Pacifiers and Insulin

I have finally gone back to day shift and luckily was able to be stationed at a place that had a daycare which allows me to give Cole his insulin and check on his blood sugar.   This has been a great benefit.   We have been able to catch a few lows that if he had been at daycare without me we would have not caught them so soon and no telling how low he would have dropped. The other day at daycare the teacher came and got me.   They told me that Cole had been playing and having fun then all of a sudden he started to cry.   They told me they tried everything to get Cole happy again but he would not smile.   They stated he laid on the ground and began to roll back and forth.   She thought something was not right.   I went down and checked on him.   He was lying in the arms of one of the teachers whimpering.   I checked his blood sugar and it was 56.   It was low but the other night he was 36 and was acting just fine.   I gave him a juice and held him.   While waiting for 15 minutes

So the other day my parents shared a video on facebook from the Saving Luke facebook page.  Saving Luke is another Type 1 diabetic child that has a diabetic alert dog.  His mother runs the FB page and made a video about her son and their experience to raise awareness about Type 1.  Well I see the video shared on my parents page so I decided to play it.  Let me set the scene up for you... I am laying in bed with the computer typing out donation request for our benefit to raise funds for Cole's diabetic alert dog.  I take a break to look at FB and see my parents post.  I click on the video and start watching.... She starts by showing a picture of her son and saying that he came close to dying when he was 2.  Well that hits close to home.  Cole was 13 months when he was transported to the ER by ambulance. She talks about how Type 1 there is no cure and he will always have it.  How he gets finger pokes and injections all the time.  Then it moves on to without insulin he will die.

We got to drive down to Jasper, TX where Drey’s Alert Dogs is located yesterday.   We made the 4 ½ hour drive down there and got there in time to check into the hotel.   We decided since Cole had been stuck in the car for 4 ½ hours we would let him go to the pool for a few minutes.   So we took Cole to the swimming pool which was nice and warm.   It had a little rock fountain which Cole found amusing.   He loved to go over and splash on it.   For once we were not able to drag Cole out of the pool.   Guessing since it was more like bath water than freezing cold pool water.   Once inside we checked his BG level.   73… seriously.   The child is always high and now before bed he is 73.   (He is supposed to be much higher for bed time).   Robert starts freaking out that if we give him the whole 1.5 units of levemir (long lasting insulin) that we will definitely kill him in his sleep.   This was only going to be our second night of 1.5 units.   We had been giving 1 unit.   Robert didn’t

You know those contest where they put items like gumballs into a container and they see who can guess how many gumballs are in the container.... well here is the Syringe Contest-- Guess how many shots Cole has received in the past 4 months   I am of course kidding... Too depressing to count how many shots the poor guy has received in the past few months.  I seriously need to learn the proper way to dispose of these suckers!

I am pretty sure Robert and Cole have come up with an evil plan that every time Robert goes out of town Cole will get sick.   I would have liked to think that Cole would not play along with what I am sure is Robert’s evil plan, but the past few times it appears that Cole likes his dad’s plan.   I can picture then both doing the evil laugh together. So Thursday, Robert left for Dallas and Friday Cole came down with a high fever.   I was checking him every 3 hours and giving him corrections.   Somehow even though Cole was in the 300s with his blood glucose level we managed to keep the ketones levels to trace or small.   Thank GOD!   That is until tonight.   Of course they go up to large amounts.   I was trying to pass them off as moderate but I walked around showing my mom and dad the pee strip and they both said it looked more like large.   UGH!!   I texted Robert to let him know again how happy I was that he was out of town.   I then called the after-hours diabetic line to spea

We had Robert’s lovely trip to Rockport, TX the other week, so this past weekend was my trip to Galveston, TX.   Thursday the 11 th was Cole’s visit with his endo doctor.   The doctor decided it was best to change Cole’s long lasting insulin from a night shot of Lantus to a day shot of Levemir.   Friday the 12 th was our first day to try this .   We knew his numbers were going to be all over the place so I was second guessing whether or not we should go on our trip.   We decided to go to Galveston anyway and left Friday afternoon.   We arrived in time to go to bed.   At 2:00am we checked Cole’s bg level.   I don’t recall now what it was but it must have been normal because we did not give a correction shot.   At about 3:30 Cole began to cough.   Cole sleeps on his stomach and was coughing from that position.   I jumped up and sat him up (we were all sleeping in the same bed on this trip).   I sat him up and he began to throw up.   It wasn’t a lot of throw up just enough to scar

  Our first trip with the big D… and I don’t mean divorce or Dallas :   ) We recently took our first trip since Cole has been diagnosed with diabetes.   It went pretty well, besides the packing.   Not only did I have to make sure I packed everyone’s clothes, towels, sheets, blankets, pillows , water toys, life jacket, etc…. I had to make sure I packed the insulin bottles, the syringes, alcohol wipes, lancets, glucose meter, his frio bags to keep the insulin cool, test strips, cotton balls, ketones strips (as I type that I realize I forgot the ketone strips, thankfully we did not need them).   Oh the joys of packing.   Oh and not to mention his carb free snacks.   A trip isn’t complete without lunch meat and cheese.   I was so concerned with making sure I brought all his diabetes stuff, I forgot his swim diapers and his toothbrush and toothpaste… but I guess that’s what Walmart is for.   So we make our first stop on our road trip to Rockport.   We decided to stop and eat.

So when we found out Cole was diabetic we called his current daycare and asked if they would be able to accommodate his special needs.   They told us they would not.   Well I guess that is not exactly what they said… What they said was that if we could get a doctor to come to daycare and train them then they would.   We asked our doctors which of course said they cannot do that.   So the search began for a new daycare.   Luckily (and I can say that now), I had lost my job so I was at home when Cole was diagnosed… anyway, luckily I was at home so we had some time to find a new daycare.   We checked several places and they were either willing to do the shots and glucose checks and were really dirty daycares or they were nice daycares but had A LOT of hesitation about doing the shots. After talking with Robert, we decided we did not want to go to a place that had hesitations about giving the injections.   It’s already worrisome enough relying on someone else to calculate Cole’s ins

I was typing this to add to our facebook page for Operation DAD but didn't really have a place to add it. Facebook kept saying it was too long... guess I typed too much info. So here is what I typed up: A bit more about Type 1 diabetes: Type 1 is not the typical diabetes you hear about. It cannot be controlled with pills, diet or exercise. Cole is now going to be dependent on insulin injections for the rest of his life (unless they come up with a cure). Cole has to check his glucose levels at least 5 times a day and that is the very minimum. He will also get a minimum of 4 injections a day. With Type 1 Diabetes it is best to maintain your glucose level. If you become too high or too low this can cause complication with your organs later in life. Also, there is a risk if you drop to low that you can have seizures, go into a coma or possibly die. We are in the process of obtaining a DAD (diabetic alert dog) for Cole. This is a very expensive process. The cost fo

So our long week continued through the weekend and on to Monday and Tuesday. Cole went back to the doctor Tuesday as he decided over the weekend that he would no longer eat or drink water. We were afraid he was getting dehydrated. Monday night we even got his medicine syringe out and forced fluids into his mouth. Cole was not very happy about this. One ounce and 15 minutes later we gave up. Of course we checked his urine (when he would actually pee) and he had moderate ketones again. Great kiddo, that’s why he needs to drink. Tuesday I told Robert he should probably take him back to the doctor as he also developed a lovely case of diarrhea and had a rash all over his back, stomach and face. Well doctor said that along with the herpangina he had enterovirus which was causing the rash and the upset stomach. Plus side was the sores in his mouth were gone!! Wednesday we took him back to daycare… you know the germ fest of a place where he got sick to begin with. I told the dire

So this week has been crazy. Cole came home from daycare on Tuesday feeling a little warm. He had about 100.1 temp but got his immunizations on Monday so we assumed this was a result of that. Wednesday, Robert drops Cole off at daycare at 2:30 and I pick him up about 4:30. He felt really warm to me so I get him home and take his temp. 102.5, great looks like the little guy is sick. I checked his bg level and of course it's in the 300s. I put cotton balls in his diaper and wait for him to pee so that I can check for ketones. A couple hours pass and I change his diaper. I take the cotton balls and squeeze them into a cup and put the test strip in... ugh moderate ketones. Ok, that's not too bad. I hand Cole some water. He sucks down 6 8oz classes of water in a 3 hour period. I check for ketones again. Still moderate. BG level is 415. Time to call the after hours doctor. Doctor says it's time to start checking his bg level every 2 hours and check for ketones

We are starting the process of getting Cole a DAD (diabetic alert dog).  This will help so much with Cole.  Since Cole is unable to communicate with us how he is feeling, it's hard to tell when Cole drops too low or too high.  A DAD will be able to sense the changes in Cole's blood sugar level and alert us when he drops to dangerous levels so that we may correct Cole.  The dog will help Robert and I be able to sleep a little better at night.  Instead of constantly worrying if Cole is okay during the night we will be able to have a little more peace of mind knowing that Cole's dog, Lexi will come get us when Cole's bg levels become unsafe.  The cost of the dog is high but worth it.  The initial cost of the dog alone is $15,000.  If you would like to help by making a donation, no matter how big or small we would greatly appreciate it.  Please click below if you would like to donate.  Thanks again!!

So last night at Cole's 2:00am check he was 64, which of course means that we have to wake him up and make him drink 4 oz of juice only to check him again 15 minutes later.  So we check again it's 112.  112 seems ok, it's in the normal range.  So back to bed we go.  I lay in bed trying to fall asleep and keep staring at the baby monitor watching Cole just sitting up in his crib looking around probably thinking to himself "are they going to come back in here and poke my finger again?"  Poor kid, 2:45 and he finally falls back to sleep.  Now I am thinking 3 more hours till I need to wake up.  Of course along with thinking "was 112 high enough for sleeping, should we have given him another juice".  I tell myself he will be ok and finally go back to sleep. Today Cole stayed home with Robert until after lunch since Robert didn't go to work till 3:00.  Robert said he didn't eat much breakfast so he didn't give him a shot.  Lunch rolled around and

That’s right, I am a closet cookie eater.   I have been wanting a cookie all day but I don’t want to eat cookies in front of Cole.   That would be mean.   So, I waited till I put him to sleep and I grabbed the bag of cookies and took them to my room.   No, I am not eating the whole bag, I just had one.   I don’t know why I felt I needed to sneak the whole bag into my room.   Like I was going to get busted taking a cookie from the bag in the kitchen by the kid that is sleeping in a crib.   What’s worse is when I literally go into the closet to eat a piece of candy.   You would think that this whole experience would open my eyes to the world of diabetes and make me more aware of my diet, but nope not really.   Now I just eat behind Cole’s back.   : (    

Oh the joys of having a husband that works late hours.  I just love having to give my very strong 1 year old his shots.  That's right, not just one shot but 2.  One for dinner than 1 for bedtime.  So tonight I cooked dinner for Cole and I  (that's right I said I cooked).  I even cooked while I had a 1 year old stuck to my leg while trying to hold my hand the whole time I was cooking. Cole finished eating dinner (maybe a little less dinner than normal since the doctor said today that he is in the 99% for his weight).  Then it was time to give him his shot.  I have learned that leaving him strapped in his highchair makes the shot giving a little easier.  So I head over to him with needle in hand.  I take out the alcohol wipe and start to clean the area and holy cow you would think I was performing an exorcism.  The kid went crazy, screaming and twisting around in the chair like he was going somewhere.  As I held him with one arm, with the needle in my mouth, I managed to clean

Every kid needs a cookie every once in awhile... even a diabetic kid :  )

Well we are forever changing Cole’s ratios. We are now back to 1 to 30 for breakfast and lunch still at 1 to 28 for dinner. We have bumped up his lantus to 4 units. Kind of scary the first night. Thought he might drop to low, but he was fine. Actually so far the new amounts seem to be working out pretty good. Everyone cross their fingers. I hate changing the amounts every week. I think it confuses daycare. On the plus side of giving him so much lantus at night the doctor’s office said not to correct him if he is high at his 2:00am check. One less shot for the little guy!! So Cole has gotten pretty good with the blood glucose check. If you ask him for his finger to do it, he pretty much sticks out his hand now. He used to tuck them under his butt when he saw you coming. The shots are a different story. Sometimes he is great and just sits there and lets you do it, but others times it’s a completely different story. It’s like wrestling a gator. The other night I said, “com

So in the hospital I began to think of all the things Cole wouldn't be able to do like a normal kid.  For some reason I always thought about him eating ice cream.  Not that Cole couldn't eat ice cream anymore but if he did he would have to get a shot.  For some reason, the thought of him not being able to enjoy ice cream like every other kid in the world, really upset me.  My family laughed at me in the hospital because if people mentioned ice cream I would began to get tears in my eyes.  In fact as I am typing this now, I am starting to get tears in my eyes.... damn ice cream!!! Not sure why ice cream, or the lack there of in Cole's life upsets me so much.  Guess I just love ice cream.  From here on out guess we will have to eat less dinner to save room for ice cream so that Cole can have it with dinner and only get one shot.  No more eating all our meal and making sure we eat the veggies...no sir not in this house.  It's going to be, "wait don't eat tho

What do you give a diabetic kid for Easter????? Our first holiday that diabetes put a bit of a damper on. That's right kiddo, go hunt for easter eggs in the yard with your cousins. What's that in your egg? Well it damn sure is not any candy. Poor kid. On the plus side I guess it saved me some weight gain. Instead of filling eggs with candy and eating half the bag of candy, I will now be filling them with a toy or money or something. Here kid, here's an easter egg. What's inside? Oh a piece of lunch meat. How lucky are you!!! Oh I bet this one has a piece of cheese. How nice of that Easter bunny to bring such great treats!! Can't wait till Halloween! Above is a basket from my parents. Love the tuna cans. Cracked us up.

Let’s start by sharing little man’s story… Cole had been getting several ear infections along with congestion that caused breathing issues. A care plan for Cole included breathing treatments on a nebulizer when needed. On Friday March 15, 2013 we took Cole to his doctor thinking that he might have yet again another ear infection (we were one ear infection away from tubes). On Friday his doctor said his ears were fine but to give him some breathing treatments to help his airways, thinking it was just some sort of congestion issue. Monday, March 18 rolled around… the dreaded day. Cole was given his lunch and he barely touched it. The night before he barely ate his meal as well. For those that know Cole, we knew something was terribly wrong. The big guy eats A LOT for a 13 month old. A bit later his breathing became heavier and it appeared he was struggling some. I had given him his breathing treatment 2 hours prior. My husband was home b/c we were setting up our cable. He