Check out another great giveaway from DMom

Check out the following link for a great giveaway.

Giveaway!

Love Sugar Medical!

Amy has three of their cases.

My only complaint is that lately shipping is ridiculously high.

Taking a Break

Taking a break....and I don't mean from Diabetes.  Although somedays I wish it were possible.

I want to start by saying I love the idea of a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM).  I love the information that it can give you.  I love that it can predict lows before they happen, and I love that if Amy were to go low overnight that the pump would shut off for two hours.

What I don't love is the lows that are predicted in the nighttime that aren't really lows.

We have found the Enlite sensors to be very pressure sensitive.  It doesn't seem to matter where we put the sensor, any amount of lying on it will cause alarms to right sometime throughout the week, that aren't low or trending towards low.

I don't know if we have a crappy lot of sensors, or if its something we're doing wrong lately, but we didn't seem to have this problem in the beginning.

Last week at school, Amy had a calibration error with her pump/CGM, they didn't match up closely enough and this caused an error.  She washed her hands and retested.  15 mins later another Cal Error.  What happens next is it nulls the sensor.  If you have two cal errors in a row, it tells you to change the sensor.  and that the end of it.  no bringing it back to life.  We've talked now that if she gets a Cal Error at school to just shut the sensor off.  We don't want to be wasting the expensive little buggers.

Anyway, she wasn't due for a sensor or site change for another two days.  She asked if we could just leave it off for those few days, and she would go back to testing at school for all snacks and maybe before the bus ride depending on how she felt.

We went those two days, then she asked if she could go a few more.

and you know what, I didn't argue with her.

I like the security, but you know what......I'm sleeping better.

I get up at 2/3 am and test her.  Make any necessary adjustments then go back to sleep.  No jumping out of bed every so often responding to bogus alarms.

I think I will let her take the break for awhile, then we will add it back again and see how it goes.

Have you taken a CGM break before?

CBC Interview on WDD

Yesterday was the first time I've spoken to the media about diabetes and diabetes awareness.

I think it went okay, other than the fact that I said "Oh Crap" on live radio. I meant to continue on with how diabetes has changed our lives but he didn't give me a chance.  After I said it my first thought was "Oh Crap!  I said Crap on live radio!"  I guess I'd better work on sensoring myself if I do it again in the future. 

You can listen to the interview here, that the Labrador Morning Radio show has posted.

I also spoke at a diabetes luncheon for Nunatsiavut on Tuesday regarding SMBG.

World Diabetes Day

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month (NDAM), an international celebration focused on raising awareness for all forms of diabetes, its signs and symptoms, and gain support for critical research toward preventing, better treating and curing all forms of the disease (JDRF)

Tomorrow, November 14, is World Diabetes Day, which is celebrated on November 14 each year, during National Diabetes Awareness Month, to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1922 (IDF)

There are many ways that people around the world celebrate this day. To be honest I didn't really know much about it until last year.  I then made it my mission to have the schools in our area mark the occasion somehow.  They ended up wearing blue, I had information sheets sent home and the announcements  included diabetes facts.  I felt that I had to do something as the rate of diabetes in children in newfoundland is one of the highest globally.

This afternoon, I received a call from a reporter from our local morning radio show.  They asked that Amy and I come into the studio tomorrow morning to do an interview.  Although I'm quite shy I agreed to.  If you want to tune in and listen live or to the recording you can do so at the following link.

I have the girls ready to wear blue tomorrow and am a little anxious, but excited too!

Happy World Diabetes Day!
Hopefully sometime in the near future we will be celebrating the day that the CURE was found.  Until then....I have HOPE!

Not much change

Amy's CDE emailed me the other Day.

Her A1C is down by 0.2%.

So why was I is disappointed?

I was expecting a more dramatic decrease, it had been since April, she'd been on the pump for 6 months, surely we would see a difference.  We Should see a difference.

I know one of our big issues is the post-breakfast spike.  I'm having trouble keeping that down.  And it's not like she eats an unbalanced breakfast, she eats really well.

That balance between carb ratio and basal then has been tricky.  

I find bedtime sometime troublesome as well.   If she's below 6.0, do I put in full carbs?  If I don't, will she go too high, if Ido, will she go low while she's sleeping.  And it's never the same, right?

Anyway, the important thing is she's happy and feeling good.

With some patience she will achieve target!

Endo appointment

As a D-Mom, there is nothing better than being told you're doing a good job!

The truth isn't always in the numbers, I mean you can have a descent A1C, but that doesn't tell you how much time or effort you put into managing this complicated, ever changing disease.

Today we attended our clinic day at the provincial children's hospital.  We saw a medical student, the Endo, a CDE and a dietician.  They all had the same message......

Keep up the Good Work!

Amy is growing normally in both weight and height, her numbers are good, we have a minor basal adjustment to make to help with the breakfast spike, her eating and diet choices are good as well as physical activity.  They were pleased with everything, gave us a pat on the back and said see you in February.

I must say, although the A1C isn't a report card, I'm anxious to see how much the pump has made a difference.  Although we started in February, we haven't had an A1C done except the one a few weeks later.

We head back home tomorrow after being in the city since Saturday.  We travelled early to attend the JDRF halloween party.  Amy had a great time, and it was nice to finally be able to attend an event.  I hope we are able to attend more in the future.

Who are you Fighting For?

Today, there are more than nine million Canadians living with diabetes or prediabetes. With more than 20 people being newly diagnosed with the disease every hour of every day, chances are that diabetes affects you or someone you know (CDA 2013).

As part of their awareness campaign for Diabetes Awareness Month, the Canadian Diabetes Association is running the "who are you fighting for" contest.  You can share your story and/or fundraise.  We've opted to just share our story because the majority of our fundraising activities are directed towards JDRF.

Please vote for us at:

http://www.fightingdiabetes.ca/ or by linking through facebook.

The person who receives the most votes each week will win a $250 Visa gift card and the top three entries overall at the end of the contest will receive prizes. click here to view the rules and regulations.


GOOD LUCK to everyone who enters, if you don't plan on entering, please take the time to vote for us!

Happy Thanksgiving

This year as I sit back and reflect I realize that I have a lot to be thankful for, that its almost difficult to put into words.

I have a loving family, a roof over our heads and food to eat. 

We've worked hard each step of the way.  Nothing was just handed over to us, and I think that's why we are able to appreciate what we have so much. 

I made my way through 8 years of university to get a job I love (most days!); We've worked on our relationship for over 15 years and have been married for the last 7; We started in a small minihome and have since moved and are renovating our "forever" home; And both of our beautiful girls are now in school, Amy in grade 2 and Rylie started kindergarten.

I often wonder why diabetes became a part of our lives. 

Why us?  What did we do wrong?  Could we have changed anything......

and of course the answer is NO.

We have to deal with the cards that life has handed us and do the best we can. 

Today, I'm also thankful for the insulin that keeps my baby alive; for the advancements in technology that make it all a little bit easier; for the endless research that is conducted searching for a CURE; and the HOPE that I still have that someday my family can say.....

Diabetes USED to be a part of our lives.

Blogging for a year

Wow!

Has it really been a year?  I started Labrador Sweet October 5, 2012.
I'd found the DOC a few months earlier and was slowly making my way through all the posts from some of my favs, some of the ones I found I really connected to.  The ones that were providing me with useful everyday tips that CDEs just can't give you, something that only experience can.

A lot has happened in a year.  Amy celebrated her first Diaversary, started her first Insulin pump, and subsequent CGM.  We've vacationed in PEI, taken many trips to our cabin, and started a brand new school year.

I'm seeing much better blood glucose values, and have become more aggressive in treating highs as I've become more comfortable with what I'm doing.

Amy is also becoming more comfortable and learning how to take care of herself.

Thank you for all the advice, love and support over the past year.

Thank you for reading!

Enjoying the fall

Today is No D Day.  That means we can blog about anything we like, just not about diabetes.  You can get more information and read other No D Day posts here.

Life has been busy since school started this September.  I have taken on a new role with more responsibility at work, my husband has been travelling with work, and both girls are in school.

I feel like I spend most of my evenings prepping for the next day.  Add into the mix the fact that the girls have started their extra-curricular activities now too, that makes for busy times.

It hasn't all been work though, we have managed to make it to our cabin on the weekends, which is an amazing home away from home where I actually get to sleep in a little.

The weather has actually been warming up and we've had some days in the 20s, which is unusual for Labrador this time of year.  In fact, we took some time this evening to enjoy the weather and play in some leaves!

Enjoy your Day!

Tuesday Tidbit: New Sensor Location

I'm so very excited to say that Amy finally tried a new spot for her sensor.  We have always used around her belly and the top part of her bum area just around her waistband.  I'm not usually the one who changes her sites, that's her dad's job.  It became more challenging to find a site when we added the sensor.  She seems to heal slowly and her skin is peppered with dots from old sites.  and I worry about proper site rotation so that we don't cause problems further down the road.

Well this saturday, with a little bribe from me and Maplelea, Amy let her father try her arm.

sorry about the orientation, its from my phone and I couln't get it to rotate.

I'm happy to say that the sensor is working amazingly and we have some of the best correlation of sensor and blood glucose results that we have ever had.

We are hoping that in the next few weeks she will let us try the upper thigh.
Has anyone used this area with the ENLITE sensor before?  What about another CGM sensor?  What were your results like?  and Amy would like to know if it hurt?

Bus

How do you overlook the fact that your child will be on a different bus for drop off this year.  With a bus driver that hasn't had your child before nor was told that your child has diabetes.

The school and the bus depot didn't tell this driver about Amy or give him the information sheets I'd supplied them with last year.  I had emailed the school about the change in their drop off address a few days before school started.  I foolishly thought the information would be passed along.  Ultimately, it was my responsibility.  I won't make that mistake again. (As an aside, the school has been great since the beginning)

Amy had a predicted low alarm on the bus.  She took out an apple juice and started to drink it.  Apparently the bus driver told her no food or drink on the bus.

Here is where I'm so very proud of my girl.  She stood up for herself.  She told him that she has type 1 diabetes and she needed that drink to treat her low blood sugar.  He asked her if she could have anything else instead like water.  She said no and that it was all gone anyway.  When she reached her stop at my moms house, she was near tears and very pale.

Here is where I'm so very proud of my mother.  The bus goes to the end of their road, loops around then doubles back.  My mom flagged down the bus, then proceeded to tell him about Amy's diabetes and that she has permission to eat or drink on the bus as needed.  Apparently he was very understanding when talking to my mom, and that Amy was upset because she thought he was mad at her.

In the end it turned out okay, but I learned a very valuable lesson.

I need to re-educate everybody.  Every year.

Destination ME: Week 1 & 2

This post, as well as the others within the series will be a little different than the others, in that it isn't directly related to diabetes.  However, it is needed in part because of diabetes.

Many mothers (and fathers) tend to struggle with the balance of being a parent, and still being themselves.  Many of us have given up things that we used to identify as being a part of who we are.  It seems natural for a parent to think of their family and children before themselves.  This is especially true for any parent who has a child with T1D or any condition that requires extra care and/or management.

I'm sure we've all thought at some point in time that today's the day.  Today I'm going to do something for me....I'm going to go to the gym, I'm going to read a nice book, I'm going to train for a Marathon, I'm going to..........

And we just don't get around to doing it. 

Well the theme Destination ME was thought of by Hallie at the awesome blog The Princess and The Pump.  Its about taking little steps towards finding yourself again.  Its about doing it together.

WEEK ONE:

The first week her goal was to get to bed earlier.  I thought I can do that.

That's EXACTLY why I didn't post last week about joining in.  I was to busy getting to bed before 11pm.

That doesn't mean I got to stay in bed!  I was still up checking blood sugars and responding to pump alarms, but I did get some extra sleep by getting to bed earlier. 

WEEK TWO:

I have my own goal this week, and that is to attend my twice weekly exercise class.  I attended last year and up until the end of June.  I even managed to lose a few pounds at it. And Most importantly I love it! 

Between driving to and fro, and the actual class, I get about 1.5 hours away from my house and the worries of diabetes.  I can honestly say I don't think about it, because I'm too busy trying to breath than to think!

Why don't you join in?

What's your goal?

Tuesday Tidbit: Nice and Steady

 Don't mind the fact that its upside-down, that was the only way I could take the pic since it was attached, and don't mind the little toes peaking out!

Amy was so excited to see how steady it was over 12 hours, a first for her.  The peak at the end was from a low predicted at about 6:30 that I gave a strawberry milk for.  It brought up her BG and then was steady at that level.

We saw this for a few nights, and I thought, hey, I'm getting good at this.....then the diabetes monster knocked me down a peg or two!

Three Days of Grade Two

We have made it through the first week of school....well the first three days, we started on Wednesday!

I mentioned earlier that on Tuesday we had met with Amy's new teacher and the class instructional resource teacher, who happens to have T2D.  As usual there was a lot of information to go over and things went well.  I went home feeling good about the meeting.

The first day of school came. 

I made sure that I wasn't working because it was Rylie's first day of Kindergarten and I wanted to put her on the bus, go to the school, and be home when she got off the bus.  Amy also wanted me to talk to her class about her diabetes so she wouldn't get so many questions about her pump and everything that goes along with diabetes.  I also wanted to be easily available if there were any questions from Amy's teacher.

At 9:30 I received a call.  Its recess time, Amy dropped her cheese string, does it need to be replaced?  No, that's a freebie, she doesn't have to replace it if she doesn't want to.  It was just extra if she was hungry.  Apparently that's what Amy told her to, but she wanted to make sure, since it was the first day.  Don't mind at all, please call anytime!

The rest of the day was good.  Amy mentioned that she only took her new school diabetes bag, a pink LUG bag, to her music class but not anywhere else.  I went over again how important it is that she takes it with her, and that if she didn't comply, we would start using the old "baby" backpack she was using last year!

On Thursday, at dismissal time I received a phone call from the school secretary.  They were wondering if they should put Amy on the bus because her sugar was pretty high and didn't seem to be coming down.  I asked to speak to the teacher, who told me that her sugar was above 20 since lunchtime and that they gave her a correction earlier and it seemed to be slowly coming down.  I asked that Amy be put on the bus to my mother's where she goes after school and someone would check it out then.

When I got off the phone I was stumped.  Amy is NEVER high that time of day, last year we were fighting lows!  I started wondering about pulled sites during gym class, malfunctioning pump, someone picking at it, missed boluses, etc.

When I got off work and walked in to my mother's house the first thing I jokingly said to Amy was "Gee, did you even give your lunchtime bolus today". 

Her face crumbled.

I checked the bolus history, and sure enough, the last bolus was the afternoon correction and the time before that was recess.  Of course, today was a day with 60g of carbs instead of the usual 30-40g she eats at lunchtime.

I wrote a lengthy facebook message to our new teacher.  Not angry but reiterating the importance of watching Amy test and bolus at lunchtime.  I got a very long email back of relief since we knew why she was low and a huge apology. 

Amy is very intelligent and dependable.  I know we put a lot of responsibility on her and she manages very well, but I sometimes forget that she is only 7 and does need that supervision.  At home we are there while she boluses, but I don't check her numbers that she enters anymore, so that's what I asked of the teachers. 

You don't have to do it.....just make sure that she does!

Between myself, Amy and the teacher, we have a plan in place to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

All in all, the first few days were good.  Amy is settling in, and Rylie made her first new friend at school.  Life is good.

Tuesday Tidbit - Back to school Humor

So my girls are headed to school tomorrow.

We met with Amy's new teacher today.  She is very open to learn about diabetes...and I think relieved that Amy knows so much about how to operate her pump, treat, etc.

So for now, a little Back to school Humor and hopefully a longer post in the next day or so!

*not sure who to credit this to, a friend of mine had it on facebook!

Tuesday Tidbit - Look Mom No Hands!

We went to four playgrounds today and had a blast.
No lows, no highs, just lots of fun.

You can see both Pink Site and Sensor in this picture, and her awesome pump pouch made by my mom!

The Summer with the Pump

This summer was Amy's first with the pump and CGM.
What a difference compared to last year!
Last year we were on a schedule.....a strict schedule.
This year, we had time on our side.


Amy slept in many days until 8:30 or 9:00.
She didn't eat breakfast some days.
She didn't have lunch until 1pm other days.
and, we managed to push our suppers back to 5:00 and sometimes 6:00 this summer.

 

We went for ice cream.....and not at a scheduled snack time....rebels hey.
We went on holidays.  It took us 3 days to drive there and 3 days to drive back.
We went to an amusement park, a water slide park, and the beach while there.
We re-grassed our entire back yard.
We built a new deck with plans to add a pool next year.

 

We went off-roading in a sand pit in our side-by-side.
We went to the beach, and blueberry picking, to the play ground and bike riding.
We made cake pops and muffins and cookies.
We went to our cabin and enjoyed roasting marshmallows and making s'mores.

 

We did everything we wanted to do!

That would not have been as easy last year.

Yes, there have been some lows, and there have been numerous highs (driving all day long takes its toll!) but they have been relatively easy to predict and treat before getting out of hand.

 

I'm still tinkering with the pump settings now, as things wind down and autumn approaches.  We've seen some frost in the mornings already!  I also know that I will be tinkering some more as we get back into the school routine after Labor Day.

I hope everyone has had as many adventures and made as many great memories this summer as we have.

Tuesday Tidbit - When I grow up

Our Conversation went like this:

Mommy, when I grow up I can be anything I want? 

Yes baby, you can do anything.

Well, when I grow up, I'm gonna find the cure for diabetes! 

and my heart swelled.

Tuesday Tidbit - JDRF & Westcott Contest

JDRF has partnered with Westcott for the second year, to offer great back-to-school weekly prizes, from August 12 to September 9, 2013.

Each week, we will be asking a different question for students, parents and teachers to answer as their entry to win a great prize pack from Westcott.

Students are able to win a fantastic backpack full of exciting school supplies

 and teachers can enter to win a Westcott prize pack with supplies for their classroom.

Both parents and students have the option to enter on behalf of the child or the child’s classroom.

You can enter here!

*Contest open to legal residents of Canada

Tuesday Tidbit - Travelling by Road

Travelling by road wreaks havoc on Amy's sugar!

Monday we drove 640+ km from Cavendish, PEI to Rimouski, Quebec

Today we took an hour ferry rion a catamaran, then drove another 680+ km from Rimouski to Labrador City, NL.

The ride itself was beautiful, the problem was with the >22 mmol/mL reading.

All. Day.

I finally got her down after several temp basals of 140%

I hope tomorrow's 550+ km ride is much more BG friendly!

Tuesday Tidbit - She can handle it.

We are currently on vacation in sunny PEI.

Today we were getting ready to go to Sandspit, the amusement park.

Amy was on the swings, we heard her pump beeping.

She looks down and says "low predicted, 6.9, two arrows down."

She promptly opens her purse, takes out a pack of fun-fruit type candy and eats it.

She can handle this!

Tuesday Tidbit - Diabetes Bling

Over the past few months, we collected quite the assortment of diabetes bling.

 

On Amy's wall next to her closet, we have a few hooks set up that display her Medical Alert bracelets from Laurens Hope, and her pump pouches.  We have two from Too Sweet Boutique (which is currently closed while the owner relocates), and 5 others that my very talented mother has made.  Two are not shown in this picture, the one she is wearing, and another one.  Amy just loves them, and keeps telling my mom that she will need one for Halloween and Christmas too!

 

 

Kids 2, Mom 0

Last night was a bust.

Amy was riding high all yesterday.

I noticed when I got home.  When I asked about it, I was told that they'd tried to do a correction several times, but a lot of the time there was "enough" IOB to deal with it. I explained that these are the times that we would set a temp basal at a higher rate.  I give my mom credit, she's learning quickly these past few weeks while she has Amy daily during the summer.  I also know that she didn't want to call me at work as I was swamped this week and very short staffed.

So sometime after 12 am I finally got her BG at a respectable level.  By 2am I was awoken by a predicting low alarm.  I had a look, tested her BG, which was slightly higher than the SG.  I decided to play it safe, gave 1/4 cup apple juice to bump her up a bit, and set a reduced temp basal.  I went to bed satisfied, and actually turned off my 3am regular check alarm on my iphone.  Yay!  I might get 4 hours of sleep in a row!

MOM!  MOM! I just throwed up in my bed!

I jumped out fast and hauled Rylie out of her loft bed just in time for her to vomit again, but in the toilet.  I assessed the damage......all over the bottom of her PJs and a pile in the middle of her bed.  Thank goodness for waterproof mattress pads!

I woke Corey, and together we cleaned her up, and put the linens in the washer.  Amy woke up and said that her nose was stuffy and asked for some of her nasal spray.

Corey took the couch and Rylie went to bed with me.  After what seemed like 5 mins it was time to get up and ready for work while Corey stayed home with the girls today.

Amy woke with a high BG, a fever, and VERY swollen neck glands.  I haven't been able to see into her throat for any white patches, but her tonsils do look swollen.  I'm planning to give it a day or two and keep her basals bumped up as she is still running a bit too high.

One vomit-y, one sick-ish

Kids 2, mom 0

Tuesday Tidbit

When we are around people that don't know Amy has diabetes, she has been tucking her shirt under and around her pump so it is completely covered.

When I asked her why, she said "because I don't want anyone to ask me what it is".

I told her that she can tell them she has diabetes.

She then said "but then they will ask me what's diabetes"

I don't want her to be embarrassed about her diabetes, but I don't want to push her about it either.

The eyes

Amy had a slight turn in her eye when she was little, we mostly noticed it in pictures

Amy 27 months, Rylie 1 month

We had her to the eye doctor with us a few times, but she didn't share the same concern until she was almost 3 1/2 years old.  By then, she had lost some of the ability to see 3D.  They told us that she would likely wear glasses until she was 6, and that her eye should be strengthened by then.

1st pair of glasses

When she was 6, we brought her back to they eye doctor.  She didn't want to wear her glasses anymore, and she actually remembered them saying "until 6 years old".  Apparently her eyes had learned 20/20, so we were told that she didn't need to wear them everyday, but should at school, or when she would be doing lots of reading and concentration work.  She did too, until about half way through the year.  We were dealing so much with diabetes by then, that we humored her and let her be.

BIG.MISTAKE!

Her eyes have really gone downhill. The turn is back (which I was noticing, but no one else seemed to).  She has to wear them full time again, with a stronger prescription.  They also took a picture of her eye as a baseline since she has diabetes.

I remember a time when I thought it was such a sin because there was something different about Amy.  That she had to wear glasses.  And that it wasn't fair because she had to deal with that.  Well, that was nothing compared to taking care of diabetes!

Everyday is different, and every day has its challenges, but every day is getting easier with time.

Tuesday Tidbit

This makes me both LAUGH and SAD at the same time.

The best line: "My daughter is not allowed to eat two things: Poison, and Cookies... laced with Poison"

Happy Canada Day!!! (and more)

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!  HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!

So I'm a little late on the post....sorry

But, Friday evening of the Canadian long weekend, we lost all modern day communication due to the fires burning in Western Labrador and parts of Quebec.  There was no point of sale purchases, no internet, and no cell phones! These services slowly came back over the long weekend, and were fully restored late yesterday evening.

 

 

 THEN.........

 

We lost everything again the Friday of the American long weekend, until last night. I must say, its hard being on call with no cellular.  I was carrying around a brick of a pager that no one seemed to know how to use.  They kept calling my house leaving messages!

 

That aside, all things are well on the D-front. 

 

We are slowly learning to manage Amy's new desire to sleep in....All I ask, is for her to do it on the weekend to, not just during the week when I have to get up for work!

 

The sensor is working out well.  We've had some minor issues, but we are making it work.  I think I'm ready to try some basal testing using the CGM.

 

Saturday night, I thought we were in for a weeks battle, but it only last the night.  Amy threw up at my sisters house and then again at 1am.  I don't know if it was the birthday party, something she ate or a gastro bug.  Didn't last long....thankfully.  It was the first vomiting since on the pump, and it was nice not to have to force feed her when she was so obviously not hungry.

 

The past weekend was also my baby's birthday....she turned 5!

 

 

 

This is the cake that I made for her party.  Its my first attempt at using fondant.  I was quite please with it!

The summer here has been amazing lately.  Most people think that Labrador would be cold, but we typically have beautiful weather in the summer months.  Here the girls are cooling off while running in the sprinkler.

 

 

Hope you are enjoying your summer.  Can't wait for vacation time.  It will be great to see how pumping fits into travel plans.

 

Anyone have any great advice? 



Tuesday Tidbit

9:30am

That's what time Amy crawled out of bed yesterday morning!

I never thought the day would come that either of my girls would get up any later than 6:30!

I'm happy for the CGM, I snuck in her room twice and checked that all was well on the blood sugar front.

and it was!

Here's to sleeping in over summer holidays!

Now if only I could too!

Sensor Fail

So yesterday we pulled a CGM Sensor early.

It was only 3 days old out of the 6 it should last.

WE haven't had an issue with the CGM until yesterday.

She was steady all night, had a good number before breakfast.  Even ate an apple toaster strudel with the icing for breakfast.  I expected a spike for sure.

At work, my phone rings.  This is my mother, who now has Amy full time for the summer.  Amy is predicting a low at 9.0 mmol/L.  We have a bit of time to work with, no arrows.  Give her a granola bar with the yogurt coating. 

Okay.

Calls back a few mins later.  Still predicting a low, what now?  Give it some time, the SG lags behind the BG, it will take some time to go up.

Okay.

Calls back a few mins later.  Still predicting a low, 2 arrows down.....but meter is reading 16.

What the hey?

Trust the BG, not the CGM. (*scratching head and thinking hmmm, thought it was weird that she was low after breakfast*)  Told her to wait it out as lots of IOB.

Amy calls me.  Mommy, something is like crazy with my CGM.  It says 2.0 mmol/L and shut off, but my meter says I'm 20.0 mmol/L.

CRAP!  okay, I'm coming home.

When I get home, I find out they also gave a Koolaid Jammer because they were freaked out by the continuing low alerts and arrows.  That Amy had restarted the basal when it auto-shut-off, and that she felt funny.

I checked the ISIG and it was the lowest I'd ever seen it (although I still don't know what its for, was just told to check it when things seem off).  I decided to turn off the CGM, then turn it back on, finding the old sensor.  I gave a correction for the 20 mmol/L for the 40g of carbs she got because they thought she was low, then headed back to work.

Lunchtime.....phone rings again!

Umm.......so  now the CGM says 20 mmol/L and the meter says 12 mmol/L.

Just leave it.  Watch how you feel while outside this afternoon and we will change the sensor when we change the site before supper.

And that's what we did. 

Apparently she was outside all afternoon, then at the playground for an hour in the evening.  Oh activity, how you mess with my life and sleep (or lack thereof!)

I was up until 2am fighting lows.  Two uncovered snacks of crackers and cheese and yogurt.  Three apple juice and one strawberry milk later, with a reduced overnight basal of 50% I finally felt comfortable to go to sleep. 

And guess what?

Her CGM and meter were spot on....all night......I was amazed!

Tuesday Tidbit

Yay! Summer is here!!

With that comes summer snacking.

Jell-O Creamy Chocolate Pudding Pops

What You Need

1 pkg.  (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

2cups  cold milk

1cup  thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Make It

BEAT pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in COOL WHIP.
SPOON into 5 paper or plastic cups. Insert wooden pop stick or plastic spoon in center of each cup. (or use ice pop molds like we did!)
FREEZE 4 hours or until firm. Remove from cups before serving.

I'm sure it can be modified using sugar-free pudding, but none of the grocery stores in my town stock it.
Mom tested, kid apporved in our house!

What are some of your kids favorite summer snacks?

Tuesday Tidbit

Carb Counting with Lenny

When the Medtronic Rep was here for the CGM start up, she gave us a flyer about an app that is available featuring Lenny.

Its an easy way to learn carb values for many basic foods and to test your carb knowledge.

Check it out on iTunes.

Happy Father's Day Weekend

I'm a little late on the post, but had a very busy week

Amy started her CGM Wednesday, then had sports day Thursday.  Note to teachers, don't keep treating her low until the arrows change direction, you still need to wait 15 minutes!  (not to put down her teacher, she's amazing and have taken on more responsibility than I could have asked for)

 

Rylie had her Aboriginal Family Center School Readiness Program graduation Thursday night.  She received an award for best attendance, and they did a traditional Inuit drum dance for us.  Off to Kindergarten in September!

Drumming

 

Saturday we had the soccer festival, which is the end of the Shriners Minor Soccer program for the summer.  It was cold and windy, but the girls had a blast.  We then worked some more on the backyard.  We are reseeding grass and building a new deck.  The girls spent most of that time in the trampoline and riding bike. Love! LOVE!  the CGM, which caught two lows.



Amy with the ball at the Soccer Fest

 

This is what 10 (of 15) loads of topsoil looks like

Then,

Not only was Sunday Father's Day, but it was also my birthday.  The girls wanted to make breakfast for us since it was a special day for both of us.  They have never done anything in the kitchen before without help, but they gathered up everything for cereal and yogurt for us.  They were so proud.  Amy even used a measuring cup to portion out our cereal "just like you do for me!"

We did some more yard work, went out for supper, and had carrot cake at my parents house to end the weekend,

A great time for sure!

Me and My girls on my birthday

*********

I also wanted to take the time to say Happy Father's Day to Corey.  He is an amazing father to both girls.  He was played a HUGE roll in their lives, right from the beginning, changing diapers, bathing and helping with feedings.  When Rylie came along, he did most everything for Amy while I took over the newborn.  As they got older, we shared the duties between us.  He took everything in stride when Amy was diagnosed.  Always keeping a level head, and diving right in.  What started out with only mommy being allowed to give pen injections soon turned into only daddy.  What started off with only mommy doing pump site changes turned into mostly daddy, and the start of the CGM, well, mommy is yet to change a sensor.

 

 

I always knew Corey was a great guy, and would make an amazing dad, and he's proved me right every step of the way (but don't tell him that!)

Now, to get through this last week of school while he's away!

Sensor This

Wednesday at 3:00pm we became part of the diabetes community using a CGM.

I love it already, and more importantly, so does Amy!

She was pretty apprehensive first, almost in tears as we left school to come to her appointment,  didn't help that we were treating a low from being outside during lunch hour.

The Medtronic Rep was great, she had Amy come up and she showed her the sensor on the fake belly, let her touch it, and gave her a mini Lenny the Lion.

When we took a quick break, Amy said that it didn't sound so bad.

Then it was time for insertion.  Her father did the insertion while Amy played Candy Crush.  She made a tiny little flinch, which was more from the click than anything because she said she didn't feel a thing.

It takes 2 hours to initialize, then was ready for our first calibration.

She had subway for supper, then headed to the backyard on the trampoline before Soccer.  We went to soccer, and noticed a 5.0 reading with a down arrow, before soccer even started.  I gave her a snack.  When she came back to her bench after her second shift, she had a "predicting low BG" alarm. She drank a strawberry milk and was back on the floor.  We made it through with no lows.

Now, we've never used a baby monitor before, but I think I will have to start.  I slept through the predicting low alarm in the middle of the night, and woke when she was actually going low.  Our pump has the shut off for 2 hours when your reading goes below your programmed level.  Thankfully it never went that far.  She was at 3.9 when I caught it.  I treated and set a temp basal, but guess I didn't need both as it wasn't long before she was above 10 mmol/L.

My one request from Medtronic would be to have the My Sentry available in Canada.  I would love to have one of those!  Then I wouldn't need the baby monitor, nor worry about sleeping through alarms.

So far, it's been great, Amy loves looking at the readings.  She has her end of year sports day and picnic today, so I hope this will help.

Now, to convince her she doesn't need to look at the screen every 5 mins!

Tuesday Tidbit

I'm about to write a magazine for the first time, and it isn't fan mail!

I'm a subscriber to Canadian Living Magazine.  Normally I really enjoy reading their articles.  June 2013 had an article entitled 10 Food Myths Debunked (for Good).

The last myth was:

Myth: eating too much sugar causes diabetes.
Truth: "this is not a myth so much as an oversimplification of the facts".  "people with diabetes are advised to cut back on sugar, so this may be why sugar has mistakenly been labelled as the cause of the disease.  In fact, the cause is more complex".  It goes on to give a few risk factors, then says "while you wil not get diabetes from eating sugar, limiting sweets is important for everyone". and that "dietary improvements for people with diabetes include eating less sugar, but also choosing whole grains instead of refined grains, planning regular balanced meals and drinking water as their main beverage".

I couldn't believe what I was reading.....water as their main beverage. 

No wonder there are so many untruths out there.

So, as I'm ready to write my letter to the magazine, what would you like to see me include?

Log Books & Record Keeping

I had amazing record keeping in the beginning.

I set up an excel spreadsheet with all the glucose readings, the insulin doses and any notes about that day.
I filled it our religiously.
I printed them before endo and family physician appointments.
I felt prepared.  I was prepared.

I was warned that once we started pumping that would change.
You won't do that anymore.
All the info is there for you when you upload your pump.
I shook my head.

For the first 2 months, I logged everything.
I painstakingly transferred all the information from Carelink to my written log.
I logged snacks and meals with carb counts.
I added the days that there was gym.
I wrote until I got cramps in my hand.

Then I stopped.

I didn't mean to.  To be honest I ran out of the sheets that I was using and hadn't gotten around to priniting more.

I miss them.

I miss the control I felt when I was keeping them.

I think I may be missing something by not keeping a food diary with the BG readings.  Like I can look back on a particular day and say "oh look, she ate so and so and look what happened.  Maybe we should try ______ next time".

Does anyone who uses the pump or has a child with a pump still keep detailed records?  Do you find it beneficial?

Tuesday Tidbit

My mom tagged me in this photo yesterday, and told my husband and I that we are strong and are doing a wonderful job.  She said that Amy shines bright because of our love and care.

As parents, we do the best we can.  As T1D parents, we have an extra role to play. 

I want you all to know that YOU ARE STRONG!

Slinging topsoil, and being a pancrease

I can't believe its Sunday evening already!

We spent almost the entire weekend outdoors.  For anyone who knows what the weather in Labrador is like, we have COLD winters, and HOT summers (believe it or not).  But, our summer is usually limited to the months of July and August.  Although our snow melted early this years, we are still only in 10-15 degrees C right now.  However, other than some rain on Friday night, and some pretty cold early morning temps, we had a great weekend.  That meant a lot of yard work!

 

Yard cleared of most old grass and weed by loader

We had 10 loads of topsoil delivered Saturday.  We spent most of that day cleaning up edging, removing old sod that was full of weeds and moss, treating ant hills and dumping countless wheelbarrows full of stuff.  Today, we spent the day doing the initial topsoil spread (ie in small corners and crevices) before the loader comes to do the bulk of it tomorrow. 

This is what 10 dump truck loads of topsoil looks like
(doesn't do it justice!)

This is all the wheelbarrows full of stuff we removed

All the while I was attempting to manage Amy's diabetes.

I've said it before and I'll say it again....Man outside playing is hard on the lows!  I gave extra snacks without bolusing, I temp basaled until it was only delivering 0.05 units/hr, I broke the day up with some quiet time.....and we were still full of lows! And last night, I was up every 2 hours, checking on her (please let us start the CGM next week like is planned)!

I'm not really sure where to look for advice on how to manage that.  Any ideas?

Otherwise, we had a great weekend. 
I was on call and only had to go into work once :)

Tuesday Tidbit

Amy and I had the floolwing converstaion this morning:

Amy: "mom, it's getting easier isn't it?"

Mom: "yeah, I think we're getting the hang of it."

Amy: "yeah, we're getting good at it!"

Don't you just love Breakfast talk?

Sparks Sleepover

We are headed to our first organized extracurricular sleepover with Sparks.

Sparks is the youngest age group within Girl Guides of Canada.

I was a Sparks leader last year, but was unable to commit this year.  However, I am attending the sleepover this evening.  They needed a few extra parent volunteers in order to hold the sleepover, so I figured I would make it easier on myself, Amy and the head guider by participating.

I have extra snacks, strawberry milk drinking boxes, cheese strings, yogurt tubes, extra pump supplies and all the regular stuff we tote around in our diabetes bag.  If I happen to forget something at least we are just down the road.

I need to figure out a way to quietly check Amy's sugars at 3am, and hope I don't wake up any other little Sparks.  I'm thinking that setting the alarm on my iphone should be loud enough for me but quiet enough not to wake everyone else.

I have one excited little girl on my hands!

Wish us luck!

Life is Short Laundry is Eternal

I was the lucky recipient of Scott Benner’s giveaway of his debut book, Life is Short Laundry is Eternal, Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad, on his blog Arden's Day. 

I must admit I was delighted to be the winner, as this was a book that I had on my list of must-reads.  I’ve been a follower of Arden’s Day since October 2012 when I discovered the diabetes online community -  the DOC as Benner affectionately refers to it in his book - after my own daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in February of last year.  I had read some excerpts from the book through this site, and was intrigued enough to want to read it.

Right from the opening chapter I was hooked.  It felt like we were sitting down together on the sofa chatting…..about our mutual dislike for laundry.  And this was the tone for the rest of the book, like old friends chatting about life, work, family, values and history. 

I’m a big believer of parental leave.  Not just maternity leave, but parental leave.  I feel that it’s not just the mom’s job to raise the kids, or to stay at home, but it is a shared responsibility between both parents.  How you’re family dynamic works for you, is your decision, but people need to know that there are other, non traditional options, out there. I feel this was portrayed beautifully here. 

Scott seems to downplay what he does, with anecdotes of how he came “close to breaking, losing or otherwise ending Cole’s life three times” but this makes him relatable.  All the fear that he felt before his first child was the same fear that I felt before mine.  Just like most parents, he is initially apprehensive as he learns the ropes, but appears to do everything with love and for the betterment of his family. 

Although I found it very easy to relate to the entire book, the chapters about Arden’s diagnosis with T1D were definitely the most emotional for me. It brought me back to our own diagnosis day and all the fear and uncertainty came flooding back. I’m hoping that in the years to come, my family is able to fit diabetes into our lives as seamlessly as it is described here.  I’m sure it’s founded from a tremendous amount of work, but they make management look easy and natural, when diabetes is anything but.

The emotion that Scott shows towards his wife is incredible, and every woman should be so lucky to have a partner that is so obviously head over heals in love with them.  I love how he thanks Kelly for giving him the opportunity to be there for their children, and acknowledges the work that she does outside the home.

To me, his underlying messages are to learn from your mistakes, communicate, and just love your family.  Don’t just walk away if the going gets tough, that “if you stay until the end, the good parts will far outweigh the bad ones”.

I laughed, I cried and I nodded my head in agreement. 
Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Life is Short Laundry is Eternal, Confessions of a Stay at Home Dad today.

I received a copy of Life is Short Laundry is Eternal from a give away from Scott Benner's blog Arden's Day.  This review is completely of my own opinion.

Summer Pump Management

I hope you didn't read my blog title and think that I was going to give all these great tips on how to manage the pump and diabetes in your child during the summer months and during summer vacation.

Because I'm not.

I need your help!!!!

We have been pumping for 3 months (already!).  We are slowly learning as we go, however this will be our first summer.

Some of you may know that yesterday was a holiday in Canada (Victoria Day) and hence a long weekend.
It may have snowed in Gander, but it was sunny and 18C+ in my hometown.

I was battling lows all weekend.
had her pump disconnected, had it on 25% basals, gave extra food.
Still went low.

Does anyone have any advise or suggestions on what they do with their kids?  What about during summer vacation?  What works for you?  What hasn't worked?

As always, I realize you guys are parents like me, and for the most part, not medical professionals.  I will of course, discuss any changes with my CDE.

Thanks :)

D-Blog Week, Day 7 - Spread the Love

As another Diabetes Blog Week draws to a close, let’s reflect on some of the great bloggers we’ve found this week. Give some love to three blog posts you’ve read and loved during Diabetes Blog Week, and tell us why they’re worth reading. Or share three blogs you’ve found this week that are new to you. (Thanks to Pearlsa of A Girl's Reflections for inspiring this topic.)
****************************************************************

I've fairly new here around the DOC. My daughter was diagnosed February 8, 2012.

I live in an isolated community.  It takes us a plane ride to the capitol city of our province (and 3 days off work) to attend a clinic day with our endo at the children's hospital.  There are no other children Amy's age in our town that have T1D.  She is the only child in her school.  There are a handful of children a few years older.

I think I found my first blog A Sweet Grace, in October.  I can't begin to tell you how much it helped me to read about a parent who was dealing with what I was.  Who had a child similar in age to my daughter.  I read her entire blog in a weekend.  And it snowballed from there.

I'm not going to tell you about a great blog post that I read this week.....there were so many that I enjoyed.  I'm not going to tell you about any new blogs that I found this week......as I find new ones I love all the time.

Instead, I will give a shout out to those that helped me when I needed it most. 

Check them out.

They're awesome.

And because of them, I know I'm not alone.

Naturally Sweet Sisters
Arden's Day
The Princess and the Pump
Candy Hearts
Mom of an Extra Sweet Insulin Challenged Girl
Death of a Pancrease

Thanks for reading this week.  I hope you have enjoyed my posts and will continue to visit us and follow along our journey with diabetes.

To read more from today you know the drill!