T1D Q1 stands for Type 1 Diabetes Quarter 1
Back in October, I shared about Love Bug’s Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis we learned of in August (part 1, part 2, part 3). It was a big shock to us and kind of rocked our world. I’m happy to report things are going well. During her last appointment, we learned her A1C – a test, almost a report card, on blood glucose levels for the past three months – was back in the normal, non-diabetes range. To know what her levels were when we arrived at the ER in August, MJ and I were so relieved.
We, all of us, have settled more into our new normal. Weighing, measuring, estimating and a bunch of math, it’s all becoming second nature. That said, it’s still a lot of work that requires an extra level of thought on top of everything else. We are still working for a more seamless process and we’ll get there.
Tomorrow, we are embarking on a new chapter of our diabetes journey: MJ and I are taking our first class on the insulin pump, an electronic device worn on the body to deliver insulin. Instead of injections each time she eats, she (and we) will direct appropriate insulin amounts to be released from the pump which will be connected to her the body through a thin, flexible tube. That’s about the depth of our knowledge on it today and we are eager to learn more.
We’ve heard good things about the pump, how it positively impacts the process of insulin administration and diabetes management. Here’s to a new adventure.
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Each day, we pack a lunch for Love Bug to eat at school. Since we need know what she eats and how much to appropriately administer insulin, it makes more sense to us to do it this way. To make things clear for the nursing staff at her school who help her with her injections (and to make sure we know what we’ve packed), I created a form we fill out and send with her lunch every day. I board on the edge of obsessive about organization and I like it! :)
One day, the district nurse called me and asked if I would be open to sharing the form with her so she could share it with the families of other students in the district living with diabetes. She said the form helped make things extra clear – the lunch and snack carb counts and the appropriate insulin units. I said, for sure.
And just in case you are living with diabetes or know someone living with diabetes, here is the (super simple) diabetes lunchbox record printable. It’s has space to write out the lunch and snack food items and their carb counts, a place for the total and a spot for the corresponding insulin unit(s). Cut them out, fill one out and send it in lunch boxes or bags each day.
Hooray for organization! :)
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Thank you for all your kind messages about this new journey and thank you for sharing about your experiences. They warmed my heart and my world-worn soul.
