daughters blood sugars went through the roof. Her sugars were normal, then they skyrocketed after the milk. She was so confused as to why! I thought, its MILK, that's why she's high. I wrote to her saying when my blood sugars go low that the BEST thing there is for me to bring my sugars up is milk. It shoots me up while still being an easy to drink to try and get down when the yuckyness of the low sets in. Its smooth, and really easy to gulp! I was surprised when so many parents said they had never thought of using milk to bring up a low because its...well...milk.
I mentioned that she could try a test to see how the milk effects her blood sugars. Give her a glass of milk when she hasn't ate or drank anything, then test her sugars every 3-4 minutes for a while after. See how it brings her sugars up. Some foods and drinks affect us different so milk might be one that really brings me up, but not so much other people.
Some of the other things I use to raise my sugars are apple juice, and if there is nothing else around I will drink orange juice. Glucose tabs don't do a thing to me! NOTHING. Straight sugar tabs, and they do nothing. We were shopping at a grocery store a few months back and I felt weak. My blood sugar was low 40's. I ate 4 glucose tabs, checked about 6-8 minutes later....and I was the exact same number. It hadn't budged an ounce.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
OUCH!
So this is just a random post, but I wanted to put it on here anyways.
You know how your pickers (what I call the little machine that pokes my finger to draw blood) have different settings on it? To make the level of poking weaker or stronger? Well I accidentally changed mine and dang does it hurt! I have 2 kits that I use. One of the kits has an older picker in it and needs to be set to a 4 to draw blood. The newer monitor has a new picker in it and it hurts like heck, so its set to a 2. I must have changed the 2 to the 4 because MAN, did it hurt...and it still hurts...and I did it yesterday! CRAZY. I promise for some new fun posts soon...
You know how your pickers (what I call the little machine that pokes my finger to draw blood) have different settings on it? To make the level of poking weaker or stronger? Well I accidentally changed mine and dang does it hurt! I have 2 kits that I use. One of the kits has an older picker in it and needs to be set to a 4 to draw blood. The newer monitor has a new picker in it and it hurts like heck, so its set to a 2. I must have changed the 2 to the 4 because MAN, did it hurt...and it still hurts...and I did it yesterday! CRAZY. I promise for some new fun posts soon...
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
A CGM?
I went to my Endocrinologist today. He brought up the topic of a CGM (continuous glucose monitor). I had secretly been looking into one on my own. He said I would be a perfect candidate and asked me if I wanted him to go ahead and get minimed (a CGM company) involved to start research with my insurance company and get other papers started. I'm pretty excited, I will keep ya'll posted!
Interesting Low
This weekend we went to Oklahoma for our Universities homecoming. On Saturday night we were in Tulsa at our friends house, along with another couple. Nick looked at me and said "check your sugar, your going low." He always knows when I'm going low. Anyways, I guess I was trying to give insulin before I checked my sugar which was bizarre (I don't remember this), so Nick went and got me some milk to drink while I tried to poke my finger. I drank the milk, then got my blood glucose reading of 28. Drink another glass of milk... I had been feeling gross for a few hours and felt like I was coming down with something and the milk wasn't helping. Suddenly I started to shake violently. I kept going in and out of consciousness which is strange because I'm either conscious for my lows, or I'm not. I was sitting up on the couch when he was giving me my milk telling him not to hold my head back. He wasn't, but the shaking made me think he was pushing my head back. I checked my sugars a few times while he was shoving food down my throat with milk. Apricot jelly too, YUCK. When I finally stopped shaking and started to calm down, Nick brought me a toast. I ran to the bathroom and vomited. The smell of the toast made me sick. As soon as I was done vomiting, I felt so much better. I left the bathroom and overhead our friends friend "M" on his phone. His is a local firefighter and he was on the phone with his firehouse. He asked them if they minding if he brought me up there for an IV of D50 (liquid glucose added into an IV). They didn't mind so into the truck we go off to the firehouse.
On our way, police sirens go off. All of a sudden we get pulled over for going 6 over the speed limit. "M" tells the police officer who he is, that he is taking me (a diabetic) to his firehouse for a glucose IV. The dumbass police officer starts lecturing him! "Well, don't you think you should have called an ambulance? Silly to be speeding..." He finally lets us go (after asking M which house, address, location, and information to make sure we weren't lying) and M gets so upset. I would have too! He was annoyed that the officer was lecturing him. Come on, it was free to go to the firehouse, the officer would have done the same thing!
When we got to the firehouse, sitting on the table were all the supplies needed for my IV. I was sat into a chair and the firefighter who was doing the IV prepped my left arm. He started the IV (owie, it hurt!) and unfortunately my vein wouldn't "flush". They need to have the IV in the vein so that the glucose is administered directly into the vein so I don't have things like my cellulitis hand last March happen. He tried for a minute or two and then asked if he could try another vein. I said yes, and he tried my right arm. He got it right away. Within seconds my blood sugar was rising. YAY. After about 30 minutes the IV was done and we checked my sugar: 212. I then had to eat a spoonful of peanut butter before they would let me go. It took about 30 minutes to eat it because as soon as I tasted it I felt sick again. Finally I finished it and we went home. I got back to our friends house and BLAH, was sick again. UGH! I managed to get a can of pears down and went straight to bed before I could get sick!
I am so thankful for great friends, and such kind hearted people. I can't thank M enough for what he did. We didn't get home until 1 in the morning and he was so nice about the entire episode. He ruined his Saturday night to help take care of me. I feel like a really lucky girl! Thanks M!
On our way, police sirens go off. All of a sudden we get pulled over for going 6 over the speed limit. "M" tells the police officer who he is, that he is taking me (a diabetic) to his firehouse for a glucose IV. The dumbass police officer starts lecturing him! "Well, don't you think you should have called an ambulance? Silly to be speeding..." He finally lets us go (after asking M which house, address, location, and information to make sure we weren't lying) and M gets so upset. I would have too! He was annoyed that the officer was lecturing him. Come on, it was free to go to the firehouse, the officer would have done the same thing!
When we got to the firehouse, sitting on the table were all the supplies needed for my IV. I was sat into a chair and the firefighter who was doing the IV prepped my left arm. He started the IV (owie, it hurt!) and unfortunately my vein wouldn't "flush". They need to have the IV in the vein so that the glucose is administered directly into the vein so I don't have things like my cellulitis hand last March happen. He tried for a minute or two and then asked if he could try another vein. I said yes, and he tried my right arm. He got it right away. Within seconds my blood sugar was rising. YAY. After about 30 minutes the IV was done and we checked my sugar: 212. I then had to eat a spoonful of peanut butter before they would let me go. It took about 30 minutes to eat it because as soon as I tasted it I felt sick again. Finally I finished it and we went home. I got back to our friends house and BLAH, was sick again. UGH! I managed to get a can of pears down and went straight to bed before I could get sick!
I am so thankful for great friends, and such kind hearted people. I can't thank M enough for what he did. We didn't get home until 1 in the morning and he was so nice about the entire episode. He ruined his Saturday night to help take care of me. I feel like a really lucky girl! Thanks M!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Another low...
On my "diaversary" (anniversary of being diagnosed) a few weeks ago, I got a message on my facebook account. It was from a Mommy of another diabetic. She had seen my post in a parents of diabetics group we both belong too. I know, I know, I'm not a parent of a diabetic, but the owner of the group asked me to join when she saw me on a different diabetes group. Anyways, this group is amazing. I have truly noticed myself taking better care of my diabetes since joining. Even though I don't know any of these people personally, we all "know" each other and talk constantly. Back to the message I got. This Mommy, we will call her "A", sent a quick message introducing herself and telling me about her son "R" who is 3. He was diagnosed a year ago (his diaversary is the day after mine!) so we were very similar in ages when we were diagnosed. We hit it off INSTANTLY. You know the saying "love at first sight?" well, this was "friendship at first message." Hah! We talk quite often, have tons of things in common (other than diabetes). Its nice to have that person you can just got to you know? We love so many of the same things (hello designer purses), our clothing style in similar, we both have 2 sons, our husbands annoy us for the same reasons, and we both have great relationships with our husbands at the same time LOL. We both go shopping when our hubbies go out on boys nights out. We are both from Canada, have both lived in Europe, both are stay at home mommies too. We love doing art with our kids, both wish we had a daughter, sigh... Anyways, we really hit it off and its awesome!
Back to the main reason of this post Krista, come on... Hah. So the other day "A" put a picture on facebook about "R"'s blood sugar. His was 34. Eek. The next day, I was 35. Twinkies! I thought about letting it go one unit lower so we would have been the same, but that was the diabetes thinking. I quickly had some milk and was pretty well back to normal! Oh the joys of diabetes...
Back to the main reason of this post Krista, come on... Hah. So the other day "A" put a picture on facebook about "R"'s blood sugar. His was 34. Eek. The next day, I was 35. Twinkies! I thought about letting it go one unit lower so we would have been the same, but that was the diabetes thinking. I quickly had some milk and was pretty well back to normal! Oh the joys of diabetes...
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Insulin Change
Yesterday my endocrinologists nurse, Maggie, called me back. I had called because of these silly low's I've been having for almost 2 months straight. Every...Single...Day. My endo changed my morning insulin from 13 units of humulin down to 6. Guess what? I STILL WENT LOW. Not low, low, but low. Same time, 10:30 in the morning, and I was 60. What the heck? But, my breakfast readings have been lower than they were so that might be affecting it too. I'll let you guys know whats happening in the next few days, hopefully these changes work.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
So Sleepy
We are now going on three weeks on daily low (or lower) blood-sugars. I have been as low as "lo" on my blood glucose meter to high 50's. You would think the extreme lo's would be hard to recover from, but you wouldn't think "barely low" would be hard to get over. After you go lo it is exhausting. You get so sleepy. Your energy is gone. It's like you are going on 40 hours of no sleep. And then...I remember I've got two little boys who need my attention. I don't have "time" to recover. I don't have time to make "me" better. Nobody else with help these boys. And that my friends, makes it even more exhausting.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Happy Diabetic Birthday to Me
Happy Diabetic Birthday to Me,
Happy Diabetic Birthday to Me,
Happy Diabetic Birthday,
Happy Diabetic Birthday,
Happy Diabetic Birthday to Me (and Happy real birthday to my Nanny).
I was diagnosed with this shitty disease 26 years ago today. It pisses me off to even think about how long that is. I have an enormous amount of anger towards this disease, but I'm saddened by the fact that I try and ignore it to the point that I am so far behind of some of the advances that have happened with this disease in the last few years. People talk about all these new gadgets and it blows my mind! I have had it by far longer than anyone else I have ever even heard of, but I'm still stuck in the dinosaur ages with how I live with it. Don't get my wrong, I've tried many things and hated just about every single one of them...(like the pump, ugh), but then there is now a glucose meter that plugs into you! HELLO, I need one!
No need to sit here and write depressed all day Krista, you've got munchkins to take care of!
(Ding Dong) Doorbell... Look what the hubby sent because he knew today was going to be hard for me! I sure do love him!
Happy Diabetic Birthday to Me,
Happy Diabetic Birthday,
Happy Diabetic Birthday,
Happy Diabetic Birthday to Me (and Happy real birthday to my Nanny).
I was diagnosed with this shitty disease 26 years ago today. It pisses me off to even think about how long that is. I have an enormous amount of anger towards this disease, but I'm saddened by the fact that I try and ignore it to the point that I am so far behind of some of the advances that have happened with this disease in the last few years. People talk about all these new gadgets and it blows my mind! I have had it by far longer than anyone else I have ever even heard of, but I'm still stuck in the dinosaur ages with how I live with it. Don't get my wrong, I've tried many things and hated just about every single one of them...(like the pump, ugh), but then there is now a glucose meter that plugs into you! HELLO, I need one!
No need to sit here and write depressed all day Krista, you've got munchkins to take care of!
(Ding Dong) Doorbell... Look what the hubby sent because he knew today was going to be hard for me! I sure do love him!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
My Biggest Fear
My biggest fear with living with diabetes isn't what most people would guess: "I might die from this disease." I'm not stupid, I KNOW I will die from this disease. What scares the hell out of me is knowing that a disease could potentially be found and I will be too old to get it. Or I will have had diabetes for too long to get the cure. Its not like once a cure is found, BOOM, everyone will be cured within a few days. No, it will take years and years of being on a waiting list. Then, who gets to go first? The newly diagnosed? The youngest? It certainly won't be me, the girl who has had it her whole life. Why save her? She's bound to have things start to go wrong soon anyways, no point wasting a good cure for someone who has been sick so long. That my friends, is what scares me. I am past the curing point. I'm no longer a curable candidate.
Getting "Used" to My Insulin Dosages
Last week was the dreaded week that I have every few months. My Endocrinologist is amazing and we really get along great. I don't want anyone to think that perhaps he is the issue. I have had a few people say "why not get a second opinion?" I don't need a second opinion because there isn't really anything anyone can do! Anyways, here's the problem:
Everytime I go to my endo to get checked and to adjust my sugars, my body has a heck of a time adjusting to new insulin dosages. My body eventually gets used to it (the insulin amounts). Once it does, my blood sugar levels will drop and I go really low. The insulin then won't work well. So, in the beginning I go low getting used to the change (even if its only one of two units), then I go high because its as if it doesn't work anymore (this time frame is about 2 months of my body being forced to accept a new level of insulin), and then BOOM a full week of super low's around the same time every day (as if my body finally figures out "oh ya, this stuff is supposed to lower sugars, not make them higher). BUT, this issue of lows only lasts about a week. So bizarre. Let's talk about last week, shall we?
Sunday: About 10:45 I felt like garbage, and I knew I was low. I had a glass of milk and felt better. Yes I should have tested my sugar, but I didn't. Bad me, I know.
Monday: I can't focus my vision right. Its blurry. This means: I'm low. Nick (my awesome husband) gets me some milk (which is the number one thing to bring up my sugars). It works. I also have some cheese. Its 10:15, so I bring the kids to our gym because they have toddler time in the gym. I have them play for about 45 minutes but I feel so awful. I drink my "always in my purse" bottle of apple juice. Feeling better I drive the 1 mile home and re-check my sugars. 48. I have another glass of milk. Nick says my pupils are small so he gives me a cheese stick to go along with my milk. He has to finish a conference call meeting in the office so he goes back into his office. He come's out 5, yes 5, minutes later to check on me: COMATOSE. I'm beyond help. He tries to give me honey (which I hate because i only have ever had it when I'm low so it makes me sick. I vomit, like usual. He checks my blood and I'm still in the 40's but I have now vomited all of my milk, honey, and cheese (did I mention I never fully finished the cheese? He said it was hanging out of my mouth when he found me). So he calls 911. I get very combatative and I fight him when I go low. BUT I seem to do okay with paramedics. When they got there I was in the 30's and I don't remember them there at all. I don't remember ANY of this. My first memory of this whole ordeal is when I am in the ambulance with them. I told the paramedic I was nauseous and he gives me a shot of anti-nausea medicine into my arm IV. To make a long story shorter...I don't remember much of the day at the hospital. Nick and the boys showed up and tried to sit with me but its hard to keep a 12 month old and a 3 1/2 year old under control in a small hospital room. The nurse had given me some pain meds too so I was sleeping and out of it. I tried to nibble on the same set of crackers for a full hour. I cannot explain how extremely difficult it is to eat food when you are low. Imagine going to a buffet. Eat as many plates as you can. Are you stuffed? Now, eat one more FULL plate. Plus a big drink to go along with it. Oh, don't forget the slice of cake too. Now, are you full? Really full? Wanting to vomit full? Have a few more bites. Oh wait...now your a diabetic hearing "you can't go home until you eat." What? I am nauseated and beyond full. I CAN"T eat. But you have too. Suck it up and just eat. "It can't be that hard, just eat and we can go home." That is my least favorite sentence in the entire world. Anyways, Nick had to leave with the kids but came back a few hours later. They let me go home at 4:00 because I could finally eat (not much but I think the nurse eventually figured it was almost a hopeless battle). I hate it when this happens. I do what I'm supposed to but this damn disease overpowers me and it wins again.
Tuesday: Checking my sugars to make sure I'm not low, and boom: SHAKY. Ugh, I need juice or milk, ASAP. I'm 34, and annoyed. But it only takes a few minutes to get back to normal
Wednesday: Around 10:00 am I check to make sure I'm not going low like the previous three days. Guess what my meter says? "lo." It won't even read a number! What the hell! I feel fine! "NIIIIIIIIIICK." He runs and grabs me milk and cheese. I am feeling fine! Not low at all! He sits with me while I check my sugars over and over until I'm back into the 60's...then into the 80's. So so so weird.
This goes on until Thursday until BOOM, I'm high with a case of the back to normal blood sugars. I don't get it and neither does Dr. E.
Everytime I go to my endo to get checked and to adjust my sugars, my body has a heck of a time adjusting to new insulin dosages. My body eventually gets used to it (the insulin amounts). Once it does, my blood sugar levels will drop and I go really low. The insulin then won't work well. So, in the beginning I go low getting used to the change (even if its only one of two units), then I go high because its as if it doesn't work anymore (this time frame is about 2 months of my body being forced to accept a new level of insulin), and then BOOM a full week of super low's around the same time every day (as if my body finally figures out "oh ya, this stuff is supposed to lower sugars, not make them higher). BUT, this issue of lows only lasts about a week. So bizarre. Let's talk about last week, shall we?
Sunday: About 10:45 I felt like garbage, and I knew I was low. I had a glass of milk and felt better. Yes I should have tested my sugar, but I didn't. Bad me, I know.
Monday: I can't focus my vision right. Its blurry. This means: I'm low. Nick (my awesome husband) gets me some milk (which is the number one thing to bring up my sugars). It works. I also have some cheese. Its 10:15, so I bring the kids to our gym because they have toddler time in the gym. I have them play for about 45 minutes but I feel so awful. I drink my "always in my purse" bottle of apple juice. Feeling better I drive the 1 mile home and re-check my sugars. 48. I have another glass of milk. Nick says my pupils are small so he gives me a cheese stick to go along with my milk. He has to finish a conference call meeting in the office so he goes back into his office. He come's out 5, yes 5, minutes later to check on me: COMATOSE. I'm beyond help. He tries to give me honey (which I hate because i only have ever had it when I'm low so it makes me sick. I vomit, like usual. He checks my blood and I'm still in the 40's but I have now vomited all of my milk, honey, and cheese (did I mention I never fully finished the cheese? He said it was hanging out of my mouth when he found me). So he calls 911. I get very combatative and I fight him when I go low. BUT I seem to do okay with paramedics. When they got there I was in the 30's and I don't remember them there at all. I don't remember ANY of this. My first memory of this whole ordeal is when I am in the ambulance with them. I told the paramedic I was nauseous and he gives me a shot of anti-nausea medicine into my arm IV. To make a long story shorter...I don't remember much of the day at the hospital. Nick and the boys showed up and tried to sit with me but its hard to keep a 12 month old and a 3 1/2 year old under control in a small hospital room. The nurse had given me some pain meds too so I was sleeping and out of it. I tried to nibble on the same set of crackers for a full hour. I cannot explain how extremely difficult it is to eat food when you are low. Imagine going to a buffet. Eat as many plates as you can. Are you stuffed? Now, eat one more FULL plate. Plus a big drink to go along with it. Oh, don't forget the slice of cake too. Now, are you full? Really full? Wanting to vomit full? Have a few more bites. Oh wait...now your a diabetic hearing "you can't go home until you eat." What? I am nauseated and beyond full. I CAN"T eat. But you have too. Suck it up and just eat. "It can't be that hard, just eat and we can go home." That is my least favorite sentence in the entire world. Anyways, Nick had to leave with the kids but came back a few hours later. They let me go home at 4:00 because I could finally eat (not much but I think the nurse eventually figured it was almost a hopeless battle). I hate it when this happens. I do what I'm supposed to but this damn disease overpowers me and it wins again.
Tuesday: Checking my sugars to make sure I'm not low, and boom: SHAKY. Ugh, I need juice or milk, ASAP. I'm 34, and annoyed. But it only takes a few minutes to get back to normal
Wednesday: Around 10:00 am I check to make sure I'm not going low like the previous three days. Guess what my meter says? "lo." It won't even read a number! What the hell! I feel fine! "NIIIIIIIIIICK." He runs and grabs me milk and cheese. I am feeling fine! Not low at all! He sits with me while I check my sugars over and over until I'm back into the 60's...then into the 80's. So so so weird.
This goes on until Thursday until BOOM, I'm high with a case of the back to normal blood sugars. I don't get it and neither does Dr. E.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
My "Hand"
Back in March my blood sugar went low. Too low. My husband came home from the office to get a piece of paper and noticed the baby crying in his crib (not like me to let the little guy howl). He went looking for me and found me, unconscious, on our bed. He tried to give me honey hoping it would revive me (it usually does, as well as making me puke because I can't stand the taste of it). Nothing. He also tried to give me milk (which always shoots my sugar up), but I started to choke on it because of how low I was. He called 911 because we didn't have a glucagon shot in the fridge (my mistake on not refilling it). EMS came, as well as police and fire trucks (apparently nothing ever happens here in Wylie, Texas). EMS gives a new form of glucose now. Years ago they just gave us glucagon, but now its an IV in your hand with a sugar solution. He put the syringe in my right hand. Before long I started to come around. Once my consciousness started to come back they tested my glucose: 12. Who KNOWS how low I was before they got there. I do believe I hold the record for lowest blood sugar ever. Even my Doctor and Nurse had never heard of a sugar that low. Not something to be proud of, but when you have this stupid disease, these sorts of things kind of make you giggle when you look back on them.
I didn't need to go to the emergency room because I had regained consciousness and I promised to eat. I kept my word. I ate, rested, then went to bed that night. The next morning I was surprised when I couldn't get my rings off my right hand. I never take them off, but they were tingly feeling and I assumed they were just a bit swollen because of the needle yesterday. Throughout the day my hand started to turn a reddish purple color and really began to swell. I was using it as much as I could, but by the end of the day I couldn't open or close my hand at all. Nick took me to a local emergency room that isn't attached to a hospital, its a nice little ER in our community. The Doctor looked at my hand and said "I can't treat you here, you need to go straight to a big hospitals ER." He said it looked like I had blood poisoning in my hand and suggested in-hospital IV fluid to help with it. So we get back in the car and go to Presby of Plano (the hospital we really like). The doctor there says I do have blood poisoning and it will take WEEKS to heal. In the meantime, do not use my hand (HELLO, I HAVE A BABY!), and to keep it raised with hot compresses on it. I would have thought ice, but no, hot compresses. It would help circulate the blood. I also got a couple prescriptions to help with the infection. The Doctor drew a line to where the infection was and told me to come back if the infection (which was a reddness on the skin) grew any more.
Yes, these are both of my hands...Ew!
To make an already long story a bit shorter....here's the ending of the story:
*I couldn't use my hand at all for over a week.
*Could not open or close my fingers at all.
*It felt like my fingers were going to blow up because of how swollen they were.
*The Dr was right; it took weeks to heal properly
*It is now August and I still get a sore, swollen hand when I'm in the heat outside or if I am dehydrated at all.
*I've tried to find a Doctor to help, but no doctor knows which kind of Doctor to send me too...
I didn't need to go to the emergency room because I had regained consciousness and I promised to eat. I kept my word. I ate, rested, then went to bed that night. The next morning I was surprised when I couldn't get my rings off my right hand. I never take them off, but they were tingly feeling and I assumed they were just a bit swollen because of the needle yesterday. Throughout the day my hand started to turn a reddish purple color and really began to swell. I was using it as much as I could, but by the end of the day I couldn't open or close my hand at all. Nick took me to a local emergency room that isn't attached to a hospital, its a nice little ER in our community. The Doctor looked at my hand and said "I can't treat you here, you need to go straight to a big hospitals ER." He said it looked like I had blood poisoning in my hand and suggested in-hospital IV fluid to help with it. So we get back in the car and go to Presby of Plano (the hospital we really like). The doctor there says I do have blood poisoning and it will take WEEKS to heal. In the meantime, do not use my hand (HELLO, I HAVE A BABY!), and to keep it raised with hot compresses on it. I would have thought ice, but no, hot compresses. It would help circulate the blood. I also got a couple prescriptions to help with the infection. The Doctor drew a line to where the infection was and told me to come back if the infection (which was a reddness on the skin) grew any more.
To make an already long story a bit shorter....here's the ending of the story:
*I couldn't use my hand at all for over a week.
*Could not open or close my fingers at all.
*It felt like my fingers were going to blow up because of how swollen they were.
*The Dr was right; it took weeks to heal properly
*It is now August and I still get a sore, swollen hand when I'm in the heat outside or if I am dehydrated at all.
*I've tried to find a Doctor to help, but no doctor knows which kind of Doctor to send me too...
26
Want to know what that number stands for? 26 is the number of times it took me today to draw blood while trying to test my blood sugar. This is getting ridiculous. You would think my fingers were hard and caloused but they aren't! My skin is soft on my fingers. I press hard enough it just won't break the skin anymore. It makes me not want to check my sugar because I can't just pick my finger and call it done. I have to fight it over and over trying to get blood. It's never been this bad and I'm way beyond frustrated.
My Overprotective Parents
Growing up I hated it. I hated that I wasn't allowed to spent the night at friends houses. I wasn't allowed to go to the houses of people that my parents didn't know their parents well. I never had a baby-sitter, and that made me mad too. I always had to stop playing outside to check my blood-sugars. I couldn't skip a snack, even if I wasn't hungry. Or the opposite...I was hungry but could only eat something super small, with barely any calories (like a piece of celery). I hated that I had to check my blood-sugars at every single meal. I hated that my parents watched my every move. I absolutely hated it.
Then I grew up. And I became a Mom myself. And I know now why they did it. And I would be the exact same way if either of my children (heaven forbid) ever became diabetic.
It's true. I wasn't allowed to spend the night at friends houses. Growing up it was an uncomfortable subject for my parents and I because all the kids were having sleep-overs, but I wasn't allowed to go. I would go for the evening, and then they would pick me up at bedtime. I thought they were being silly and mean, they were just terrified that something would happen with my blood-sugars and nobody would know what to do. They were right. When I was in high school I had a really close friend Kristin. My Dad bought a Harley Davidson and Kristin's Mom wanted to see it. So Dad and I drove to her house to show her Mom. Two days later I was ecstatic to spend the night at Kristin's. In the middle of the night Kristin woke up to me convulsing. She got her Mom who called my parents. Luckily for showing the motorcycle to them two days before, Dad knew exactly where Kristin lived. It wasn't in our normal neighborhood and he would have never found it otherwise. So ya, I understand why they never wanted me to spend the night away from home. (Parents 1, Krista 0)
When I a toddler both of my parents worked. My Dad was an engineer for Bell Canada, and my Mom had a great job at the Bank of Canada. The day I was diagnosed Mom quit her job. Her boss told her to take all the time she needed to get my diabetes figured out, but she simply said she would not be coming back. The second I was diagnosed was like a dark cloud was put over my parents heads and it never truly lifted or left. They would not trust me to be in anyone else's care. One of them was always with me. That meant no date nights, no Christmas parties, no social events, no movies, nothing. In return, that meant no baby-sitters for me. All of my friends had baby-sitters. Not me. I had my same routine as usual. Bedtime, on-time, every single night. When I was about 10 we had my grandmother watch us (my brother and I). It is the only time I can ever remember having someone other than my parents in charge of us. She watched us at our family cottage. My blood sugars were always on tight control...but surprise, I went low. The ONE time my Granny watched us and I went low. Sigh, Parents 2, Krista 0.
Growing up we had a family cottage. It had the most beautiful lake at the back with crystal blue water. We had a boat dock from the land that went into the water. The water was so deep that if you ran to the end of the dock and jumped off, you couldn't touch the bottom! We spent HOURS swimming. There were no weeds on our end of the lake, so we could swim from one side of the lake to the other. One of us would row the boat for safety, while he other person swam. I did most of the swimming because I loved it, while my brother did the paddling because he loved the boat. I would always have to get out and go inside to test my sugar and have a snack. To this day I can still hear my mom saying "You've been out here a long time. Get something to eat before you go low." It made me so angry to have to get out of the water, go inside, eat, and check myself because I would be half dry by the time I was done. I wouldn't want to go back in the water once I was dried off, so ya, this upset me. The fact that I never drowned because mom always pulled me out to refuel means Parents 3, Krista 0.
I was diagnosed with diabetes almost 26 years ago. Things were SO different back then. I'll write a blog soon about the way things were then, but for now, lets just say we had to eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, bedtime snack all at the exact time each day. Yup, breakfast was always at the same time. It didn't matter if it was Saturday, a holiday, a school day, or on vacation. Then we had to have 3 snacks to keep up with our activities. Dinner was always around 5:30. No, I take that back. Dinner was AT 5:30, on the dot, every night It makes me giggle to hear people these days eating dinner at 7:30 or 8:00 at night. It makes me think "When do you put your kids to bed?" Bedtime for us was 8:00 every night, so bedtime snack was about 7:30. That's the way life was. Luckily for us, Mom no longer worked, so we had a home cooked, real meal every single night. We NEVER ever ate out. When I say never, I mean never. My brother Brian and I would get excited about our family vacations that were car trips (ever 3 years or so) because we would eat McDonald's on the drive. We might, maybe, have eaten out twice a year. It never happened. Guess who I try and be like now though with my families meals? My mom. Parents 4, Krista 0.
When I was younger, my parents kept all of my diabetes supplies (test strips, meter, insulin) in the kitchen. The kitchen was where we always were so that's where we kept it all. While Mom would be serving food or setting the table, Dad was measuring my insulin, examining my book of bloodsugars (he was the king of adjusting insulin levels. He knew exactly how much to switch and when to do it), or watching me check my sugar. I couldn't get away from it. If it wouldn't have been so "in my face" I probably wouldn't have done it. Actually, I know I wouldn't have. In college I kept all of my diabetes things in my bedroom. I lived in the kitchen and living room. I'll let you imagine how well I kept control of my diabetes care. Parents 5, Krista 0.
Well, that was depressing. I hate saying they were right! ;)
Then I grew up. And I became a Mom myself. And I know now why they did it. And I would be the exact same way if either of my children (heaven forbid) ever became diabetic.
It's true. I wasn't allowed to spend the night at friends houses. Growing up it was an uncomfortable subject for my parents and I because all the kids were having sleep-overs, but I wasn't allowed to go. I would go for the evening, and then they would pick me up at bedtime. I thought they were being silly and mean, they were just terrified that something would happen with my blood-sugars and nobody would know what to do. They were right. When I was in high school I had a really close friend Kristin. My Dad bought a Harley Davidson and Kristin's Mom wanted to see it. So Dad and I drove to her house to show her Mom. Two days later I was ecstatic to spend the night at Kristin's. In the middle of the night Kristin woke up to me convulsing. She got her Mom who called my parents. Luckily for showing the motorcycle to them two days before, Dad knew exactly where Kristin lived. It wasn't in our normal neighborhood and he would have never found it otherwise. So ya, I understand why they never wanted me to spend the night away from home. (Parents 1, Krista 0)
When I a toddler both of my parents worked. My Dad was an engineer for Bell Canada, and my Mom had a great job at the Bank of Canada. The day I was diagnosed Mom quit her job. Her boss told her to take all the time she needed to get my diabetes figured out, but she simply said she would not be coming back. The second I was diagnosed was like a dark cloud was put over my parents heads and it never truly lifted or left. They would not trust me to be in anyone else's care. One of them was always with me. That meant no date nights, no Christmas parties, no social events, no movies, nothing. In return, that meant no baby-sitters for me. All of my friends had baby-sitters. Not me. I had my same routine as usual. Bedtime, on-time, every single night. When I was about 10 we had my grandmother watch us (my brother and I). It is the only time I can ever remember having someone other than my parents in charge of us. She watched us at our family cottage. My blood sugars were always on tight control...but surprise, I went low. The ONE time my Granny watched us and I went low. Sigh, Parents 2, Krista 0.
Growing up we had a family cottage. It had the most beautiful lake at the back with crystal blue water. We had a boat dock from the land that went into the water. The water was so deep that if you ran to the end of the dock and jumped off, you couldn't touch the bottom! We spent HOURS swimming. There were no weeds on our end of the lake, so we could swim from one side of the lake to the other. One of us would row the boat for safety, while he other person swam. I did most of the swimming because I loved it, while my brother did the paddling because he loved the boat. I would always have to get out and go inside to test my sugar and have a snack. To this day I can still hear my mom saying "You've been out here a long time. Get something to eat before you go low." It made me so angry to have to get out of the water, go inside, eat, and check myself because I would be half dry by the time I was done. I wouldn't want to go back in the water once I was dried off, so ya, this upset me. The fact that I never drowned because mom always pulled me out to refuel means Parents 3, Krista 0.
I was diagnosed with diabetes almost 26 years ago. Things were SO different back then. I'll write a blog soon about the way things were then, but for now, lets just say we had to eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, bedtime snack all at the exact time each day. Yup, breakfast was always at the same time. It didn't matter if it was Saturday, a holiday, a school day, or on vacation. Then we had to have 3 snacks to keep up with our activities. Dinner was always around 5:30. No, I take that back. Dinner was AT 5:30, on the dot, every night It makes me giggle to hear people these days eating dinner at 7:30 or 8:00 at night. It makes me think "When do you put your kids to bed?" Bedtime for us was 8:00 every night, so bedtime snack was about 7:30. That's the way life was. Luckily for us, Mom no longer worked, so we had a home cooked, real meal every single night. We NEVER ever ate out. When I say never, I mean never. My brother Brian and I would get excited about our family vacations that were car trips (ever 3 years or so) because we would eat McDonald's on the drive. We might, maybe, have eaten out twice a year. It never happened. Guess who I try and be like now though with my families meals? My mom. Parents 4, Krista 0.
When I was younger, my parents kept all of my diabetes supplies (test strips, meter, insulin) in the kitchen. The kitchen was where we always were so that's where we kept it all. While Mom would be serving food or setting the table, Dad was measuring my insulin, examining my book of bloodsugars (he was the king of adjusting insulin levels. He knew exactly how much to switch and when to do it), or watching me check my sugar. I couldn't get away from it. If it wouldn't have been so "in my face" I probably wouldn't have done it. Actually, I know I wouldn't have. In college I kept all of my diabetes things in my bedroom. I lived in the kitchen and living room. I'll let you imagine how well I kept control of my diabetes care. Parents 5, Krista 0.
Well, that was depressing. I hate saying they were right! ;)
How I Became a Diabetic
A few months ago I created a family blog. Then..I created a recipe blog. Finally I'm making a blog about diabetes. I didn't even know there was such a thing until I read someone else's a few minutes ago! I'm a bit of an old pro at this diabetes thing; I've had it forever, but am still learning a whole lot about it! Lets go back a bit, shall we?
I was born on November 18, 1983 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
In September 1985 I was a 21 month old toddler sleeping in my crib. My parents awoke to the sound of what they describe as "a hurt animal in the wild." We didn't have any pets, and I was the only person in the house other than them so it must be the baby they thought. It was. Mom and Dad said I sounded like a sick animal moaning and crying in my sleep, in the middle of the night. They rushed me to the emergency room at CHEO (the kids hospital in Ottawa) where Doctor's begin doing test after test. I was sweaty, diapers were soaked in urine faster than they usually filled up, barely conscious, and quite unresponsive. Dad started doing research of his own and suggested to the Doctor that I be tested for diabetes. The Doctor asked if our family had a history of diabetes and my Dad said no. So naturally the Doctor said that is not what was wrong and continued doing his own tests of what he thought was the issue.
Let me take a step back for a moment...I was recovering from Pneumonia. Is this relevant? Yes and no. I'll explain in a few minutes.
As the story goes, a children's specialist from India came to the hospital a few days later to see how the hospital worked and she was sent into my room. The Doctor did not speak English but had a translator. Her translator informed my parents that her brother had been a victim of the recent plane crash that killed all the passengers (Air India Flight 182 I believe it was). This is the extent of information we know about this Doctor. No I lied, we also know that she diagnosed me, on the spot, as a Type 1 Diabetic.
It was my Nanny's birthday too...the day they diagnosed me. What a present, huh?
Within the next few days my parents were taught how to take my blood sugar levels, administer and draw up insulin, and signs to look for (for high and low blood sugars). They still used oranges to teach my parents how to give injections back then...from posts I've seen on other people's wall they still use that technique! My mom is TERRIFIED of blood so when she would give me my needles, it was always in my behind...with her eyes closed. She did it though, pretty proud of that girl!
Back to the pneumonia. The doctors said that my pneumonia had mutated to diabetes. I grew up believing that. So that's my story. I got diabetes from Pneumonia.
I was born on November 18, 1983 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
In September 1985 I was a 21 month old toddler sleeping in my crib. My parents awoke to the sound of what they describe as "a hurt animal in the wild." We didn't have any pets, and I was the only person in the house other than them so it must be the baby they thought. It was. Mom and Dad said I sounded like a sick animal moaning and crying in my sleep, in the middle of the night. They rushed me to the emergency room at CHEO (the kids hospital in Ottawa) where Doctor's begin doing test after test. I was sweaty, diapers were soaked in urine faster than they usually filled up, barely conscious, and quite unresponsive. Dad started doing research of his own and suggested to the Doctor that I be tested for diabetes. The Doctor asked if our family had a history of diabetes and my Dad said no. So naturally the Doctor said that is not what was wrong and continued doing his own tests of what he thought was the issue.
Let me take a step back for a moment...I was recovering from Pneumonia. Is this relevant? Yes and no. I'll explain in a few minutes.
As the story goes, a children's specialist from India came to the hospital a few days later to see how the hospital worked and she was sent into my room. The Doctor did not speak English but had a translator. Her translator informed my parents that her brother had been a victim of the recent plane crash that killed all the passengers (Air India Flight 182 I believe it was). This is the extent of information we know about this Doctor. No I lied, we also know that she diagnosed me, on the spot, as a Type 1 Diabetic.
It was my Nanny's birthday too...the day they diagnosed me. What a present, huh?
Within the next few days my parents were taught how to take my blood sugar levels, administer and draw up insulin, and signs to look for (for high and low blood sugars). They still used oranges to teach my parents how to give injections back then...from posts I've seen on other people's wall they still use that technique! My mom is TERRIFIED of blood so when she would give me my needles, it was always in my behind...with her eyes closed. She did it though, pretty proud of that girl!
Back to the pneumonia. The doctors said that my pneumonia had mutated to diabetes. I grew up believing that. So that's my story. I got diabetes from Pneumonia.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)