How 'bout 11?

"Mom, you didn't test me last night"
"Yes I did, but if you are worried about it and you are awake maybe you should be testing yourself during the night. It would be great to give me a break after 10 years."
"A break? That's okay."
"But you should get used to testing yourself. If you are awake anyway why not give your old Mom a break?"
"How 'bout we go for you testing me every night for eleven years instead?"

That was the conversation I had with my son the other morning. I had to laugh to myself when he suggested that I didn't test him. He never wakes up when I do test him unless he is high and needs to use the washroom or hasn't gone to sleep yet when he was supposed to. This child sleeps through everything! I drizzled snow on his bare back that very morning to wake him up (after calling him and blaring music) and he continued to sleep. He used to sleep while eating a sandwich after a low. He can sleep while drinking a juice or chewing glucose tablets. Its all a little unnerving but I watch, make sure everything is chewed and swallowed and that he doesn't choke.

The fact that he is such a sound sleeper does scare me a bit. He sleeps through the alarms on his pump so a CGMS won't get him out of bed to treat. The only upside is that when he sleeps at a friend's house, he does wake up to the alarm...well maybe the friend wakes up to the alarm and gets him moving. Either way, he does test when he isn't at my house. He does wake up to the alarm when he is with his father...and then rolls over and sleeps while waiting for Dad to get up and test him.

The upside is that he is still young. He has a few more years before Mom starts to really get on his case about waking up himself. For now he is spoiled...Mom gets him up, Mom cooks for him, Mom tests him, and Mom gets his glucose for his lows. If he is really lucky he will marry a girl who will do even half of this but he may be pushing that one!

After 10 years, I am getting tired of waking up at nights and testing. I have been waking up through the night for 16 years...yes long before diabetes, so I am sure that I will continue to wake up at all hours. If I am waking up I might as well make sure that he is safe and I have tested him especially since the rest of the conversation went something like this...

"I have to be tested at night. I might go low and die if no one tests me."

Ouch! I did clarify that he would probably just go low and worst case scenario have a seizure. Sadly he knows the reality. While some will argue that your body will kick in, you will rebound, and all will be fine except for a nasty high the next morning. This may be the case for many but my son and I have also seen a different outcome. He knows that I have had friends go low at night and never wake up again. Its not a reality that I enjoy my young child being aware of. He takes it in stride but he knows just the same. More fun with diabetes....