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!!!
Showing posts with label Type 1 diabetes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Type 1 diabetes. Show all posts
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Adventures in Sunday School
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!!
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!!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Catching Up
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.
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.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
THANK YOU JILL and KACEY!
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!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Trick or Treat
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!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
I Can't Believe How Much I've Missed!
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!
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!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Craziness Update
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.
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.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
D-O-N-E DONE!
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Late Night Update
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!
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!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Lantus at Night
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!
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!
Friday, September 18, 2009
A1C, New Dr., Some Changes
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!
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)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Seasons, Numbers and Change
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!
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!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Quiet....for a Few Minutes
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!
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!
Friday, July 17, 2009
My Sick Boy
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Family Camp Photos
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!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Weekend
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!
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!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Chena Lakes
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!
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!Thursday, June 18, 2009
Minus Two
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!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Worn Out
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)