Steady Eddie

I had to increase Matthew's overnight basal settings. 

Let me say right up front that I HATE to increase his nighttime insulin.  Hate it, hate it, hate it!

This fear sets in that maybe we're giving too much....he's going to drop.....we'll miss it.  It's a fear no one understands unless you live it.

Anyway, fortunately, it was very clear that I really did need to increase it.  And you gotta do what you gotta do.

So......with great courage, I grabbed that PDM and programed in higher rates.  Deep breath.

I made the change on Thursday night.  Here are his numbers from overnight Friday.

10P  131
2A   132
5A   132
8A   130

Steady Eddie. 

I can't believe it, but I'm doing the dance of joy!

Big Realization

      Life is now one continuous math problem.

The Picture Says It All

We went hiking this weekend and I took this picture of Matthew.  It's just a perfect picture of him.  He always has a smile on his face, is quick to make you laugh, ready for an adventure.  Matthew simply loves life.  (And yes, that is a mutant bat on his shirt.  Totally Matthew.)

This is a picture I took last week.  His BG was in the 50s and dropping.  He was so tired and had a bad headache.  It's hard to see him this way.

Can You Keep A Secret?

We're coming up on one year since Matthew was diagnosed with diabetes. March 5 marks the day our life changed forever.

Boy has it been a rough year, but God has faithfully gotten us through.

I've heard of people who mark the day with a gift. Others ignore the d-day diagnosis. Some people are simply sad about the drastic changes.

We are choosing to celebrate!

We're going to celebrate Matthew's life and the amazing courage he's shown this past year.

And soooooooooo.......... We're going to Great Wolf Lodge!

Yay! Matthew's been begging us to go, so he's going to FREAK OUT!

And we're happy, too. Because of his school schedule, we can go during the week. Can you say cheaper and not as crowded? Woo Hoo!

I'm really looking forward to this. It makes me so happy to do something special for him. He really deserves it.

I swear, if I was faced with the same situation, I don't think I would be half as brave. Honestly.

So....that's the deal. A Great Wolf Lodge surprise!

But shhhhhhhhhh......don't tell......It's a secret!

Surprise!

What makes a great day? A surprise package from a friend.

For no reason at all....just because. Books, tea, cute shirt. Wow!

Thanks, Lisa!



(FYI....The bug book is FANTASTIC! Matthew already looked up the bug I've always called an "air-bug" because there's nothing to the little thing....it's all air. Anyway, apparently it's called a Crane Fly. Who knew?!)

One Night Of Funny Dreams

Matthew dreamed he was on Wipeout.

Kevin dreamed that Mike Holmes (from HGTV) fixed up our house.

And I dreamed that I met Shania Twain.

Couple of Funny Ideas

Matthew has had some interesting ideas the past couple of days. Thought they might make you smile.

"Mom, I'm thinking of putting a toll-booth at my bedroom door." I start to laugh. "I'm serious. I've been thinking about it for a month."

"Dad! I want to make a super-stinky formula that will smell so bad....when someone gets a whif...they'll FAINT!"

Hey....maybe I can use it on the insurance company!

I hope you have a GREAT weekend!

Frustrated

I'm mad at our insurance company.

For the most part, it's good. Once we pay that enormous deductible, it's not too much out-of-pocket.

But here's what makes me mad.....our doctor said we needed more test strips. Wrote the script....filled out the quantity override form....and insurance said......

No.

How dare they?! They don't know my child! They don't know the streak of highs we've had....the streak of lows.....we're doing basal tests.....Matthew actually likes to play outside and we have to check.......the list goes on and on.....

We need more strips! The child hasn't even been sick and we need more strips!

Of course, we can buy more strips (and we do) but those suckers are EXPENSIVE! One dollar a strip.

How dare our insurance company think that they know more than our doctor.

You know what bothers me the most?

Matthew is going to have to deal with these headaches for the rest of his life.

You've Got to See This

Here is a fantastic video that all parents of children with diabetes need to see.

Joe gave this presentation at a recent conference. It runs about 39 minutes and truly is fabulous!

He has a great way of making you smile, while learning about the reality of diabetes.

(At one point, he tells how many shots he has endured over the years. Then, after he takes a long drink, points out how amazing it is that his body has no leaks!)

Joe covers lots of topic, including family life and how to transfer responsibility of diabetes during the teenage years.

DON'T MISS THIS!

Pumping Update

It's been about 7 weeks since we starting pumping with Omnipod.

Matthew likes it a lot. He still hestiates at site changes because he's had a couple that have hurt, but for the most part, he likes it.

I'll be honest, though, the transition from shots to pumping has not been easy.

At our pump class, the CDE (a type 1 herself) said the first 3 months of pumping would be 3 times the work. She said things would probably get worse before getting better.

She was right.

But the past few days....and yes, I'm a little fearful to write this....things are finally...dare I say it......settling down.

I think I have basals set. Pretty darn close. (I am living and breathing Meri's 3-day-rule. Which, by the way, our CDE believes it as well!)

Carb ratios seems to be working.

And let me tell you....it's about time. A look back over the logbook shows me the dirty details of what we've been going through the last 7 weeks:

17 days with BGs over 250.

5 of those days, we saw BGs over 350.

16 days where Matthew had low BG. Oh how he hates going low.

But God has been good and the numbers are getting better.

Until the next growth spurt, right?