1 Year of Type 1 Diabetes :: Part 5 :: Day to Day

*Thank you for all the feedback for Aaron on his last video.  I was so happy to pass your kind comments on to him!*

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Need to get caught up?  Read here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

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Thanks so much for sticking with us through this mini series on Aaron's diagnosis of type 1 Diabetes.  We're wrapping things up with a look at what it's like having type 1 day to day - for a child and for his parents.  

When you leave the hospital with your newly-diagnosed-with-type 1 diabetes child your new task is to keep his blood glucose levels as even as possible.  This is the most insane and ridiculous and crazy task in the world.  A diabetic's levels will never actually be  "even" because there is no way for manufactured, injected insulin to work with the same delicate precision as a functioning pancreas and a body's natural insulin.  Maintaining decent levels can be stressful, frustrating, confusing, and overwhelming, especially in the beginning.   There's a steep learning curve that first year.  There are some major life adjustments that, once they become routine, don't seem so daunting.  But those first few months?  Daunting.  

Most of the "daily routine" of diabetes actually is routine now, both for Aaron and for Russ and I.  Aaron checks his blood glucose levels 4-6 times a day - before meals, before bed, before/during physical activity,  and if he's feeling "low." (Low blood sugar is dangerous in the short term - a diabetic can become unconscious and suffer brain damage in extreme cases.  Uncontrolled high blood sugars cause more problems in the long term.)  Some nights Russ or I (usually Russ, because he's awesome like that) check Aaron's blood 1-2 times (especially when we're testing out a new dose of Lantus insulin.)  Aaron receives an injection (more like an epi-pen than a huge syringe) of Humalog insulin during or after every meal (and some snacks) and one of Lantus at dinner.  Humalog is the insulin that covers the carbohydrates he consumes at meals and snacks, Lantus provides a slow-release/long lasting dose of insulin over a 24 hour period.   

When we leave the house, all the stuff comes with us.  So do glucose tabs, a juice box, and Smarties to treat lows.   And we always have our Calorie, Fat, and Carbohydrate Counter Book on hand.  

That's just the normal day-to-day stuff.  There's much more that goes into caring for Aaron.  "Special circumstances" that demand extra attention include physical activity,  illness, dental work (happening this weekend...), stressful situations (like test-taking),  cuts and infections, dry skin, and so on...

A year later... it's mostly routine.  But that doesn't mean it's easy.  

Even now,  Aaron still gets blood glucose readings that completely baffle us.  What???  We TOTALLY counted that bowl of oatmeal and fruit right!!!  What do you mean he's at 387 before lunch???  (Optimal blood glucose levels are around 100.)  

There are days we completely forget all about diabetes and we plan a super fun outing and we leave for the day without a stitch of testing equipment or a drop of insulin.  Wake up, people!  It's been a year!  It's a situation that makes for a lot of parental guilt, stress, and ridiculous numbers later in the day...

hehe... remember this guy!!

Aaron visits a pediatric diabetes clinic every three months to meet with his endocrinologist, a fellow or a resident, a certified diabetes educator, and a nutritionist.  And even though we've been trying really hard to get carb counting right and insulin dosing accurate, he still gets high results on his A1C readings.   Ahhhhh!!  We're really trying hard, I swear!  (The A1C test gives a broader picture/average of what blood glucose levels have been like over the past 2-3 months.)   I just try to be prepared for the fact that the endo will probably never use the adjective "level" to describe his actual "levels."  

It really can be crazy trying to juggle it all - at home, on the road, with other kids under foot, and on top of all the regular old craziness of everyday life.  But the feelings of stress, anxiety, and frustration of which I speak are mostly just in reference to myself and Russ.  Aaron has been the least phased of all by all his diagnosis and treatment.  What a blessing to have a child that isn't resistant to all that goes into caring for him.  I can't imagine the additional difficulties faced by a family in which the newly diagnosed child is resistant to the needles and the extra time and "stuff" that surround meal times.  They have my prayers and sympathy.  Aaron occasionally has a mini-complaint about caring for his illness, but for the most part, he's fabulous.  Here he is to conclude this mini series.  He will show you what it's like to check his blood and receive insulin at snack time.  It's real life - totally unedited, including the part where he wipes his bloody finger on his shirt.  (I'm so embarrassed!)