Progress

Well, we made it through an entire week 'on our own'. I'll admit that at the beginning of this week, it seemed very daunting. We were going full steam ahead into the unknown, and every minute of every day had its share of fear attached. In fact, that may have been one of the biggest battles fought, and won this week--the battle over fear.

It is true what they say that 'knowledge is power'. We found as we became more knowledgeable about diabetes and our daughter's health that we became less fearful and more empowered. As we understood how to determine and measure the insulin she would need before each meal, and what her "ratios" were, we became more comfortable with dialing up her right does on her insulin pens. In our daily pre-determined dinner time calls with her endocrinologist, we were able to discuss what was going on, ask questions about "correction units" and give him daily "numbers" from our log sheet where we record every meal, every blood glucose reading (which included a 2 AM reading every day), every carbohydrate ingested, every dose of insulin given.

After we met with her diabetes education nurse, H felt even more comfortable knowing that all the emotions, frustrations and anger she is experiencing are very normal and to be expected, and that in time, these will fade and she will have adapted to her new lifestyle. Perhaps one of the most freeing things this week for H was the understanding that having diabetes doesn't mean she can't eat anything with sugar in it, it just means she has to be aware of how much sugar is in a food item and make the choice to eat it or not, and then "dose" accordingly if she really wants to ingest it. This helped alleviate a lot of concern regarding Thanksgiving. She is comforted in knowing that she will still be able to enjoy some of her favorite foods and desserts.

One of the greatest barriers we needed to hurdle this week was H going back to school. We were asked to keep her home on Monday, but Tuesday morning we had a meeting with the school district nurse, as well as the high school's nurse to go over things. They were both great and so helpful. There are 4 other diabetics at H's high school, so the health office is well versed in how to do these things, which really gives a great level of comfort. H was also very comfortable with everything. At lunch time each day, she goes to the health office to check her glucose level and administer her pre-lunch insulin. She is glad to know that there is a supportive staff at the school who can help her if she has any questions or concerns, and as parents we are thankful knowing there are caring adults there watching over our child, especially if there is an emergency of some kind. We were also reassured that there were several staff persons on-site that can administer a "Glucagon" shot should H suddenly pass out from low blood sugar. This actually is a comfort in that there are only a few minutes to administer this shot before seizures or a coma sets in. (See, I can write about it so matter-of-fact! I've come a long way in a week!) H had nothing but good reports from school. In fact, one of her teachers--a man that had worked with my husband years ago--has type I diabetes and has really come along side H to reassure her. Even her friends are asking a lot of questions, have gone to the health office with her, and will be going to one of her diabetes education sessions to learn more!

One of the really hard side affects of this disease that H has to deal with right now is blurred vision. This is the most significant physical issue right now. And there isn't anything that can be done about it, other than to wait. Many doctors and nurses have all explained it well and similarly. H's body has been living with high blood sugar for months now. In effect, her body has been trying to push syrup through her veins. Her body adjusted to this stress by working over time pumping and compensating in other ways. Now, as she is getting regulated and her blood sugar levels are coming down and getting into a much more "normal" range, her body is again having to readjust. It is also trying to get all the "syrup" out of her veins and is getting replaced with healthy thinner blood, but this takes time. Since the veins in her eyes are some of the tiniest there are, this "leeching" takes much longer, and the change in pressure affects the eyes by causing blurry vision. It isn't a permanent condition, but it literally can take a month or two for her eyes to adjust. This blurry vision affects not just reading, but distance as well, and it isn't predictable. It is changing all the time, all at once or at different times. It is very frustrating. She had an eye appointment with the Opthamologist yesterday who conducted a "new diabetes diagnosis eye exam" and assured us that H's eyes are very healthy and have not suffered any kind of damage from the diabetes. He again told her that patience is what is needed most right now. We are working closely with H's school counselor and teachers regarding this as she hasn't been able to see well in class, let alone do make-up homework and daily work that is required. She also is scheduled to take the PSAT next Wednesday, but this is not looking really possible at this point in time. H says she wants to try and take it, but she won't really know until the day of. And in true form, the State is unwilling to make adjustments and will not allow any accommodations for H in that they need '7 weeks notice for emergency situations that arise.' This test is given once a year. So, the only bad part of not taking the test is that she may not be able to apply for some college scholarships. She will still be able to take the SAT next year.

All in all, we're doing pretty well. This is the first morning that H was given permission from the doctor to sleep in (with strict guidelines). A major mile stone! And a right of passage--especially for a teenager! She is being given more independent control over her treatment which is wonderful and, as the doctor told us, a really great indication that H is really being conscientious and that we're much further ahead at this point than a lot of families. That was reassuring as well. We'll take their word for it as it is all so new to us.

Thank you for all your prayers and notes! It really has made such a difference this week as we continue on this path of the unknown! Please continue praying. We know we need that support and help!