Slumber Party Nightmares

Sounds like a horror film, right? Ugh - the dreaded question anytime she's hanging out with friends..."Can Cham spend the night?" And then I get "the look" from Cham - it's the please-Mom-let-me-be-normal-and-spend-the-night-away-from-you look. This decision stinks for me because as much as I want her to lead a normal life - the fact of the matter is, she can't. To ease my mind in this situation, I have created a sheet that goes with her to every friend's house. It just helps the parent understand what a high, low, and her symptoms for either. It always depends on the parent, and how far away they live from our house as to whether or not she can stay the night with her friends. Cham still relies on me (or my mom or her dad) to give her the breakfast and dinner mixed insulin shot. She can't draw it without the risk of overdrawing or accidentally mixing the two in a vial. She does her lunch on her own (draws and injects). But, since I have to do the AM and PM shot, spending the night with someone gets a lot harder because I have to go over to the house (or meet them at the restaurant) to give the shot at dinner, and then wait on her call in the morning to do the shot then, too. It's a lot of traveling back and forth which is why I always try to flip the question back at her friends - "Why don't you come spend the night with us?" This tactic usually works and I sleep easier knowing she's near me. Otherwise, I'm texting her constantly - how do you feel? have you tested? what's your number? why are you still awake at this hour? tee hee.. Anyway, this is just one of the MANY reasons why getting on the pump will make life easier for her when it comes to this particular situation. She will be able to bolus at meals and sleep in at a friends rather than me wake her up because the Lantus has worn off. I know I will still bother her with the texts, though - that's a lifelong hang-up that she's going to have to deal with. Seriously - what T1 parent has had a decent night's sleep since their kid was dx'd? I've said it before - I haven't slept since October 19, 2010.

So it's official - she's getting the Ping. We're still waiting on it to run through insurance, and we'll have to be trained, but Cham's excited and really can't wait to get started.

Update Schmupdate....

Good Grief! Post much? My laptop has been out of commission for about 7 months which is where I really like to post from (in my bed). I hate sitting at the computer desk after everyone has gone to bed. So, needless to say, I have not been posting due to lack of technology and our busy lives. So quick update on us...

This has been a stressful school year - not because of diabetes problems, just because of the problems that diabetes can create. Chad has left education altogether and has entered a whole new world as a process operator. This opportunity has given our family some financial breathing room. Diabetes is an expensive disease and we want Cham to have the best that is out there to treat it (aside from offering her our own pancreas..so wish we could really do that).


Cham ended her school year as a 5th grader and will go to a whole new campus next year. New nurse, new surroundings, new faces, etc. She's worked hard this past year and has earned her way in to a program called OMEGA, which puts her with hard working kiddos who love school and projects (yippee). She's apprehensive at the moment, still says, "I'm nervous about next year." Once we take her for orientation, all of us will feel better. For me, this change has me focused on several zombie thoughts...  "must talk to all of her teachers in a 504 meeting, must talk to the nurse, must look a cafeteria menu to see carb counts.." The nurse will be new to us and the school as well - the former nurse left (of course, the one Cham had met at an orientation on electives).

Cham has had an excellent dance season! Her team has really come together and finally gelled at our last competition. Her solo piece has done awesome, too - she came in 2nd overall at the last competition. In fact, before she went on stage, she and Ms. Rebecca (her dance teacher since she was 3) were both wiggin' out because she didn't eat all of her lunch and was going low on us. We pumped her full of juice, held our breath, and shoved her out on stage. Diabetes danced in the wings that time! Phew!

Cham and Angell duet

Cham also had a duet this year with her 8th grade friend, Angell. They dance beautifully together and it placed 1st and best overall at the last competition.








Colton has us really busy right now doing baseball as an ALL-STAR! It's been a long baseball season and it seems like it's never going to end having to play a game every night here lately. Last night when we got home, I was giving Cham her shot (in the butt is where she has to have to big ones - Lantus plus Novolog) and he snuck up and asked if he could push the plunger, so I let him much to his sister's chagrin. He did a good job, took it slow - she didn't complain.

Okay, so all that hype about the Omnipod and getting the pump....to expensive to manage at that point, AND she didn't like how it felt at dance. Currently, I have her considering the Animas Ping. When we were at our last competition, she and I were in the bathroom waiting in line and the mother in front of us tells her daughter, "disconnect your pump so you can go on stage.." I immediately asked her if she was T1 and told her we were considering a pump. She said what MANY others have said about the pump - "We love the FREEDOM." The fact that she can take it off for the stage and that we can move it around on her leo depending on which class she's taking, appeals to Cham. We also found the blog: A Diabetic Ballerina - she wears an Animas Ping and shows many pics and talks about how she sews pockets into costumes, etc. So, at the moment, we're focused on a Ping and filling out the necessary paperwork.

Other than that, we are settling into a summer without grad school! Of course, once I get my freedom, Chad has to go and get a job that places him on shifts. Oh well, "gotta do what you gotta do." I know now that I'm not focused on library lessons, I will be able to post more and hopefully get more followers! It's tough being a diabetic pancreas, I mean parent!