Living with diabetes (or caring for someone who lives with it) sure does take a lot of work, and it’s easy to be hard on ourselves if we aren’t “perfect”.  But today it’s time to give ourselves some much deserved credit.  Tell us about just one diabetes thing you (or your loved one) does spectacularly!  Fasting blood sugar checks, oral meds sorted and ready, something always on hand to treat a low, or anything that you do for diabetes.  Nothing is too big or too small to celebrate doing well!

My Great Thing

I was going to say that I am a good multi tasker, but I just received an e-mail saying that I forgot to attach the document I said I was attaching. That’s what I get for attempting to send an important, time-sensitive e-mail while trying to quiz Q on her multiplication flashcards.

The one thing that I am usually great at is SWAGing. SWAG is an acronym for “scientific wild ass guess.” I’m really good at estimating carb counts on the fly.

As an example, on Sunday I made Q lunch and took it to her to eat on the patio. I forgot to look at the box for the carbs and I thought to myself that it was probably 26 carbs. When I returned to the kitchen and looked at the package, I saw that it was 27 carbs.

Yep, totally rocked that carb count!

But here’s the thing: If we are at a party or out to eat and I get it totally wrong, I don’t beat myself up about it. I just check her blood sugar and give more insulin if I underestimated. It’s not the end of the world.

Q’s Great Thing

I said to Q, “If someone were to ask you what aspect of diabetes care you totally rock, what would you say?” She answered “Checking my finger.”

Not only does she check her own blood sugar (except while she’s sleeping!), but she has starting giving herself insulin for her snacks using the OmniPod’s PDM. She is even becoming Quick Draw McGraw when it comes to the CGM* receiver. When I ask her to hand it to me to calibrate it, she says she can do it herself. Her fingers move with lightening speed touching this button and that, scrolling up and down.

I can’t imagine how good she’ll be at texting when she gets her own phone someday!

Read more “One Great Thing” posts from members of the DOC who are participating in D-Blog week.

Further Reading

Diabetes Blog Week 201o Posts

Diabetes Blog Week 2011 Posts

Diabetes Blog Week 2012 Posts

All images are copyright D-Mom Blog and D-Mom Media and may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission. The exception is the image of Quick Draw McGraw, which I got from Wikipedia.

*Medtronic Disclosure

{D-Blog Week} One Great Thing is a post from: D-Mom Blog

The information provided here is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please read the disclaimer, disclosure, and privacy policy statements.

My good friend Karen has once again come up with a list of writing prompts for Diabetes Blog Week. Are you participating? Let me know!

Today’s topic is Find a Friend.

It seems the most popular thing about Diabetes Blog Week is that it helps us find blogs we weren’t reading yet and connect with some new blog friends.  With that in mind, let’s kick off Diabetes Blog Week by making some new connections.  Think about the d-blogs you read that you think we may not know about and introduce us to one that you love!!  Let’s all find a new friend today!

I have so many friends in the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) that I wouldn’t even know where to start. 2012 is totally the year of travel and meet ups for me, including book promotion and social media events. You can form strong relationships online, but they are cemented when you meet in person.

Since I can’t possibly decide which of my friends to share with you today, I am going to mention some that I will finally be meeting in person in the next few weeks (along with some of my other absolute faves). Squee!

Lorraine Sisto is one of the first d-moms that I commiserated with met online. Lorraine’s son Caleb is just a little older than Q and is also a podder and CGMer. Lorraine writes This is Caleb.

Tony Rose is a respected blogger and podcaster. You can find him at Blogging Diabetes and, of course, on iTunes. He says his blog is “A blog that helps people learn more about real-living with diabetes.” Tony was diagnosed at 22 with type 1 diabetes.

Scott Benner’s daughter Arden is another podder and CGMer. He contributes an awesome sidebar to the book (yay!) and I think you’ll see a lot more from Scott in the future, including the take off of his new non-profit Arden’s Day Gives which aims to get insulin pumps and CGMs into the hands of families who need assistance paying for them for their children.

If you haven’t taken a look lately, there are a gazillion and one diabetes blogs listed on the D-Mom Blog Blogroll. If you aren’t listed already, fill out the form and I’ll add you in.

Read more “Find a Friend” posts from members of the DOC who are participating in D-Blog week.

Updated to add: A special thanks for the shout outs today on Parenting Diabetes, Wife Mom Pancreas, and Type 1 Demystified.

Further Reading

Diabetes Blog Week 201o Posts

Diabetes Blog Week 2011 Posts

Diabetes Blog Week 2012 Posts

{D-Blog Week} Find a Friend is a post from: D-Mom Blog

The information provided here is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please read the disclaimer, disclosure, and privacy policy statements.

I was formulating my thoughts to wish you all a happy Mother’s Day when I realized I couldn’t say it any better than I did back in 2010:

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you D-Moms.

Being the mother of a child with diabetes is a hard road to travel; one filled with frustration, worry, exhaustion, and concern.

But it is also filled with joy and love. I know each of you rises to the occasion being the best D-Mom you can be given the knowledge and resources you have at the moment.

We’re all in this together and I want to thank all of you for the support and encouragement you have shown us over these past few years. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the hands that have been extended to us by you.

You can read about other D-Moms who have shared their stories right here.

This coming week I will be participating in the Diabetes Blog Week 2012. I hope you enjoy the themed posts in the coming days.

Happy D-Mother’s Day is a post from: D-Mom Blog

The information provided here is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please read the disclaimer, disclosure, and privacy policy statements.

My friend Kristina, who writes the blog One Happy Mama, recently wrote about The Shirt. I really understood how she felt. I walked into Q’s room, opened her closet and snapped a photo of her fish pajamas, which I shared with Kristina on Facebook. I still have those teeny tiny scrubs, neatly folded, and sitting on the top shelf of Q’s closet. This week we marked four years with diabetes, four years since she wore those pajamas in the hospital. I don’t know why I keep them, but I do.

All images are copyright D-Mom Blog and D-Mom Media and may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

{Diabetes 365} Fish Pajamas is a post from: D-Mom Blog

The information provided here is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please read the disclaimer, disclosure, and privacy policy statements.

If you are new to D-Mom Blog or to our family’s particular story, I invite you to read my previously written posts, which you can do by visiting the Archives.

Join me each Thursday as I highlight a post from the past.

Sophia Goes to the Endocrinologist
originally posted September 13, 2010

Image courtesy www.americangirl.com

The Christmas Gift

One weekend my mother, my daughter, and I headed to Chicago to spend the day. Her grandmother had wanted to buy her an American Girl doll for her Christmas present.

When Q came to the case of 20 or so Just Like Me dolls, she quickly picked out the one that she thought looked, well, just like her.

That night as she and the doll sat on the couch in their matching pajamas, ready for bed, Q said about her new doll she named Sophia:

She looks just like me.
She’s a super hero just like me.
She’s fast and strong just like me.
She has diabetes just like me.

Since then, Sophia, along with Rufus and her super hero bear, have been subjected to countless blood sugar checks, injections, and check ups at home.

The Doctor Visit

As we packed for our most recent trip to the endocrinologist (remember it’s 200 miles each way!), she said it was important for Sophia to come along. After all, she has diabetes and needs to see the doctor, too.

After the nurse took a big drop of blood for the A1c test and measured Q’s height and weight, she did the same for Sophia.

After the nurse took Q’s blood pressure and listened to her heartbeat, she did the same for Sophia.

When the doctor came in she asked if her doll was here for an appointment too. Q responded by saying that Sophia has diabetes this week. Sometimes she has diabetes, but sometimes she doesn’t.

After the doctor gave Q the once-over, Sophia got a once-over, too.

Role Play

I think it’s important for younger children to role play and have dolls or stuffed animals that have diabetes too. It’s true that children need someone to identify with since the majority of their friends do not have diabetes (thankfully).

When we upgrade meters, I give her the old one. I give her empty test strip vials and the old insulin pens. Her diabetes supply bag for her dolls includes logbooks. The animals get once overs with the real stethoscope that the nurses kindly gave her in the hospital at diagnosis.

She helps manage their diabetes.

If your newly diagnosed child has not received the Bag of Hope which includes Rufus, request one right away. You only have three months.

All images are copyright D-Mom Blog and D-Mom Media and may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

{From the Archives} Sophia Goes to the Endocrinologist is a post from: D-Mom Blog

The information provided here is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please read the disclaimer, disclosure, and privacy policy statements.

We recently hit the milestone of what I called Q’s “half life.” She has officially lived most of her life, over half her life, with diabetes. It wasn’t a day that I marked or told her about because it wasn’t necessarily a happy occasion.

This past week we did have something to celebrate: Q’s fourth d-anniversary.

It has been four years since the day she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and we checked into the children’s hospital to learn how to care for our child with this new medical condition.

Why do we celebrate this occasion? I always say it’s another year of living, and living well, with diabetes.

As we drove to school one morning last week, I told her that I was going to be flying across the country that day to learn about a new blood glucose meter. I said that I make these trips so that I can learn as much as I can about diabetes care. She said she is glad that I know so much about diabetes because otherwise she would be dead.

Of course that comment was a little morbid, but I told her that her daddy and I learned as much as we could in the hospital and that I would keep learning as much as I can so that we can do the best we can for her and her diabetes.

In the past year she has done so many things including the usual swim lessons, dance classes, and ice skating. But she also spent two weeks at day camp without a nurse. She has started giving herself insulin with her pump and is excited when I talk her through the steps. She has been using a CGM, and even though she hates the insertion, she sees how it gives her more freedom including a few solo play dates and parties.

In the next year she is going to have a few firsts including going to diabetes camp and hopefully flying for the first time.

You may ask how we celebrated her d-anniversary. Of course we had cupcakes (I bolused for 30 carbs) after dinner. We even sang “Happy diabetes anniversary to you” and she blew out four candles. Q suggested that we go around the table and tell what our diabetes wish is. Diabetes or not, I know that this girl’s wishes and dreams can come true!

Further Reading

Our Story

Having Fun With Diabetes

D-Anniversaries

Medtronic Disclosure

All images are copyright D-Mom Blog and D-Mom Media and may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

{Our Story} Happy 4th D-Anniversary is a post from: D-Mom Blog

The information provided here is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please read the disclaimer, disclosure, and privacy policy statements.

This past week I headed to Sanofi headquarters to get a hands on look at the new iBGStar blood glucose meter which launched in the US on May 1, 2012.

You know how I am always saying “I’m a Mac, diabetes is a PC.” Well now there is a blood glucose meter (BGM) that connects right to your iPhone.

(Since I have only had the meter for a few days and have only done a few tests, please consider this post informational and not a report on how the meter performs or an opinion on how well it works for our family.)

Anyone can download the free iBGStar™ Diabetes Manager app from the Apple app store. This app can actually be used without the meter because BGs can be entered manually. The meter can be used connected to your iPhone or separately as a stand alone.

iBGStar™ Diabetes Manager

I think the next step for this meter is to have syncing between devices through the cloud like the TelCare meter does. For now you’ll have to settle for e-mailing reports. For tweens/teens (or younger children if the school nurse would do it), you can e-mail parents/caregivers with a single blood sugar or a longer reports.

The meter uses it’s own brand of strips, which are at this point, not a preferred brand through most (all?) insurance companies nationally. However you can sign up for their Star Savings assistance program which helps offset the cost bringing the cost of strips in line with Tier 2 brands (so I’m told) with a patient out of pocket of $20 per refill. The card is good for 12 uses over 12 months. (Do they go to full price after that?)

How cool is it that you can, for the first time ever, buy a blood glucose meter from the Apple store?!

The meter itself will be available at Walgreens and Walgreens.com and Diabetic Care Services for $74.99 which includes 10 test strips. It is also available from Apple.com and Apple stores for $99.99 including 50 test strips. Walgreens.com currently lists the test strips for $64.99 for 50.

Unlike other companies that freely give out meters at walks and product expos, Sanofi will not be giving these out for free. If you want to try it, and I know many people who do, you’ll have to pony up the money for it.

Of course it comes with an equivalent number of lancets. The lancing device is basic and I personally wouldn’t use it as I prefer a lancing device with a drum like the MultiClix because it’s much easier for my child to use and is better at school.

When I was trying out the meter at the headquarters, I used it separately from my iPhone and one of the Sanofi reps asked why. Well, because Q doesn’t have an iPhone and she has a first gen Touch, which isn’t compatible. Even if she had an iPhone or iPod Touch, would I want her taking it to school?

The other issue for us is that there is an integrated meter with our pump. We would have to see if having the ability to see the data outweighs having to carry a separate device and manually enter BGs to calculate insulin doses.

I need to get my hands on a couple more vials of test strips and have Q give it a good test drive. The true test for me is if she can easily use the meter on her own. With other brands of strips that fill on the end we tend to get a lot of frustrating fill errors (for some strips even if you have huge drop of blood, if the strip touches the finger it creates an error).

Pros:

• It actually gets data off your meter. Data can be e-mailed.
• No separate computer software, download cables, etc.
• May be cool for tweens and teens who are connected to their iPhones all the time anyway.
• No coding.
• You can add notes, carbs, and insulin to each of your BGs.
• You can change a tag later if you need to. Some meters only give you a few seconds to tag it and it cannot be changed later.
• You cannot change a BG value on numbers obtained using the meter (it will have a locked symbol), but you can change values for BGs entered by hand. Teens can’t manipulate the numbers that they get using the meter.

Cons:

• Many doctors still don’t allow patients to communicate through e-mail because e-mail is HIPA compliant.
• Test strips are not going to be covered at Tier 1, but the assistance program will help offset the costs…but what happens when a year is up?
• No light, but a Sanofi team member noted that the iPhone gives off quite a bit of light in the darkness.

What I’d Like to See:

• Ability to upload to a cloud and\or sync between devices.
• Notification of new BG checks performed sent to caregivers.

Initial Observations:

• When you use the meter in it’s small square case, the meter slides out of it’s slot when you pull the test strip out.
• It was a bit awkward at times for Q to test her blood sugar with the meter while in it’s case. I think part of this is because it draws up insulin from the end.
• Out of nine test strips, Q had two fill errors while using it. Out of the three tests I did on myself, I had one fill error. (A Sanofi team member gave me a few of his strips. I used three, Q used 9, and I saved the last one.)

My Questions:

• How long will the battery last and how often will it need to be charged?
• How many fill errors (you can also read that as wasted strips) would we get when using it for an extended period of time?

Tip:

• When you first take it out of the box you need to use the power cord and plug it into an outlet to initialize it. That only takes a few seconds and it should already have enough charge to get you going.

It definitely has cool factor, particularly for those of us who are part of the iCult. I recommend heading to their website and watching the two tutorials (they have a very Apple feel to them) as well as downloading the free app and playing around with it. Like I said, you can use the app even if you don’t use the meter (shhh!). Something neat about the app is that you can set the background and it changes from day to night as you go through the day.

Even if the first generation of the iBGStar doesn’t do everything I want it to (it doesn’t sync across devices or to the cloud and it’s not compatible with our pump), I see this as a great step in the right direction for glucose meters and I’m excited that the FDA has given approval to a diabetes device that not only talks to the iPhone, but plugs right into it.

Further Reading

I’m a Mac, Diabetes is a PC

iBGStar website

Disclosure: Sanofi paid for my travel, lodging, and meals and gave me an iBGStar blood glucose meter so that I could take a look at the new device. Please read my full disclosure statement.

All images on this post watermarked “www.d-mom.com” are copyright D-Mom Blog and D-Mom Media and may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.

{I’m a Mac, Diabete is a PC} iBGStar Blood Glucose Meter is a post from: D-Mom Blog

The information provided here is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please read the disclaimer, disclosure, and privacy policy statements.

There is an annual marathon in our town and after the big race, there is a kids run. Last year was my kids first year participating. Q was going to run with her friends. I checked her blood sugar as they started calling the kids by age group and gave her a pre-run snack. I wanted her to be a little on the higher side of her range since she would be out on the course alone. At the very last minute she decided that she wanted her dad to run with her.

This year she said that she wanted to run by herself.

In actuality she wouldn’t be all alone because we decided that our four-year-old would run with Q’s age group and my husband would run with him. That way at least one of us would be somewhat near.

The difference between last year and this year was having the CGM.

I love the context that the CGM gives. A finger check with the blood glucose meter gives you just a number. But what does that number really mean if you don’t know if it’s going up, going down, or staying right where it is?

Before the run she was 119 with no arrows (meaning that her blood sugar was stable). I gave her an apple sauce pouch for just a little boost.

Her SPIbelt held her CGM receiver and a roll of glucose tablets. I told her that if she went low to have a few tabs. My phone number was on her bracelet if a helper needed to call me. And that I would meet her at the finish line.

I’ll admit that I did have a pit in my stomach as the family headed out of the stadium and to the starting line. But I had to trust that Q would be okay and that if she had issues a volunteer would help her.

As she ran into the stadium to cross the finish at the 50 yard line, she was running too fast to capture her on video or snap a photo. I reunited with her after she received her medal and we chatted with some school friends as we waited for her brother and dad (they intentionally started at the back of the pack since he was running with kids much older than him).

After the run her blood sugar was 146 with one arrow up. We went with the other participants to eat post-race food. She had a banana and fruit gushers, which I estimated at 40 carbs. My son, who said he didn’t want the mac and cheese, ate my entire bowl!

At dinner time her CGM said her blood sugar was 100 with one arrow down, her meter said she was low. In fact her blood sugars were a little low for the rest of the evening.

Sometimes when she exercises, particularly if she has late afternoon or evening sports, her blood sugar goes low around 2:00 am and I get up to check on her at least once. With the CGM and mySentry, I trusted that it would awake me if and when she was low.

Of course I would have let her run the race even without a CGM, but the context of her blood sugars helped me make decisions throughout the afternoon and evening.

Further Reading

{CGM} Taking One For the Team

{CGM} Our First Night

All posts about continuous glucose monitors

Medtronic Disclosure

In full disclosure, Medtronic provided us with the necessary devices and supplies for this two-month trial at no cost to our family. A prescription was needed from our doctor. Medtronic provided in-home training to us, as they do for all of their customers. They did not ask me to write about the products or trial and I am free to write whatever opinions I have about the experience. I am not being paid by Medtronic.

All images are copyright D-Mom Blog and D-Mom Media and may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission

{CGM} Let’s Run a Race is a post from: D-Mom Blog

The information provided here is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please read the disclaimer, disclosure, and privacy policy statements.

I can’t even make this stuff up…

I was at Walgreens and I was browsing the seasonal candy that was on deep discount. I scored a few chocolate covered marshmallow eggs, one of my personal favorites, for 12 cents a piece.

This package caught my eye and it kind of froze me in place, quite bewildered that this is an actual product and that, likely, some parents actually bought this for their kids.

That’s right, 27 carbs worth of squeezable marshmallow!

They also had a whole shelf of sugar-free Peeps, because honestly, ick!

{Diabetes 365} For the Love of Marshmallows! is a post from: D-Mom Blog

The information provided here is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please read the disclaimer, disclosure, and privacy policy statements.

If you are new to D-Mom Blog or to our family’s particular story, I invite you to read my previously written posts, which you can do by visiting the Archives.

Join me each Thursday as I highlight a post from the past.

The Flu (Part 2): The Emergency Department
originally posted December 23, 2010

Finally asleep about 3:00 am.

After an unexpected vomiting episode, my inability to keep juice in Q and keep her blood sugar up despite suspending her basal insulin, and the development of ketones, I rushed her across town to the emergency department at 1:30 in the morning. (Read The Flu (Part 1): On a Dime.)

The triage nurse asked what her blood sugar was as I checked it yet again. 92. She said, “You consider that low?” Why yes. Yes I do consider that low for my child in the middle of the night. I do consider that low for my child who is vomiting over and over. I do consider that low given that’s the highest I’ve been able to get her even suspending her insulin delivery.

Why are nurses so narrowly educated about diabetes? For the non-diabetic, 92 is a perfectly fine number. But this nurse almost didn’t seem to think that 92 was an “emergency” situation as I did because it seemed perfectly acceptable to her.

Trying to skip a few steps and speed things along, I told her that the doctor needed to call the endocrinologist that I had been consulting with that night. I asked if she could write down the number and name so that the doctor could call right away. “No, the doctors don’t do that.”

But I of course know that they will based on our previous experience. I know that they do this because there is not a doctor that will make decisions about diabetes care for children in our city. I know they will because the endo on call told me to have them do it. I know they will.

I said she needs to get on a glucose drip right away to bring her blood sugar up and she needs anti-nausea medication to stop the vomiting. She tells me the doctors will decide this.

I know this is what she needs. The endo on call told me this. I know this from our previous experience.

I was about to begin protesting but luckily we were moved to a room right away.

More vomiting and the doctor, examining it, said we were way beyond throwing up food, this was bile. That after the first time I shouldn’t have given her juice because she was just going to throw it up again. That I should have given sips of water. But I explained that I was trying to get some carbs in her at the time.

This time the IV went in with relative ease and few screams (but not totally without protest, nervousness, and a few screams). Dextrose drip in. Anti-nausea medicine given.

An aid saw me trying to get comfortable in a chair and found me a recliner.

We tried several times unsuccessfully to get Q to give a urine sample, but she was so dehydrated.

In the wee hours the doctor said that if he couldn’t find a pediatrician who would agree to oversee her that she would need to be transported to St. Louis. I pleaded that I really didn’t want to make that trip and asked him to try.

I felt at this point that it was under control. I just needed help when all I knew how to do was exhausted or not working. We just needed that IV and anti-nausea medication and monitoring. I knew she’d be better and released soon. A trip to St. Louis in the middle of the night would be a logistical nightmare. As it was, my husband was home with our sleeping three-year-old.

At maybe 4:00 am the on call pediatrician came to see us. I have a feeling she had to get out of bed to come in. She talked about her children at home. (Yes, I know that’s her job when on call to come in at all hours as needed.)

She said that she had reviewed the chart and talked with St. Louis and they would admit her here. We’d be moved to the pediatric ward soon and probably released that afternoon. She said I would be in charge of all of Q’s insulin needs. She said after all, I am “the expert.”

{From the Archives} The Flu (Part 2): The Emergency Department is a post from: D-Mom Blog

The information provided here is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please read the disclaimer, disclosure, and privacy policy statements.