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!