Taking a Trip

Today I'm writing over at my (real life!) friend's place, with a side of insulin.  While she's had this fabulous idea of getting a bunch of DOC-ers to write about traveling, I'm writing to you about my experience in getting on the plane in order to see her.  So please head on over, and enjoy my story.

Guest Post: Chocolate Cheeks

I have another guest post from my mother today.  I wrote about my first Easter, but I got it wrong, so here's the real version.  Keep in mind, this was in 1990, when we counted calories, not carbs and there was no humalog and each meal had a set amount of food to be eaten.  

Found

The hard cold facts of diabetes and balancing diet, eating schedule and insulin, first became apparent for you the week after Easter when you were 4 years old.  Of course at that age, Daddy and I managed what you ate and when.  We tried to give you a variety of choices and foods so that you weren't constantly aware of the structure diabetes had placed on your life.

As with every holiday, we felt it was important for you to receive the same "treats" as other children.  Easter, Halloween, etc.  We had our own way of dealing with what we did with the treats, or when you ate them.  Sugar free chocolates from Van Otis are great *editor's note: I don't think so anymore*, but they still contain calories.

This particular night you had requested spaghetti for dinner.  Like most children, you liked pasta.  Yours with sauce on the side of course!  It was probably right before I was to begin cooking dinner, and I was upstairs, you downstairs.  You were very quiet, but for you that was normal, always busy with your coloring, books, etc.  When I came downstairs I saw you make a beeline around the house in the opposite direction of the kitchen.  Hmmmm, there were little pieces of colored foil on the floor.  When I met you in the living room, your cheeks were full of chocolate Easter eggs.  Now you had only had diabetes for a year or so, so this floored me.  I had no idea of figuring out how many you had eaten, what to do about the calories, dinner, and of course you had no idea.  The main thing is that Daddy and I had made the choice that food was never to be a battle with you.  So I determined that you should have no pasta for dinner, we would give you Regular insulin based on your normal dosage, hoped that you had candy that matched the carbs you were scheduled to have, and monitor you till bedtime testing and insulin.  You were SOOO disappointed about having no pasta.  I explained the hows and why of your choice of eating the candy.  Oh you had such a sad face.  I don't remember how the rest of the night went with glucose readings.  But it was the first time all of us had to deal with you acting like a normal 4-year-old after Easter, and us having to deal with the adjustments and corrections of diabetes.  I guess I felt that you needed to know that your choice to eat the candy was okay, but that affected your choice for dinner as well.

That was a day that again reminded me how different your life would be with all the birthdays and holidays.  I hope that because of the flexibility we did "allow"you on those occasions, that you knew that on occasion, you could eat the cake, ice cream, and some candy.  We just had to plan more than others did.

As always, when one door closes, another opens.

Guest Post: A Younger View

Today's post is from my cousin Karolyn.  The best day of my life was her baptism because she became my god-sister.  This was a big deal to a seven year-old only child.  When we were younger, I couldn't understand her.  I mean, how could you not love to ski?  But then all of a sudden she loved it.  And I don't know if that is when we became close, or if it was before then, but all I know is that now, we're close.  Now, I don't know what I would do without her. 

As my beautiful sister, Kate, said, diabetes wasn't a sickness in our family. All the cousins grew up with it and I was so little and hating skiing that I appreciated the 10 o'clock breaks, the lunch breaks, and if they could convince me to get back out there, the afternoon breaks where Briley had to test and I could happily munch on a bread bowl of clam chowder without the clams or cinnamon buns. Honestly, my understanding was that every family took breaks like that or someone in the family did what Briley did on those breaks. My mom, grandparents, aunts and uncles never let on that what Briley was dealing with was a sickness, and you'd never know it by looking at her. She, Kate, Megan, Michael and I would ski and swim like there was never a problem. As I've grown up I've obviously realized the severity of diabetes and how much it affects Briley's life, but she really never seems to let it get her down. Her accomplishments and array of activities absolutely amaze me, from her triathlons to her ski racing to synchronized swimming to nannying. She really is one of my greatest inspirations because despite having diabetes, she does so many amazing things and her family couldn't be more proud of her. I find myself reading her blog and thinking, "Damn, she's kicking ass these days," despite how much she's dealing with. She's my cousin, my God sister, and my friend and I love her to pieces. Thanks for the breaks from skiing when I was little, the love, friendship, and support as I've grown older, and for being an inspiration for all of us; it means more than you may realize.

Guest Post: D-Day

Today's post is from my mother.  I'm not sure how to introduce the woman who has been there for me, for, forever.  She is the one that called the doctor day after day; that figured out my calories; that figured out where the best diabetes place in the school was for me; that made diabetes not be a big deal.  She did it all, without a constant support group like the DOC.  Here is her story of my D-Day.  

Well, since you’ve had diabetes over 20 years, I could write a book.  But for this entry I will start at the beginning.  It was Fourth of July week-end and you were very lethargic and cranky.  Initially daddy and I thought we needed to be stricter with you, as you were an only child, we thought all the whining was because you were, well, a spoiled three year old.  I brought you to the doctor’s office and was told to bring you immediately to the hospital. There you stayed for 5 days.  The long stay was so that Dad and I could learn how to take care of you.  As there is no history of diabetes in either of our families this was all new to us.  Once you received some insulin, you bounced back to your usual fun loving self.  By the next day when Grammy and Grampa Dea came to visit, you were riding a tricycle around the corridors of Elliot Hospital, smiling and waving.  That insulin was like a happy pill for you. 

Every night either Daddy or I stayed in the room with you.  Of course when it was me, your hair was pulled back in braids and you wore a cute little outfit.  When daddy stayed, there you sat for breakfast with his baseball hat on, hair sticking out all over the place.  Your outfit would be such a surprise.  I guess he thought it better to pick a shirt, shorts, socks etc from different piles, not the ones that matched.  I think you two conspired against me just to see my reaction.

I remember several key things from that hospital stay.  Daddy and I reacted the same way to your diagnosis.  We both wanted to learn everything we needed to know to take care of you.  The insulin ratios, how to use a needle, mix regular and NPH insulins, how to rotate your sites, the diet of starches, vegetables, dairy, meat, vegetables, etc.  No carbohydrate counting back then.  14 goldfish equaled 1 starch.  A meat serving is the size of my palm.  But most importantly your pediatrician told us to not feel sorry for you.  He told us not to dwell on how or why you had diabetes, but to move forward.  He told us you would be able to do anything with your life as long as you respected diabetes and took care of yourself.  In our hearts, daddy and I wish you did not have diabetes, but if not you, then who?   No one of course, so therefore, we have lived with diabetes too.  We look at your diagnosis as we were driving on one road, and had to take a right. 

While you were in the hospital, Uncle Brian and Uncle Dan, came over to help daddy clean the house and mow the lawn.  While they worked around the house, daddy took stock of our kitchen cabinets and went to the grocery store.  What was I thinking?!!!!   O how he loves those little cans of peas!  Our entire extended family stepped up and helped us in so many ways.  Your grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends.  They all visited and sent you so many balloons that you were handing them out to other children in the hospital.

Diabetes is just one part of who you are.  Everybody has something, and diabetes is yours.  Mine is that I have a child with diabetes.  And everyday I am thankful for that little girl with blue eyes and thick brown hair who also has to test her blood and take insulin every day.  It has been my pleasure to care for you since that day so long ago.

Guest Post: Candy to You

Today's post is from my cousin Kate.  Cousin isn't the right term either, and neither is our technical relation: second cousins.  Being an only child, Kate (and her sister Karolyn) are the closest people I have to sisters.  We spent summers together at their pool and winters together on the mountain.  We both started skiing at three years old, but we couldn't be more different.  She loved horses and was scared of dogs.  I love dogs and was scared of horses.  I went to school for Early Childhood Education and she's going to school for Business, but that's probably why our mother's wish that a little of us would rub off on each other. 

I was shopping at Wal-Mart the other day and wandered into the pharmacy area.  I looked over and saw Glucose Tabs.  Oh, the memories.  Growing up, I guess I never realized that someone with diabetes was sick.  No one in our family ever made it seem that way.  Most of my experience with having a family member with diabetes (my awesome big cousin) was during ski season.  Since Briley had to test, we would stop for one morning break, a lunch, and an afternoon break throughout the day.  Since we had been skiing since we were about 3 years old, it became a routine.  It was never a break for Briley, it was just what we did (and most of the time I think it became more of a break for me and my clam chowder with no clams).  I don't think I ever remember looking at her any different than anyone in the family, which brings me back to Glucose Tabs.  Now that I am older, I know that they are used in the event that a diabetic's sugar is low (under 100 somewhere).  Back then, it was Briley getting candy.  I knew that it was because she needed it, but from time to time she would sneak me one  so that I didn't feel left out.  Oh yes, that was us being rebellious ten & twelve year olds.  I guess my point is that everything became sort of normal.  I used to help her get all of her supplies out when she was ready to test.  We would hope that it would be around 100 and even take guesses to see who could get closest.  When it was time for her insulin, I would watch patiently so that we could go on our merry way and find something fun to do. As I got older, I even asked questions about how much she needed and why.  It was never something that bothered me though.  She was always just my big cousin.  I know that to Briley, it is obviously a large part of her life, but I think that our family made it as normal as we could, or at least we tried.  Now Briley has a pump, but there are still morning breaks, lunches, and afternoon breaks even though they are  no longer necessary.  When I see Glucose Tabs in Wal-Mart, I do not think of my sick older cousin, but instead the sweet taste that I got as a treat when our parents weren't looking.  When Briley asked me to write something for her blog, I think I had so much trouble coming up with something because it was never something that interfered with our relationship or the time we spent together.  She is not my older cousin with diabetes, and I rarely would ever describe her as such.  She is just my cousin, and I love her, diabetes or not.

Did I mention I started crying when I read this?

Guest Post: Games and Diabetes

Following yesterday's post, I've decided to start having some guest posts on my blog.  I am leaning away from the DOC though, and instead getting posts from my family.  They have been there for everything, diabetes or not.  Today's post is from my cousin Andrew.  He is a teacher, coach (football & sailing), skier, and over-all fun loving guy.  

I can vividly remember when it was time for you to check your blood sugar with your poke kit (and there were many different kinds of kits too :).  The Nugnes's and Boisvert's love to compete, as you know, so we would make a fun game out of it.  We knew that 100 was around perfect, or normal levels for your more technical personel :).  We would go around the room and guess what the number would be and the person closest to it would win the game.  Don't ask me what they won but it made the process fun, and for you, Briley, I'm sure it made it all the more easy when the entire family was involved :).

Also, having watched this process many times, I was an RA at Stonehill College and one night one of my residents was either really drunk, or as we came to find out later, drugged, but not by her own accord.  Anyway, sorry about the details, but we knew she was a diabetic and had to inject insullin as well as check her blood sugar.  We wanted to make sure she wasn't going into shock, so we found her poke kit, we pricked her finger, tested her blood and it was 104.  I knew right then it wasn't her blood.  She came to thank all of us the next day and was laughing when I told her how I knew what to do.  She was thankful I had a cousin show me what to do in that instance :).