On the Way to Easier Management

First - for those who are concerned and asking - Savanna is fine...she came home from school perfectly okay and spent the rest of the night running around outside with a neighbor friend.  She woke up yesterday morning feeling good and I think has even forgotten about the scary low yesterday - thank goodness!  Now, if only it was that easy for me - but just knowing that she is able to bounce back makes me feel a lot better.

After everything that happened the other day, we were thrilled when the trial OmniPod we requested came in the mail.  We heard about OmniPod through an old school friend, Diana.  Her husband has T1D and she heard about the "Pod" at a JDRF Walk she did in Florida recently.  I am so glad she remembered Savanna and decided to pass the information on to us - after extensive research, we decided that Pod was for us!  The #1 factor in this decision is that Savanna is SUPER excited about it.  Unlike any pumps (and, granted, we have not researched pumps that much), we liked that the Pod does not have an tubing that can come out, get kinked, or blocked.  It also has a separate cell-phone like unit to check blood sugars and program the dispensing of insulin. Even more importantly,  to Savanna, the Pod does not have any needles (well, between you & I, it does, but the insertion into her body is SO quick and small, it feels like a quick pinch).  So, once Savanna expressed interest and excitement for the Pod, we decided to proceed with ordering a trial - and it came the other day!  How happy was she!

The Pod is small and sticky - she can wear it on her stomach, legs, arms, backside...lots of places!  She was so excited to have it that we immediately decided to try it out.  The one they sent is completely non-functioning, but will give us an idea of size and comfort.  So far, she is loving it.  She said it was "itchy" a few times, but I think, over time, she will definitely get used to it.  She's worn it to school, karate, and bed and all has been going well so far!

The next step is for Chris & I to take a Pump Class at CHOP - we were able to get into one this coming Tuesday, which is great.  It means we have to go down into the city at 9 am in the morning (already dreading rush hour traffic!), but it will be worth it.  After that, it's a matter of finding out what insurance covers, passing a pump "test", and ordering the real deal...baby steps, I know, but I'm very excited and hope it all works out!  If it does, it means no more shots (what?!) and the ability to manage giving Savanna her insulin without her actually needing to be in the same room as me, which is pretty awesome!  We'll definitely keep you posted on how things go!

In other big Diabetes news, our JDRF Walk is tomorrow!  We are almost at $2500 as a team!  You can still donate by going to Savanna's Personal Page...we have almost 20 people walking with us, which is amazing!  It's supposed to be a beautiful day and  we are very excited to have a great group supporting Savanna - there will definitely be lots of pictures!

xoxo

Nothing Scarier...

Most days, instead of wondering "why?" or getting mad, I am thankful we were able to get Savanna diagnosed with her Diabetes before something serious happened and that we are able to manage her care with medication and monitoring. Today, however, like Savanna has said so many times before: I wish it would just go away.

There is nothing scarier to a parent of a T1D child than to get a phone call from school saying her blood sugar dropped to 26 (at least nothing I have experienced so far).  My heart stopped and I mentally went through our morning routine to make sure I gave her the right about of insulin for breakfast - too much insulin and she may drop too low.  As far as I could tell, I did everything "right".  But, that's the problem with Diabetes - there is no "right" or "wrong"...what works one day perfectly well, can be disastrous the next day.   Case in point:  Savanna had  2 pieces of toast with Nutella for breakfast this morning.  Her morning blood sugar was 104.  Perfect for waking up and starting the day - I gave her 2 1/2 units of insulin for her breakfast and off to school she went.  Most days, at snack time, she would be a little high - probably because breakfast and snack are so close together.  Today, the EXACT opposite happened - she dropped low...not 70 - 80 low...not 50 - 60 low...but 26 - which is LOW!  Her range is 70 - 170...

Most frustrating and upsetting about this whole thing is that we don't KNOW why she dropped low - a slight change in her medication dosing overnight?  Were they moving around in class more than normal this morning?  Did I miscalculate her dosing or give her too much by mistake (I'm still struggling to confirm this wasn't the case)...we just don't KNOW!

All I'm left with, on a day like today, is to wish that her Diabetes would go away - and since I know that's not a reasonable request, I look towards the second best option: that a CURE BE FOUND...that the money we raise for our Walk this weekend helps researchers find a cure so that when I see the school name displayed on my phone, I immediately don't have to worry that something is wrong.  Because I'll tell you - the feeling I got when I heard her number this morning was scarier than hearing she was diagnosed...and something I don't hope to experience again!

Life of a Diabetic

Sometimes, our days feel like this...

xoxo

Celebrities with Diabetes

Some of you may have already seen the post about Jay Cutler (under the Diabetes Awareness Month tab above), but I thought it was worth sharing again - along with some other celebrities who have T1D.  I know when Savanna was first diagnosed, one of the things we did, while sitting in the hospital bed at CHOP was jump online and take a look famous people with T1D.  There weren't many she recognized, but she was very excited to see Nick Jonas' name on the list.  I think it helped her realize that she is not the only person in the world with T1D...and, of course, she thinks he is "so cute", which didn't hurt in helping us get through that week at CHOP.  

It's great to hear celebrities, athletes, and other public figures speak out about their daily struggles and dealings with TID - not only for the children who look up to them, but for the parents.  I hear a 20-some year old talk about his struggles, but also how he's overcome those struggles to be a successful football player and know that it is possible for Savanna to lead a healthy, happy, and successful life - despite also having to deal with T1D.  

Here are some other celebrities with T1D and information I found about their contributions towards the Diabetes community:

Jay Cutler - Quarterback for the Chicago Bears

In a radio interview, Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler talks about how his life has changed since being diagnosed with T1D in 2008.  You can hear a clip of his radio interview here.   ESPN.com also did a follow-up article on Culter's Diabetes, as a result of his radio interview.  We're a true Philadelphia Eagles family here, but hearing Cutler speak up about T1D may have me cheering for the Bears on occasion (when they are not playing the Eagles, of course!)

Nick Jonas - Musician

After being diagnosed with Diabetes in November 2005, when he was 13 years old, Jonas has played a huge role in speaking out for T1D.  He is very involved in Diabetes awareness - though his own non-profit organization, Change for the Children, as well as work with the American Diabetes Association.  I think it's awesome for children like Savanna to see someone they are familiar with speak out about Diabetes and their daily lives with Diabetes.

Some Other Celebrities with T1D:

Bret Michaels - Lead Singer of Poison

Vanessa Williams - Actress

Sonia Sotomayor - Supreme Court Judge

Mary Tyler Moore - Actress

Anne Rice - Author

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!  I know it's been a few months since I updated the blog, and we're already 13 days into 2013, but better late than never...right?!  The holidays sure were busy around here - in a good way, but I'm also a glad to be back to our normal, every day schedule.  

Savanna really enjoyed Christmas & New Year's....she was home for 11 days and it was great to have her around.  We had a few nights where her blood sugars dropped low, but she really does so great waking up and coming to get us in the middle of the night.  In fact, that's exactly what happened Christmas Eve night - C & I were already asleep in our bedroom, but since we occasionally fall asleep downstairs while watching TV, Savanna woke up around 4 am  and went downstairs to find one of us (I guess she was still half asleep and didn't realize we were upstairs).  Well, Santa had already visited, so of course she saw all the goodies under the tree when she went looking for us.  She actually didn't tell us she went downstairs until the next morning, when we woke up and I asked "Do you think Santa came?".  She said she already knew he did - lol!  Oh well - she was still excited enough to brush her teeth and go downstairs to see what he left :).

One of the goodies in her stocking was an adorable Medical Alert bracelet - I had been slacking on finding one for her, but Santa must have known she really needed one (I hang my head in shame every doctor's appointment when they ask), so she had a pretty purple one waiting for her Christmas morning.  She loves it!  The best part is that the actual ID part is detachable, so we can get or make different bands for her as she gets older.  I know C (the artistic one of the family) has some ideas to make her some fun bracelets. I'm pretty sure she loves it - she took it to school her first day back to show it off to her teacher, nurse, and friends!  Here is a picture of her showing off her new bracelet:

And a few more pictures from Christmas:

 So much fun!
xoxo