My Diary as the Mom of a Diabetic Princess

The Hand That 2011 Has Dealt So Far....

2011-05-14T02:11:00.003-05:00

May 13......D-Blog week was the week that I was going to jump back into blogging. Here it is the very last day...and I here I am. Actually, it's quite appropriate for how my life has been since January 12.
January 12 is yet another day engraved in my mind forever, much like Jada's diagnosis date. A game changer for our family. January 12 is the day that Jeff was involved in a horrible car accident in the middle of nowhere Alaska in 20-30 below temperatures.
He was coming home from Delta Junction (95 miles away) in a Subaru station wagon driven by his friend and co-worker, Luke. They came up over a hill and were going down the other side, when a truck in the opposite lane passed another vehicle in a no passing zone. It was icy. Jeff and Luke had nowhere to go, so Luke turned the car sideways and took the full force of this big truck. What they didn't know, was the "other vehicle" was an ambulance, coming back from Fairbanks. God is so good. Jeff and Luke had immediate medical attention....that doesn't even happen in the middle of a city! The entire left side of Luke's body was broken....from a concussion on his head all the way down to a broken ankle. Jeff was able to walk with help from the car to the ambulance...but was experiencing intense internal pain. He had indeed bruised his colon and broke some vertebrae in his back, and had a concussion.
Jeff was admitted to the hospital and the dr. told him that his colon would most likely perforate...and it did. Two days after the accident, I was getting ready to head to the hospital, and Jeff called. His colon had perforated in the middle of the night and they were prepping him for surgery. The surgery lasted somewhere between 3 and 4 hours and they ended up removing a foot of his colon, leaving him with a temporary colostomy. He ended up being in the hospital for 8 days, healing and learning how to care for his colostomy. Luke just got out of the hospital a few weeks ago, still with broken bones that are healing.
The weeks that followed were all a blur to me. Jeff had business trips to Chicago (because....oh...by the way....the same day he was in the accident he also found out that he got a new position with his current company) that he had to take and then the kids and I took a trip to Iowa to see family before spring break hit all around the country. Traveling stand- by is something you just don't want to attempt at certain times of year!
Somehow, April rolled around really fast. At the beginning of the month, Jeff had an MRI done to see how well his colon was healing. After the initial surgery, they told us it would be 3-6 months before they would re-attach his colon, depending on how well he healed. Well, the MRI showed some good stuff, so he was scheduled for surgery on the 27th of April, a few days after Jada's 6th birthday.
Now...we are on the other side of surgery. Two weeks post-op now and he is completely ecstatic to be done with the colostomy bag, but healing from this surgery has been extremely painful. His surgery lasted two hours...an hour and a half of it was spent cleaning up the scar tissue from all of the abrasions that happened during the accident. His dr. told me that healing was going to be slow and difficult...he told Jeff as well, but for some reason, Jeff thinks that it ought to be moving along a little faster than it is! :)
Lessons learned from this..... 1)Friends and family are CRUCIAL parts of your life. Jeff's sister and husband flew up from Anchorage after the accident. His dad flew up from Iowa to help with the kids. And my church family provided us with meals for two weeks plus I could call any one at any time if I needed anything. I could go on and on with the things that people did for us. It blew my mind. 2) I will never again take my husband for granted. Our marriage has been growing stronger over the years, but this has shoved it forward even more. He is God's perfect gift to me and he completes me in everyway. I don't want to walk through this life and raise our children without him. 3)Diabetes can take a back seat! Blood sugars haven't been perfect (but really...when are they?) but Jada is doing great. I've learned to trust other people with her in ways that I never would have before.
So...this has basically been our life, with diabetes on the side. Accident, surgery, recovery, a little bit of normal...then more surgery and a whole lot of recovery. Life should be getting back to normal for us soon. I'm starting my summer schedule at work...going to nights rather than my typical early mornings. School is out this week...the weather is amazing (after a VERY cold winter) and I'm ready to get back to my real life!!

I Want to Hide in My Room and Cry.......

2010-11-11T14:59:00.002-06:00

I don't want her to see the worry...or to ever feel the knot in her stomach that I had when the meter rang up a hefty 540 blood sugar this morning. My first clue when I got home from work this morning was the uber dry lips that she had. We took the older kids to school, then when we got home, she asked for a glass of water. Guzzle. Gone. Then another glass of water. Guzzle. Gone. Or...how about the ultra sweet breath that I haven't smelled in such a long time, but recognized at the first whiff? Blood sugar check. Whew.....540. Gulp. More water Jada? No..but she really had to go potty! Gee...I wonder why.... I grabbed the ketone strips and she laughed.....peeing on those darn things for some reason are SO much fun. Large ketones....not a surprise. Obviously, something was wrong and it was most likely the site. And sure enough, when she pulled it out (which is also a tremendous amount of fun for Jada), the cannula was practically bent in half. Ugh.

I checked her at 3 a.m. this morning when I got up for work. She was 300. Lately, she's been high in the middle of the night, so I didn't think too much about it, just gave her a correction and off to work I went. Jeff always takes care of her breakfast, because I'm not home and normally, I communicate with him through a note on the kitchen table about any "action" that I've taken in the wee morning hours, but I didn't today. Looking back through her numbers, I see she was still at about 300 when she ate her breakfast. If he had known that I gave a correction and it didn't work, he most likely would have changed the site.

Guilt. It's what I'm feeling. Not communicating. Being in a hurry...both of us wanting to just get to work and get our day started. I have fought back tears all morning. Jada didn't want to do a site change...they've been a battle and she prefers Jeff doing them. Big, hot, salty tears rolled down her cheeks as she fought me. And I could hardly hold mine back. If it were an option to run to the bedroom and lock the door, bury my face in my pillow and scream....I would have. There are days, like today, that I just don't think I can do this anymore. But I see how well she does this life, and think...how can I not? And I will.

Where Do I Start??

2010-09-13T23:14:00.004-05:00

I don't know where to start since I last blogged.....life has been absolutely C.R.A.Z.Y over the last month. I find myself so mentally and physically worn out at the end of the day that I have no energy left over to blog...even though I have blog material coming out of every orifice of my body!!!! So maybe tonight I'll just touch on a few things then over the next few days, get a little more detailed about what we've been up to.

Obviously, our biggest news is Jada starting on the pump. She started the Minimed Paradigm Revel a month ago. The newest member of our family has been named Pinky.....and do we ever love Pinky. Pinky gets sick, she watches cartoons and reads books with Jada. I don't know how we've lived without her! Pinky, with her ability to upload info to a computer, has really been teaching this Mama some lessons! Pinky doesn't lie....and lets me know where I need to do my homework!!! It's called tough love and Pinky does it well........((sigh)).

We also have a new, wonderful doctor! I wasn't sure what would happen after Dr. Woodward passed away, but the clinic shifted Jada's care to other Dr. who takes care of all the Type 1 kids here in Fairbanks. I couldn't be more pleased. And Jada adores him. We've seen him twice since starting the pump and he has her in stitches each time we go in. Dr. S. raised two daughters with Type 1 Diabetes, so he gets it as a parent. He knows about the worry and frustration that accompanies the management of this disease. He GETS IT! I really need that right now, because I am in uncharted territory with Pinky.

School. Jada started the pump on the first day of school for my other three kiddos. Hello. Could I ask for a worse time to start something so HUGE??? I really don't know if it was the best time to start, because I haven't been able to spend the time "tweaking" those dang ratios and basal rates that I should have. Because I'm tired. ALL of the time! Oh and Jada will start homeschooling kindergarten at some point in the next week or two. I'm not ready to send the big D to school yet!!!

Work. I LOVE my job. So much fun...so interesting. I, yes, I, boarded Snoopp Dogg on a plane last month. Anyone jealous??? haha! :D I had been unsure if I would be able to permanently keep the job as I was hired as "seasonal" but last week was told I would be staying on and was able to bid for a shift. I will continue working my early morning hours 4:15 am-8:15 am. These hours can be exhausting, but they work so well for the family. I worked 30 hours a week over the summer, but this week, my hours go down to 20...which is WAY okay with me!!!

Okay...I need to wrap this up. Got to go and meet the hubby. He's been off delivering a load of wood (we'll just call him Jeff the Lumberjack--kind of sexy, eh?) :D . The wood business...something else to blog about and way that God has provided for our family!

Okay..I PROMISE....I will blog more, I will blog more, I will blog more, I will blog more........

Dear Dr. Woodward

2010-07-30T22:43:00.005-05:00

Dear Dr. Woodward,

In January of 2009, we began to seriously consider moving back to Fairbanks. There was something big holding us up...and that big thing was diabetes. We had lived here previously and we knew that sometimes medical care could be lacking. After all, Fairbanks is remote. 6 hours north of Anchorage....less than 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Jada had been diagnosed with diabetes about 6 months after we had moved back to the lower 48. We felt relieved that we were in a big city with a large hospital who could take care of her and give us some good tools. She was so sick upon diagnosis, that if we had been living here at the time, I don't know if she would have survived. It would have meant Jada being transported by plane to Anchorage or even Seattle for treatment. So, we had some serious concerns about moving back.

However, we really believed that God was calling us back here....and knew that He would provide our every need and that Jada would be taken care of. If anything, we KNEW how to take care of her and if we had to drive 6 hours to Anchorage every three months for an A1C, we would do it. I decided to make a few phone calls. I found out there was a diabetes center...found the phone number and called. That was the most reassuring phone call that I could have made. You see, Dr. Woodward, they told me all about you and Dr. Steiner and how you both had stepped up to the plate and were taking good care of all the Type 1 kids in the Fairbanks area--because there are no enodocrinologists in Fairbanks. I knew then, that, God was giving us the go ahead...that care was available and that the care was good.

The first time I met you, I was even more reassured. Jada was so shy...and you were so patient with her. You won her over the first time you brought a sample pump out and she held it in her hands....and then told her they came in pink. That first visit, Jada had a low blood sugar and you were more ready than I was. You quickly disappeared into your office and brought back a juice box with Bert and Ernie on it...her favorite kind. When Jada's A1C came back at 6.7...you were just as excited as I was. The next visit when it rose to 8.0.....you weren't critical...you were encouraging...and we carefully evaluated her numbers to see what changes we needed to make. And we did well....the next A1C was 7.6.....and you were so happy with it. When I failed to thoroughly log blood sugars, you didn't jump all over me..actually, when I apologized, you smiled and told me that you knew I would do better next time...that I was busy and that I had my hands full with 4 kids plus a new job.

You were a student of this disease. As a matter of fact, you only prescribed one pump to all of your patients...because you were the ONE person in town that we would be able to get some help from if something went wrong. You listened to me.....you understood that I was the primary care giver and that ultimately, her care was in my hands on a day to day basis. You were my cheerleader and sounding board.

And now you're gone. It's been a shock...I've had a hard time processing it this week. Where do we go from here? Do we give Dr. Steiner a try? Do we go to Anchorage or Wasilla? All I know is that I really would like to have you back! Jada's pump arrived just a few days before you passed into eternity......I was so looking forward to this journey with you. Your amazing staff, however, is pressing on and taking care of all of your kids. I found out today that there will be 2 other kids close to Jada's age taking the pump class with us. Do their moms feel as I do? Like we're starting this journey without our greatest advocate? I know we'll figure it out...and I know that we'll press on...but it won't be the same with out you......

You are much loved and missed.......

Amy

Dr. Marianna "Missy" Boaz Woodward passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, July 25, 2010, in Fairbanks.
She is remembered and mourned by countless family and friends in Alaska and on both coasts of the United States.
Born in Charlottesville, Va., on Jan. 27, 1951, Missy grew up on her family's apple farm south of town in Covesville. She graduated from Lane High School in Charlottesville and attended Agnes Scott College in Atlanta one year before transferring to Davidson College in North Carolina. When she graduated with honors in 1973, she was the first female graduate in the school's history. She and her husband, Kes, who graduated with her from Davidson the same year, were married in 1971.
The couple moved to Alaska in 1977, living in Juneau and Anchorage before moving to Fairbanks in 1981. An art major at Davidson and full-time studio potter during her first few years in Alaska, Missy decided to become a doctor and completed three years of undergraduate science courses in Juneau and Fairbanks before entering the WAMI medical program. She received her medical doctor's degree from the University of Washington in 1987 and completed her pediatric residency at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, N.H. in 1991.
Missy joined Tanana Valley Clinic in 1991, and in addition to seeing pediatric patients, served as the clinic's president and for several years as its first medical director. She continued to practice with the remarkable staff of TVC and Fairbanks Memorial Hospital at the time of her death.
Missy was preceded in death by her father, Emmett Daniel Boaz Jr.; her mother, Marianna Wilson Boaz; and her sister, Ada Cornelia Boaz.
She is survived by her husband, Kesler Woodward of Fairbanks; son, Eli Woodward and his partner Becca Lang of Seattle; brothers, Emmett Daniel Boaz III and Wilson Ashby Boaz of Virginia; sister, Emily Katherine Kroehler of Virginia; treasured nieces and nephews now living in Virginia, Texas and Fairbanks; and her husband's family in South Carolina.
A memorial service for Missy will be held at 4 p.m., Thursday, July 29, at Zion Lutheran Church, 2982 Davis Road, with Pastor Susan Granata of Christ Lutheran Church officiating. A reception will follow at the church.

It's HERE!

2010-07-23T15:49:00.002-05:00

What else to bring me back to blogging...but our pretty little pink PUMP!!! After what seems like waiting ETERNALLY for insurance approval, I received an email 3 days ago from UPS telling me that they would be delivering a package on the 22nd of July from MEDTRONIC! AND...that it would require a signature...so I knew instantly what it was. Waiting for the last two days has seriously been a little like waiting for Christmas!

I rushed home from work yesterday morning (I work from 4:15 am-9:15am) in hopes that the UPS man wouldn't beat me. And I determined to stick myself to my house like glue so that I wouldn't miss him. We were told that delivery would happen between 10 am and 7 pm..gotta love that! Basically...I couldn't go anywhere! Which was okay, because honestly, I'm rather tired on a daily basis because of the hours I work. Such a great excuse to take a nap. However, my nap was only half there, because I was afraid I would miss the ring of the door bell! Of course, the kids kept their eyes open for me. Jada kept coming inside to ask if that "big brown truck" had brought her pump yet!

5 o'clock rolled around and nothing yet. I had to go and pick Jeff up from work and I JUST KNEW that it would show up while I was gone. I actually asked my neighbor to keep her eyes open for the UPS truck and asked her to sign for it! The suspense was killing me! Fortunately, Jeff works close to home, so I was only gone for 15 minutes. I kept looking for the truck in my neighborhood as I drove so that I could chase him down if I needed to!! :) And yes...I would have!

Jeff and Eli had football and I was supposed to be having my recovery group at the church office at 7. It was nearly 6 pm and nothing yet...not even a sighting of the "big brown truck" in our neighborhood. Jeff left and I called my gals and said that I was moving the group to our home for two reasons....no one to watch the girls AND that pump had not yet arrived!!! So..I commenced with my rushed cleaning and the ever frantic watching out the window for the big, brown truck!! At 6:42 pm exactly, Jada, standing in front of the window, jumps up and down and begins to scream, "It's here....it's HERE!"

I fought back tears while I signed for it....the UPS man was a little baffled by all of the emotion...Jada's excitement, my teary eyes....but I explained to him what it was.....and yet, he still didn't quite get it! :)

Jada could hardly wait to tear into the box...I couldn't either. It was full of so. much. Finally, we found the box that said "Mini-med Paradigm Revel"....there it was....the cutest little pink pump I've ever seen. Of course, Jada wanted to put it on right now and then I had to explain to her what we had to do to start wearing it. She wants signed up for a pump class...like, ummmm...YESTERDAY!

So, it's here. I called the dr. today (and of course she's NOT IN) to let her know we received it and that we are ready for pump class. I hope to hear something back soon...because I'm ready to get going...and Jada is too!

A1C, Lovin' My Job and MORE SLEEP PLEASE!

2010-06-08T18:21:00.002-05:00

My training schedule for work has been 6 pm to 1:30 am....leaving me pretty darn sleep deprived and tired. But...seriously....sleep deprivation is nothing new to me!!! Ha. I find myself waking up between the hours of 10 and 11 am...my kids full well into their day and ready for lunch while I'm eating breakfast. I leave for work at 5:15, so it seems as if there is never enough time to get anything done. Today my house is a mess and Jeff may be on his own for dinner tonight. I've been trying to have something nearly cooked so that all he has to do is finish it up and feed the kids. Not today, though. I'm thinking it's going to be left over spaghetti!!! I'll be wrapping up training this week, then a whole new schedule will set in. My main shift is going to be 4 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., with the exception of Saturday, which will start at 5 am and end at 3:15 pm. So, I'm actually pretty happy with it...I get my days and nights with the kids which is what I wanted.

I love the job! It's a lot of fun and so far, customers have been very patient with me! :) There is SO much to learn and so many regulatory things that I have to follow, that it can be overwhelming at times. My uniform should be here this weekend, which is good, because I'm tired of trying to figure out what to wear every day!! :)

Jada had her check up last week. It went great!! A1C was 7.6 down from 8.1 in January. I was so happy about that. Overall, the last several months have gone well. Of course, I asked about her pump...and apparently, the paperwork got lost and is being resubmitted. We are going to stick with the Minimed. And yes...I'm making a follow up phone call at the end of the week to make sure the paperwork was indeed found and has been submitted!!!

So...that's it and that's that. We're good. All is well.

Time to Update.....

2010-05-27T00:05:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone....I'm back. :) I guess one thing is certain, if I'm not writing something, then things are going pretty well! We have had a lot going on, so I guess that can be my excuse for not sitting down and taking the time to blog.

1)Jada...that little girl is doing GREAT! The numbers are looking good....maybe more days on the lower side, but overall very good. I will get the true picture tomorrow when I sit down to finish logging her blood sugar numbers which I'm HORRIBLE at doing. We have our 3 month check up next week, so it's time to get my stuff in order! I'm having second thoughts on the Medtronic and am thinking about pushing for the OmniPod, because rumor has it that our dear Dr. has prescribed one to another child!!! We shall see.....hmmmmm.........

2)My job. Since my last post, I've been hired and already trained as a Customer Service Agent for a certain airline that is big in Alaska!!! :) I spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of this week in Seattle training for my new position. This coming Monday, I start on the job training and am SO excited. I'll be working up to 30 hours a week, so it will be a pretty big adjustment for our family, but I'm up for the challenge. A highlight of my time in Seattle was spending time with Jeff's cousins and aunt in Seattle. I just love them so much and am so proud I'm part of the family.

3)SUMMER! Summer is here! All light, all the time! 80 degrees this week and gorgeous. I'm enjoying my kids and the fact that I can kick them outside whenever I want to! :) haha! I kick myself out with them when I have the chance. With both of us working, it's going to be hard to get away, but we are looking forward to the chance that my sister and her family may get to come and see us!

That's it...that's what's up. Summer, new job and good numbers. What more could I ask for? I'm just extremely grateful for all we've been given and the life we've been blessed with!

We Made It a WHOLE Year in One Place!!

2010-05-04T01:32:00.003-05:00

A year ago this last weekend made it one year for us in Fairbanks. And THAT, my friends, is one amazing feat for the Lincoln family. We're even in the same house...amazing for us. What a year it's been, too. If you want to see some pictures of our journey north, you can go here. We pulled into Fairbanks on May 1, 2009 after a journey of about 3600 miles. BAD low blood sugars in the middle of no where Canada, vehicle breakdowns, blizzards and a trailer break down in Canada made for a memorable journey...one which we don't care to do again for a very long time.

For those of you who don't know, we have moved an immense amount of times. For my new job that I recently started, I had to turn in addresses for the last ten years for a background check. EVERY SINGLE ADDRESS where I had received mail. 17 addresses. We've been married 12 years...so that makes for a whopping total of 20 addresses in 12 years. Some huge moves, some across town kind of moves. Some were good moves and some of them were NEVER should have happened kind of moves.

You're NOT going to hear me say that I'll NEVER. EVER. MOVE.AGAIN. Because if I do that, I can almost be guaranteed that I'll be moving. However, we have put down roots here. We're making plans for our future here. And it feels so good. I've never had this. This is the first time in our marriage that we've hit the one year mark and not been looking elsewhere at other jobs or career moves with in the same company. Call me crazy, but it's an unbelievable feeling for me.

HAPPY ONE YEAR IN ALASKA TO US....AND MANY MORE!

All Alonely

2010-04-25T03:30:00.002-05:00

Does anyone see her sitting there?
All alonely?
So small. So big.
Meter in her hand
God...was this really your plan?
I know that she already feels all "alonely"...
Different than the rest...
Really, though, she's better than the best....
Jesus, give her Your Grace...
To face what she has to face.....
I can't take that "alonely" away....
I trust that You will meet her there...
God...I put her in Your care....
Letting go continually...
Help me show her, You are all she needs.

On Friday, Jada and I went to Sam's Club and did some shopping. It was lunch time and we decided to have some pizza. I ordered, then had Jada pick out a place to sit and had her check her blood sugar. She chose a table in the middle of the cafe area....tons of people on each side of her, but no one in that very middle row. I turned around to look at her, and she seemed so small. So very out of place all by herself. And then she pulled out her meter and checked out her blood sugar. She suddenly seemed so BIG...so old. So mature. And still so very alone in that room full of people. Alonely...by the way, is how Jada refers to doing something alone or being alone.

One of the things I hate most about this disease is how it sets our children apart from others and how that makes them feel. Right now, I can help to protect her and sometimes control things so that she doesn't notice it so much. As she gets older and becomes more independent, I won't always be there. Then, eventually, she will really be on her own and I might get the weekly phone call. I *hope* that I am doing all that I can to help her feel confident in herself..to prepare her for a life of facing this disease by herself. I know the stress and pressure I feel...how will it be for her? This is something I think about ALL THE TIME.

This is what I do know. In my "aloneliest" times, Jesus has met me there. Right where I was....angry, confused, dejected and feeling very "alonely" in a world that kept on buzzing by. My sweetest times with God have been when I was so down that I didn't know which way was up. He was there....at the bottom of the pit with me. I don't know what the road for Jada looks like...I know there could very well be some pitfalls ahead for her and that at times, she may well could.......feel very alone. And I cringe....because I. DON'T. WANT. THAT. But, this is her disease and one day, it will be hers to fight on her own. I know how much grace I need to get through my day...what about her? My prayer for Jada....and all our kids....is to know that Jesus is there....and that He will meet them right where they are.

Goodbye Sam and Coops

2010-04-08T17:34:00.003-05:00

I'm packing up baby food, bottles, diapers, wipes and extra clothes. Not my kids, but Sam and Cooper's things. And I'm getting very sad. These two kiddos have become a part of our family since I started to babysit them last fall. Today is their last day here.

Cooper was just a few months old and Samantha was 2 going on 10! Sam is a bundle of energy, always on the go, always curious, and always laughing. There's been a TON of little girl laughter in this home the past several months as she and Jada danced their way through the cold winter months in their dress up clothes. Cooper has been my snugglebug. I've loved every minute with him. He rolled over for the first time on my living room floor and it's been a joy to watch him progress from teeny tiny to now beginning to toddle around on two feet. He'll be 10 months old on Monday.

We're going to miss you, Sam and Cooper! I'm predicting LOTS of playdates in the future!!!

A Little Bit of Catch Up

2010-04-07T12:15:00.004-05:00

I've been absent lately. I know. When I'm on, it seems like I catch up on Facebook and just don't have time to sit and get my thoughts together to blog. We're doing well. Jada's numbers for the most part have been fairly stable....with the exception of a HI that we got yesterday, then after washing her hands, we got somewhere in the 360's. It was really rather random....she had been with me all morning and I know where the Easter candy was! And it was nowhere NEAR her! I think the ole' D monster just wanted to remind me that he's still there!

The other big, HUGE change coming for our family is that I am getting a JOB! I haven't worked outside our home since before David was born, so this will be an adjustment! The company I'm working for cleans and caters airplanes at the airport. As tourist season comes into full swing, I will be assisting elderly and handicapped in wheelchairs off and on the airplanes. It will be 3-4 days a week in the evening, so child care won't be an issue for the kids. And....there are flight benefits! :) I start next week!

If you remember a few months ago, my niece got married. Jeff's cousin from Seattle came up to photograph the wedding and posted a slide show of the wedding on her web site. There are a few photos of the girls in there and just wanted to share it. I know a few of you live in the Washington/Oregon area and if you ever need a photographer to capture moments/events, Kim is absolutely amazing! If you want to take a look, go here.

Well...that will catch you up a bit for now. Life here in the far north has been BUSY!

A Shout Out

2010-03-26T11:18:00.003-05:00

My friend Rachel at Sugar, Spice & More Things Nice celebrated her four year D-Anniversary this week....her date is just one day after Jada's, so I feel somewhat of a connection to her! I LOVE the post that she wrote in regards to the big D-day and just wanted to share. You can find Rachel HERE.

HAPPY D ANNIVERSARY RACHEL!!

Low Blood Sugar = High Emotion

2010-03-25T12:19:00.002-05:00

My emotions are still running high this morning after we had a pretty close call last night. I still feel on edge...you just can't fully trust any number. Even this morning, she wanted oatmeal for breakfast, which usually means no matter how long I make her wait to eat, she skyrockets. Not so this morning...she just told me she felt low and after testing, was 120. Yes...a great number, but she's falling fast and we have another two hours before lunch.

So.....last night. Jada's bedtime number was 142. Again, great number, but I assumed she was still coming down. We didn't eat dinner until nearly 7 pm, which is just too late. Her blood sugar at dinner was 307 and I actually only corrected for her blood sugar....I didn't even give her enough insulin to cover the 30 grams of carbs that she ate because it was so late for a shot. So, when her blood sugar was 142 at bedtime, I let her eat a whole banana....about 30 grams when I typically only would give her half. I thought for sure that would stablize things and then I would check her a little earlier than normal to catch a drop. About 45 minutes after she fell asleep, Eli came out of his room and told us that he could hear Jada "being crabby" and thought we needed to check her. I jumped up to get her meter and then here she came, stumbling down the hallway. Head was bobbing and she was incoherently talking. I grabbed some juice and Jeff took her blood sugar. 50. Obviously in a full on CRASH. She fought the juice, fought the glucose tabs....she wasn't there. Jeff finally just stuck the juice straw in her mouth and once she started to drink, she couldn't get it down fast enough. Then, some glucose tabs. 20 minutes later she was up to 81. An hour after that, she was only up to 99, so I fed her some more and when she got up to 130, I put her back in bed then set my alarm for 1:30 am. Well, there was no need for that, because I couldn't sleep. At 1:30, she was 240, so I went to bed, but never really slept.

This morning, I'm tired. Not even 3 cups of coffee have touched me. It's so much more than physically tired. I'm just spent. All I can think about is the what ifs. Jeff was more freaked out than I had ever seen him. And Eli....poor kid. It really scared him. I found him late last night with a pillow and blanket sleeping in the hallway next to the girl's bedroom. I don't want him to feel that he's responsible for his sister. It's too big of a burden for him to bear at his age.

It's nights like last night that makes me wonder how we'll ever make it through this. Not because I can't do the legwork that comes with it, but because it's just one big monster that's a force to be reckoned with. And in saying that, I feel like I'm wimping out. But, I'm not. I'll never surrender. I just need to regroup!

2 Years

2010-03-23T17:28:00.002-05:00

2 years ago today, it was Easter Sunday. 3 of my 4 children were running around our little Texas apartment filling their Easter baskets with candy while Jada lay motionless on the couch. That scene is forever burned in my mind. I KNEW something was very wrong when she wouldn't even attempt to sit up and join in on some of the excitement. Her breathing was labored...she had the flu, so I thought we were looking at complications from the virus that had afflicted our household over the previous 10 days. I loaded up the kids, took Jeff to work, which was just a mile or so from the hospital, and took her first to an urgent care, where they wouldn't even look at her. They instructed me to take her straight to the ER. I called Jeff on the way to the ER and told him that I would keep him updated. At the ER, they immediately gave her oxygen and the next thing I know, Jeff was there. He had ran all the way from work to the hospital. The nurse gave us the initial diagnosis. She could smell the ketones and told us that she thought we would have a diagnosis of diabetes. They took her blood sugar and it was 430....with very large ketones. She was in DKA. I remember them trying to explain to me what it was and trying to understand what it all meant. I thought they would admit her there, but then they said they weren't able to take care of her there and that she would have to be transported by ambulance to Texas Childrens Hospital in downtown Houston. I had NO idea just how sick she was. So, they started an insulin drip and we waited for the Kangaroo Crew to come and get her. The Kangaroo Crew is the EMT team from Texas Children's. When they finally arrived, I knew that Jada was in good hands. They had seen little ones in DKA before and they knew what she needed and what I needed as well. At this point, Jada was in and out of conciousness.....I tried to tell myself that she was sleeping but I knew deep down that we were on the veerge of losing her. The ride to Texas Children's from Katy in the ambulance was the longest ride of my life. They wouldn't let me sit next to her....I had to ride up front and when we arrived, they took her to the PICU without me. I remember wondering if she was going to be alive the next time I saw her. When I was able to get to the 3rd floor, and they took me back to her, I was so overwhelmed. I was by myself. Jeff had taken the other kids home. We had no family....just a few new friends because we had just moved to Texas a few months before. I called Jeff to tell him that she was in the PICU and he was shocked. He had no idea how sick she was. I remember calling my mom to keep her updated and then she offered to fly down. I fell apart on the phone, because I knew that we needed help and we had no one. I shouldn't say we had no one, because the previous week, I had connected with a college friend on Facebook who I discovered lived 15 minutes from us. She ended up taking Mary Beth for the evening so that Jeff could bring the boys down to the hospital. They told us she would be in the PICU for a couple of days, but Jada stabilized quickly and 24 hours later, we had moved to the 11th floor and our intensive training in Type 1 Diabetes began.

That's our diagnosis story in a nutshell. 2 years ago, my world came to a crashing halt. I had no idea what the future held. I didn't know if I could keep her alive, but did know that I would do everything in my power to educate myself and learn how to make her feel like a normal kid. Now, she's almost 5. They told me that around 5, she would begin to really have some awareness and begin to take part in her care. Her birthday is in a month and this last week, she took on taking her own blood sugar! Can you believe that we've only wasted one test strip? It's been amazing to watch. She's also describing her lows to me....that she's shaky, dizzy, hungry....all of those things. Jada even asked me yesterday if she did something to cause her diabetes. (yeah...that was a gut wrencher!) It's like I'm seeing a whole new side of her coming out with this new awareness. 2 years ago, I didn't see this day coming. I couldn't see through to the next few hours hardly. But here we are and it's just the way our life is. Sleepless nights, lows, highs, ketones, sore fingers, shots, a pump coming (geesh..I'm tired of waiting for that approval!), and most of all, watching Jada grow into a much stronger person because of it and meeting some amazing people along the way.

I wonder where we'll be 2 years from now??

March Madness

2010-03-13T00:45:00.002-06:00

March Madness has hit the house. I'm not talking basketball, either! I'm talking about this mama going MAD with cabin fever! February was far too kind to us weather-wise. We were ABOVE zero most of February....ABOVE. ZERO. That's huge. We hit 40 degrees. In FEBRUARY. I had my kitchen window open. Sheer craziness for Fairbanks, Alaska. Tempting us, messing with our minds...that winter was just about over....and of course it worked. We must be crazy anyhow to live this far north, right?

And then Spring Break this week. Once again, that spring word. We were hoping to be out and about....doing some fun things. Going to the World Ice Art Championships, sledding, skiing. But no....we were waking up to -17, -20, -8. And to top it off.... a doozy of a migraine (my meds didn't even come close to touching it! grrr...) on Tuesday then add to that a head cold that has just become worse as the week as worn on. Jeff's truck needs a new battery, so we are down to one vehicle until he can get that fixed. So...all of that combined....means stuck. at. home. All week.

And I thought I would lose my mind today. Now...yesterday, the boys did get to go cross country skiing with a friend--for which I am VERY grateful. But today, they were literally bouncing off the walls, the couch, the floor and each other. I woke up in a somewhat irritable mood and it just wasn't a good mix. And if the kids weren't bouncing off of something or each other, they wanted to be all over me. It was just one of those crazy days. Just off. Not right. So, I sent the boys out for a hike. It was around 0 degrees...so they bundled up and off they went. The girls went in their room and played and I breathed in the silence. :)

March Madness is pretty typical for most Alaskans. It's the month that everyone everywhere else is talking and heralding spring. We may have up to a month of snow on the ground yet. However, we've been indoors for so long. In and out of a warm house to a warm car to another warm place. We DO get out and enjoy the winters here as much as possible...but there is a point where it's too cold and too dangerous to be out too long. February this year was great. We were able to get outside a lot...which is why many of us are having a hard time right now. This year, March has been colder than the previous month. February faked us out and we fell for it.

I feel like I've rambled on somewhat disjointed...thoughts scatttered...but it is so how I'm feeling right now. Really things are good....I'm just ready for some warmth and the ability for my kids to go outside when ever they need to go...that even means the middle of the night here in the summer time! haha! Which...all that light we have in the summer....we're gaining about 7 minutes a day....so close to an hour a week. It's coming. I just need to hang on.

Kindergarten? Already?

2010-03-08T13:27:00.002-06:00

It hit me like a sack of potatoes. I woke up last Thursday morning with the realization that Jada will be ready for kindergarten this year. She turns 5 at the end of April.....my other kids were all 6 when they started kindergarten simply because of where their birthdays fell. She knows her letters, is writing more neatly than my 9 year old and can color inside the lines. I know those things aren't necessarily the most important in determining her readiness. She's also fairly mature for her age, which I just may be able to partly thank diabetes for (wow- did I just "thank" diabetes?). And she has a curious mind...if I didn't start her in school, it would be to her detriment. I'm not one for holding my child back just because it's convenient. Give them wings....watch them fly. One of the greatest thrills of my life!

We've been a mostly homeschooling family until this last year , when, for so many reasons, we put them in public school. It was a good decision...I love our school...the principal is great...the teachers have been amazing and our kids are thriving. They still get plenty of "school time" at home- Jeff and I are always right there when they doing homework and we get plenty of "talk time"- debriefing and sometimes helping them to "detox" from some of the crap that happens in a public school setting. Overall, very happy with our decision and it's allowed us to get a better glimpse of the community that we live in. That's important to us because THE reason we moved back is for ministry....and you can't minister very well if you don't know the community you live in.

We're also a big believer in the individuality of each child and how that pertains to the way they learn. Our oldest is very visual....he's a reader and will retain anything as long as he can see it and read it. Our second, is very kinesthetic....he HAS to move...he has to touch....he has to DO...and then he gets it and gets it VERY well. Mary Beth is like her oldest brother....very visual and retains things well by just reading. Because we recognize that they all learn differently, we always said that we would always take things year by year according to what their educational needs were...and it's worked very well. All 3 kids are at the top of their class.....we loved parent- teacher conferences a few weeks ago...we got to sit and listen to teachers tell us how well our kids are doing academically, how they are leaders in their class, and that they get along with everyone. Couldn't have been prouder. But I also left wondering, what would this be like with Jada? Would they tell us that diabetes is just too much for her and school? Would they be as supportive?

I've sat and read many blogs and Facebook and have hurt with you...my D-moms- about the various struggles that come with school and this blasted disease. I'm always amazed at your strength and the maturity of your beautiful kids and their ability to manage their diabetes at school. I've also seen some of you deal with obstinate teachers, nurses and administrators who are literally messing with your children's lives...and yet you handle it SO well. I don't know how you do it. You absolutely amaze me.

So now...how do we do this with Jada? It's been on my mind for a long time...but now it's time to make some decisions. The more Jeff and I have thought about it, the more we do believe that homeschooling will be the best option for the first 3-4 years- maybe longer if we want to. We've done it before....it's not a hard or scary thing for us...actually, it's a pretty natural thing for me to do. Our school district has a homeschooling program....so we wouldn't have to pay for any text books and STILL get to choose our own curriculum..and Jada would be able to take up to two classes at our school--anything that we want...but I'm thinking it will be things like music and PE initially. To me, this is a great way to get her introduced to the school, introduce the school to diabetes (the school nurse has never had a diabetic child in her care) and let her feel a little like her brothers and sister...being a part of the school community that has become important to them.

So that's where we are. My baby will be a kindergartner this year....I'm actually having a tough time getting over that fact. She's growing up...moving ever away from me in her independence. I know, it's all good...it really is. We're heading into a new and different stage of life...change is just hard.

A Wedding and a Funeral

2010-03-01T18:26:00.002-06:00

Last Wednesday afternoon, I received a phone call from my Dad in Iowa telling me that my Grandma probably wouldn't make it through the night. He had stopped at the nursing home for his daily visit with her and noticed her breathing was very labored. The nurse came in and checked her vitals and her blood pressure was dropping and her body temperature was rising. I'm not sure why...but I guess those are two indicators that death is imminent. She passed away later that evening, 9:30 pm Central time.

I was close to her growing up. I lived three miles down the road from my granparents. I spent the summers between my house and theirs....all the way through my teenage years. Their farm is still one of my favorite places in the world. I helped her tend her garden, plant her flowers, work with the sows (that's a female hog) while they were farrowing (having their babies) make cookies, set the table for her Ladie's Aide meeting, make cookies, clean their glass oval shaped kitchen table with the foamy glass cleaner, play dress up in the very retro upstairs bedroom in my aunt's old clothes, and pretend to fall asleep on the living room floor when it was time to go home. All of that and SO much more. It's quite a way to grow up. And also to grow up knowing that your Grandma loved you unconditionally....was priceless.

I was devastated that I wouldn't be able to attend her funeral. It wasn't the ticket prices or the fact that my niece was getting married on Saturday. Jeff couldn't take work off this week and we had no one to take care of Jada. We couldn't afford two tickets or I would have just taken her with me. All of my family would be there...cousins, aunts, uncles and even my brother in Arizona was driving his family up. I could hardly stand the thought of everyone being together and me missing out....I couldn't think about it with out it driving me to a full blown sob session.

My saving grace was my niece KyLeah's wedding. On Friday morning, I managed to finish packing amidst my tears and we left for Anchorage at 11:15 and arrived at Jeff's sister's house for rehearsal at 6 pm. His other sister, Kristen, had flown up from Little Rock and we hadn't seen her since last March, and his cousin Kim, was there from Seattle to photograph the wedding. Seeing them and hugging them was like a salve to my hurting heart....yes....it was the other side of the family....but it was FAMILY.

Saturday was full....a shower for KyLeah in the morning (my sis in law and I gave her a pantry shower) and the rest of the day was spent picking up the bride from her hair appointment, setting up the house for the wedding and then of course, getting my girls ready for their debut as flower girls! I had NO time to think about what was happening in Iowa.

The wedding was beautiful. My girls did amazing. I can't wait to share photos with you from the weekend...I don't have but a few of my own taken with David's camera...but Jeff's cousin is an amazing photographer and when I have some from her, I will share.

Sunday- we slept in and then spent the afternoon hanging out with family and drinking coffee. That afternoon, we had short family photo shoot with Kim and hit the road home at 6:30 pm. An hour or so into the drive, we ran into heavy snow through the Alaska Range, and what should be a 6 hour drive, turned into a 9 hour drive. Miserable, but we made it safely.

Today was the day of my Grandma's funeral. I had thought that this morning would be tough for me. I rolled out of bed at 8:15 am and jumped in the shower. Got ready and at 8:35 am, I got a phone call from my sister. Her words were, "Well, just wanted you to know that the funeral just got over and we're heading to the cemetary." And I laughed, because I slept through my Grandma's funeral!!!

It's a Brand New Week! warning LONG POST :)

2010-02-22T01:31:00.002-06:00

I think last week was THE LONGEST WEEK EVER! ugh. It started last Saturday night with Mary Beth getting sick and throwing up her dinner during the little birthday party that Jeff and the kids threw for me. I woke up in the middle of the night, nauseous. Jeff woke up the next morning, nauseous. Forget church, we struggled to get a Valentines breakfast going for the kids and then we both collapsed, and spent the day getting off the couch only when we had to. Sunday night, David started to feel sick, and went to bed early.
Monday, I woke up still feeling pretty rotten but better. Everyone else seemed okay, so the little ones that I watch came on over and it looked like it was going to be a normal week. Well, after nap time, the little girl that I watch, woke up with a fever of 101.7! :( So, I called her mama and they left early. My head had started to hurt around lunch time, but I was dealing with it and it didn't seem like it was going to turn into a migraine. I couldn't be more wrong. I took some Imitrex and waited for it to work....there was a little relief, but really, nothing.....I went to bed and thought for sure I would feel better when I woke up. Well, I didn't really sleep...it's hard to when one is in a lot of pain. I took another Imitrex and again waited...and waited....nothing. I can only take 2 Imitrex in a 24 hour time period. And Imitrex isn't cheap, so I try not to take it unless I feel pretty certain a migraine is coming on. By about 10 am on Tuesday, I was starting to feel better, but exhausted. I ended up canceling our women's group (which I NEVER do) that night so that I could try to get to bed earlier.
I woke up at 6 am on Wednesday morning to Jada telling me that she had a tummy ache. I asked if she was sick and she of course, said no, but then promptly threw up all over the bathroom floor. I honestly didn't know how I was going to handle this. I was exhausted from being sick myself. Her ketones were through the roof but her blood sugar was okay...she stayed under 200 all morning. Around 9 a.m. she asked to eat and I gave her a piece of toast. She seemed to hold it down okay. We took Mary Beth to school and I thought we were out of the woods. I had called the dr. that morning about a prescription refill for test strips- I was on our last bottle and was afraid that I would run out because of the extra testing I was doing. When the nurse on the phone line found out that Jada was sick, he immediately called me back and told me that he would take care of the test strips but then went through "sick day protocol" with me. You know, it was REALLY nice to know that there was someone on my side with me. They wanted me to take her to the hospital, but at that point, I didn't see a need. Things seemed to be on the upswing, and they were okay with that. However, they said if she throws up again, she really needs to go....just to be safe. I told them okay....I will IF she throws up again. So, we ate lunch (grilled cheese) and about an hour later, she started feeling CRAPPY. She laid on my lap and cried and cried. Her blood sugar was in the 130s. Her tummy hurt. Her back hurt. Her head hurt. I knew what was coming....and it wouldn't come fast enough for me. For about 30 minutes, this went on. I sat with her on my lap and a bowl in my hand. Finally, she did it. I called Jeff and told him that we were headed to the hospital. I was expecting a blood sugar crash, because it didn't look like she had digested anything! But she held pretty steady and when we got to the hospital she had actually gone up to 200. I knew that would be short lived and about 30 minutes later, she was crashing but we caught it at 104. They gave her an I.V.- which was NOT so much fun getting that baby in. But once it was in, the fluids and the anti nausea meds helped almost immediately. She turned right around and we were home by about 4:45 pm. Home and tired.
The next two days were spent just chilling at home. We needed it so badly. And tonight I'm still tired. We've been chasing some lows, which just seems to be normal after a stomach virus. This morning before I sent her to Sunday School, she was 155. Lower than she normally is at that time of day, I gave her a granola bar (about 20g) hoping it would push her up a little bit while she was away from us. Nope. When I checked her after church....57! What would it have been with no granola bar??? I can only wonder....
So, I am looking forward to a "normal" week! I officially declare we are DONE with this virus. Eli woke up last night with a tummy ache and didn't sleep much.....so I think he's done with it, too. We're going to Anchorage this next weekend for my niece's wedding....VERY excited about that. Mary Beth and Jada are flower girls....I'm so excited. Jeff's sister from Arkansas is coming as well as his cousin from Seattle. It's going to be a great week.
Well...that was my ramble. :)THANKS everyone for your encouragement this past week. I needed it badly. I really don't know what I would do with out you, my Pancreatic Sistahs!!!

I Guess She Told Us...... :(

2010-02-09T12:08:00.002-06:00

Jada is the youngest....our baby....MY baby. The one who is never really supposed to grow up....at least, in my mind and heart. She still crawls into bed with me in wee hours of the morning and snuggles up against my back. I usually don't even notice, she's always been such a part of who I am. She was conceived and then born when our marriage was on the brink (that's another post or two for another day)....it was taking care of her that I think helped hold me together during that time. I spent so much time holding her and crying my heart out to God....it's no wonder I feel such a bond with her. Don't get me wrong, I feel very close to all of my children...this was just a unique time in my life. During those first few weeks of life, she earned the name Jada Baby Boo. It's stuck and everyone close to us calls her Jada Boo or Baby Boo or Jada Baba Boo.....it's just the way it's been the last 4 1/2 years. Until last night.

We were in the rig (Alaskan for SUV)..just the girls and I. The boys were at wrestling practice and Jeff ran into Walmart to pick up a few things. We were just talking and being silly like little girls do. Suddenly, Jada announced that she was no longer Jada Baby Boo and that from now on we would just call her Jada, J. A. D. A., Jada. That she is NOT a baby, she is Jada Leann Scott Lincoln. Of course, I protested. I told her that she will ALWAYS be my baby and that I'm going to have a hard time leaving the Baby Boo out of things! She was insistent and when her daddy got back in the rig, she very clearly and plainly told him the same thing.

Well, I'm trying. I've had a number of slips this morning and she gives me the raised eyebrow look. I remind her that she's my baby and change takes time! But I'll try....I really will.....I'll try to let you grow up.

Featured on Another Blog....

2010-02-06T19:13:00.003-06:00

Today, our blog is featured at Sugar, Spice and More Things Nice!! Rachel is a teacher, a writer, a mom and a Type 1 diabetic. This month she has a "Spread the Love" campaign where she is featuring different blogs that she reads. I found Rachel not too long after Jada's diagnosis....she blogs a lot about food (one of my favorite subjects) and living well with diabetes. I will feature one of her posts on my blog in the near future. Jump on over to Rachel's blog and say hello....you'll be glad you did!

And THANKS RACHEL!!!

Midwinter Blues

2010-02-05T01:53:00.002-06:00

Here it is the first week of February....and I've been dreaming of the Gulf of Mexico and warm, sandy beaches. :) Okay...okay...I know....I CHOSE to live here....but the midwinter blues have set in. I thought maybe they would come in January like they did a few years ago when we lived here, but at last, they've reared their head. Today was probably the worst. We woke up to -30 and it did warm up to -18, but as soon as the sun set, the temps dropped. Clear skies tonight mean cold, cold weather. Currently the temp is -33! You really only get out if you have to...but tomorrow...I don't care how cold it is....I'm getting OUT.....because I have been in this house TOO much!

Jada is doing GREAT! Over all, her numbers have been good. She's waking up high some mornings.....but it always seems to be when I have to give her something in the middle of the night. I'm thinking 15 grams of carbs are just too much, probably more like 8 is what we need to do. If we don't eat dinner at about 5:30, it really throws her numbers off for the rest of the night. There have been some nights that we haven't had dinner until 7:00 and then when she's going to bed 90 minutes later, she'll be at the upper end of her range and I really don't like giving her a snack when she's that high. Then, later, when I check her at midnight, she needs a snack because she's REALLY dropping. Yes, that snack breaks the drop, but also shoots her up and she stays there. (sigh) Night time has always been one of our biggest battles in one way or another. Guess I'll just keep plugging away with it....now if the family's schedule would just settle down so that we could eat on time!!!

And then there's Oprah....what to say, what to say........ Well, alot has already been said by others. I didn't watch the show because our cable box decided this afternoon that it wanted to die. God may have had something to do with that because I *might* have lost my temper and thrown something at the TV. Or maybe I would have just thrown the TV. I've worked too hard in my 12 step program dealing with anger issues just to relapse because of Oprah! haha!

Seriously, though, from what I've read, it was a wasted opportunity on her behalf to educate America. It's disappointing, but at this point, what do we expect? It seems that Type 1 Diabetes just isn't something that people want to hear about it...maybe because they think they already know about diabetes!!!! And really, they know so little!

So another week has gone.....just one step closer to warm weather for us! :) Saturday marks the start of the Yukon Quest. It's a 1,ooo mile dog sled race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. We're hoping to take the kids down to see the start of it if it's not too cold. Lance Mackey, the Iditarod Champion will be running. If you don't know who he is, I'd encourage you to look him up. He's one of Alaska's greatest celebrities and just a good guy who has overcome some obstacles in his life. I don't know Lance, but his sister is a friend of mine and it's his niece and nephew that I watch 3 days a week. The Iditarod will be coming in March and then I'm sure you'll hear his name on the news! I'll try to get pictures, but the camera battery dies quickly in this cold!

Well, I'm off to check the baby girl and hopefully (fingers crossed) her numbers will be in good shape and I can head to bed! And hopefully, it won't be two more weeks before I post something again! :)

Bedtime Prayers by Jada

2010-01-21T01:05:00.003-06:00

Dear God,

I don't like to poke my fingers. It really hurts sometimes. And why do I have to have diabetes? I mean, it's really like the pottiest thing ever. Some time I just want to wake up and not be diabetic ANY MORE!

In Jesus Name,

Amen

A1C and Other Things

2010-01-19T01:21:00.002-06:00

Jada had her Dr.'s apppointment on Thursday and on Friday afternoon, we got the results of her A1C. I knew that it wouldn't be 6.8 again, but was hoping for somewhere in the 7's. We got neither....it was 8.1. ((Sigh)) I know that's not "bad" but still...ya'll know how I feel about it. I shouldn't have been surprised, though, because the last 3 months have probably been our toughest to date since diagnosis. Once again, we just pick up, move on and tweak those numbers where needed.

It was a busy weekend! Jeff coordinated an outreach with our church in an area just outside of town that we refer to as Goldstream. It's a neighborhood in the gold-rich hills of this area where people who like to be alone, who are drug and alcohol addicts like to live- where no one will bother them. For those of you who don't know...Jeff is a recovering alcoholic and he and I lead the recovery ministry at our church. It is our hope to eventually start a recovery group in this area of town. So, back to the outreach. It was a free fried chicken dinner and comedy night for the local residents held at their community center. Jeff cut up 40 whole chickens in our kitchen on Saturday and on Sunday afternoon I peeled/cooked and mashed 50- YES- 50 pounds of potatos!!! Yes...my hands were SORE! We planned for 100 and had between 70 and 80 show up. It was a great time....our friend Stan and his son-in-law Shane did some stand up comedy....and yes they were hilarious! I wish I had them on video...they had us laughing good. We would appreciate prayers from anyone as we continue to reach out to the Goldstream area. Next week we start a video series out there called H2O- it explores what it means to be a Christian- kind of a starting point. It's our intention to be as involved as possible.

Our kitty. His name is Claws. He is actually Mary Beth's cat...pretty sweet little guy. Although, I think I'm allergic and am hoping the symptoms I'm having are due to a minor cold and NOT the cat. Funny, though, how my scratchy throat went away while I was out of the house for a few hours tonight! :( Ugh. I don't hold him, cuddle him or even feed him (NOT my job!), but my eyes still manage to get itchy...I don't think that's good. The good thing is, TWICE I have found him next to Jada and nuzzling her hair and ears WHEN HER BLOOD SUGAR WAS LOW in the middle of the night!!!! We're talking 50's and 60's low! On another night, she came into our room because he woke her up. Her blood sugar was in the 120s....on the lower side for a midnight reading and I gave her some juice. She woke up around 100 that next morning. Now, if I could just get Claws to come and get ME when she goes low!! :)

Oh...on a good note for me...I got my migraine meds!! What a relief. I got into see the dr. on Friday and he set me up. I'm taking Propanalol for prevention (woohoo) and Imitrex for the abortive meds plus Reglan for nausea. I've already had to use the Imitrex....got a migraine yesterday afternoon while preparing the potatoes. Boy...was I glad to have it! The last time I was on preventive meds, I went down to about 1 migraine every 2 months and with the Imitrex, they aren't a big deal. I've been having at least 2 a month, so I'm feeling a whole lot of relief. It's pretty dang hard to take care of a diabetic child when I'm in so much pain that I can't move.

Okay...it's off to bed I go- after I check Facebook (wonder if anyone is on?), start the dishwasher, switch laundry, let the dog out one more time and glance outside to see if the Northern Lights are active tonight. I'll get there eventually!

Dr. Appointment and PUMP!

2010-01-15T13:02:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Jada's dr's appointment went very well. In my previous post, I had mentioned my nervousness because I hadn't followed the plan we laid out at Jada's previous check up. Well..no need to have worried, because Dr. W told me that if it wasn't working...then don't worry about it and do what suits Jada's needs and the needs of your family. I think I had forgotten just how much I like Dr. W!! :)
Dr. W was happy with the numbers she saw in Jada's logbook...as was I after I got it updated a few days ago. The last few weeks have been pretty good for the blood sugar numbers. The 30 day average on the meter was 177, so I think we're looking in the low to mid-7's for her A1C, which we should get the results of today.

The big news is that we are getting the paperwork going for a PUMP!! I was hoping to pick the pump I wanted, but found out that Dr. W only prescribes the Minimed. I was bummed at first, but am now more than okay with it. Dr. W is NOT an endocrinologist (the closest endo is 6 hours away and no ped. endos in Alaska at all), she's a pediatrician who has taken on Type 1 because the need here is big and it has become her passion. She doesn't have a whole team of CDE's to help her manage dosage changes, pump questions, etc....she takes care of most of it herself. So, basically, she decided that she needed to become an expert on ONE pump and how it works. She chose Medtronic largely because of the support she received while doing her pump research. So...you know what....I'm good with that. And....you can now get the Minimed in pink (according to their website) which, of course, makes any girl HAPPY!

So...what does Jada think of the pump? We've been talking it up for several months and we've not always had a positive response from her. I mean, really, at 4 years old, she really can't understand how much this could change her life! If she sees pictures of any of your (meaning my dear blogging friends) kids, she'll ask if they have a pump or if they take shots like her. She's been curious....but very hesitant. Dr. W had a Minimed for us to look at and the minute she opened the box, Jada was right there...eyes big....very serious...checking it all out. She held it, she touched the infusion sets (Dr. W had a variety) and Dr. W showed her how it works. I wanted to cry...because the more we talked, the more Jada began to smile and I could see that she KNOWS she wants one now! It's all she could talk about on the way home.

My heart feels so much lighter knowing that change is coming....it may be a few months away but I KNOW it's coming. Giving her shots has been tough for me lately...seeing the bruising on her arms, legs and little butt cheeks. The other day she told me she could see the little hole in her arm where I gave her a shot! She thought it was cool, but it broke my heart. I hate those little holes! So...the winds of change are blowing a new thing our way. I'm ready to go!

Catchin' Up...Again...

2010-01-14T02:18:00.003-06:00

I don't know what it is with me and my blog lately. I can't tell you how many times I've sat down to write...and NOTHING! I stare at my computer screen and just can't get it out. I've even had some blog worthy things happening...but what the heck....can't seem to get it out. I think it helps to have so many of you on Facebook and when the drama happens, that's often the first place I go.
So...my here's my blog worthy stuff.

1. I discovered last week that Jeff and I have been giving Jada different amounts of Lantus in the morning. I know, I know....I KNOW!!! ugh. Over the last 6 weeks, we were really struggling with the "she needs more than 2.5 units, but a full 3 units just seemed to be too much" kind of thing. Well....suddenly, we arrived at her needing those full 3 units of Lantus and when I made the switch...I told Jeff....once. Some mornings, I am up early with the kids and some mornings, Jeff is on duty while I shower and get ready for the day, so he takes care of it. Last week her numbers were just somewhat strange....some days running higher than what I thought they should and I began to wonder if we were going to have to raise it to 3.5 units. I mentioned it to Jeff and that's when we discovered what we had been doing. He had just forgotten...we both cringed...said oh crap....and moved on....what else do you do???

2. I had a BAD moretic mommy moment yesterday. Somebody slap me please! I always leave to pick up the kids from school at about 3:25 and just before we leave, I always check Jada. It's our routine. She was 125. Good number. We are gone from home about 15 minutes total...it's only a 2 minute drive but takes a bit of time because of the traffic. So...we left and parked- oh and also driving a van that we are renting for the week. So, we park..and she tells me that she's hungry. I reply that we'll be home in a few and we'll have a snack. 2 minutes later, she's screaming at me that her tummy HURTS and that she needs to eat!! I look back and she is doubled over in her seat screaming and crying and I HAD NOTHING WITH ME! Left my purse at home because I trusted that number just a little too much and of course, in our Expedition, I have a stash for moments like these! But I wasn't in the Expedition, I was in an ultra clean mini-van! I ran for Mary Beth's classroom, which wasn't very far away and I knew her teacher would have juice boxes. Jada actually recovered pretty quickly and was at 75 when we got home. All that at 40 degrees below zero !! Crappy afternoon!

Lesson I learned? I will never fully trust a "good " number again....even though it was good, I underestimated how quickly she was falling. And even though I was only going to be gone for 15 minutes, it wouldn't have been that difficult for me to throw some candy in my pocket. And in case your wondering why I didn't take my purse....I had car seats to move in and out in extremely cold temperatures ( I watch 2 little ones a couple of days a week) plus a baby to carry in and out of the house as well. My purse just seemed like too much to deal with at the moment.

3. Eye doctor. Jada went to her first eye check up ever today. She did AWESOME! I am always so proud of how well she deals with all the crap that we have to put her through. She followed every direction given to her....never once resisted anything. He was able to get a good look at the inside of her eyes without having to dilate them and he said they looked perfect. :) Her vision is excellent and his only instruction was to bring her back in a year unless we had concerns.

4. Today is her 3 month checkup. I'm a little nervous, as I haven't exactly followed dr.'s orders to a "t". We started off doing her recommendations, but we soon realized that it just wasn't working. We're not using the insulin pen, which Dr. W really recommended, but I now really DISLIKE! She also wanted us to do Jada's Lantus at night...but that was disastrous as well. It was supposed to be a bedtime shot, but THAT was a battle that I didn't want to fight because it meant a 4th shot for the day. So, I moved the Lantus to dinner time so we could mix it with the Novolog, like we had been doing at breakfast. This is when the moretic side of me began showing up... at least 3 nights a week it seems we are off and running somewhere, so meal times are sometimes rushed. I would forget her Lantus and would end up giving it to her at bedtime anyhow. Then there was the night that I forgot it all together and remembered after she had gone to bed. That was when I decided that morning was best...because we wouldn't forget...and really...her numbers hadn't changed because of switching to night.

So...we'll see what Dr. W has to say about all of that tomorrow! I think we're looking in the low-mid 7's for her A1C according to her meter 30 day average...which is 177. We'll see!

Okay...that's a little of my craziness...mostly about me doing moretic things and Jada doing very well in spite of me! Yeah...that's the way I've been feeling lately. I'll be on top of things again soon...hopefully we'll be talking PUMP alot tomorrow. I'll let you know!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T01:52:00.002-06:00

My post tonight finds me sitting in a hotel room in Anchorage after an evening spent with my niece and her fiance. We left Fairbanks shortly after 8 am this morning and had a beautiful and event-less drive. It's amazing how the weather can change so many times in about a 6 hour span of time. In Fairbanks, it was about 25 below zero and cloudy....a little further down the road the sun- YES- the SUN was out (we haven't really seen the sun for about a month) and when we arrived in Anchorage, the city was covered in a dense fog and it was about 9 degrees. Anchorage gets at least an hour more of daylight than we do, and the sun actually makes it halfway up in the sky, so I'm hoping the cloud cover dissipates and we have a sunny day to be out and about tomorrow.

We're using points to "pay" for our hotel stay and when we called to make the reservation, they weren't even close to full, so they upgraded our room to an Executive Suite. Ummm...nice!!! Jeff and I have our own bedroom, we have a table to eat on, and a large pull out sofa in the living area. The nice part for me was the oversized jacuzzi tub in the bathroom! So...when Jeff took the kids to the pool....I jumped into the tub and soaked my achy, travel worn body for a good long time!

So, we made it to Anchorage...no problems. We're having a great time so far...tomorrow we go to my sister in laws house until Monday. Blood sugars are behaving, although I'm anticipating low blood sugars tonight as Jada swam a bunch this afternoon. Swimming ALWAYS does it to her about 10-12 hours after the fact. I'm hoping for some shopping tomorrow...Target here I come!!!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T23:17:00.005-06:00

The Santa Claus house in North Pole and of course, the REAL Santa lives here! ;)

The reindeer resting up for their big journey a few days before Christmas!!

Christmas Eve- making cookies and Jada's blood sugars ROCKED that night!

Decorated by little hands......

Leaving eggnog and cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer in their Christmas jammies!

Christmas Morning.... a BB gun for Eli and .22 for David....holy smokes!!

Mary Beth and her Christmas kitten....appropriately named Claws.....who will soon be clawless!!

Jada and her princess castle......it's keeping her busy for hours at a time!!!

Santa surprised the family with a Wii fit!!

What Alaskans Celebrate on this Day!

2009-12-21T17:49:00.004-06:00

December 21 just marks the first day of winter for most people in the United States. And yes, I know, the days are shorter all over the northern hemisphere. But this day in Alaska brings a great sigh of relief for many!! On this day we will have only 3 hours and 43 minutes of daylight!!! Winter Solstice!!! Fairbanks is only about 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle, so that daylight that I speak of, is only partial daylight. Basically, when the sun shines here, it looks like the sun is trying to rise and just can't make it up over the horizon. Sun glasses, believe it or not, can be an essential here in the winter time, because when the sun is out, it's always in your eyes!

Me, I don't mind the darkness so much. It brings with it a slow and enjoyable pace of life. Lots of evenings spent indoors with friends and family, visiting and playing games. Yes, it's cold outside, but inside, it's cozy, warm and full of life with those you love. When summer rolls around, the pace here is nonstop and while I enjoy the beautiful weather....all of that sun makes it hard to sleep. You go to a friends house for dinner and the next thing you know, it's midnight and you've failed to check the time....because the sun is still there!!! Talk about tiring!

We won't have any "real" sunshine for a while, so I'll enjoy the dark while it lasts. The boys will continue to walk to school in the morning with headlamps on for a while and I'll pick them up as the sun is setting for a while yet. By the end of January, our days will be noticeably longer and then in March when the spring equinox hits, we'll gain light as quickly as we lost it after the fall equinox. Then summer solstice, and then we start the cycle all over again. Alaska is truly a place that lives and breathes in accordance with the sun and the seasons. It's amazing!

Adventures in Sunday School

2009-12-20T18:00:00.005-06:00

I never know what Jada's blood sugar is going to be during Sunday School. Church starts at 10 am and part way through the service, the kids are dismissed to another theater (yes, our church meets in a movie theater!) for Sunday School. I always check her before she leaves and there have been times that I need to give her a snack before she goes in. However, you've heard about the times that she has dropped to some crazy lows during Sunday School after she had been on the high end of her range just before I sent her in. Today was another story!! :)

Her Sunday School teacher, Michael, is a great guy! He's also an EMT, which makes me feel a little more relaxed. They don't have snacks every week (which is just fine with me), but when they do, he always checks to see if Jada can have one. He never just assumes anything, which we really appreciate. Like, last week, he had cheese sticks (perfect!) and even though he knew it was a free snack, he wanted to make sure. Today, just as the kids were being dismissed from church, Michael walked in and briefly sat down next to Jeff. He had Christmas treats for the kids and was checking to see if Jada could have any. Well, she had been 289 about 10 minutes prior to his asking, so I was doubtful, but told him I would check her again. So, I went to the next theater and wouldn't you know, she had already dropped to 220 and I told him she could have a few pretzels with almond bark on them. He went to get her some water and I went back to church. I wasn't sure if I had done the right thing, but I couldn't fathom her sitting there while the other kids were eating cookies and other treats while she had a bottle of water. NOT happening!

So, I pick her up after church, and found out that she had a juice box with her treats and my stomach sank! What was that lunch time number going to be??? We've been dealing with so many highs lately, that I thought for sure she would be in the 300's. And when we got home and checked, wouldn't you know- 200 on the mark! The very upper end of her range. Isn't it amazing what a number can do to your day?? I was almost giddy!!

A Funny Low

2009-12-19T02:11:00.002-06:00

Today, after getting the kids from school, I came home and got busy making desserts for David's birthday party tonight. (Maybe more on that later if I can get it done!) When we walked in the door, I heard Jada mention that she was hungry and I had the momentary thought that "Oh- I probably ought to check her soon". Two hours before, we caught the tail end of Mary Beth's Christmas party at school, and her blood sugar was 113- and most likely dropping. So, she picked out a donut hole for a snack. I just assumed it was enough, because lately, everything seems to shoot her through the roof. So....as I was getting busy making desserts, her blood sugar was falling. And Jada was running around, acting like nothing was wrong. After a while, I hear her say again, that she's hungry. Oh....dang! Can't believe that I forgot to check. So, I told her we needed to check and her reply was that she was fine and wanted to wait. Then, I asked
if her blood sugar was okay?? And her reply....."My blood sugar is just hungry!" :) Silly girl. So...we checked and sure enough....her blood sugar was indeed a hungry 51!! I handed her a pecan bar (think pecan pie w/choc. chips and a buttery crust) thinking this is going to give her a good rebound. I figured we might have a nasty high at dinner time after such a snack, but she rang in to the tune of 87! No correction at dinner, but knew we'd have to correct when it came time for Davids party...her hungry blood sugar consumed 44 grams of carbs in cheesecake !! And did well.....she was 91 at bed and that hungry blood sugar was able to consume more cheesecake- about a quarter of a piece. So, thank you hungry blood sugar, for not forcing her to sit and watch everyone else eat while she waits. I appreciated that tonight!

Ummm......Awwww........ACKKKKKKKK!!!!

2009-12-17T01:51:00.003-06:00

December 16, 2009 will stick out in my mind for many reasons. It's David's birthday, for one. Always memorable....we had a little family party tonight and may have a "friend" party this weekend. Today just seemed to be filled with drama.....OR maybe I'm just over dramatizing things!!!

David asked for cupcakes to be brought to school as his birthday treat...I happily obliged. While delivering the cupcakes, I noticed Eli's class heading out to recess. AND THEN.......I noticed that Eli was surrounded by about 5 or 6 little girls......walking in a "pack" around him. He's only 9 freakin' years old!!! It totally stopped me in my tracks. The girls have always liked him.....I remember going to get some baby pictures taken of him and all of the photographers in the photo studio gathered around the stroller and flirted with him...it's just always been like that. But oh...my....word.....these little 8 and 9 year old girls.....I totally wanted to run after him and drag him away...but I couldn't even move. It was quite a sight. I wish I had a picture of it. I did ask him about it later and he told me he was aware of all the girls....and just didn't know how to get rid of them!!! :)

So, the girls and I continued on to Walmart to pick up a few things that we needed for David's birthday dinner tonight. When we were nearly done, I could tell that Jada was either really tired OR her blood sugar was beginning to drop-- she was being such a slow poke and was incredibly crabby. We made our way to the check out line and while waiting for our turn, I checked her blood sugar. 95. Okay...not crisis yet, but she was beginning to act goofy, so I knew she was falling hard and fast. I took the chance to capitalize on a low blood sugar and told the girls they could pick out some candy. While they were looking, the cashier asked if Jada was diabetic and then told me that diabetes runs in her family (I assumed it was type 2) and that someday she would most likely develop it. As we're talking, Jada hands me a pack of gum that she had picked out. I handed it back and encouraged her to get m&m's or Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. WRONG thing to say to a child with a falling blood sugar and who also is in desperate need of a nap. Meltdown right there in the checkout line!!!! Stomping feet, screaming, tears, the whole nine yards. I knew there would be no reasoning with her, but dang it.....she was REALLY beginning to need some sugar. Then......our sweet cashier stepped in....she walked around the register, got down next to Jada and very sweetly said that she could keep the gum, but "lets also pick out some candy so that we can get your blood sugar up". This young woman MADE MY DAY!!! I almost cried while paying for my groceries and Jada's peanut butter cups!!! Just a touch of kindness from this young lady who understood to some extent what Jada was going through just blessed my heart. The store manager is going to get a good email from me tommorrow....I'm going to tell him to give her a HUGE raise!!! haha!

And then....there's tonight. We celebrated David's birthday. When Jeff got off work, he went shopping to pick up few things needed for his birthday. He came home with the intended books for David, but ALSO brought home a gecko! A gecko....like ya know....the Geico gecko!! David was thrilled...me...not so much. The only warning I gave was that if it got out and loose in the house....that it would be a DONE deal! So...on to the cake and ice cream after the boys moved the cage back to their room. When the boys were done eating, they went back to their room and it was NO WHERE to be seen!!! They thought it had found someway to crawl out of the cage. Well....they like heat, so we turned down the thermostat and cranked up the heat lamp (Geckos like it warm) in hopes that it would seek out out some heat. For 2 hours....that little gecko was LOST! LOST! Not good. My rear was firmly planted on the couch in a safe location just in case itgot any bad ideas. Long story short (cuz I'm falling asleep)-- the darn thing had buried itself underneath the water bowl. We were all VERY happy he was found IN HIS CAGE!!

That's my drama for the day...a most memorable one, too!

Dear David

2009-12-16T12:53:00.002-06:00

Dear David,

Today you turn 11. I don't know where the time has gone, I just know that it has gone way too fast. It seems like just yesterday, we were getting our first glimpse of you. My 18 hour labor began in the wee hours of the morning.....and I remember sitting in the rocking chair and crying, because I knew that once you arrived, it would be my job to nurture you and prepare you for a life all of your own. At 11 , you're not quite there yet, but you are well on your way.

What a joy you have been in our life! We are so proud of who you are.....of the character that we see inside of you. Honest, kind, compassionate, diligent, obedient. These things alone will take you far in life! Also, we love that you are so careful in who you choose to be your close friends, as it seems you are already aware of the effect that relationships can have in our life. You know that those who make good choices, will encourage you to do the same! It blesses our heart when we see you reading your Bible all on your own and we know that you are sensitive to the Lord's leading in your life.

We are completely proud of you......and want you to know that we always will be.....just because you're our son. I can't wait to see what the next 11 years will bring!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID!

Catching Up

2009-12-14T16:00:00.002-06:00

Well....we've been busy here in the far north. Christmas is coming....my secret santa gift is all put together (finally!) and ready to get in the mail. Our shopping for the kids is nearly done...mostly stocking stuffers is what we have left. We've begun our holiday baking- I say "we" because Jeff really gets into this time of year and enjoys all that comes with the season. The kids are done with school on Friday!!! I am SO excited to have them home for a couple of weeks. We'll be heading to Anchorage on New Years Day for the weekend.....excited for my family, but NOT excited about the 6 hour drive to get there. It's not the 6 hours, but the fact that we will only have a few hours of daylight for travel, so most of it will be done in the dark and there's always a moose or two lurking around. You don't want one of those coming through your windshield! Also, weather changes so quickly here and road conditions change with them. There are a few small towns along the road, but it's pretty remote. The good thing is, it's a well traveled road, so if something happens, help can arrive quickly. Geesh....can you tell that road freaks me out a bit????

Jada's doing ok. We've been lingering on the high side lately-- the low 200's have kept us company lately. She does have a slight cold, so that may be why. If I don't see a change in the next day or two, we'll have to do some adjusting, most likely to her Lantus, because she does come down after a meal correction, then bounces right back up again. We'll get it figured out!

Well...the snow has been falling beautifully all day- big, fat, fluffy flakes (trying saying THAT 5 times quickly). I could sit on my sofa all day and watch them fall with nothing but the tree lights on. However, there is laundry to fold, dishes to do and bathrooms to clean. All that, plus some holiday baking to do. I had better go.

5 Things I Love

2009-12-09T16:48:00.002-06:00

Thank you Melissa for giving me the Circle of Friends Award!!! For those of you who don't know Melissa, she's a D-mom who has successfully raised a son with Type 1 Diabetes who is in his freshman year of college! She's my HERO!!! Melissa has given me hope that diabetes won't always be at the forefront of my life and that....is something to look forward to!!

So, I must list 5 things that I love....shouldn't be too hard!!

1. My family. Jeff completes me in every possible way- I can't imagine my life without him. My children are the joys of my life and I am amazed at the gifts God has given us.

2. My parents and siblings. I was blessed to be raised in a home with two parents who loved each other and the Lord. I wouldn't be who I am without them. My brother and sister are two of the most amazing people that I know. My sister is my very best friend in the whole world.

3. My sister-in-laws and their families. Jesus just didn't give me sister-in-laws when I married Jeff- He gave me sisters. I truly love them and their kids (spouses, too!) and they have unconditionally loved me for 12 years!!

4. My church family. I just love them. They have been there for us and stuck with us during tough times..they have been a huge support for me with Jada.

5. Alaska. I love living here. It is a place of extreme everything..light, dark, cold, warm and the people who live here are the best thing about Alaska. They may be sourdoughs, but I love them!

And now....to give this award to 5 people.....how the HECK am I going to do that???? Wish I could give it to ALL of you!

1. Rocksee at Rocksee's At the Porch Swing

2.Shamae at Welcome to Our Crazy Happy Life

3. Rachel at One Day at a Time (congrats on the new baby Rachel!!)

4.Lora at My Diabetic Child

5.Heidi at Mattie's Diabetes

Okay, ladies....list 5 things that you love and pass it on!!

If She's Not Low....She's High.....

2009-12-07T02:20:00.002-06:00

A month ago we were struggling with dangerous, unexpected lows for days on end. I thought I was going to lose my mind.....actually I think I did for a while, because I ran on NO SLEEP for about 2 weeks. We decided to go down by a .5 on her Lantus, putting her at 2 units, and it worked like a charm....couldn't believe I hadn't done it sooner. But, for a short period of time this summer, she was at 3 units of Lantus and I just didn't ever think that I would have to decrease her insulin by that much. So now, we're doing 2 units of Lantus in the morning. It worked like a charm....at first. Now, we're running on the high side of her range most of the time. Her target is 150- with her range being between 100 and 200. I'm liking the fact that we're not having scary lows all the time (last week, we did have a 32, and I'm not really sure what happened there), and her night time numbers are much steadier, she doesn't have to spike in the mid-200s in order to wake up at a safe number. However, I'm not liking the fact that she hangs out above 170 most of the day. A year ago, that may not have bothered me and maybe it still shouldn't, because it's in her "range". But I want better than that without having to constantly be on the lookout for low blood sugars!!!
We have an appointment coming up...next week I believe. A1C, the whole bit. I don't think we'll have that 6.8 again, but that's okay. That 6.8 came with more lows than she should have had. I'll be happy with anything in the 7's, I think! :) Also, we're getting serious about the pump at this appointment and I'm SO looking forward to moving ahead with a pump. It's way beyond time!

TAG- YOUR IT!!!

2009-11-26T01:08:00.003-06:00

Okay, Shamae, this is for YOU! :)

1. Do you like bleu cheese? Ummm......no.....even the smell makes me gag!

2. Have you ever smoked? I really hope my mom doesn't read this.....yes...I once smoked a cigar after Jeff and I were engaged.

3. Do you own a gun? Not currently....we are SO not cool Alaskans to NOT have a gun. However, number 1 son may be getting his first .22 for his birthday. YIKES.

4. Favorite type of Food? Oh my.....is dessert a type of food? I could eat creme brulee for every meal!!!

5. Favorite type of music? I listen to mostly Christian music, some Paul Simon (thx to my hubby for that), Amy Grant has been my favorite artist since childhood.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I think hot dogs are just ok....not my fave...I do get a craving every once in a while.

7. Favorite Christmas movie? Holiday Inn....we watch it every Christmas Eve while playing Santa Claus!

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? What else is there???? My perfect cup of coffee....Silverhook Denali blend...black and st-r-o-o-o-n-g!!

9. Can you do push ups? Like the orange sherbet push ups the Schwann's truck used to deliver to our door? Yeah... I can do a lot of those!

10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Wedding ring.....and of course, my latest fave is that beautiful, blue circle necklace sent to us by Nicole!

11. Favorite hobby? Playing my piano, reading, hiking, hanging with friends

12. Do you have A. D. D.? Ummm...no.....that's why I'm the perfect compliment to my husband!!!!

13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? YES! So blind without them.....Lasik some day!!!

14. Middle name? Leann...story behind the name? I was named after my great aunt, who later disowned our family. I then lovingly passed the middle name onto Jada!

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: 1)I love CakeBoss on TLC 2)Did Mary Beth really drink two sodas before bed tonight????? yikes. That could be a problem! 3)Do we really have to watch football all day tomorrow??

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink: Coffee, Water, Coke

17. Current worry? None, really. Just the typical d-mom stuff!

18. Current hate right now? Not hatin' right now. Ask me tomorrow!

19. Favorite place to be? ALASKA! Also, with my family and close friends!

20. How did you bring in the new year? I think we were driving Oklahoma to Iowa when the New Year rang in last year!

21. Someplace you’d like to go? A mid-winter escape to a warm place with sand and water. Hawaii sounds nice!

22. Name three people who will complete this. Melissa,Laura, and Jill

23. Do you own slippers? YES! An Alaskan essential!

24. What color shirt are you wearing? Burgandy

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Actually no....

26. Can you whistle? Yes

27. Where are you now? At home, in my living room, on my comfy sofa!

28. Would you be a pirate? Yeah...maybe......if I don't have to be a bad guy!

29. What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatever pops into my head!

30. Favorite Girl’s Name? Mary Beth and Jada!

31. Favorite boy’s name? David and Eli!

32. What is in your pocket right now? Nothing.

33. Last thing that made you laugh? Mary Beth telling me that "God who lives in her heart, tells her brain to tell her lungs, liver, kidneys and other organs to do their job!"

34. What vehicle do you drive? Ford Expedition

35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Sprained my right ankle when Eli was a little guy.....fell asleep on the chair next to his bed, when I got up to go back to our room, I didn't realize my foot had fallen asleep. Not a nice way to wake up. At the same time, had an ingrown toenail that got infected on my left foot. I could hardly get around and Jeff was gone training for a new job.

36. Do you love where you live? Oh YES! Alaska is amazing.....it's beautiful and the people are as real as you can possibly get!

37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 1-in the living room!

38. How many computers do you have in your house? 1 working computer...my precious Macbook! LOVE it!

39. If you changed your job, what would it be? I don't know....I LOVE being a mom and LOVE to stay at home and take care of my family. Yes....there are days......

40. If you were granted three wishes, what would they be? 1)A Cure! 2) To be debt free 3)That more people could experience the freedom of having Jesus in their lives!!

Migraine Schmigraine

2009-11-24T12:01:00.002-06:00

Yesterday morning I woke up at about 5 am with a pounding, throbbing headache. I wasn't too surprised, because it is that time of the month, if you know what I mean. I'm no stranger to migraines...I've dealt with them since about the age of 12 and I seem to go through times in my life where I deal with them more than others. During my mid-twenties, it seems that I rarely had any, but I was pregnant a good share of my mid-twenties, too. I've had an influx of them since Jada was born, and they can mostly be attributed to hormones. Jeff and I haven't had insurance coverage for the last 6 months, so I've had no preventive medication OR my handy dandy Imitrex injections to make them go away. On Saturday, we received our new insurance cards in the mail (yay for a job that provides coverage!) and on my to-do list for yesterday was to make an appointment for my annual checkup and of course, to get my preventive meds and to get an Imitrex prescription. And of course, I wake up with a migraine that didn't end until 2 am this morning. This was my 2nd migraine in the last ten days, too. My to-do list today...make an appointment as soon as possible!!

I really truly hate migraines, and not having meds to help take care of them almost causes me to live in fear of them. I've tried some natural things, like taking magnesium supplements and even the B vitamins, but nothing has helped. When I have a migraine, I have to stay in a dark room, no noise, light, or movement and I'm nauseous. It's nearly impossible for me to take care of Jada.

Yesterday, when Jeff came home to get Mary Beth to take her to school, he ended up with a flat tire and so, he was home for about an hour and half, in which time he was able to check Jada, feed her and check her again before her nap. Then, she was just waking up when the kids got home from school and David, my best helper, was able to check her for me and then I can just "direct" him what to do next. Jeff made it home by 5:15 and took the kids to McDonalds and I tried to sleep, but wasn't tired--I was thankful for a very quiet house, though! By about 9 pm, the nausea had subsided and I was able to sit up. The kids were in bed and I was able to visit with Jeff a little bit, but the pain didn't end until 2 am.

Today, I'm wiped out but the day after a migraine is ALWAYS a great day...actually, when I'm in the middle of one, looking forward to the day after is what helps me to get through!

I've Been Pretending.....

2009-11-19T00:52:00.002-06:00

Sometimes, I like to pretend that diabetes just isn't a big deal. That it's just some pokes and numbers...that's all it is. I've been pretending the last several days and it seems like when I get in this mode, I just don't want to think about it, write about it or talk about it. I don't know....maybe I just get on D-overload and have to zone out of it for a while.
The pretending has been easy lately, because Jada's numbers have settled into a very nice pattern. She's been as predictable as a little diabetic can possibly be over the last week or so. I did lower her Lantus by a half unit, which worked wonders! I'm just amazed at the difference. We haven't had any wacky, don't know where they come from lows.....so much less drama. I love less drama. Less drama makes a happy mama!
So there. There's my Jada update. :) Back to pretending.......

Letter to the Editor

2009-11-11T15:03:00.003-06:00

So....I wrote a letter to the editor regarding World Diabetes Day. I didn't say anything to anyone but Jeff because I didn't know if it would get published or not. I had to keep it at 350 words....which were not NEARLY enough. :) I went to JDRF's website and pulled a few myths/facts and used those. It wasn't much, but I'm excited that it got posted.
Here is the link:
www.newsminer.com
Then, go to the opinion page!

On the online edition, there is room to leave comments, so hopefully this will create some discussion!

D Blog Day- Would My Life Have Been Different?

2009-11-09T16:49:00.006-06:00

Would our life have been different if Jada had not been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes? Would your life have been different if you or child had not been diagnosed? I've been pondering that question the last couple of hours and at first, I told myself that "Heck yeah...it would be WAY different!" And then I began to reflect over the last 20 months since her diagnosis, and realized that not a whole lot about us has changed.

We were living in Katy, Texas at the time of her diagnosis. Jeff was working for a restaurant chain and we had just moved from Alaska to Texas a few months before. When we move, (and we're DONE moving by the way) we spend a lot of time exploring our new surroundings and enjoying the benefits of living there. Our first road trip after her diagnosis was to McAllen, TX a month after her diagnosis. Jeff was spending a few weeks down there for work, so the kids and I drove the 6-8 hour trip to go and see him. That trip included time on South Padre Island at the beach. Diabetes didn't stop us that time.

A few months later, my cousin in Iowa was getting married, so we took off again. I'll never forget the myriad of supplies that I had to take along with me. Traveling with diabetes is a pain! It was on that trip I felt like I was packing for a newborn baby and all the gear that goes with them! It was on that trip, that I realized that I didn't have to stop the car to give her insulin before we ate! Have diabetes...will travel! Again...diabetes didn't stop us- but it was a PAIN on that trip!

Later in the summer, Jeff was promoted and we moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was scared to death about leaving our endos and had even been discouraged by them to move so quickly after a diagnosis. Her last appointment with the endocrinologist in Texas happened the day we left- with the Uhaul sitting in the parking lot of the dr.'s office! But- we moved and survived! Again, Diabetes didn't stop us.

When we moved Tulsa and had cooler, less humid weather, we jumped back into one of our favorite past times. Hiking. I remember the first time we went- I was so worried about Jada and that she would have a low and I wouldn't have enough food with us, so I way over packed the granola bars and snacks! We took our Kelty backpack with us so she could ride on Jeff's back. But, she was a trooper and didn't ever want to ride. Diabetes didn't stop her that day.

Moving back to Alaska suddenly came to the forefront of our minds again. We missed it and the life we had here so much, but my biggest concern was for Jada's health. There are no pediatric endocrinologists in the state and the closest endo to us is 6 hours away. So, I called the diabetes center here and was able to talk to the C.D.E and she was more than helpful in easing my fears. It was she who told me about the two dr.'s here in Fairbanks who have taken on diabetes as their "specialty" and were doing a phenomenal job. At that point, Jeff and I were confident in our ability to care for Jada and whatever issues may come up. So, the search for a job began and we didn't let diabetes get in our way.

Jeff got a job and we made plans to move. Everything just seemed to go our way.... until we got on the road. We had major vehicle problems in Wyoming and Montana, drove through a blizzard on the way out of Montana and into Alberta and we kept having LOW BLOOD SUGARS!
When we pulled into Ft. Nelson, British Columbia, Jada had the lowest blood sugar she had ever experienced to that point. It really scared me, because we were in a VERY remote small town- and if there had been an emergency, I don't know what would have happened. However, we pulled through and diabetes DIDN'T stop us.

And now we're here. And we're still not letting diabetes get in the way. There are times when it has to take the forefront. For the last month, the d-monster has had our attention, because it's been a bear! I'm not comfortable leaving Jada with anyone right now, because of these lows that just seem to happen out of no where, but they are fewer and far between now.

So, I don't know if it would have been much different for us. We've just added some things to our day- like finger pokes, shots, midnight checks and at times, what seems like endless worry and fear. But that worry and fear isn't always there....because I know that we have the right tools to take care of her and to teach her how to take care of herself.

I do know one thing..... I would not have met some absolutely INCREDIBLE women if it weren't for this diabetic journey. My life is better for knowing you and so is Jada's and the rest of my family. You have helped me to keep my sanity and have encouraged me to reach deep inside so that I could pull myself back together. I know I'm not alone. I would have missed out on all of you if it weren't for diabetes. Maybe that's the one thing that I can thank the d-monster for!

If This Were Wordless Wednesday....

2009-11-06T19:11:00.001-06:00

But it's not Wordless Wednesday......but maybe Finding Friday- because this is what I found when cleaning up the floor of the girls' closet this morning. No wonder we've had some curious high blood sugars this week!

THANK YOU JILL and KACEY!

2009-11-05T23:10:00.003-06:00

This is a very much delayed thank you to Jill and Kacey for the pump pack that Jada won! She loves it SO much and NO ONE is allowed to touch it but her. :) We should be putting it to good use very soon!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T11:01:00.004-06:00

Eli- forever our Army dude/Marine guy.

David- the vending machine! Jeff's idea!

Fairy Mary--Posing as Ninja Fairy!

Jada the Rock Star! Who, by the way, had GREAT blood sugars during trick or treating!

Trick or treating was great! The stars were sparkly and it was a warm 13 degrees outside. :) Our neighborhood was absolutely BUZZING with kids! We walked around for about an hour and Jada did awesome. When we left her BG was 150 and about halfway through, I went ahead and gave her some smarties, because of all the energy we were consuming with our bodies trying to stay warm and with as much as we were walking. When we got home, she was at 189, so she probably didn't need the smarties. However, it's hard take a blood sugar reading when your all bundled up, so I played it safe. She did run on the low side the rest of the night. 86 at 2 am, so she had a piece of bread and butter. She woke up at 113 this morning, so all of that exercise did help to keep her numbers down.
So glad Halloween is over...now just deal with ALL of this candy!

I Can't Believe How Much I've Missed!

2009-10-29T00:29:00.003-05:00

I got a call last night that the computer was fixed and picked it up this morning. At the first opportunity of quiet, I jumped on and just couldn't believe all of the news that I've missed out on! I feel SO behind! My laundry is caught up, though, and my house has stayed cleaner! :)

Jada had a dr.'s appointment today with Dr. W. Just her well child check and all went well. We discussed her low blood sugar episodes and Dr. W told me to just adjust the insulin to carb ratio as we need to. And because Jada usually just eats cereal for breakfast, she suggested finding some ways to add some extra fiber to slow down absorption. I so wish I were more of a morning person...if I took the time to cook her breakfast so she could have some protein like eggs, it would probably be better for her. I just have such a hard time rolling out of bed in the morning. We also scheduled her next diabetic check up for 2 months from now and it's at that appointment that we'll begin our serious talks about a pump! Woohoo! I'm so ready!

It is good to be back and blogging again. Hopefully, I'll be able to respond to everyone's post soon. We've been enjoying 3 days straight of snowfall...just beautiful, powdery snow. The roads have been bad and people are driving like maniacs, but that's pretty typical for the beginning of the winter season. We'll get more snow on the roads and they won't be so slick and in a few days, everyone will be used to it again. Our highs have been around 25 and lows into the single digits. I think I saw that next week, we'll be dipping below zero at night. Time to plug the vehicle in! Ahhh.....gotta love the winters here!

My Computer is Down.....Reallly Down!

2009-10-25T23:15:00.003-05:00

So....my computer crashed. Like...really crashed. I thought Macbooks were infallible....maybe not! I do still love it though! So...my dear friend Dellie let me jump on her computer tonight to check facebook and email and of course, my blog. I feel like my right arm or eye or ear has been cut off without my laptop! UGH! My house is cleaner, though.....hmm....must be a connection there somewhere!
So, we are still having some issues with Jada's blood sugar plummeting, but it usually happens midmorning, so I'm checking more frequently and just give her a decent snack between 9:30 and 10:00 am. I've cut back more on her insulin to carb ratio after every meal, because she is going to low almost every time. It's kind of wierd, almost as if her pancreas has kicked back in a little bit. She's enjoying the carbs right now, that's for sure! :)
All in all,things are going well. Jeff takes off in the morning to spend the week in Anchorage for training for work. I'm excited for him...the job is going well and he's really enjoying it. Life outside of the restaurant industry is just swell! Our weather is still incredibly warm for Alaska in late October...it was 47 degrees yesterday and around 40 today. We split, cut, delivered and stacked wood today. So thankful for warm weather to do it in.
Well...this needs to be a short one. Hopefully, I'll be able to check in later this week at some point. Adios amigas!

Craziness Update

2009-10-21T02:51:00.002-05:00

On Monday, the craziness from the previous day continued. We did fine through Sunday night, and I don't remember what she woke up, but Jeff dosed her for breakfast. When it was time for lunch on Monday, at about 11:30, I checked her and she was 77. We were having spaghetti with alfredo sauce, so I went ahead and gave her Novolog, because she loves pasta and typically eats a ton of it. Only .5 unit, because it didn't even calculate out that she needed any, but typically she needs a little something, otherwise, she'll just skyrocket. We (no school on Monday- the kids were all home) all sat down together and not even 5 minutes later, she begins to complain about her tummy hurting. Then it spirals down from there.....she began to wobble in her seat and I jump up just in time to catch her from falling. She couldn't get food onto her fork and kept saying, "I can't eat, I can't eat". I grabbed some glucose tabs and a juice box and all the while, David is standing behind her, making sure she doesn't fall again. I test her....23. Not even 10 minutes had passed since the last reading. I was stunned. She recovered fairly quickly, but I kept a close eye on her and about an hour later, had to give her a snack of bread and butter before her nap because she certainly didn't have enough carbs in her to recover from the low AND to cover the insulin I gave her. The rest of the day went pretty smoothly.

This morning, we cut back on her insulin to carb ratio. We went from 1:10 to 1:12 and also cut the Lantus back to 3 units to 2.5 units. I also checked her at 9:30 am and she was at 148. Now...that's a very good number...but there was no way that she was going to make it to lunch. So I gave her a graham cracker (12g) and it helped a little....she was 85 at lunch. Lunch consisted of a hot dog, half a banana and cottage cheese. I didn't give her any insulin with lunch and an hour later she had risen to 149. She stayed right that range straight through her nap , waking up at 155. She had some cheese for a snack and I decided we just needed to what those numbers were going to do. When everyone got home from school, we checked again and she had dropped to 114. So, I gave her 2 sheets of graham crackers (24 g) and when I checked her at 5, she was at 189. We picked Jeff up from work and just before dinner at 6, the meter again read 189. Taco soup and corn chips for dinner, I think she had 19 grams of carbs total and it worked at to 1 unit of insulin. I gave it to her and then left to go lead the women's recovery group. When I got home 3 hours later, Jeff had already checked her again and she was 62. He had given her more graham crackers and marshmallows (gotta love Daddy- he gives the good sweet treats). I just checked her a minutes ago, and she had already dropped to 97. Now, I know that graham crackers don't have enough "stuff" to get her through the night....but I was hoping that it would last a little longer than it did.

So...we've dialed back the insulin some and we are checking her like crazy! Last night, I was spent...wiped out...ready to quit....and then God stepped in. I went to a Concert of Prayer last night- Jeff HIGHLY encouraged me to go--like nearly forced me out the door. I didn't want to, but knew that I needed to! I knew that if I went, that I would be a basket case of emotions and indeed, I was. There were about 12 people there and close to the end, our worship leader asked if anyone had any needs/concerns that needed prayed for. Of course, I didn't volunteer, but after we had prayed for a close friend, our pastor looked right at me and said "I think we need to pray for Jada" and I LOST it. They gathered around, layed their hands on me and prayed with all their might...for her healing, for Jeff and I as we try to manage this, for our other kids and for our recovery ministry. I had a release of emotions that was such a long time coming! I LOVE the people in our church and how they love our family....they truly are our "Alaska" family. When I got home, Jeff sent me to bed for some much needed sleep and took care of Jada through the night. First full nights sleep in a couple of weeks and I desperately needed it.

I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I do know that God is good- ALL of the time, not matter what happens. His grace has been sufficient for me through this point and will ALWAYS be. I am content with that.

CrAzInEsS

2009-10-19T02:30:00.003-05:00

The last 24 hours have been some of the craziest that we've had since her diagnosis. It all started when I forgot to give her Lantus at dinner time. ugh. She was on the low side...about 90....and having a grilled cheese to eat (12g), a small scoop of cottage cheese and a few baby carrots. I assumed that I just needed to treat this like her bedtime snack as well, seeing that it was 7 p.m. and she would be heading to bed within the hour. So, I didn't give her a shot of novolog...and it all calculated out that she didn't need any. Well, because I didn't give her novolog, the Lantus just slipped my mind, because I always combine the two.

She was in the mid-100's an hour later and I knew she would continue to go up some more, but it still hadn't hit that I'd forgotten the Lantus. At midnight, she was 350 and when I saw the number, I realized what I had done! Okay, what to do next? I had been wanting to switch her Lantus back to morning for this very reason....I've nearly forget every night! But if we do it in the morning, it just fits in our routine so much better. She eats breakfast at the same time and we don't have somewhere crazy to run off to. So, I decided to give her a correction and then would just wait til morning and give her the Lantus then. I had the brilliant plan of giving her half of the dose of Novolog that she normally would, because I was afraid she would crash on me. So, I give her a unit and decide to stay awake, just in case there are any problems. An hour later she was down to 141....so she was falling fast and I began to realize that this could be long night. :( Half an hour later, she was down to 78! Woke her up, gave her about 10 grams of carbs (hot chocolate) and she and I conked out on the couches. At close to 5, I woke up and checked her....67. Ugh. Juice box, then she and I went to bed.

I think Jeff told me that she woke up at 108. I'm not sure how much she had at breakfast, because Jeff did it all. So...off to church we go. I always check her before she heads to Sunday School and today she was 191. Perfect. 15 minutes before the service is over, Jada's Sunday School teacher runs into the theater (yes- our church meets in a movie theater) with Jada in her arms! Jada can hardly hold her head up....I run for her juice and check her while she's drinking it.....28. CRAP. I went ahead and gave her a granola bar, too, because I had the feeling that juice wasn't going to cut it.

I must say, I am SO glad that Miss Amy was her teacher today, because she is one of the most attentive, observant people that I know and she clued in on Jada quickly. She said that Jada suddenly became very quiet and the color was completely gone from her face. She grabbed Jada by the hand to bring her to us and Jada kept falling down, so she scooped her up and ran to get us. THANK YOU Miss Amy for your quick thinking! And I think it's time to send her meter and a snack with her to Sunday School!

So, I was thinking the drama for the day really should be over, but we have fought lows all day long. Even after eating pizza for lunch of all things! I even dosed her for half of what she should have and she still fell to 68. Grocery shopping at Wal-mart this evening turned into treating a low of 48 in the checkout line.

I'm tired tonight as I'm waiting to check her before I head to bed. I'm really hoping that she's on the high side, I will go crazy if I have another sleepless night! At least this time, if she is, I know that she's got that Lantus working to keep the numbers down.

I'm hoping for a much better night tonight!

Color Our World BLUE!

2009-10-16T12:30:00.005-05:00

Who else is TIRED of this disease being misunderstood??? Of people thinking that insulin is a CURE???? Of the food police who say our kids can't eat SUGAR?? Or--that if we had just fed our kids right to begin with....they NEVER would have acquired diabetes!! It's time for some AWARENESS and that's what we're going to create!!
If you are even REMOTELY as frustrated about this as the rest of us, then it's time to step up and take some action. World Diabetes Day is November 14 and it's time to make some noise. Joanne - who is an amazing, blogging D-mom, is getting price quotes on t-shirts that will support this cause and that we can all wear together and stand in SOLIDARITY on November 14th. Head to her blog- Death of a Pancreas- and let her know that you are interested in a shirt. It's time to color the world BLUE!

D-O-N-E DONE!

2009-10-11T23:32:00.002-05:00

DONE DONE DONE! I am DONE with insulin pens. I don't think I'm doing anything wrong with them. I'm following the instructions. I'm counting to 20- yes- TWENTY- after injecting her to make sure it all gets in her little body and insulin is STILL spilling onto her arm. And we are having horrible- awful- high numbers. Last night, she hung out in the 400's and woke up at 285. She came down to 155 at lunch, but after lunch she was 430! And...insulin spilled onto her arm even after I dosed her for half a unit more than she needed just in case that happened. We gave her a correction at snack time and she was down to 180 at dinner. What am I supposed to do...guess how much insulin made it inside and try to make up for it???
Sorry for my rant, but there is no NEED for these numbers. And it's NOT good for her. So there. That's it. I'm DONE.

It's the Weekend

2009-10-10T19:50:00.004-05:00

Whew......made it through this week! Jeff has started his new job....working 8-5 Monday through Friday which is a huge change for us. In our 12 years of marriage he has never once had a Monday through Friday job! Do I miss the restaurant business??? NOPE! Not one bit! :)

I've also had a change in my routine as well. I'm now watching 2 sweet little ones....a little girl (age 2 1/2) and her baby brother (4 months) during the week. It's been a welcome change for me...I didn't realize just how much I missed having a baby around!!! So, I'm getting my baby fix and Jada has a playmate during the day while everyone else is at school!

On the D-front, things are just so-so. This last week hasn't been as frustrating as the week before, but she is consistently high- like really high- at her midnight check- which is what we were trying to keep from happening. I really wish we would just go back to how we were doing things, and we might. Jada has a well child check in two weeks and we'll be discussing that!

So, talking about those high numbers- last night was the worst she's had since I don't know when! I checked her at 11:30 and she was in the mid-200's. I decided to go to bed and then set my alarm for 2:00 am. I woke up at 1:30 to Jada at my bedside telling me that she's thirsty. So, we check---- 550!!! What???? I'm not sure what happened. We had pizza for dinner--so that may have done it. She's not had a problem with pizza in the past, but maybe it's something I need to be more careful of in the future. So, I gave her a correction and sent her back to bed. She woke up at 70...but has been tired and crabby all day. Funny.....so have I. ;)

In other news, the last few days we've had spectacular weather for October in Alaska. Nearly 60 degrees today...not too shabby for just being about 180 miles south of the Arctic Circle! We'll take it...because once it's gone....it's gone until the end of April.

Late Night Update

2009-10-06T02:16:00.002-05:00

We are nearly at a week since we switched her Lantus dosage to night and I'm still not happy with the changes, but I'm not nearly as frustrated either. I have seen a gradual improvement in numbers and I've spent a lot of time thinking about what possibly could have gone wrong.
We've not changed the amount of Lantus that she's taking- just the time of day. I would have thought that after a few days, it would have straightened itself out. We also did 3- yes- count'em- 3- changes at the same time.

1. We moved the Lantus to evening.
2. We changed to the Novopen, Jr.
3. And.....we've changed to the Lantus pen.

And...I don't think I like the pens and I think the Novopen is causing some VERY high numbers after meal times. When I give her the shot of insulin from the pen, we ALWAYS have some leaking onto her arm and some is dripping out of the tip. I count to 10 (would go longer but are you kidding me? I can barely get her to sit still for that long!) and when I pull it out, I have to wipe the insulin off of her arm. Today, at lunch I dosed her for 35 grams of carbs- she ate only about 3/4 of it and when she woke up from her nap she was 421!! I ended up giving her a shot (syringe) for her snack and she was back down to 116 at dinner which ROCKS! :) That has been the consistent story with her and I really think these wacky high numbers are more due to her Novopen, Jr. than the switching to night.

Well- that's the short of it. I'm so tired I can hardly see the screen! Thank you ladies for your supposrt and encouragement!! Love you all!

I KNOW- NOT SUPPOSED TO BE D-BLOGGING BUT I JUST HAVE TO SAY THIS!

2009-10-01T17:11:00.003-05:00

I'm beginning to think this Lantus switch to night thing IS A

NOT SO GOOD TERRIBLE VERY BAD IDEA!!!!!

Lantus at Night

2009-10-01T01:08:00.003-05:00

We did it- got that Lantus switched over to night. Now- we'll watch those numbers over the next few days and see what happens. As I mentioned in my last post, she ran high all day yesterday and I just assumed that she would run high during the night as well, with things getting straightened out during the day today.

Yeah.

Right.

At her midnight check, she was in the low 60's. She was oh so tired and she refused to eat a slice of bread and butter- all I could get down her was a juice box- 15 grams. What do you do? I knew that she needed something more substantial than juice- but knew that I would be keeping a close eye on her and would be able to catch a crash.

Yeah.

Right.

I checked her 20 minutes later and she was on her way up- 146. I went to bed and set my alarm for two hours later- 2:30 am. She was 160. Good- I can sleep some more. 4:30 a.m. 155. Down a little, but not too much of a change. I thought- she's good. I can sleep til it's time for everyone to wake up.

Yeah.

Right.

Jada had crawled into bed with us at some point after her last check and when she heard Jeff get up- she did, too. About 7:30 am. I lay there and I could hear her meter beep as he took her blood sugar. !!46!! WHAT???

Maybe I should have woken up at 6 or 6:30 to check her again....maybe I should have checked her after I knew she was in bed with us. Who the heck knows....

I'm sure that changing things up did affect her. She wasn't very active yesterday- it's getting colder here and not as comfortable to play outside for extended periods of time.

Any how...after all that.....Jeff forgot to give her the morning dose of Novolog! :) We figured that part out about an hour after she ate and she had only climbed to 224. At lunch, she was down to 180- so we didn't mess up too badly.

Poor girl. I'm amazed at how she thrives in spite of us!

In Progress.......

2009-09-29T19:08:00.004-05:00

Finally, after life getting in the way of switching Jada's Lantus dose from morning to night, we got it done this morning. She took 2 units of NPH this morning in place of Lantus at about 8 am with breakfast. I was nervous at first because you have to be on such a strict schedule with NPH, but by midmorning, I wasn't concerned about lows, because she wouldn't come out of the mid-300's!! Obviously, the NPH dosage wasn't enough. After her lunch time shot, she has slowly come down and at 4 pm was 205. She hasn't had numbers like that in such a long time and she obviously didn't feel well. We'll see how her numbers do the rest of the day. We'll give her the Lantus dosage tonight at bedtime and we should have better numbers tomorrow.

I'll let you know.........

What a Day!

2009-09-27T02:01:00.004-05:00

Today was to have been the day that we switched Jada's Lantus to an evening dosage. I had hoped to do it on Friday, but our dr. was out of town and she wanted to be available if there were any probems. Have I mentioned that I really like our new dr.? :) So, we agreed that today was it and that Jada would wake up and have a dose of NPH to get her through the day until bedtime, when we would give her the usual dose of Lantus. However, Jeff quickly reminded me that there was just NO WAY we would be able to make the switch today- because we were crazy busy! So what did we do today?

Two birthday parties, a wedding and a celebratory dinner for a friend who has accomplished one year of sobriety! Whewwww.........yes I'm tired tonight! Plus, we sold a vehicle and Jeff sold and delivered one cord of wood before we headed to the wedding.

Eli and David headed off to a birthday party for a friend from church. Swimming and waterslides at a local pool (obviously indoor!) then pizza and cake. Jeff and I didn't attend this one, but obviously, I had to drop them off and pick them up- just adding some craziness to the day.

Then- the girls and I took the van (we sold it because Jeff needs a truck) to the buyer's house where Jeff was unloading the cord of wood we also sold to them. Then off to the wedding.

At church last week, my friend Donna pulled me aside to tell me that she and her fiance had got their marriage license and that today would be the big day. I felt so honored because she was inviting just a few of her friends to witness the exchange of vows. So- I got to keep a wonderful secret this week! And at 1 pm today, I stood outside with Donna and Jim, a few of their friends and Donna's children and watched them become life partners. We were on the Parks Highway at a lookout over the Tanana River Valley. It was 30 degrees and snowing but I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Mary Beth and Jada were invited to our neighbor girl's birthday party. It was held at the bowling alley on the campus of the University of Alaska/Fairbanks-- we got there late but had a great time. We love our neighbors and feel so blessed to have good ones! Jada's blood sugar cooperated well and I was so glad that I could let her have pizza and cake without fretting about how her numbers would end up later Jeff and I ended up playing a game of bowling and I discovered that I should just really stick to bowling on the Wii! :)

Then, tonight, I was priveleged to attend a dinner at my favorite restaurant (The Pumphouse!). A bunch of gals from church gathered together to celebrate one year of sobriety for our friend Theresa! What a privilege to celebrate her victory and affirm her!

It was an incredibly busy day, but it was oh-so-good! I'm amazed at the people that God has brought into my life and feel so blessed. And...Jada's Lantus switch is on the docket for Monday now! :)

A1C, New Dr., Some Changes

2009-09-18T01:49:00.004-05:00

I was at McDonald's with Jada this afternoon when Jeff called me and said, "6.8". My first thought was- earthquake??? We have had some shaking going on here lately, but I would have noticed an earthquake of that magnitude!!! He repeated himself and said rather loudly--"Jada's A1C!" I almost dropped the phone! I wasn't expecting THAT! I was thinking it would be somewhere in the 7's. So- yes happy with the A1C- and Dr. W overall was very encouraging, but said that she would like to see her more in the 7-8 range because she is still so young and those low blood sugars can be so hard on a little body.

Speaking of Dr.'s- we obviously have a new one. We'll call her Dr. W. Being as we live in a "remote" area, there are no endocrinologists in Fairbanks and no pediatric endos in Alaska period. The closest endo is 6 hours away- which could be an option for us if we weren't happy with our options here. Dr. W is a pediatrician who has taken on Type 1 Diabetes as her "specialty" and she really impressed me on our first visit. She's very thorough- asked me lots of questions about our life, routine, eating habits, and very carefully looked through Jada's blood sugar logs. I was SO glad to see that she loves what she does and takes it very seriously. She was great with Jada, too. Jada is always shy in new situations and Dr. W took it very slowly with her.

We are making a couple of changes that I'm excited about! We are going to start doing her Lantus at night rather in the morning. One of my frustrations has been our middle of the night checks. If Jada isn't at last 200 at midnight- she'll wake up dangerously low. She may be 271 or 300 at midnight and still wake up only at 70. If she is under 200 at her midnight check, I give her a juice box, because it would be disastrous if I didn't. Her daytime numbers are overall very good, so Dr. W didn't want to change the dosage- just the time she takes her dose of Lantus and hopefully, it will help in the way that she is peaking and falling quickly. In order to do the transition, we'll have to do one day on NPH. I'm going to pick a day next week that we don't have a lot going on and do it then, because I am little nervous about it- just because it's "change"!
We are also going to start using the NovoPen Jr. for her Novolog. Dr. W gave us a NovoPen and I should be able to start using the pen after I pick up all of Jada's prescriptions in the next day or two. It's going to be so much easier to just "dial" the right dose and move on. Fewer syringes to deal with, too!

Last but not least--the pump!! I talked with Dr. W about it yesterday and she was in agreement that Jada would do great on a pump. She would like some time to get to know us and Jada before she'll go ahead and prescribe one- which is perfectly okay with me. She indicated her time line would be in 3-6 months. I guess it's time for me to start doing my research on pumps-- at last! :)

So- I'm feeling pretty good tonight. I LIKE knowing that my sleepless nights and frustrating days are paying off. I LIKE knowing that Jada is doing great and that even though those numbers tend to bounce around ALOT- that she is, over all, a healthy little girl. Most of all- I LIKE knowing that we haven't let diabetes control our life. My little girl is a testament to that!

In Wendy's words--- "TAKE THAT- DIABETES!!" (whack)"AND THAT!" (punch) "AND THAT!!!!" (karate chop)

Silly Paranoid Rant

2009-09-04T22:37:00.005-05:00

So...lately I've been paranoid that Jada has celiac disease. I know it's quite common among Type 1's and maybe I just feel like I'm waiting for the hammer to fall somewhere else. She's never had a screening done and I really think we need to.
Now...I'm not seeing any signs--all of her BM's look "normal" (sorry if I gross anyone out), she doesn't get bad tummy aches but I think what got me to thinking was her rate of growth. And of course, I've compared her to Mary Beth, who is built different and has grown several inches in the past couple of months. Jada has been wearing the same size of clothes FOREVER (4T) and I have kept wondering when the heck she was going to get a growth spurt. About a month ago, I had her try on a pair of 5T jeans and they were way too long. Tonight, I had her try them on again and they fit- perfectly! Finally. I was so relieved.
So...I know this all sounds pathetic and obviously, I can't diagnose her by looking at her poop! I'm just amazed at how my mind can take something and just run with it! All this to say, she has an appointment (finally!) in 2 weeks with our new doctor and I'm going to ask them to do a screening-- just so I know for sure and I can either get it out of my mind or deal with it if I need to.
Okay. I feel much better.

Kind of.

End of Summer/Start of School Pics

2009-08-27T13:42:00.007-05:00

Happy Birthday Eli! 9 years old!

David's first year of playing football! He's done AMAZING!

The summer of '09 will go down as one of the smokiest in the history of Fairbanks due to wildfires surrounding the town!

This is what it looks like when blogging friends meet for the first time! Welcome to Alaska Rocksee and Hubs!! SO happy you are here!

The Tanana Valley State Fair signals the end of summer for Fairbanksans and ALWAYS brings rain!

My boys are up there somewhere!

This is as exciting as it got for the girls! :)

First day of school for the boys!

And.....a week later, first day of school for Mary Beth!

We could hardly get her to say goodbye to us!

End of the first day....she had a blast!

Seasons, Numbers and Change

2009-08-26T02:26:00.004-05:00

The lazy, crazy days of summer in the north are over and FALL! Yes- fall has already arrived. Our leaves are changing and our highs most days barely make it to the lower 60's. Lots of rain. And I'm loving it! Yes, summer is short here and our fall is way shorter than most, but after a summer of smoke and record heat, I'm happy about it.

Summer here is crazy- sunny, late nights and little sleep make for wacky blood sugars! I have dealt with what seems like a TON of late night low blood sugars.....like in the 40s and 50s and we are suddenly dealing again with a mid-morning spikes that are just way out of range. The late night lows I think are due to eating dinner too late, then is too high to have a snack before bed and then when I check her at midnight, she's too low. Her mid-morning spikes have occurred for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, she wakes up on the low side and starving, so we don't always wait 20 minutes before she eats. That will do it nearly every time. Or we've woken up late, breakfast late and then is spiking when it's time to eat lunch. This summer has been a huge reminder to me how important a schedule is in order to keep Jada's numbers in range.

Change has occurred in a big way for our family this year! We have mostly homeschooled our kids- with the boys doing both public and homeschool. The plan had been for David to go the our neighborhood elementary school, Eli to private school and I would homeschool Mary Beth.

The week before school started and I was beginning to work on Mary Beth's curriculum, I just had the biggest knot in my stomach. I just didn't feel right about it- which is strange to me. So, I began to pray about it and just was not feeling any peace about it. I think my long days of being home alone with the kids have finally caught up to me and I am desperately needing a break. There's a whole lot more to it than that, but that's all I'll say for now. :)

So....with the instability of Jeff's job, it was quickly decided that private school for Eli wouldn't be the wisest financial decision that we could make. All three of them are in our neighborhood school and so far, we very happy with our decision. I miss them SO much, but they are doing great!

That's the short of it. With our schedule getting back on track, hopefully more blogging will come along with that. Be on the look out for more pictures of our beautiful Alaska summer in the next few days!

Quiet....for a Few Minutes

2009-08-11T20:21:00.003-05:00

The house is quiet for a little while. Jeff has taken the four kiddos to pick up the now repaired lawn mower and to take David to football practice. I thought I was going to lose my mind several times today as my children just have had a hard time getting along with each other and making messes that they don't want to clean up. Today is one of those days that I would just like to take off and not come back until I felt like it---which may not be until next week!

Part of the reason today has gone poorly is the lack of sleep that I had last night. With no shot at dinner time-BG 155- (after an extremely active day and eating approximately 30 grams of carbs for dinner plus a tootsie roll and half a tootsie pop) Jada went to bed at 10 pm with her BG at 189. No snack because I just wasn't sure which way she was going to go. At her midnight check she was 54!! How in the heck that happened I'll never know. It just seems if she is on the go, she burns up that blood sugar almost faster than insulin could! She was hard to wake up- scared me- and I finally managed to get her to wake up for some glucose tabs and then a glass of chocolate milk. Needless to say, I couldn't get to sleep. I finally just brought her into bed with me and just knowing that I could listen for her breathing and put my arm around her was enough for me to finally relax. She woke up at 101 (yay!) and has had great numbers all day.

We are in a bit of turmoil with Jeff's job. Seems like there is always some sort of drama in our life- which I am totally tired of ! :) He went to work for these people knowing that the restaurant was messed up and that the investment company really didn't have a good understanding of what it takes to run a good restaurant. As the summer has gone on, time has revealed just exactly what kind of people these folks are, which is less than desirable. I really can't go into details, but we are beginning to wonder if they are going to be able to keep the doors open. Jeff has more than done his part- the restuarant was losing thousands of dollars a month (like $80 grand) and Jeff has brought it to turning a profit in 3 months time- but they are STUPID when it comes to how they spend their money. He's been working approximately 70 hours a week and yet, the home office just can't get their stuff together. We would appreciate any prayers as we walk our way through this. We don't want to just up and quit- but don't know how much longer he can continue to work this kind of schedule. It's draining all of us!

Prayer Request Update

2009-08-07T03:12:00.002-05:00

It's very late-way past bed time- but thought I would give an update on my previous requests for prayer.
Sienna- the MRI was inconclusive- the shadow they saw on the cat scan was possibly a pool of blood which could have come from hitting her head pretty hard. Right now, she's doing fine- no more seizures. She has a follow up MRI in a few weeks to see if it has dissolved.
Dellie- Her surgery was successful! They ended up operating on both of her eyes because the retina on her right eye was showing early signs of beginning to detach. A few weeks of lots of rest and the doc says she should be good to go. We're looking forward to helping out them in the next few weeks with meals, helping with the kids and whatever else needs done.

Prayer Requests

2009-08-05T02:05:00.003-05:00

It's one of those nights....I'm super tired....but my brain is rattled. I have a couple of prayer requests.
One of Jeff's cousins has a sweet little girl around the same age as my boys. Her name is Sienna and her mama's name is Mary. Today, Sienna had a seizure and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. A cat scan revealed a "shadow" on her brain. There was an MRI done as well and the results will be read in the morning. Please pray for her mama, who has had a great deal of burdens to bear in her life and just when things seemed to be looking up for them, this happens. It's so hard to understand these kinds of things, especially when they are so little.
One of my dearest best friends is on her way to Anchorage tonight for emergency surgery. The retina in her left eye is detaching and if it comes completely detached, they most likely won't be able to save it and she will be blind in that eye. Over the weekend, she noticed some loss in her peripheral vision and called for an appointment yesterday. Her name is Dellie-- she is actually our pastor's wife and is an amazing woman. She has five children ranging in ages from 13 all the way down to 1. I'm feeling helpless, too, because of having company here this week and I'm so limited at this point in what I can do.
Thanks friends, for praying.

So Proud

2009-07-31T16:52:00.004-05:00

The following article is about my Grandpa, Bill Scott. He served courageously in World War II with the United States Marine Corp. So often, veterans have difficulty sharing their war experiences with others as they are extremely painful and it's a part of their lives that they would rather leave behind. I was fortunate to have a grandfather who openly shared with us his time serving during World War II. He would often bring out his war memorabilia and talk with us about what it was like to pull one grenade after another in order to stay alive. As he got older, he was invited repeatedly to our local high school to share with students his experiences. Part of his story was even published in a book called "Killing Ground on Okinawa- The Battle for Sugar Loaf Hill" by James H. Hallas. In about 10 days, my Grandpa is flying to Washington, D.C. with a host of other veterans to see the World War II memorial- an all expense paid trip. This is the first article which will appear in my hometown newspaper, with the second part appearing at a later date.

Lenox World War II Veteran Will Take Honor Flight To DC
(First of a two-part article)
By Ben French

“There were 200 and some Japanese laying there, dead. When it was all over, I was the only one left,” Bill Scott, July, 2009.

On August 11, Bill Scott along with 350 World War II veterans will be taking an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. HyVee has pledged $250,000 to the Honor Flight program so that veterans could see the World War II Memorial.

William (Bill) Nelson Scott will register for the Iowa Honor Flight sometime after 1PM on August 10 at the Airport Holiday Inn, Des Moines, Iowa. Then, after a pre-flight dinner at the HyVee Conference Center that evening, he will set his alarm clock to awaken for a 2:30AM continental breakfast and a 6:30AM Northwest 747 airplane ride to Dulles airport. From there it will on to the World War II Memorial, the Korean, Viet Nam and Iwo Jima memorials and the Arlington National Cemetery. Later, he is scheduled to depart Dulles Airport at 8:30PM to arrive back in Des Moines at 10:30PM.

Two full days for an 89 year old World War II veteran who was said to have nine lives. In his written recollections, Bill writes: John Eason told my wife and I they were considering not to put me into another squad because too many times I was the only survivor.

Bill got his draft notice in 1944 and he went to Bedford to board a bus to Des Moines where he would take his physical examination. “When I got on the bus, I told my parents to be ready for a wedding,” Bill said. Bill wanted to be assigned to the Navy, but a Marine recruiter called out his name. Bill would be a Marine. “The next thing I knew, I was sworn in,” Bill said. “The troop train that took us to San Diego was so old that one train car had a sign that said not to shoot buffalo from the window.”

Bill wrote that the drill instructors were experts in discipline and that they would take the fat off the fat ones and put muscle on the skinny ones. He also talked about the quick haircuts they all received. From 5AM the hours were crowded with drills, classes and training with rifles.

When Bill returned from boot camp, his words to his parents came true as he and Doris Klinzman were married. The newly married couple set up housekeeping in Oceanside, California. Bill was in advanced training at Camp Pendleton where he was trained to be a machine gunner. Their time together was short as Christmas joy turned to farewell. Bill writes that At Christmas we were put on a ship to Guadalcanal. The name of it was Sea Bass and it had 6,000 marines on it. There were 5,999 sick marines on it. What a mess. One day I found a dry place to sit down and read a little. All of a sudden I felt something. A fellow behind me threw up.

After a week or so they arrived in Guadalcanal. Bill was assigned to K Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Regiment of the 6th Division of the Marine Corps.

On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, Bill was on a landing craft. He attended a religious service and he had his little Bible that had a steel plate on the cover. They landed on the red beach at Okinawa next to the Yon Tan airfield at 8:30AM. It was an Easter dawn, recalled Bill, that was hailed by the crash of guns of 1,000 ships, the largest war fleet ever to sail with the heavy artillery of battle ships and cruisers. Japanese planes came and 5 of the planes were shot down. Bill relates that he had his rifle safety on and that he was going to leave it on until he saw the enemy shoot at them. “We were crossing the Yon Tan Airfield when a guy was sitting on a tank and there was a shot and he fell. I took my safety off,” Bill said.

K Company was proceeding up a ravine when they encountered Japanese and a brief firefight took place and many of the Japanese were killed. When they had a chance to rest and take off their heavy packs, Bill discovered a bullet had hit his pack. A fellow marine named Wooten told him he was baptized by fire and Bill let loose a few colorful words, but he never repeated those words again.

The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the United States Armed Forces, the more than 400,000 who died and all who supported the war effort from home. The memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice and commitment of the American people.

The memorial opened to the public on April 29, 2004 and was dedicated on May 29, 2004. The memorial is located in Washington, D.C., on 17th Street between Constitution and Independence Avenues. It is flanked by the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial is open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Nationally recognized newsman, Tom Brokaw has written that “this is the greatest generation any society has produced.”

There will be more on this brave veteran in the next edition of the Lenox Time Table.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-29T01:55:00.002-05:00

Morning Update

2009-07-23T14:06:00.004-05:00

The night went great! She stayed up until about 11 pm and by that time, her ketones went back to normal! She was at 115, so I went ahead and gave her a juice box and sent her to bed. I checked her at midnight and she was up to 150. I went to bed and set my alarm for 2. At 2, she was back down to 112- but no fever. I debated whether or not to give her anything, but since she went to bed very late, she would sleep later. This morning she woke up at 150 with a small amount of ketones showing and with a temp of 102.3. Some motrin and her fever went away and we'll be checking her blood sugar soon. So thanks everyone for your prayers- so far it's going smoothly. I think it's way worse thinking about what "could" happen than when you are actually in the middle of it.

I have to take a moment to say thanks to the head nurse on duty last night at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. I don't know who you are....but you are awesome. Here's the story:

When Eli got sick, I took a trip to Walmart to stock up on some essential items, including ketone test strips. I knew that we just had a few left and with illness emerging in the family....desperately needed more. Well, that was last weekend. They were completely out- they couldn't restock them. I thought, okay, I'll just wait a few days and come back. I checked again earlier in the week and still no ketone strips. I *should* have gone to some other pharmacies in town, but Walmart is by far the cheapest place to shop here. So....when Jada got sick last night, I had two ketone test strips left. I called Jeff and asked him to run Walmart on the way home. Walmart was still out! He went to the 4 other grocery stores in town.....nothing. So...he headed to the hospital- not knowing if they would help or not. The first nurse he spoke to suggested bringing her down to the ER and Jeff's reply was that we need them so that we don't have to bring her down. I mean, really- exposing a sick, diabetic child to who knows what else? He asked to talk to her supervisor, who immediately agreed with Jeff and handed him a whole bottle of test strips- not just a few to get through the night- at no charge. It may not seem like a big deal to some-- but it meant the world to us. So thank you who ever you are---you took some worry off our chest last night!

Will it ever end?

2009-07-22T22:26:00.005-05:00

Okay...I don't want to sound like I'm whining. I apologize to anyone who is tired of hearing me complain about diabetes and my kids being sick. Here I go again......
Eli ran a fever from Thursday to Monday afternoon. Fever and body aches. Not a big deal...it just lasted FOREVER and had to miss church.....he just wasn't up to getting out and doing stuff. Well, then Monday, David started running a fever. Same thing. Fever and body aches. His temp got up to 103.6 today and he just doesn't feel well.
Swine flu is running rampant in town right now and they have had to shut down the summer school program. So...this could very well be what they've got- just not having any of the respiratory symptoms. If you recall, I thought maybe Jada had the swine flu earlier this summer- fever, respiratory symptoms- the whole nine yards. I was really hoping that she had...so it could be done and over with.
Well, she's running a low grade temperature tonight. ((Sigh)) I noticed she felt warmish before dinner and thought I should check. Sure enough. 100.6. Her numbers were great- 160 and no ketones present. I gave her some ibuprofen ( don't want that fever to spike to high) and now we're just waiting to see what happens. I'm very concerned because David and Eli's fevers have been awful! Eli last Thursday night spiked to 104. It just doesn't take much for her little body to start producing ketones and then the puking starts. And 5 days....can I do this? I don't know.

I hate diabetes.

*UPDATE*

A few minutes ago, she came out of her room saying that she's thirsty. Well- her 160 BG at dinner went to 287 at bedtime and is now at 301. We checked ketones (we only have urine strips) and she is spilling a large amount of ketones into her urine. So....a shot of novolog and she's back to bed. This may be a long night.

It's 4:30 am and I'm Awake!

2009-07-19T07:31:00.002-05:00

I wish there were some other reason I was awake. Low blood sugar....nope. Jada is completely in range and is poised to wake up at great number. Eli sick....yes, after going too hard yesterday, we're probably missing church this morning, but he's asleep right now.
I'm rather irritated. We were awoke at 3 am to the sound of our new (in the last two weeks) neighbors having a drunk fest on their back deck. There must have been more than 10 people outside talking, laughing, swearing and yelling. At one point, I heard some guy trying to get a dog to ride a skateboard! At first, we tried to ignore it- because we're nice people and we don't like to call the cops. But...come on people......this is a family neighborhood. People with kids all up and down this street. After about 15 minutes of laying there, Jeff got up and called the police. The police showed up.....an hour later. I know that a loud group of drunks may not be top priority in Fairbanks, Alaska. But an hour? And now I'm wide awake. And irritated.

My Sick Boy

2009-07-17T14:07:00.002-05:00

After a week of some crazy low blood sugars with Jada, this week has evened out to beautiful, perfect in range numbers. I'm enjoying it while I can, because I know it won't last! You just have to take those good days and love it and remember when the highs and lows come- it's not forever and those good days will come around again!
So....while Jada is doing great, Eli has become sick. He woke up around midnight on Wednesday with a pretty bad headache- and ibuprofen seemed to help and he was able to sleep. I thought it was sweet, because he wanted to lay on our floor next to my side of the bed. Obviously, he wasn't feeling well!
Yesterday morning, the headache just hung in there and he didn't move off the couch all day! Last night , he spiked a fever of 103! He hasn't had a fever that high since he was 2 years old! Ibuprofen and acetaminophen this time and within an hour, he was feeling better and actually got up and ate supper. He went to bed at least feeling comfortable!
Well, he woke up at about midnight with a temp of 104! More meds and was feeling better again with in the hour. He and I had some bonding time and then he went to bed, but woke up with a fever of 102. Still high, but better and he 's less achy this morning and no headache. So...let's hope this virus has run it's course. And.....let's hope no one else gets it!

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-15T00:53:00.005-05:00

I AM A CHILD WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES AND I AM READY TO TAKE ON THE WORLD!

Crazy Numbers Update

2009-07-14T01:08:00.004-05:00

Well, this last week has been interesting with this disease! At the beginning of the week, we were experiencing some super crazy lows. A 44 at 2 am (it didn't wake her up- I just "happened" to check her), several numbers in the 20's at mid-day as well as a lot of mid-afternoon numbers in the forties. We had been very busy since the 4th of July and I think that her all of her extra physical activity contributed to the lows. As the week wore on and we came to the end of it, things have straightened out and we seem to back to normal- although her after lunch numbers are still on the low side.
I think I've been reminded of the importance of routine and schedule with this disease. As I reflect over the last week, there was a hardly a bed time that was the same, hardly a meal time that was the same. Mornings where Jada slept a whole later than normal- thus delaying her lantus injection and then the next day- waking up earlier than normal and getting lantus earlier than usual. I wonder if some of the lows were due to too much lantus in the system- as it is supposed to last 24 hours. I wonder....
Well...summer is half over and a big part of me is sad because for us here in the north, winter is just beginning to stare us in the face (first frost is around August 30). But summer is crazy here. 24 hours of sunlight does something to those of us who live here! I mean, if the sun hasn't set- why should I even think about going to bed? It's not uncommon to hear a lawn mower running at 11 pm- last night someone two doors down was running an electric saw at 1 am- and he most likely just lost track of time. It happens here- just a part of life in the northern summer. So, I am looking forward to fall- which is very short lived here. But it means school and schedule. Life will slow down and there will be routine, which is SO much better for Jada.

Family Camp Photos

2009-07-07T12:15:00.006-05:00

Good friends hangin' out!

Peas in a pod- Tony & Eli - they are indeed kindred spirits!

Breakfast outside- pancakes and sausage- mmmmm good!

So....what do you do when the camp generator breaks and you have NO ice and NO electricity to keep that insulin cool? Double bag it and stick it in the VERY cold lake- don't forget to tie it to something so it doesn't float away!

Lots of fun in the rafts- yes even I went out and could have stayed all day on that thing!

My littlest bathing beauty!

Let me introduce you to "Sheila the Moose". She hung around all weekend- and kept her distance, which was good. She had her side of the lake- we had ours.

They are really further apart than what this picture looks like. Notice her ears are perked up- she sees the kids and was very aware of all the people around her. I think she must have been very hot- because she wouldn't get out of the water!

Awww.......Marshmallows!! It was nearly bedtime and after playing hard all day- her blood sugar was at 100- so she got to have a few! And I still had to wake her to give her a snack at midnight!

Brag on My Man Monday

2009-07-06T13:20:00.003-05:00

Knowing I had been cravin' me some Cold Stone- THIS is what he brought home one night! Just for me!

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-01T19:27:00.003-05:00

BOYS- NEED I SAY MORE?

Brag on Your Man Monday

2009-06-29T23:35:00.003-05:00

So- my D-mom friend Shamae at Crazy-Happy-Life has started a new thing which is WAY cool! Brag On Your Man Monday! Our guys often do get over looked in the things they do for us and our family. I know there is NO WAY our family could function without Jeff- he is the leader and head of our home. So- let's all join Shamae by blogging about our guys. AND make sure he sees it- he needs to know how much you love and respect him!
Before Jeff and I married, we discussed kids, working, homeschooling---the whole gammit. We agreed while dating that when we had kids at home- I would be at home, no matter the cost. In 11 1/2 years of marriage, he hasn't failed on that promise. Even after Jada was born and he went back to school full time- he waited tables when he wasn't working. We had never been poorer, but we had never been happier. He works so hard and SO WELL at his job- he's the GM of a restaurant, which by the way, is one of the most grueling jobs out there if you're doing it well. But- what he does even better is being a husband and a father. He is intentional with the kids- making every effort to be available to them- to talk, to pray, to play. And, he loves me unconditionally and has gone out of his way to make sure that he and I are going out on dates every couple of weeks. I honestly don't know how he does it- but he works hard at striking a good balance between work and home. I am GRATEFUL for the sacrifices he makes every day to ensure the security of our home for our family!

Weekend

2009-06-28T21:54:00.002-05:00

Hmmm....where to begin. How about Thursday?
Thursday- Can I say migraine??? Ugh. I'm all to familiar with migraines and the one that struck me on Thursday was a DOOZY! I managed to make it through the morning- I actually took the kids to a free movie at the theater. The dark was good for me- but the noise? Not good for a migraine. When we got home- I crashed! Fortunately, Jada's numbers were near perfect that day- she hovered between 100-150 all afternoon long. Thank you Lord! By the time Jeff got home at 6, the kids were hungry and I really needed to be in a dark, quiet room. So- he took them out to eat and I slept. I LOVE my husband! He had been at work since 5:30 am- so he was worn out when he came home!
Friday- Clean up of the aftermath of my migraine. Being as I was on the couch and in bed all day Thursday, the havoc 4 children can wreak on a house is absolutely amazing! My morning started by cleaning the kitchen, then the living room and attempting to start on laundry. By 10 am, I was already worn out. My body feels the after effects of these things for at least 3 days. We were in desperate need of groceries! So- made up my list and headed to Sam's Club. We ate lunch there (cheapest place in Fairbanks to take the family- sad, I know!) and ran into some friends. Sarah and Jake were married when we lived here before and are now expecting their first little one. It's so cool to see them progressing through stages of life! :) We completely filled up the grocery cart and headed home. We really needed to go to Walmart, too, but my achy body could go no more! After rest and dinner, I took the kids to Pioneer Park. My USB cord has gone missing again, but will have pics to share later. Pioneer Park is a somewhat touristy place- they have shops to browse, a train to ride and several really nice playgrounds.
Saturday- Jeff didn't have to work until 3, which is almost like a day off to us. We ran a few errands in the morning, but then came home and I started in on laundry and did laundry all day long! I'm getting caught up- it's just taking a while! The kids and I hung out last night. Popped some popcorn and watched Disney. Total kids night for sure! :) I made it to bed by midnight- which is early for me anymore!
Sunday! Church. Journey Christian Church has become our Alaska family. I missed them so much when we moved and coming back to them WAS coming home. Jeff and I are getting itchy to really get involved again and it's time- we're here and we're settled- and his work will be slowing down. Next week I start teaching the 2's & 3's Sunday School for a month and by the time fall rolls around, we hope to be leading a small group. After church, we have just hung out. Doin' nothing- which I really needed. The kids and I took a walk after it quit raining and soon it will be time to put the girls to bed. Jeff closes the restaurant tonight and is off tomorrow!
Hope everyone had a great weekend!

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-24T20:32:00.004-05:00

Found at the bottom of my purse! :)

Chena Lakes

2009-06-23T15:59:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was hot enough- for Alaska- to go to the local beach! Yep- folks- a whopping 74 degrees here and people head for the water! The kids and I headed over to Chena Lakes rec area for an afternoon of sun and sand. As usual, when recreating, I worry if the d-monster is going to behave or decide to act up. Upon arrival, I checked Jada and she was 69- a little low, but nothing to panic about. I gave her a 100 calorie snack pack (those come in so handy!) and had her sit for a little bit before playing in the water. My mind went elsewhere while they were playing and I managed to forget to check her! Bad mom- I know- but obviously she was fine! By the time we left, she was at 112 and still full of energy. Jada fell asleep on the way home and by dinner she was 189. After dinner, we headed out for ice cream and she was at 212. The novolog just hadn't had the opportunity to work yet- but I knew that it would. We went to a local ice cream place called "Hot Licks" and they did have a sugar free pistachio ice cream. We got her a little cup and I crossed my fingers and hoped that we weren't setting her up for a high. We ran to Walmart, and then came home and got the kids ready for bed. After Jada brushed her teeth, she came to me saying she was "SO firsty mama!". Crap. I just knew she was high. Checked her- and what do you know- 79. And by the way she was acting, falling pretty quickly. So- I gave her a piece of bread and butter- brushed teeth AGAIN- and sent her off to bed. At her midnight check she was at 167 and she woke up at 180 this morning.
Here are some pics of our fun yesterday:

Eli being overly dramatic about "starving"- after he had eaten an entire bag of chips!

Gettin' some fuel!

Sisters!

To Jeff

2009-06-21T18:02:00.005-05:00

Happy Father's Day to you, honey! I am SO proud of you. In a world run amuck and with so many families torn apart, you have stepped up to the plate. You have fought hard to be a Godly father and husband, leading our family spiritually. You have faced some real battles in your life that the enemy would have liked to have won, because he knows that it would have placed our family on the line. But you- you gave it all to Jesus and He won the battle for you and has blessed our family with a father who is fully present and who loves his children unconditionally. This world is in dire need of more fathers like you. There would be so many less children wounded, wondering who their daddy is and if he really loves them. We are raising two boys, who will be two more fathers like you, because they have experienced that unconditional love and acceptance. And, we are raising two girls who have seen first hand a real man who knows how to love his wife and provide for his family. Every day, you point our family in the direction of our Heavenly Father and every day, I thank God for you and the role you play in their lives. You can not be replaced. I love you, Jeff! Happy Father's Day!

Minus Two

2009-06-18T21:13:00.006-05:00

I am minus two children since yesterday! David and Eli took off to camp yesterday and boy- were they excited! Our church's children's minister put together a 3 day camp for our kids. They are about 30 miles out of town in the Alaska wilderness! :) Yes- it's bear country and no- I'm not too nervous about it. They are in good care!

So- the girls and I have been hanging out. This morning we met a friend for coffee at Barnes and Noble (love that place!), came home and did a little laundry, cleaned a little, hung out with Jeff before he had to go to work, played some games with my two sweet girls and now just finished dinner.

We spent this last weekend in Anchorage. We had an amazing time with Jeff's sister and her family! It's a 6 hour drive- but one of the most beautiful drives in the world! It takes you through Denali National Park, then Denali State Park. We had fun keeping our eyes open for moose and dall sheep. On Sunday night, after making sure Jada's numbers were good and a list of what to do and when to check her, we left the kids with our older nephews and went on a double date with Jeff's sister Kelly and her husband Clark. We drove down the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet to Girdwood- home of the famous Alyeska Ski Resort and ate at an amazing restaurant called The Double Musky Inn. MMM! My seafood pasta was amazing! On the drive down we saw a bald eagle and a mountain goat! On the way home- we saw the tide going out! It's cool because the Cook Inlet is one of the few places in the world where there is a phenomenon called the bore tide- basically- when the tide goes in and out- it's a wall of water moving pretty rapidly- rather than a gradual coming in and out that you see on a beach. It's been on my list of "must see in Alaska" and I finally got to! I wish I had a picture of it!

Jada has been doing great! She bounced around a lot over the weekend with being off schedule. At church on Sunday morning, we ran into some friends of my sister in law's whose little girl was diagnosed with T1 diabetes a few months before Jada. Her name is Riley and she is 3 1/2. Jada and Riley got to be in Sunday School together and it was SO strange to check them in together- going over symptoms of hypoglycemia, whether or not to have a snack, etc. Jada was very excited to meet Riley (they had met before but were VERY tiny!) again and later told me that they played baby dolls together. It's the first time since Jada was diagnosed, that I have been able to visit face to face with another parent about the ups and downs of this disease. It felt pretty good!

It was a much needed get away. Jeff has been working about 6 1/2 days a week and will need to do so for a little while yet. It was nice to have my husband "back" for a few days and I know the kids ate up the time they had with their daddy.

The boys (on the left) and their crazy cabin mates!

Twin Bears Camp- Quintessential Alaska!

Blogger Frustrations

2009-06-10T12:45:00.002-05:00

I've made several attempts to blog since Saturday and all were foiled in one way or another! Over the weekend, I attempted to respond to comments on my last post and to write a new post, but the Blogger server "failed to respond" and I lost all my stuff- none of it was saved. Grrr.... I was so frustrated! The rest of my attempts have been foiled mostly, by, well.... my children! :) We've also been busy with church, Jeff's job, sickness and now we have added gymnastics to the list.
I think we are getting over whatever it was that we have had. I still do wonder about the swine flu. Mary Beth and I both came down with it after Jada. I had the "chills" the first couple days of feeling sick but Mary Beth had a full blown four days of fever and feeling really cruddy. Jada came through it just fine- even her numbers weren't that bad and she had ketones for nearly a full week- they just hung on and I was beginning to think they would never go away- but they did after the virus ran it's course.
So, as I said, life here is just very busy. Mary Beth and the boys started gymnastics last night. David isn't sure if gymnastics will be his "thing" (even though he's very good!), but Eli is sold. He absolutely loves it and is a very good gymnast! They had a good work out last night and when I picked them up, they were dragging! Just what I wanted to see! LOL! They slept very good last night! It was Mary Beth's first day ever at gymnastics and she had so much fun! I was very impressed with her teacher- she was a lot of fun and kept order at the same time!
Jeff has been very busy with work! I may have mentioned before that this restaurant that he's taken over has a lot of issues. It has also come with a lot of drama! His immediate boss was fired last week- after he had been arrested two previous times for failing to appear in court after several DUI's! He was arrested the first time in Jeff's restaurant and the second time at a restaurant in Anchorage. Talk about drama- I've never seen anything like it! So- Jeff's work load has increased a little bit, but he's doing a great job and the restaurant is making great strides in a short amount of time. I will be happy, though, when he is back to working 5 days a week rather than about the 6 1/2 he is working now! :)
Well- it's time to get busy. I'm going to get a hair cut today (I desperately need one!) and have a sitter coming for the hour and a half or so that I'll be gone. My house needs some attention, too and I think I'll organize the ranks and hand out jobs! :) Hopefully, too, blogger will behave itself and I'll be able to publish this with no problems! :)

2009-05-30T12:35:00.008-05:00

Okay- here are the pictures of our trip north! I didn't put in everything- but you'll get a pretty good idea of what it's like to drive the great Alaska- Canadian Highway- otherwise known as the Alcan!

This is the first night officially moved out of our apartment in Tulsa.

Oficially on the road- heading north to Glenwood, IA for Jada's birthday party and to say good bye to grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

I was able to meet my good friend and one of my college roommates for coffee! One of the highlights of our trip for me!

This book- The Milepost- is a MUST for people traveling the Alcan. It gives you details of every mile along the trip!

Happy Birthday Jada! 4 years old!

A stop at the famous Wall Drug in South Dakota.

Wall Drug again- notice it's snowing!

Snow in the Black Hills!

The Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming

Looking down on Billings, Montana!

Notice the look on Jada's face- yes- the look of a low blood sugar!

Our hotel in Great Falls, Montana. We stayed here on our way down before.

Blizzard! Yes- it was scary!

At the border in Sweet Grass, Montana.

Welcome to Alberta- in a blizzard!

Mary Beth rarely sleeps in the car during the day- she was obviously worn out!

Dawson Creek, British Columbia. The official start of the Alaska Highway! At about 5 am!

Our hotel in Ft. Nelson, British Columbia had a waterslide! It was a much needed break!

David wanted SO bad for me to get a shot of at the bottom of the slide- this was the best I could do!

The northern Canadian Rockies! Beautiful!

Caribou!!

Bison wandering along the road- we saw a bunch!

Jada and Mary Beth- my dancing princesses! At Liard Hot Springs- middle of no where British Columbia! :)

Liard Hot Springs- amazingly HOT and relaxing!

More mountains- in the Yukon Territory, Canada.

In Delta Junction, Alaska- the end of the Alaska Highway. Yes- this picture was posed, but it IS how we really felt!

Worn Out

2009-05-30T00:35:00.003-05:00

I do believe that I am just about as physically and emotionally spent as I have been in a long time. It's been a tough week with Jada being sick and Jeff working extra long days and only having one day off. Jada slept all night last night- the first night all week long and I didn't have to wake her to give her a snack. She needed the rest and so did I. However, I feel more tired today than I did yesterday and feel a sore throat coming on. I'm really hoping I don't get what she had.

Jeff has been working his tail off. He is the general manager of a national chain restaurant and it is one of the messiest situations he's ever stepped into. He's somewhat "gifted" in trouble -shooting restaurants, so he's seen his fair share of bad and this is BAD! It's also Alaska- which brings it's own unique set of issues. For some reason, businesses up here seem to have a lower standard for the way they do things. And- there is very little competition, so it's easy for them to get away with poor service. There are a host of other issues besides poor service which I could go on and on about but had better not share on a public blog! He is seeing a quick turn around in some areas- like the quality of service given to his customers but there are other things that will take longer. So- he is having to put in a lot of time right now. We knew that would be the case when we came, but it doesn't make it any easier to get through this time. I am SO thankful that we have the support of friends here!

On a cool note- we had an EARTHQUAKE tonight! It was a magnitude of 3.7 and it REALLY shook our house good! I had just put the kids to bed and sat down to blog and I heard a very low rumbling noise and then the couch began to shake up and down! The kids came running out of their room terrified- they hadn't figured out what it was and then when I told them- they were SO excited! LOL! We had one last week, but it was in the middle of the night and it didn't wake me up. As long as they are small quakes they don't bother me- nothing big please!

Well- the house is quiet. The kids are finally falling asleep- that earthquake got them going! I think I'm going to find a movie and wait for my hubby to come home.

Swine Flu?

2009-05-29T15:16:00.003-05:00

Fairbanks had it's first confirmed case of swine flu yesterday and since the discovery, I've wondered if this is what Jada has had. I looked up the symptoms and really- it's hard to tell if she's had the regular flu over the swine flu. One symptom I noticed that she did have that is common to the swine flu is extreme fatigue. I asked the dr. on Tuesday if she possibly had the flu and he thought it possible, but didn't want to run tests for that. I'm fine with that now, since she made it through 4 days of fever and terrible body aches. But...it makes me wonder. The Daily Newsminer (local paper) said that health officials believe that the swine flu has possibly been circulating in Fairbanks for a few weeks, but no one has been sick enough yet to cause them to run tests. Our good friend's little boy is now sick with the same exact symptoms that Jada had and they may be taking him to the dr. today. My guess is they'll run a flu test on him since this confirmed case. We'll see! So far, the rest of our kids haven't shown any signs of illness and I'm kind of surprised. Hopefully, the rest of the family will steer clear of it. However- with Jada being the first to get it, the others will be a piece of cake to get through this compared to her!

Latest Update

2009-05-27T14:06:00.003-05:00

Jada actually slept most of the night last night- which was great, because she really needed it and I did, too! She woke up at 6 am with a temp of 102, a BG of 302 and moderate to large ketones. Grrr........ However, I'm not surprised she woke up with ketones like that because of her fever and high blood sugar. So, she had a juice box and two crackers for breakfast along with a rather large shot and her blood sugar has slowly been falling. Her temp was taken care of by Tylenol and then she went back to sleep. I think she slept from about 7 am until 9:30- and has been acting almost normal! Yay! I'm trying to keep ahead of the fever with meds and a little bit ago, I had to pull her away from digging in the fridge! I told her that she could eat whatever she wanted (she's eaten crackers and juice for the last two days) but she hasn't made up her mind yet. The ketones are still at a moderate level, but coming down and they aren't making her sick.

We've had a scary couple of days and it is such a relief to see her up and playing with her toys! So much of her behavior these past two days have caused flashbacks to when she was diagnosed- not only for me, but Jeff as well. I'm sure her temp will try to spike again this afternoon, but at least I can see our way through the woods now!

Jada Update

2009-05-27T00:24:00.003-05:00

Well- we spent what seems like the entire day getting Jada figured out! We met a super nice dr.- who just moved here from Oklahoma a year ago and is familiar with Jada's endo in Tulsa! That was a good connection- it's a small world! After looking at her ears- which were a little red and her throat (which he couldn't see much of anything), and then listening to her chest - which- as he put it - were a little "rumbly" but not bad. His conclusion was that it was most likely a viral illness, but wasn't 100% sure. He recommended some blood work to make sure that her white cell count wasn't too high- which could indicate a bacterial infection. I appreciated his awareness of diabetes and how he realized it could really complicate things. We went ahead and did the blood work and the dr. called us this afternoon saying that her white cell count looks nearly perfect- indicating no bacterial infection. He did go ahead and prescribe an anti-biotic more for preventive measures than anything.

Tonight she has been a little better- still running a fever, but her cough has loosened up quite a bit and I finally got her to eat some crackers. She had moderate ketones this morning and this afternoon when we got home, but they were all gone by tonight.

Something interesting at the dr.'s office today. Jada had a low blood sugar- 45. We were in the exam room when I checked her and proceeded to get a juice box for her. The nurse asked me to wait until she took her temperature- I replied- no- she needs this right now. The nurse gave me a blank look- like "really?" So, Jada drank the juice (which took all of 30 seconds) and then the nurse took her temp under her arm. At this point, I could see she didn't really "get" diabetes- but we weren't there to see her- right? The nurse finishes her stuff and I decided to go ahead and give Jada a 100 calorie snack pack because I had a feeling that the juice just wasn't going to bring her sugar up. The nurse asked why I was feeding her- then I explained to her that her blood sugar is very low and that she needed to eat to bring her up. Then- she asked me if I needed insulin for her!! ??What?? Aren't you a nurse? She left the room after that and David looked at me and said- "Don't you think she needs a little bit of eduation on diabetes?" I told him I couldn't agree me- that she ought to know a few of the basics!

So- thanks for prayers for Jada today! She's had a miserable few days and I'm thinking tomorrow wil be better!

Sick!

2009-05-26T13:07:00.002-05:00

Jada woke up yesterday morning with a slight fever of 100.3. Checked ketones and she was showing a moderate amount in her urine. Crap. But- no tummy ache, which is always the sign of bad ketones for her. So, we gave her ibuprofen and acetaminophen. We changed our Memorial Day plans from driving about an hour away to spending the day at a friend's house just in case she got worse. She did pretty well- her fever spiked again in the afternoon but after some ibuprofen, she was comfortable again.

Fast forward to last night. Around 7 pm, she just took a downturn. Her fever spiked again and we couldn't get her to eat or drink anything. We checked ketones and there none (thank you God!) but she was miserable. She started complaining about her ears and throat and started coughing. We were up most of the night- checking blood sugar- which stayed high most of the night and she was feverish as well. This morning we checked ketones and they again showed a moderate amount. Her fever spiked to 103 and she was miserable for a while. She's not hungry, but drank some juice and has asked for water a couple of times. I'm thinking either ear infection or strep throat- but Jeff couldn't see any spots in the back of her throat when he looked last night. Obviously, something is not right and I think she probably needs to be on antibiotics. So.....we're headed off to the urgent care center this morning. I'll post an update later!

Miss Munchy

2009-05-25T03:07:00.004-05:00

"Jada- what are you doing?"

"Nothing" (refrigerator door closes)

Jada walks out of the kitchen with chocolate milk dripping out the corners of her mouth.

"Jada- did you drink some chocolate milk?"

Silence

"Well, I was just firsty, Mama" (no- firsty is not a typo- "thirsty")

20 minutes later- "Mama- I want a drink of water. I'm REALLY firsty!"

hmm....

"I think we need to check your blood sugar."

beep. !!399!!

Then, we have the talk. You know, the one about how we ask before eating. How we need to test before we eat. How sometimes, we have to have a free snack like cheese or a peanut butter sucker or a piece of lunch meat.

I don't know if she's going through a growth spurt, but Jada has had the munchies for the last week! I have had this conversation with her at least once, if not twice a day for the last week! I've never had to put things up out of her reach, because she's been pretty good about not eating the things she shouldn't eat and usually pretty good about asking, too. Well, not any longer. So, here are a few things that I know I should do:

1. Make sure she gets plenty to eat at meal times AND keep her meal/snack times on schedule. (which, since moving, we haven't been too scheduled).

2. Not get angry with her for eating food that she shouldn't- the last thing I need to create is a battle over food!

3. I think I also need to put things up out of her reach and make sure everyone else does the same (wish me luck!).

Any other suggestions? Over all her numbers are pretty good but she is just one hungry little girl!

Settling Into Life

2009-05-21T02:18:00.003-05:00

We are settling into a very different way of life for us! The last 18 months- from the time we moved from Alaska to the lower 48- in many ways were very lonely. We didn't move close to family in Iowa- we moved to Houston- 17 hours away! Then, to Tulsa where the closest family was 4 hours away. We haven't been accustomed to people just dropping by or running into people that we know at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club or the gas station! We were in Houston for about 9 months and about the same length of time in Tulsa. Each time- we were just getting to know people and beginning to build relationships when we left. What a difference moving back to a familiar place makes!

It's amazing to move back to a place where our family is known and loved by our Alaska "family". Every time I'm out- I run into someone that I know. And- it can make it difficult to get shopping done! But I love it! I've had a hard time getting boxes unpacked because we're BUSY already- and we haven't even been here for 3 weeks yet! The kids have friends that they want to see and places they want to go! And it's summer- the weather is gorgeous- we have over 19 hours of daylight (as I'm typing this at 11:30 pm the sun hasn't set yet!) and I am so GRATEFUL the Lord has brought us home!

Pictures coming soon!

8 Things

2009-05-13T17:48:00.003-05:00

I was tagged by Jill from Diabetes Sweeties to do "8 Things" some time ago! At last- here it is!

8 Things I'm looking forward to.....
1. Getting to Anchorage to see my sister in law and family.
2. Getting the house organized and decorated.
3. My women's Bible study tomorrow night.
4. Planting some flowers!!!
5. Family coming to visit in August.
6. Jeff's next day off.
7. Getting a second vehicle.
8. Getting outdoors with the kids to do some hiking.

8 Things I Did Yesterday......
1. Grocery shopping
2. Had a date with my sexy husband at The Pump House- our fave restaurant in Fairbanks.
3. Picked up our new sofa!
4. Stopped at Beaver Sports to see if they had any cross country skis on clearance-nope- all the way out!
5. Had white chocolate raspberry creme brulee for dessert!
6. Taught our good friends how to take Jada's blood sugar.
7. Made dinner for the kids.
8. Talked to my brother in law on the phone.

8 Things I Wish I could Do.....
1. Find a cure.
2. Afford to fly all of my family to Alaska for a visit.
3. Get laser vision correction!!! (I'm as blind as a bat without contacts/glasses)
4. Buy a camper!
5. Fully fund my friend Kori's year long mission trip to Indonesia!
6. Have a date night with my husband once a week!
7. Have creme brulee every night!
8. Have the motivation to exercise like my husband does!

8 Shows I Watch.....
1. American Idol
2. Law & Order
3. 24
4. Biggest Loser
5. Seinfeld
6. Top Chef
7. The Office
8.Frasier

Trying to Get Caught Up! And.....Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T19:37:00.002-05:00

Wow- what a week it's been!! Trying to get unpacked, connecting with friends, Jeff adjusting to a new job, sleep schedules being way off, trying to get used to this crazy sunlight.......the list goes on and on. Where do I start?

On the Jada front, she's doing great! We've had a few crazy moments over the last week. On Tuesday, we went to Sam's to stock up on groceries and decided to have lunch there. I had checked her about an hour before and she was in the 170's, so I hadn't been concerned about a nose dive. Right before we got in line, I checked her and she was 24! And once again- walking around like nothing was wrong. Over the last two weeks her insulin to carb ratio has gone from 1:10 to 1:15 and then to 1:18 and still having problems with some lows. I'm wondering if our eating schedule has something to do with it- but our schedule hasn't been horribly off either. We'll see as we get into a more normal routine this week.

I've got an awesome recommendation for a doctor! He's local- not an endocrinologist (have to go to Anchorage for an endo), but LOTS of experience with Type 1. Three of his children have Type 1 Diabetes and he's the director of the Diabetes Clinic. I've heard great things about him and am excited to meet him.

I've left Jada twice in childcare for church events this last week. One was for the women's Bible study and the other was for "Queen for a Day" (a spa event held yesterday to celebrate Mother's Day). David was an AWESOME big brother both times and helped me out by checking her blood sugar at some specific times and then calling me with the numbers. I was a little nervous about leaving her because the child care location is about a 5 minute drive from our friend's house where both events were held, but David rose to the occasion and I had no need for worry. She was away from me for four hours and NO problems at all!

Ahh....Queen for a Day. Food, massages, facials, pedicures, manicures, friends and no interruptions. Our church puts this event on every year for Mother's Day and it is absolutely amazing- and you don't have to be a mom to come- just a woman! :) I met new people and had a good chance to sit and visit with old friends. It was like the ultimate girl hang out time. Already looking forward to next year.

We are starting to get settled in our house. I will post some pictures just as soon as I can find my USB cord!! I had it with me the whole trip up here and as soon as we moved in to the house I lost it! grrr.... We still need a kitchen table and will be getting a sofa and love seat this week. We have folding chairs and a Cracker Barrel rocking chair to sit on currently! :)

Well- this is just the beginning of getting caught up on my blogging. I've been tagged twice the last couple of days and don't worry ladies- I'll do them! :)

Oh-and last but not least- Happy Mother's Day!

We Made It!

2009-05-05T02:25:00.005-05:00

I'm laying on the floor of our new home in Fairbanks, Alaska at about 11:30 pm and I can still see across the street and the trees in the yard two doors down from us. The Land of the Midnight Sun is already working it's magic on me. I'll be getting tired soon, because it will be completely dark soon. I'm going to be in big trouble when the sun doesn't set at all! Extra sun for me means extra energy- not a bad problem to have, but does cause lack of sleep! :)

So- you may ask why I'm on the floor and not at a desk or table or some other more comfortable piece of furniture?? I wish I could be sitting on something like that, but it's a little difficult when the trailer that you were hauling most of your worldly possessions broke down about 4 hours on the other side of the border in Canada!! I didn't possibly think we could get any more drama last week than we had already had but we sure did!

As we were leaving Haines Junction, Yukon Territory, Jeff looked in the passenger side mirror an asked me if the mirror was bouncing up and down or if indeed it was the tire on the trailer wobbling back and forth like it was just going to fall off. I confirmed his suspicions and we stopped. The axel hadn't broken (yet) but the hub of the axel had (it's kind of like a "cap" that goes on the exposed outside part of the axel- it keeps things stable. We drove to the nearest mechanic and ended up leaving it, because people typically don't keep those parts on hand. So tomorrow my amazing husband and a friend of our making the trip to bring it home.

Second thing that happened that day. We had no cell service the majority of our time in Canada and had none until we arrived in Tok, Alaska. We were close to 48 hours of no communication with our family and knew they could be worried about us. As I try to make the phone call, I was re-routed to the "fraud department". I passed the phone off to Jeff, as it's really his phone. They had shut our phone off while in Canada- it's like a credit card- if they see "odd" activity, they shut it off. So- naturally, they begin to ask Jeff "security" questions. Not really a big deal UNTIL they ask him where he was living when he received his first social security card!! Some people may be able to answer this, but Jeff, during his childhoold, moved almost every year. He couldn't answer it and they refused to turn the phone on!!! So- they told him that they were going to investigate him for fraud- really??? It was a mess. He ended up having to fax receipts of hotel stays/ fuel stops as well as proof of i.d. before they turned the phone on. And in the end, they did apologize to us not only for refusing to turn the phone on, but for being so rude. Sooo- if you're (Rocksee!!) traveling through Canada remember to tell your cell provider so they don't shut you off!! We had told our bank what we were doing and had no problems with our cards getting shut off.

It was quite the adventure and we had a lot more problems than anticipated, but obviously, the Lord was taking care of us. Had we driven any further on that wheel- it would have broke the axel and it potentially could have caused an accident. We just "happened" to catch it right after it happened according to the mechanic. Furthermore- we were beginning to drive a stretch of the Alcan where it is pretty desolate, and we discovered it less than two miles out of town and were able to turn around and go back. God is good and I am so thankful for His protection.

It is good to be home. The weather has been gorgeous and the day we arrived we could see Denali (Mt. McKinley) clearly! That was quite a greeting for us! We have spent time this weekend with close friends and I have more catching up to do this week- I can't wait!

We didn't have a place to live yet when we left Tulsa. The back up plan was to stay with friends, and hope to find a place quickly. We weren't worried about it, because we knew that God would provide. And indeed He did. Before we left, we had inquired about a home that we had seen on Craig's list and the night we left, we received a response back saying that the home was available but that the owners knew our good friends (the ones we were going to stay with!) AND that he went to our church up here!! We got his email as we were loading the car up, so we didn't get a chance to respond. Well- our crazy week began and in the midst of it, I forgot all about his email. When we arrive, my friend Kim tells me that there is a couple who wants to rent us their house and it was available almost immediately!! It was this same guy and come to find out- they had held it for us all week and put other people off who wanted to rent the house. Long story short- the house is great- neighborhood is awesome- the view is amazing (Birch Hill is the view- for those not familiar with Fairbanks, it's the major local cross country ski area) and NO neighbors behind me!! Fenced in back yard for the kids and the dog and a very nice family living next door. And all appliances were provided. No worries here- the Lord had it covered for us.

Well- it's past midnight and finally completely dark. Time for bed. The sun will be up in just a few hours- hopefully the kids won't wake with it! And oh shoot- I forgot to check Jada!! Better go!

Scary Low(s)

2009-04-30T11:17:00.003-05:00

This trip has had it's challenges for sure. We had the vehicle break down, then ran into a blizzard which delayed us by a day and we decided to make up for it by driving over night again and now we are back on track with beautiful weather. Oh- the trailer we are hauling got a flat tire yesterday because we hit a huge pothole that seemed to come out of nowhere!

Yesterday, we arrived in Ft Nelson, British Columbia after a long 20 hours in the car. Jada had been sleeping- before she fell asleep I checked her and she was 99. I gave her about 3/4 of a granola bar (I think the whole bar had about 30 grams of carbs)- I actually thought I was giving her too much, but wanted to be safe as we've had some lows that were too low. She slept for a couple of hours and woke up when we arrived here at our hotel. We unloaded, Jeff took a cat nap and then it was time to go swimming. The kids were excited because the pool has a waterslide. Naturally- I checked Jada before swimming and she was !!!29!!! I nearly freaked out- I couldn't believe she was walking and talking like nothing was wrong. I gave her 3 glucose tabs and as she began to eat, the effect of the low began to set in. I was holding her and she could barely lift her head up and kept telling me that she was tired and wanted to go to sleep. I kept talking to her and after about 5 minutes, she was doing better. After ten minutes, I checked her again- good ole' rebound effect- 435! :) We went ahead and went swimming, but she continued to drop steadily and by the time supper came around, she didn't need a shot because she was around 100. I even had to wake her up at midight to have a snack because she was 105 and she still woke up at 60 this morning. Oh- and before that scary afternoon low- she hadn't had any fast acting insulin since breakfast. Any suggestions? Now- I will expect some lows today with all of the swimming activity she's had and am prepared to feed her the extra carbs. The other lows don't make a lot of sense to me as she has done nothing but sit in a vehicle almost constantly the last 3 days.

Well- I'm glad to have got that off my chest. The hotel we are staying at has pretty sketchy internet service and I hadn't been able to open up blogger until a few minutes ago. I have been unable to catch up on everyone's blogs this week and I really feel like I've missed out. So- hopefully, I'll get a little reading in before we have to check out.

Somthing Just Had to Go Wrong!!!

2009-04-27T12:03:00.003-05:00

Everyone is safe, healthy- Jada's numbers have been unbelievably good- only once over 200 in the last two days! Her insulin adjustment has worked wonderfully, too--no high spikes and no nose-dives either. She has stayed almost perfectly in range- even at her birthday party with cake and ice cream!

We left Saturday night at 11:30 from Jeff's dad's in Iowa. The weather was rainy and windy. We're hauling a 6 x 12 trailer packed to the gills with our stuff. It was slow going- only able to go about 55 uphill on the interstate and 65 downhill. The kids slept great- Jada's numbers were great and at 6:30 am we stopped for breakfast in Chamberlain, SD along the mighty Missouri River. As we continued, it rained harder and by the time we reached Wall, SD- it was SNOWING!! We had hoped to stop at Mt. Rushmore, but decided to stop at Wall Drug instead since it was indoors. After we left, the snow got heavier, but the roads were good. As a matter of fact, the scenery was quite beautiful. The Black Hills covered in snow is quite a spectacular sight. We crossed into Wyoming and it quit snowing. The sun came out and we soon lost track of the number of antelope that we were seeing. When we reached central Wyoming, we were able to see the Big Horn mountains, which are part of the Rockies. Beautiful. It's the first time since moving back that I've seen anything bigger than the Ozark Mountains.

Obviously, with this kind of terrain- lots of hills- it was tough on the vehicle. When we reached Sheridan Wyoming, the check engine light started flashing at us and by the time we reached Billings, MT, the rig was shaking (we drive an Expedition). This morning Jeff took it a dealership and found out that we broke the coils- possibly because of the weight of the trailer. It's fixed- but it took a chunk out of the budget. :( It also delayed us by a half day, so it means an all nighter again tonight. It's looking like we're going to have to lighten the load on the trailer- maybe take some mattresses back to Sam's that haven't been slept on, send some boxes ahead and possibly get rid of some of the heavier furniture that we're not attached to.

Well- everyone is waiting on me. Time to grab some lunch and give a shot!

I appreciate everyone's prayers- I do believe that God is holding us right in the palm of His hand.

Moving and Traveling Update

2009-04-25T15:15:00.003-05:00

I have some momentary quietness before I need to get busy for Jada's birthday party. We're in Glenwood, IA at Jeff's dads for a day and my parents and sister and her family are coming to celebrate Jada's birthday tonight. We're hoping then to get on the road late tonight and make it all the way to Billings Montana by tomorrow night.

We used to have a problem with Jada spiking super high by lunch time- lately, we've consistently had bad lows by 11 am every day- in the 40's and 50's. I thought I would try to stay ahead of it today, so I checked her at 9:30 am and and she was 215. I was happy with the number and that we would be able to make it to lunch time with no problem. We drove to Omaha to meet a college friend for coffee this morning and at 11 am- on the dot- Jada goes from being extremely happy to almost combative and complaining of a tummy ache. She had nose dived to 45! It's the third time this week that we've had this happen. I'm not sure what to do- her insulin to carb ratio is 1:10 and it's going to be hard to be in touch with a dr. this week. Jeff and I talked this morning about going back up to 1:15 and just making sure she had at least 15-20 minutes before she eats. If anyone has suggestions- let me know!

Well- it's time to wrap some gifts and do some laundry. I'll try to check in tomorrow night from the great state of Montana!

Moving and Jada Update

2009-04-22T15:51:00.002-05:00

Less than 48 hours until we leave Tulsa! I'm frustrated because the internet connection at our apartment isn't working! I'm at Panera (oh yeah- another thing I'll miss! ) checking email, FB and my blog! I'm sorry I haven't been able to respond to some of you--- I will just as soon as I have time!

Jada's numbers have been all over the place! From a low of 43 yesterday - shaking, sweating, crying- I felt so bad for her- to highs over 300. I think it is mostly due to the fact that our schedule is WAY off! We're hoping to keep somewhat of an "eating schedule" while on the road next week- but we all know how things happen or don't happen while traveling.

I would totally appreciate everyone's prayers for us over the next ten days. While we're excited, it's still a tough adjustment for everyone!

Things To Do Before We Leave

2009-04-19T11:17:00.004-05:00

We are down to the last few days here in Tulsa and I've been thinking of some things that need to get done before we go- other than finishing packing. I LOVE Alaska and I LOVE living there, however- when you live in that part of the world, there are just some things that are not readily available. This is my last week to do and buy some of those "Lower 48" things!

1. Eat at Pei Wei. Oh my goodness- I will miss this place. I get several cravings a month for Pei Wei- but we have restrained ourselves and only eaten there or got take out from there a couple of times in the last several months. We have "heard" that Anchorage is getting a P.F. Changs (they also own Pei Wei) but whether it's true or not remains to be seen. Anchorage is also 6 hours from Fairbanks, so it's not like we can just get a fix whenver we want!

2. Krispy Kreme. No such thing can be found in the great land of Alaska. Need to drive by when the "hot now" sign is on so that we can have one last melt in your mouth yeasty donut before we leave.

3.Target. Anchorage now has a Target. Wasilla might have one as well. There was one slated for Fairbanks, but got put on the back burner, I think due to the recession. I MUST go in for one more browse before we go, because, like P.F. Changs, the closest Target will be 6 hours away.

4. The mall. The mall in Fairbanks- The Bentley Mall- is affectionately referred to by locals as "The Bentley Hall". It's size is comparable to one end section of a small mall here in the Lower 48 and it's anchored by a Safeway on one side and a Michael's on the other. Now- I'm not a mall junkie, but do occasionally enjoy looking and letting the girls play in the play area. The major department store in Fairbanks- Gottschalk's- is closing, so I best get my department store fix, too! Anchorage has a great J.C. Penney's and a couple of "decent for Alaska" malls- but again- 6 hours away.

5.Enjoy some good fresh produce. Alaska doesn't get the best produce in the world and it's DANG expensive!! The bananas are WAY green in the grocery store and taste awful- I think because they have to pick them so early to get them all the way to Alaska before they go bad. Melons- holy cow. Can you say $10 for a watermelon??? $10 for cantaloupe??? Tomatoes aren't near as sweet. And the Alaskan grown tomatoes- they may look nice and get big, but tomatoes need heat and people, Alaska doesn't get HOT! Apples are always consistently good- which is a great thing, because my kids love apples!

6.Bath and Body Works. I'm not aware of Anchorage having a Bath and Body Works- they may have since we moved back. I need to stock up on anti-bacterial hand soap and my yummy smelling hand sanitizer. I know I can order online, but who really wants to pay for shipping??? And shipping is NEVER free to Alaska!

These are just a few things off the top of my head that I came up with- I'm sure if I asked Jeff, he could list off a dozen other things that are here in the Lower 48 and not in Alaska. I'm sure you'll all here about them, too, after we move and begin to miss some of our favorite stuff! One thing that is greatly loved in our house is GOOD COFFEE and Alaska has an abundant supply on every street corner of GOOD COFFEE! We should be just fine! :)

One Week

2009-04-17T19:29:00.003-05:00

One week from right now, we will be on our way to Iowa to say goodbye to our family one last time and then heading on to Alaska from there. Two weeks from right now, we should be in Fairbanks- barring some great disaster on the road. We spent the day packing and organizing our cargo trailer! I'm in "move mode" again and don't think I'll be able to shut it off until we are in the rig and heading north! I'm trying to get all the kids clothes down to the absolute necessities for the next couple of weeks- I really don't need a lot of laundry hanging over my head at this point! I do have a couple of prayer requests- one that is somewhat urgent.

I had blogged (a few posts back) about Jada's prescriptions not being sent. Well- we still don't have them. Evidently, the insurance company had her date of birth wrong and after several calls being made, I think we finally have it straightened out. They have "ultra-prioritized" her order, as the last day that we will be able to receive packages here will be on Thursday of next week. Hopefully, we'll get it on Monday or Tuesday. We have just enough test strips to get us through plus a back up meter if we need to use it.

Second request- we don't have a place to live yet in Alaska! There is a house that we would LOVE to rent, but the owner needs to decide if he's going to put it on the market (he's moving to California) or let us rent it now and buy it later. Unfortunately, we aren't in the position to buy currently, but should be in a year. We are going to stay with some very dear friends of ours when we arrive, but it is of the utmost importance that we get settled ASAP. This time of year, housing gets hard to come by up there because the state has an influx of seasonal workers and rentals go quickly. Having a dog doesn't help either- most landlords don't want animals.

Other than that- all is well. Jada has had excellent numbers- her 30 day average is 156- right on target! I thought she was getting a cold, but I think it's just allergies. This next week should go quickly. I have several people that I need to catch up with! Jamie- if you read this- I'm sorry I haven't called you yet!!!!! :( I will- I promise! Any of my Tulsa friends who read this-- Facebook me- would love to get together for coffee! I can't believe we're down to the last week.

Eli fixin' pancakes on our camping stove.

Jeff fixin' up the cargo trailer.

Easter

2009-04-15T08:59:00.006-05:00

I hope everyone had a happy Easter! We spent the weekend in Iowa with my side of the family and had an amazing time. Of course, I had been concerned about candy and high blood sugars- but instead, we spent our time at church battling awful lows- 39! Yikes!! She then jumped up to 117 and then 15 minutes later- back down to 49! The rest of the day, the highest she got was in the low to mid-100's. Not too shabby for a holiday where I had been concerned about high blood sugars! She played and played non-stop the entire weekend- I think all of the exercise definitely had an effect on her numbers. So- she did get to eat a little more candy than originally planned and I am totally ok with that! It's so nice when she can eat just like everyone else!

It's Not Forever

2009-04-09T04:41:00.004-05:00

Jada was helping me in the kitchen the other day- unloading the silverware from the dishwasher and sorting it for me. This is pretty much "her job" and she talks my leg off while she's doing it. As we were chatting about little girl stuff- she changed the subject very quickly. She looked at me and said, "Will I have diabetes when I die?" Totally took me off guard. She'll be 4 in two weeks- where do they come up with this? However- I was so glad she asked because I knew that I could give her the best answer possible. "No Jada, because when we know Jesus and go to heaven, He takes all of our sickness and pain away and makes us new. No- you will not have diabetes forever!"

It usually takes a child to remind us that we are on this earth temporarily and that the sorrows and sufferings of this life are temporary. I've asked Him over and over to heal Jada, but if it's not His will, then I don't want it to happen. I do believe that "all things work together for good to them that love the Lord" and that He will use this for good in her life- just as He does all things. When Jeff and I were first married, I would never have thought that Jeff struggling with alcoholism could work together for good- but it has. After 4 1/2 years of recovery for both of us, God has done amazing things and our marriage is turning into something more beautiful and better than I EVER thought possible. So- I don't know what Jada's life will look like, but it will be beautiful. Her struggles will be used to encourage someone else in their life with this disease and someday, she just may look back and say, "Thank you Lord, for this journey, because I wouldn't be who I am without it!"

REVELATION 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (English Standard Version)

GRRRR!!!!!

2009-04-06T10:22:00.002-05:00

Just typing in my frustration right now! In March, all of Jada's prescriptions expired, but we had enough supplies to get us through the month of April. Last Monday, I called our prescription mail order company to have them fax the list of prescriptions to our dr.'s office here in Tulsa. They told me no problem, we'll have it done today. In the past, they've been pretty quick about getting things done and we've received excellent service. No complaints. The dr's office told me that they also should be able to turn it around pretty quickly and get the renewed prescriptions back to the mail order company pretty quickly- within 24 hours. So- I called this morning to check on the status of her prescriptions and the pre-recorded woman told me that no orders had been placed!! I wanted to yell at her! So- I had to call again because there were no options to continue on and the automated phone service dropped me 5 times before I could get through again! The gal(real person) on the other side said that it appears to have been faxed and to call the doctor. So.... I call Dr. C's office and the very kind gal who answered the phone looked through Jada's chart for me. NO prescription refill orders had been faxed in for her. The last record of anything happening was a follow up call on her blood sugar log. Sooo....back to the mail order company I go. This time it only took me 4 tries to get through after the automated phone system kept dropping me- I don't know- maybe they get a heavy influx of calls on Monday mornings and the system can't keep up with it. So- I get another gal who is finally of some help. I explained to her what happened and she put me on hold so that she could figure out what happened. Apparently- our Dr.'s phone number- her main line- wasn't in their records so they couldn't fulfill the order! They had the appropriate fax number! It really bothered me because all they had to do was call us or send us an email and it would have been taken care of!

Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but we are leaving this weekend to go to my sister's house and I'm afraid that I won't have enough extra supplies to take with me. She lives in a small town and there isn't a Wal-Greens anywhere close. We can go through our local Wal-Greens if we have to, but it is so much more expensive. The receptionist at Dr. C's office told me that she would keep an eye out for the request and do her best to get it done and turned around to our mail order company right away.

Okay- end of my airing out of my grievances! I'm going to try not to worry about this!

My Diary as the Mom of a Diabetic Princess

The Hand That 2011 Has Dealt So Far....

I Want to Hide in My Room and Cry.......

Where Do I Start??

Dear Dr. Woodward

It's HERE!

A1C, Lovin' My Job and MORE SLEEP PLEASE!

Time to Update.....

We Made It a WHOLE Year in One Place!!

All Alonely

Goodbye Sam and Coops

A Little Bit of Catch Up

A Shout Out

Low Blood Sugar = High Emotion

2 Years

March Madness

Kindergarten? Already?

A Wedding and a Funeral

It's a Brand New Week! *warning* LONG POST :)

I Guess She Told Us...... :(

Featured on Another Blog....

Midwinter Blues

Bedtime Prayers by Jada

A1C and Other Things

Dr. Appointment and PUMP!

Catchin' Up...Again...

Happy New Year!

Christmas 2009

What Alaskans Celebrate on this Day!

Adventures in Sunday School

A Funny Low

Ummm......Awwww........ACKKKKKKKK!!!!

Dear David

Catching Up

5 Things I Love

If She's Not Low....She's High.....

TAG- YOUR IT!!!

Migraine Schmigraine

I've Been Pretending.....

Letter to the Editor

D Blog Day- Would My Life Have Been Different?

If This Were Wordless Wednesday....

THANK YOU JILL and KACEY!

Trick or Treat

I Can't Believe How Much I've Missed!

My Computer is Down.....Reallly Down!

Craziness Update

CrAzInEsS

Color Our World BLUE!

D-O-N-E DONE!

It's the Weekend

Late Night Update

I KNOW- NOT SUPPOSED TO BE D-BLOGGING BUT I JUST HAVE TO SAY THIS!

Lantus at Night

In Progress.......

What a Day!

A1C, New Dr., Some Changes

Silly Paranoid Rant

End of Summer/Start of School Pics

Seasons, Numbers and Change

Quiet....for a Few Minutes

Prayer Request Update

Prayer Requests

So Proud

Wordless Wednesday

Morning Update

Will it ever end?

It's 4:30 am and I'm Awake!

My Sick Boy

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Crazy Numbers Update

Family Camp Photos

Brag on My Man Monday

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Brag on Your Man Monday

Weekend

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Chena Lakes

To Jeff

Minus Two

It's a Brand New Week! warning LONG POST :)