Sometimes Diabetes falls back to the back of our little world and is so unnoticable that I almost... just almost forget it is there. It is second nature, just like a breastfeeding mother yanks her shirt up without thinking to feed her baby and then realizes, "Oh, yeah, I am at the grocery store" Diabetes is such a part of our lives... we do tend to yank out the syringe no matter who is looking. We dont try to be private about it. We just live with it.
When I think of Nolan, I never really forget that he has diabetes. I think of it when I think of him now. If he comes up in conversations, I always picture him, standing in his blue jeans and t-shirt, insulin pump attached to the belt loop, his shoe laces making me crazy by hanging all over the floor.
But sometimes as he is playing, or getting into trouble... It is not there immediately. First and foremost he is my quirky little boy, who loves to learn about Ireland, and the Titanic, and Ancient Egypt, build with legos, play the drums, ride his bike, play outside and help me make dinner by cutting onions until he cries, and then going and trying ot fool his little brother into thinking he is crying because he got hurt. But it comes to mind eventually.
I watch him, concentrating on drawing something and instead of wondering what type of wonderful little thoughts are going through his artistic mind, I wonder, " what is his Blood sugar right now?" or worse... "will he take care of himself when it is out of my hands?" or worse still...
Then there are times when I say, OH crap... we should have done a site change. How could I forget?
SO its not just about the sugar....
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
Infusion set update
I am just posting a quick update to the infusion set excitement. I think they are good. I think they stay in better with the two stickies, and the stainless steel catheter seems to do a good job, leaves a smaller "mark" and may heal faster.
I am bringing two of them to a nurse I work with who is may be developing a latex allergy. I am concerned for him. I am always glad he talks to me and shows me stuff so it is not so much of a surprise when my son calls me at age 25 and says, "I have a hard spot in my stomach". I can refer back to this nurse from work who is a type 1 and pumps... and then hopefully I will be updated when he has an answer.
The drawback to this infusion set is that you have to pull it straight out, or it will REALLY hurt. (Even though you really should try to pull that flexible catheter out straight, it does bend) IT will cut you if you pull only one side of the tape. So, removal is not so quick, but maybe it shouldnt be.
So far so Good.
There is a job for a CDE in my town... I am very very interested, but as a relatively new nurse, slightly unqualified. I am really hoping my charm and charisma and passion for all things diabetes will help me win them over. It is, after all, my ultimate goal.
I just watched "The Pursuit of Happyness" this weekend with my boys. So, I am in the mood of the optimist. Tomorrow I'll be after stalking the Head of Diabetes Ed down at the hospital that I dont work at. I am also going to call the Diabetes Ed department where I work and see if they will consider taking on a trainee.
The hours are better too.
I am bringing two of them to a nurse I work with who is may be developing a latex allergy. I am concerned for him. I am always glad he talks to me and shows me stuff so it is not so much of a surprise when my son calls me at age 25 and says, "I have a hard spot in my stomach". I can refer back to this nurse from work who is a type 1 and pumps... and then hopefully I will be updated when he has an answer.
The drawback to this infusion set is that you have to pull it straight out, or it will REALLY hurt. (Even though you really should try to pull that flexible catheter out straight, it does bend) IT will cut you if you pull only one side of the tape. So, removal is not so quick, but maybe it shouldnt be.
So far so Good.
There is a job for a CDE in my town... I am very very interested, but as a relatively new nurse, slightly unqualified. I am really hoping my charm and charisma and passion for all things diabetes will help me win them over. It is, after all, my ultimate goal.
I just watched "The Pursuit of Happyness" this weekend with my boys. So, I am in the mood of the optimist. Tomorrow I'll be after stalking the Head of Diabetes Ed down at the hospital that I dont work at. I am also going to call the Diabetes Ed department where I work and see if they will consider taking on a trainee.
The hours are better too.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
NEW infusion sets
As I sit here blogging, my children are arguing over who is or is not the cheater in the next room. "MOM!!!!!! Nolan's cheating!!!"
"No, I'm not, you're the cheater here."
A real big part of me wants to waltze in and tell them in a matter of fact tone... "you're nine and six. your BOTH cheaters by nature, so get used to it!"
But I let them work it out. I play dead until the whining subsides.
We got new infusion sets today. I cant wait, I almost want to do a site change right now.
Funny how when your child is first diagnosed with D, you say out loud, "we cant wait for a cure" and you research all the options, transplants... islet cell research... all kinds of stuff.
And you say things like, "we will never use a pump, it is too cumbersome" or whatever it is that you forsee or rule out right away. Eventually you coem around...
But you also went out and bought more sugar free food than could fill a shopping cart, and then... after all the malitol induced diarrhea, shoved it all back to the back of the pantry and went shopping for normal people food.
For us, when Nolan started the pump... I saw all the infusion sets, and immediately balked at one in particular.
It was cool in that it had two stickies, so that if you pull one... you should be ok, you have to pull that one completely off to even start yanking on the second one... kinda cool.
But the thing I did NOT like was that the needle stayed in! EW!!!! a plastic catheter is better, it will bend and flex, and not puncture a vital organ... I mean, who needs to have a perforated bowel at age nine? OK that is going a bit far, I know, but still! Its the idea of the metal in him.. now, a if he chose to get piercings Id understand, and make him wait til he was 18, but that is his own choice. This set seems more intrusive... I guess..
But after using the catheters for a few months, seeing how long it takes him to heal from a site...
and how they fill with tissue and skin junk... making the site go bad relatively quickly... I started to look at that little surgical steel needle one.
It is thinner, and wont kink under the skin and get full of interstial goo too quickly.
so...
When UPS came my 6 year old ran out to greet him happily. He came in and handed me the box with a big smile on his face.
He thought it was another Xmas gift that my husband had ordered for me on the slowest shipping method possible.
But it wasnt.
It was more exciting..
It was the new infusion sets.
I was the only one thrilled, and my kids quickly made their way to the other room to start accusing each other of cheating on whatever game they were playing, while I marvelled at the new sets...
that's right.... I am a pump nerd.
"No, I'm not, you're the cheater here."
A real big part of me wants to waltze in and tell them in a matter of fact tone... "you're nine and six. your BOTH cheaters by nature, so get used to it!"
But I let them work it out. I play dead until the whining subsides.
We got new infusion sets today. I cant wait, I almost want to do a site change right now.
Funny how when your child is first diagnosed with D, you say out loud, "we cant wait for a cure" and you research all the options, transplants... islet cell research... all kinds of stuff.
And you say things like, "we will never use a pump, it is too cumbersome" or whatever it is that you forsee or rule out right away. Eventually you coem around...
But you also went out and bought more sugar free food than could fill a shopping cart, and then... after all the malitol induced diarrhea, shoved it all back to the back of the pantry and went shopping for normal people food.
For us, when Nolan started the pump... I saw all the infusion sets, and immediately balked at one in particular.
It was cool in that it had two stickies, so that if you pull one... you should be ok, you have to pull that one completely off to even start yanking on the second one... kinda cool.
But the thing I did NOT like was that the needle stayed in! EW!!!! a plastic catheter is better, it will bend and flex, and not puncture a vital organ... I mean, who needs to have a perforated bowel at age nine? OK that is going a bit far, I know, but still! Its the idea of the metal in him.. now, a if he chose to get piercings Id understand, and make him wait til he was 18, but that is his own choice. This set seems more intrusive... I guess..
But after using the catheters for a few months, seeing how long it takes him to heal from a site...
and how they fill with tissue and skin junk... making the site go bad relatively quickly... I started to look at that little surgical steel needle one.
It is thinner, and wont kink under the skin and get full of interstial goo too quickly.
so...
When UPS came my 6 year old ran out to greet him happily. He came in and handed me the box with a big smile on his face.
He thought it was another Xmas gift that my husband had ordered for me on the slowest shipping method possible.
But it wasnt.
It was more exciting..
It was the new infusion sets.
I was the only one thrilled, and my kids quickly made their way to the other room to start accusing each other of cheating on whatever game they were playing, while I marvelled at the new sets...
that's right.... I am a pump nerd.
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