Juvenile Diabetes Journey

Spring Break

2014-03-23T16:44:00.001-07:00

Crazy schedules and eating on the go led to a few sugar spikes and drops, but for the most part D put little strain on our Key West Vacation! There were even gummy bears and ice cream treats to help avoid lows after swimming and tumbling on the beach! Our only medical issue was Lu clonking her head on a granite countertop just before we were heading home. So a trip to urgent care, a stop for lunch and we were on the road! No concussion and no stitches....just a headache. 🙉

Diabetes Awareness: But she's too skinny to have diabetes......

2013-11-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

We have been extremely busy the last few months and I have gotten behind on my bloggin'.....A lot has happened in the Dean house since my last post so I have plans for several posts over the next few weeks!

However, with this post I want to discuss type 1 diabetes misconceptions. I've touched on this topic in the past, but this issue has been coming up a lot more lately. I used to get defensive when people would make these types of comments, but then I realized its because they don't know any better.

There are many misconceptions about this disease, but I've put together the ones I feel strongly about. Here is my top 5 list of type 1 diabetes misconceptions:

"But she's too skinny to have diabetes." Although diet and weight are factors for type 2 diabetes, it is not the cause of type 1 diabetes.
"She can't eat that cupcake." As is should be for us all, moderation is key. Also, there are times when sugar levels can drop too low and sugar is needed to raise it.
"She can't play sports because her sugar will drop." Exercise is important for everyone including those with diabetes. Precautionary measures like eating snacks and frequent bg checks can help avoid hypoglycemia.
"She'll never be able to have children." Diabetic pregnancy require closer monitoring, but there is no reason, with excellent blood sugar control and diabetes management, that mother and baby will remain healthy throughout the pregnancy and birth.
"Taking insulin will cure diabetes." Insulin is not a cure, it is their life support. Unfortunately there currently is no cure for diabetes.

Enjoying the summer!!

2013-07-16T07:19:00.002-07:00

What's been going on.....

Whew....well things are going well with Alyssa! She is healthy and active and enjoying the summer! Life is busy and hectic for our whole family and I haven't had the time to catch up our blog!

Before school got out Alyssa's elementary school held a Kid's Walk to Cure Diabetes (JDRF) and Alyssa raised the most money out of the entire school! She was gifted a huge care package from Chick Fil-A as well as many other prizes from JDRF!

On June 15th Alyssa celebrated her 10th birthday with a party with her friends at the park!

Now we are preppy for walk season and looking forward to taking part in all the activities! In the meantime Alyssa is working hard at the thing she loves the most, competitive cheer and enjoying the summer!!

Our insulin pump is the best!

2013-04-03T11:27:00.001-07:00

We are approaching our six month mark since starting on the pump. I have to tell you that getting used to the pump did take some time, but I honestly feel it was the best decision we could have made. Alyssa has adjusted nicely and honestly knows how to work it better than I do. Site changes have become much easier and we have had little problems. I still get up and check her blood sugar between 2 and 3 am, depending on what time she went to bed. She sleeps right through this check and this makes me sleep much better. This has helped me catch a couple of lows as well as make corrections for any night time highs.

In our case the pump has also helped with lows that are the result of exercise. We disconnect during cheer practice and performances and have had only 2 or 3 lows. This is because with the pump, Alyssa no longer needs her long lasting insulin that's peak can be unpredictable. We check blood sugar levels before and after and correct accordingly.

Fall happenings and pump update

2012-11-24T04:39:00.001-08:00

Well, Alyssa has been using the pump for a little over a month now. We've had some ups and down, highs and lows; and tears and laughs....I would be lieing if I didn't tell you there have been times I thought I had made a mistake by pushing for Alyssa to get on the pump....I'd be lieing if I said I had not thought about disconnecting it and going back to shots. But I keep reminding myself why this will be best for her in the long run.

The hardest part....the first several site changes were a nightmare. Alyssa's anxiety about them got her so upset leading up to it that it took at least an hour to calm her down to put in the new site. Fortunately that has gotten better. The problem now is that she'll only let me put the sites on her bottom....we are alternating cheeks. We have done the stomach once but she hated it. Alyssa is so petite, her bottom is the only place she has any extra meat.

We have also had a few scary high and low bgs that seem to have come out of no where. There were also a few night time lows, but I think we've worked out those kinks with basal rate changes. In the beginning I was checking her bgs every 3 hours while she slept, now I'm only checking once in the middle of the night.

I do finally feel we are getting the hang of things. There definitely are many pros of using the pump. Alyssa has much more freedom with when and what she eats....if she wants something to eat at any time, we just bolus for the carbs. Its so nice to enter her carbs and the pump figures the amout of insulin...all of this without another injection. This made Halloween and Thanksgiving a lot less stressful! One site change every 3-4 days versus 12-16 injections over 3-4 days.

Also, besides a few spikes and lows, her average blood sugars have been really good. During cheer and tumble, we disconnect and honestly have had fewer lows during exercise because she's no longer on the long lasting insulin, Lantus. Since she's given little amounts of fast acting insulin every hour through the pump she no longer needs the long lasting.

Overall, even though I've had some moments of doubt, I believe the pump will afford Alyssa more freedom and as she gets older, more independence. As with any change, adjustments should be expected.

P-day

2012-10-12T12:05:00.001-07:00

I don't know who was more excited this morning... Me or Alyssa? We've both been anxious for this day, especially since we received her pump over a week ago. The huge Animas Ping Box and the slew of pump supplies are hard to miss when they are taking up 1/2 my kitchen table.

Since we've received the pump, Alyssa and I have played with it. I read 'the book' and watched the video, and when we sat down with the pump trainer things ran smoothly. Alyssa demonstrated most of the functions. After we set up the pump, filled it with insulin and checked blood sugar, it was time to insert the infusion set. The infusion set is a spring loaded device that punctures the skin with a needled and as it withdraws leaves a cannula. The tubing from the cannula connects to the pump and this is how insulin is infused.

Because Alyssa was scared, I asked her if she wanted to put the infusion set on me first. Of course she did... I'm still wearing it :)

She was a little scared but was very brave. As a reward we went out for a chocolate sundae :). So great to bolus for 50g of carbs by remote!!

The next few days are going to require close observation and I'm expecting some changes. In the beginning we'll be checking bg's before meals, 2 hours after meals, before bed, at midnight and at 3 am. The goal here is to eventually improve Alyssa's life and I feel the pump will after we all get used to it.

Another cool thing, we never noticed our endo wore a pump or even that she had T1D... Alyssa saw hers today and its the same pump we use :)

Diabetes stinks....

2012-09-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

This morning while I was straightening Alyssa’s hair (today is picture day at school), I asked her, “If someone asked you what it was like to have diabetes, what would you say?” She replied simply with, “Diabetes stinks.” Now, for those of you who know Alyssa, you know that she can be quite dramatic. For instance, if she’s has a headache, her head is “killing her to deathhhh” or when she’s told to clean her room, she‘s been known to lay out in the floor explaining she‘s way too exhausted to take on such a task. So, as you can imagine, I was expecting a much more elaborate answer….like “diabetes is horrible!”, or “diabetes is the worst thing ever invented!”

Now most would think that this reply was a good thing. That Alyssa has adjusted to having diabetes, and that although it’s not great, it really isn’t that bad. Instead, her answer saddened me at first. What child should have to endure this? What child should not be able to eat a piece of candy without thinking about it or be able to eat a piece of their friends birthday cake without looking to their mother to be sure it’s ok. (Side note: at a recent birthday party she told me that she wanted to give up eating pizza so that she could have a slice of cake.) What child should have to prick her finger so that it bleeds before each meal, before physical activity, after physical activity, before she goes to bed, in the middle of the night, and every time she doesn’t feel just right. That’s any where from at minimum 4 and up to 8 times a day. What child should have to have 2 SHOTS in her bottom after breakfast, a SHOT in one of her arms after lunch and a SHOT in her other arm after dinner and sometimes a SHOT before bed if her glucose levels are too high. What child should have to face the risks of heart and kidney disease, blindness, amputations, and early death? More simply, what child should not be able to go to a sleep over or anywhere without their mom?

I know there are many diseases out there, and each one of them sadden me….especially any disease that robs a kid of the childhood they are entitled to. Diabetes is a disease that can do just that….if its allowed to….. My husband and I refuse to let this happen. The day Alyssa was diagnosed, I prayed that God would let me take this from her. I think in a small way He has because she has no fear or anxiety about the future of her disease. I think she sees how diligent we are in advocating for her and researching for new treatments as well as preparing her to be able to manage this on her own one day. She notices all the people who love, support, and push for finding ways to improve her life. She knows that without research insulin would never have been discovered and meters wouldn’t be improving each time a new one comes out. Without research insulin pumps would not have been invented (We are so excited that Alyssa’s first pump is on the way and how its going to make life a little bit easier. And instead of 4 SHOTS a day, it will be a new infusion site every 3 days!!) Through all of this she believes living with diabetes will get a little bit easier over time. Most importantly, she trusts my words when I say there will be a cure one day.

I’ve said this many times….Diabetes is the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about before I go to sleep, and I will gladly take that on for her. In Alyssa’s eyes diabetes is just a small part of her life and I‘m happy in that.

*This year our team, Alyssa's Army, will be walking in JDRF's event, Walk to a Cure at Elon University in Burlington, NC. If you would like to make a donation to our team, you can do so through the link below.

Alyssa's Army Walk Page

It's walk season.... Fundraising ideas

2012-09-23T05:08:00.001-07:00

We have so many fundraising events that will benefit this year's walk. Of course we have the online donating through JDRF's walk page. We had a fundraising yard sale a couple weeks ago that was successful. Currently, we have 2 catalog/online shows going with Pampered Chef and 31. Next weekend some friends of ours are hosting a pig pick in' fundraiser. We asked one of our company's suppliers and they agreed to sell JDRF sneakers and another hairstylist friend is donating a portion from each client for the month of September. Our church also has been extremely generous with love offerings and donations for our yard sale.

With a little less then two weeks to go, I do not see how we can not reach our team goal of $3500!!

First day of school

2012-08-28T19:19:00.001-07:00

With the first day of school came a new diabetes schedule. Left behind were the late nights and sleep in mornings. We started the new schedule a few days before school started, but I still knew the lazy days of summer that fit her current diabetes protocol was sure to change with the active life of a new 4th grader. I knew she would be more active so the morning of the first day I reduced her fast acting insulin. Mid morning she had her provided snack, but at lunch time a bg of 70. 2nd day of school, reduced insulin even more, usual snack and a lunch bg of 63. On the plus side, bg's have been normal at dinner which means her dose is good at lunch as well as the carbs in her afternoon snack. Tomorrow I'll make another reduction to see if that helps with the low blood sugar at lunch.

Going back to school

2012-08-20T16:10:00.001-07:00

School starts 1 week from today, so I broke out Alyssa's most recent diabetes plan and starting filling out the paperwork for my meeting with the school nurse on Thursday. I will also give a brief training to her teacher on what to look for with Alyssa. The teacher will be attending a diabetes class provided by the school that usually happens sometime during the first week of school as well. So, this little training session is just so she knows what to expect the first few days of school.

I purchased enough snacks to last a month for the teacher to keep in her room as well as several juice box packs to treat lows. I've started getting her diabetes bag ready that stays in the office that will contain her meter, strips, syringes, glucose tablets, alcohol swabs and insulin. Ideally I would have liked for Alyssa to be on the pump before school started, but at least we have the ball rolling.... hopefully final approval in the next couple of weeks!!

Beaching it....

2012-08-17T17:13:00.001-07:00

Vacation to Key West was great and the trip through airport security on the way back was much better than on the way there. Blood sugars behaved for the most part. We did have a few lows at the beach, but we were well prepared since we expected it.

Airport Security

2012-08-08T12:36:00.001-07:00

The start of this trip reminded me of the Griswalds..... We were an airport security train wreck. I was so concerned with letting security know about Alyssa's diabetes supplies that forgot to remind her to remove her laptop from her bag and to toss her bottled water. So that was a little hold up...

I packed all of Alyssa's supplies in a little bag cooler. Inside was also a 4-pack of juice boxes and the security officer told me they needed to be less than 3oz umm no...4oz is 15 grams of carbs. I cleared it all up, she swabbed the juice and after running everything back through the scanner, we were on our way.

Overall, not too bad for Alyssa's first time flying since diagnosis. I'll be better on the return flight!

Getting ready for vacation

2012-08-06T15:07:00.001-07:00

We are nearly packed for vacation. This is Alyssa's first time flying since her diagnosis. I got a letter from her endocrinologist and packed double the supplies we will need for the week long trip. I'll let you all know how it goes on Wednesday :) This afternoon, we even had time to hit the nail shop... Key West here we come!

Treating Lows

2012-08-01T05:41:00.000-07:00

When I ask Alyssa what it feels like when her blood sugar is low, she says that she feels like she's shaking and her heart feels like its going to beat out of it's chest. What I notice when she's low is that her face pales and although she's cool to the touch, she breaks into a sweat. Also, her pupils dilate and her speech is affected.....it appears as though she's drunk. Last night, just before bed she came to me and said she was low. She was already treating herself with a juice box, as she had checked her sugar and it was 34!! I sat her down and retrieved the Smarties from our supply cabinet and gave her a few of those after she finished the juice box. This is always a touchy time because there is always the chance she'll lose consciousness. The 15 minutes before re-check seems to last forever. Then just as quick as the low came on, the color starts to return to her cheeks, her words become clearer and she says she feels better. Re-check 92. I gave her 4 peanut butter crackers. At about 2:30 a.m., I checked again.....bg of 187.

She had an 1 1/2 hour cheer practice earlier that evening, but her bg's were good before and after. And what was crazy, was that at this time she was just playing on the laptop, nothing physical. She had a normal bg before dinner and ate really well. Ughh....unpredictable!!

The D-O-C

2012-07-31T05:16:00.000-07:00

When your child is first diagnosed with diabetes your world is set into a spin, especially if you have no previous exposure to the disease. In my case, my step dad was diagnosed when I was in my early teens and I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with one of my children. So, I had a little understanding of the physiological aspect of type 1 diabetes. However, when my daughter was diagnosed I still felt like a steam roller had flattened me. My new job was going to be her artificial pancreas. I was going to have to measure and calculate what she ate. I was going to need to determine the amount of insulin she needed based on her blood sugar levels and consumption of food; all while being sure to account for her physical activity. I wasn't sure if I was the best person for this job. What if I messed up? What if I made a mistake? And then there was the fact that our entire lives were flipped upside down. This disease affects the entire family.

We were and are very fortunate to have a supportive "village" that immediately jumped in to help us make sense of this situation. But what we needed too were other families who lived with this disease, who had been where we were. I began to search the Internet for more information about living with this disease and stumbled across a mother's blog, D-Mom, The Sweet Life with a Diabetic Child. I read her current and older posts. Her blog led me to another d-mom's blog, and so and and so on. Their blogs also led me to Facebook groups and Twitter events. This is the Diabetes Online Community (#DOC).

Connecting with the DOC helped me know what to expect when my daughter returned to school after her diagnosis, helped me figure out what a 504 plan was, and led me to volunteering and advocating...they led me to start this blog. From the DOC I've gotten advice, support, and understanding from other parents who live similar lives. From the DOC, Alyssa has built relationships with other children who are like her....who have to prick their fingers and take injections and who feel bad when there sugar levels aren't just right. (And they've helped us choose what pump we will get)

If you or your child is newly diagnosed, my advice to you is to connect through blogs and social media with others who have been where you are. I'm sure glad I did!

Dawn Phenomenon and Pump News

2012-07-26T08:43:00.001-07:00

Alyssa has experienced high blood sugars in the morning for the last two weeks or so. High for her morning level is anything over 150. As I have mentioned before, Alyssa's blood sugar usually drops about 100 over night. So my goal is to have her sugar somewhere around 200 at bedtime. If her glucose level is below 200, she'll have a bedtime snack and if it is close to 200 she will not. What was odd, I was seeing high blood sugars in the mornings and even after the nights she didn't have a bedtime snack. Could this be the 'dawn phenomenon' I've been hearing about?

Dawn phenomenon is the term used to describe early morning (usually between 2a-8a) high blood sugars in diabetics. It is thought that the body releases hormones over night, like the growth hormone and cortisol, that cause insulin resistance. Alyssa takes Lantus in addition to Novolog, which is a slow release insulin that normally works for 24 hours. I've heard though it can often be unpredictable with schedule changes. Of course other reasons can be incorrect dosing of insulin or eating too many grams of carbs before bed. In my opinion, I think it is tied to activity level as well.

What this means? I will again be waking at 2 in the morning checking blood sugars to see if there is a rise in the middle of the night for a few days and see if adjustments need to be made to her diabetes plan.

Pump news: We looked at 4 insulin pumps the other night. It was really cool because Alyssa got to touch them and see how they worked. After the pump class, I read all the information and narrowed down to either the Omnipod or the Ping. We have chosen to go with the One Touch Ping. I really thought Lu was going to push for the Omnipod because it is tubeless and stays on, but she liked the Ping best. The cool thing is that it is 100% waterproof and Alyssa also liked their infusion sets the best, which are easily inserted and come in different colors :). So yesterday, I faxed all my insurance info over the the rep and we have started the process. Next step will be to see how much they will cover!

http://www.animas.com/

Carb Counting Basics

2012-07-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

I know I have written several posts about carb counting, but because diet is probably the most important aspect of managing diabetes, I don't think it can be covered too much. Understanding carbohydrates helps determine which foods affect blood sugar and how much insulin should be given for the food eaten.

The 3 main nutrients in food: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates all affect blood sugar levels; however carbohydrates is the main effector. After carbs are eaten and digested, they become glucose and enter the bloodstream. This causes blood sugars to rise and insulin is required to move the sugar into the cells for energy. Some might think that carbs are bad; but in reality, they are the body's main source of fuel.

Foods that contain carbs are: starches (Breads, starchy veggies), fruits, milk products, and sweets.

Estimating carbohydrates can be done based on serving sizes (some call carb choices). On average 1 serving size will have about 15 grams of carbohydrate. This method is best used when there are not any food labels or when eating at a restaurant. Examples of carb choices are: 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup of corn, 4 ounces of juice, small apple, 8 ounces of milk. Each of these would be considered 15 grams of carbohydrate.

Counting grams of carbohydrate is much more precise. Reading food labels and meal planning books are the best way to count grams of carbs. I recommend the book, Calorie King. When using this method, food is measured and then the carbohydrates are calculated. When reading food labels, its important to determine how many servings you are going to eat and then multiply that by the grams of carbs per serving.

*Watch out for products that say they are "Sugar-Free" or "No Sugar Added". Just because a product is sugar-free doesn't mean its carb-free. So always check the grams of carbohydrate.

Pump Class

2012-07-24T05:29:00.001-07:00

Looking forward to going to play with the different insulin pumps this afternoon with Alyssa. Look for a post about the experience as well as the next step, insurance :D

A Great Weekend

2012-07-22T08:40:00.001-07:00

Riding 4 wheelers through trails and mud and puddles was not something I thought I would ever do. I wouldn't say I'm a girly girl, but I never really saw the need to play in the mud. Alyssa on the other hand is very versatile. She likes being a girl, playing with makeup, painting her nails; but she also likes playing with toy cars and out in the dirt.

So, yesterday, I agreed Lu and I would go with the boys to Busco Beach, an ATV park a couple hours from home. Alyssa love it and I have to say I had a lot of fun too! She rode a lot on her own and has gotten really good. My sons Phil and J are fearless and they got a kick out of mom's screams as we went over ramps and through the mud.

For the most part diabetes behaved. We had one low towards the end of the day and honestly four wheeling is a lot of work, so we checked periodically and stopped for extra snacks.

All in all, it was a great day with the family filled with some great memories!

Type 1 Diabetes...need more snack ideas

2012-07-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

Choosing snacks for Alyssa is an ever evolving task. Being a child with type 1 diabetes, high energy, high metabolism, and one who could previously eat anything she wanted....means mom had to become very creative. Her snacks need to be around 15g of carbohydrates to keep her blood sugars level. I always keep sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles and cheese sticks on hand, as they are low carb alternatives when Alyssa’s hungry between snacks or meals. She loves vanilla flavored yogurt and a serving of the light is 14g of carbs. All the little 100 calorie snack packs have somewhere between 14-17g of carbohydrates and there are tons of varieties and great when you're on the go. It also gives her a chance to have chocolate chip cookies in mini size :). Sugar free jello pudding, ritz bits peanut butter snack packs, gold fish snack packs and 4 to a pack of peanut butter or cheese crackers are all 15g of carbs or less too. If she experiences a low blood sugar, I usually give her a 4oz. juice box followed by a protein/carb snack of cheese and crackers or cheese and a few grapes or apple slices. She has 3 snacks a day and who would want the same thing over and over? Therefore, I am always on the lookout for new snack ideas.

(An updated version of a early post).

What is A1C??

2012-07-20T05:21:00.001-07:00

I have had several readers ask, "What is A1C?"

Of course, prior to Alyssa's diagnosis, I didn't know either.

Basically, A1C is a blood test that reflects patients blood glucose levels for the past 2-3 months. Specifically, the A1C test measures the percentage of hemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen) that is covered with sugar. The higher the level, the higher average of blood sugars and the higher the risk of complications.

A normal A1C is between 4.5-6%, which means an average of 80-135 mg/dl (blood sugar levels). An A1C 6.5 or higher indicates diabetes. There is also pre-diabetes which is an A1C of 5.7-6.4%. For most adults with diabetes, the ideal target is an A1C of 7% or lower (average bg's 170 or lower). With children, the target is 8 % or lower (average bg's 205 or lower).

Counting Carbs

2012-07-19T07:32:00.002-07:00

Counting carbohydrates can be quite difficult when your type 1 child eats something that doesn't have a label. This week, Alyssa has been going to vacation bible school and the first thing they do is eat dinner. The first day was pizza, applesauce, Oreos, and a Capri Sun (I brought a Capri Sun Roarin' Water because it only has 8g of carbs compared to the 22 in regular Capri Sun). I knew a regular applesauce cup has about 22g of carbs, at least the brand I buy does. I knew a regular slice of pizza has about 45g of carbs. The Oreos were 25 g of carbs for a 3 cookie serving, but she only ate 1 of them. Adding it all up in my head....this was a total of about 83 grams of carbs which would normally mean a basal rate of 4.15 units of insulin. However, I knew she was going to be running around like crazy for the next few hours and burn up a lot of those carbs, so I decided to give her 3 units of Novolog.

At the end of VBS, blood glucose check read 212 (honestly, I thought it would be lower, but not too bad).

Changes

2012-07-18T06:22:00.001-07:00

The endocrinologist made a few changes to Lu's regimen because her hemoglobin A1C had gone up .2 since our last quarter visit. Yesterday was the first day of the dose change and also her 3 hour cheer practice. I was a little nervous to give her the higher doses with breakfast, but didn't want her to spike before the 10:30 practice time. Her Lantus was increased from 9 units, to 10 units and her Novolog rate was increased from 1 unit for every 20 grams of carbohydrates, to 1 unit for every 15 grams of carbohydrates. I gave her the updated dose with breakfast at 7:30 and on the way to practice, checked her blood glucose levels. 258 at 10:15.....we are back to those post breakfast spikes where the insulin is taking a little longer to kick in. Practice immediately started with warm-up and practicing jumps. After about 20 minutes of that, they started tumbling and that lasted about 30 minutes. At 11:30, we did a recheck of her bg's and she was at 115. She had a snack, apple slices, peanut butter crackers and low-calorie Gatorade. They practiced their competition routine and around 1:00, she gave me 'the look', which I knew meant that she didn't feel good. Re-check, bg's 62. Quick juice and a snack and the timing was good because the team decided to take a break. 10 minutes later,she perked right back up and finished practice with energy left over.

Dum Dum

2012-07-17T06:02:00.001-07:00

On my last visit to the pharmacy to pick up Alyssa's diabetes supplies, I decided to go through the drive thru. I told the lady behind the glass that I need to pick up my daughters prescriptions, gave her date of birth and confirmed our address. Alyssa was in the seat next to me and the pharmacy tech waved at her. We chatted for a few minutes about the heat (over 100 degrees that day) while she rang everything up. It takes a few trips through the pass through because of the boxes of syringes. On the last pass, I opened the door to the pass through and beside Alyssa's bag of insulin was a Dum Dum lolly pop. I just smiled. And yes, Alyssa ate the sucker later!

I thought I had it together.....ugh

2012-07-16T13:13:00.001-07:00

So, today was our quarterly visit with the pediatric endocrinologist. Interesting morning, to say the least. To start things off, I didn't sleep well last night, so when the alarm rang this morning, I didn't want to get up. Thinking maybe I shouldn't have.... We did Alyssa's normal morning regimen and she asked if she could have a little coffee this morning. So, since she was up earlier than she had been in a few weeks I thought a little 'children's coffee' might help her get going. I measured the milk, sugar free creamer and mixed them with a little coffee. I accounted for that with her Novolog dose and we hit the road to drop her brother off at his first day of driver's ed and then on the see the doctor.

When the nurse called us back, she wanted to check Alyssa's blood glucose levels and I thought for sure it was going to be within range. At this time it had been 2 hours since she had eaten....but a reading of 405. I was floored! She hasn't had a reading like that is such a long time. Re-check...305...better, but what the heck?? I felt terrible.... I mean, I carefully measured her food, counted the carbohydrates, and calculated the insulin dose.... all of a sudden I felt like the worst mom in the world. I mean, I know realistically that things like this happen and diabetes is a very tricky disease. Sometimes bg's fluctuate for reasons out of our control like stress or excitement. I know Alyssa and I both were excited to discuss the insulin pump with the endo. Another blow, her A1C was 8.2, up from the last visit. Ideally, they would like to see it 8 or less. Ugh!

Well, on a happier note we did discuss the pump. We are scheduled for an insulin pump class on Tuesday evening. After we pick out the pump we want, the next step will be to contact the insulin pump company to start the purchasing process and see what pump and how much our insurance company will pay for. I'll go into more detail in another post about the process of getting Alyssa started on the pump and the steps we'll take in the near future.