D-Blog Week, Day 4 - Accomplishments

We don’t always realize it, but each one of us had come a long way since diabetes first came into our life. It doesn’t matter if it’s been 5 weeks, 5 years or 50 years, you’ve done something outstanding diabetes-wise. So today let’s share the greatest accomplishment you've made in terms of dealing with your (or your loved one’s) diabetes. No accomplishment is too big or too small - think about self-acceptance, something you’ve mastered (pump / exercise / diet / etc.), making a tough care decision (finding a new endo or support group / choosing to use or not use a technology / etc.). (Thanks to Hilary ofRainie and Me for this topic suggestion.)

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I think our biggest accomplishment has been out mind set.

Sure we’ve had our overwhelming moments, but right from the beginning, as a family we decided to take it one step at a time.  Basically, we didn’t have a choice but to work through it as it wasn’t going to go away.  We had to deal with it, and we decided to tackle it head on. 

My husband is an engineer.  That means he has a very systematic mind, and hence everything he does tends to flow in a step by step manner.  That’s how we have dealt with diabetes.  Step by step. 

There are things that you can’t plan for, but you can have a plan to deal with those things.  We don’t know when a site may come out, when there will be a bogus high or an unpredictable low, but we can have things in place to work through them.

You often hear “kids first, diabetes second” and that’s how we want to live.  We want Amy to know that she can do anything that she puts her mind to, despite diabetes.

When Amy was diagnosed, it was late Wednesday night.  She started her first insulin dose at 10pm that night in the emergency room.  They sent us home with a vial of 30/70 after showing me how to inject using a syringe.  They didn’t even have a glucometer to give me. Since I work at the hospital I ran down to the pharmacy department and took a new Aviva from our shelf (and replaced it the next morning with one from our CDE).  We had a 4 hours visit with the CDE the next morning, then an hour with the dietitian and another two hours with the CDE on Friday.  That was our education.  We were on our own.

I scoured the internet and found some useful information from BC Children's Hospital, Toronto Sick Kids, and the Canadian Diabetes Association.  I did up an information package for the school, and poured over all my notes to relearn how to take care of my little girl.

She went back to school 5 days later.

And we haven’t looked back.

  I think about how we will take care of her in the teenage years.   How will I let go and transition her care to her.  How will I handle new things like driving and dating and university. 

Then I remember that all parents have to think about this.

And we just have to take things day by day.

Step by step.

For more posts on today's Topic, please click here.