Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: diabetes, fundraiser, hospitalization, JDRF
long time no blog… no excuses really… I do have an update… our daycare successfully raised $145 in the Caps for the Cure campaign we held… I have to admit I feel like it was a small victory, but my sister quickly reminded me that it is $145 that would otherwise have not been raised and given to our local JDRF chapter. I hope to be able to do it again.
Just was reading Kerri’s blog and see that one of her co-workers has done a day in the life of a diabetic, similar to the experiment I did a few weeks back… good to know I’m not the only crazy person who checks their blood sugars as an “experiment” to better understand a disease…
On a sad note, Charlotte had a scare this week and spent a day and a half in the hospital… her dad came home from work feeling ill and began to vomit… soon after my sister was worshipping the porcelain god and then unfortunately Charlotte too fell ill… vomiting is not a good thing when trying to manage one’s blood sugar… she’d already been low that day and this did her in… they had to take her to the ER and then she was admitted for dehydration. She’s home now and seemingly improved… my sister and her hubby are a bit slower to recover (but that’s what happens when we get old LOL). Nevertheless, I’m left to wonder, as I’m sure my sister and family do too, what the long term impact of these episodes may be… it just reminds me of how precarious her health is and how she really is kind of teetering on the edge… from one moment to the next her blood sugars can cycle so widely and then something like a GI bug that certainly would leave any of us feeling miserable can send her to the hospital in just a matter of hours. Just mind blowing really.
On a happier note, I don’t have to work tomorrow – it’s Independence Day! Time for fun in the sun!
So last week I accrued another 27.4 miles bringing the grand total to 49.4 miles or just under the 50 mile mark… and with 188 days to go to my deadline I’m progressing nicely.
I’ve got two great ideas for the fundraising at the girls’ daycare and will be discussing them with the director this week. I hope she’s still onboard. The girls were so cute – they called Charlotte on the phone to tell her that they were going to find a cure for her diabetes so she won’t have to be sick anymore! I sure hope so!
Yesterday I learned an important lesson… the importance of just asking for what you need or want. I approached my daughters’ daycare director about holding a diabetes walk to fundraise for JDRF and she quickly and enthusiastically agreed. I had carefully prepared what I was going to say and had anticipated a negative response so I was ready to ask her to give it some thought and then decide – which I still ended up saying, so I suppose I’ve now opened the door for her to change her mind, but I sure hope she won’t.
I’m so excited but now also nervous about how I’m going to make this work and be a success. I’ll be reviewing the walk materials JDRF has provided this weekend and start to make some plans! This is so cool!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: carb counting, celiac disease, diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis, high, insulin, low
So one of the things I’ve observed in my nieces is the roller coaster ride of what I’ve dubbed the diabetes spectrum… going from a normal blood sugar to a high blood sugar, to a low blood sugar and hopefully, returning at some point to normal. Seriously, if ever I think I’m having a day of mood swings – and gals, we all have ‘em, don’t we – they pale in comparison to what Charlotte or Kaelyn might feel on one of these up & down days.
So what’s the deal with high blood sugar? As I understand it, when not enough insulin is available to process the carbohydrates consumed, the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood remains elevated. Essentially the body is starved of it’s nutrition. So what does the body do? Well it can start to burn fat or muscle to gain energy, a process known as diabetic ketoacidosis. This is an emergency situation and can be life threatening. So dosing with the appropriate amount of insulin can restore the blood sugar level to normal.
Sometimes the problem is reversed – the blood sugar level is too low. Again, my understanding of this condition in a type 1 diabetic is, there is excess insulin for the carbohydrates consumed, so the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood is reduced too much. So to correct this situation the thing to do is to consume more carbohydrates – usually in the form of juice, candy or glucose tablets. Sugar in its easiest to process form is needed and needed in a hurry.
Now, these explanations are VERY simplistic and it may seem to be nothing more than a careful balancing act, but from having watched my sister and sister-in-law manage their children’s blood sugars I appreciate how difficult it truly is. The body is such a delicate system and there are so MANY factors that affect the way it works. Through anything extra in to the mix, like a touch of illness or an extra diagnosis (Celiac Disease), and the whole system behaves differently than you might expect. Rebound highs and lows occur and leave them second guessing what to do next.
It’s a pretty weak analogy but the only one I have – I’ve tried to do Weight Watchers (remember I have that commitment issue)… counting point values of foods made me crazy – granted my life did not depend on it, but my successful weight loss did. I can’t imagine keeping count of my carbs and then having to determine how to dose insulin based on that number, by blood sugar test result and and other factors I should consider… but, when your life depends on it… you just do it. And it becomes normal. I don’t say any of this to arouse pity or to make heroes of my nieces (though I love them immensely and am proud to be their aunt), I just acknowledge it for what it is… a tremendous daily commitment and something that I can use to inspire me to find the wherewithal to keep my commitment to walk those miles for Charlotte and Kaelyn – because I can and because they have to.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: death, diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis, news
While diabetes is not a disease any one wants to have, it is a manageable disease than people can LIVE with… except in this sad case of a family who decided their daughter’s illness was instead a spiritual test… for me this story reminds me of how fragile Charlotte and Kaelyn are… anytime they get sick and their blood sugars are impacted, there health is in serious jeopardy… diabetic ketoacidosis is a life-threatening condition and one my sister and sister-in-law take VERY seriously… it’s sad to think that in this case this little girl (11 years old) did not have to die… she could have been treated, could have rebound and learned to live with her disease… yes, there are issues of religious freedom being debated here, but for me this is a story of the seriousness and fragility of the disease and just makes me sad. I’m keeping my eye on the diabetes blogosphere… curious what others will think.
