We survived!

School started here on Wednesday.  As you may have read, I dawdled and procrastinated before I got this stuff in order and was proud of myself for being set by Monday night.  I had found all sorts of errors and omissions that needed to be changed and because my son was older I also had a lot of care issues to alter as well. He no longer needs someone to make sure he ate his snack or to verify his bolus. Now he needs someone to make sure he tests before exams and allows him use of his cell phone if he needs to question me about his care. All done and no ink to print it.

Tuesday we were like the rest of the area and were heading out for last minute school items.  There was one big difference though--most people were looking for notebooks and pencils.  We were looking for printer ink to send information to school to keep our child safe. 

So how much ink did I need? Well I did use a bit. I had red duo-tangs with see through covers.  The front was a picture of my son with his name and a bit about "his" diabetes care.  This included what he would bring to school and what I wanted the school to do to help him. I then included a letter explaining what diabetes was followed by a two page letter about his insulin pump.  When I could, I added pictures so that they knew what they were dealing with. I included two NovoNordisk charts on highs and lows which I suggested they photocopy and leave in various places throughout the school. Finally I included the two CDA documents that I helped out with--Standards of Care, and the Medical Care Plan proposal.  I also had his red emergency kit labeled and inside was a set of spare supplies...just in case. No it wasn't overkill, it was educating. 

I finally had everything put together and ready to take to school Wednesday morning. My son was sure that it was too soon for summer holidays to end and we should perhaps consider another vacation starting right that moment.  I didn't tell him but I was equally as nervous.  All night I wondered what I had forgotten and prayed that they would be as accommodating as they seemed.

Wednesday morning arrived too quickly for all of us and we loaded up the truck with the tonne of school supplies required as well as the tonne of paperwork required by Mom. The three of us headed off to our first day in our new school.  We timed the run to see how long to anticipate my son being on the bus.  When we arrived we looked like many other families and like other families, we headed to the office to register.

The secretary greeted us and I quickly went through a few key points in our booklet...like the warning signs of highs and lows. As she went to photocopy some of our documentation, the principal walked in.  She greeted us right away and knew who we were. The secretary kindly showed Liam to his new classroom and the principal and I discussed meeting with staff in the next few weeks to go over details of Liam's care specific to him. I was very impressed. We were invited to stay for a family breakfast that they were having so Larry and I headed off to enjoy a coffee.

As we headed in search of our first cup of "Joe", I ran into a few people that I had met through the years in volunteering at our old school.  It gave me a sense of comfort and I began to relax--well just a little.  It didn't take long for students to join us for breakfast. Not surprising my son stood off to the side and hung around with us.  His teacher came over and told me that she was hypoglycemic so Liam was in good hands. Oh happy day because she also seemed to "get it"!! I left the school feeling better that things would be okay.

We drove home and waited for him.  He had a full day and I hoped not to hear any messages from him until he was home.  The first message arrived when he was on the bus heading home.  School was terrible! Mom panicked but thankfully we were texting so I just began to ask questions.  Did you get lost? No, the school isn't big enough for that. Were people mean to you? No, they were pretty friendly. Did you not understand what was going on? No, it was pretty basic and boring. Were you high? No.  In other words, he just was in a new school and was still adjusting. Mom could breathe again. I waited to see if he tested. I didn't ask but checked his log later that evening. He did! We are off to a good start! Now I will just keep praying that this will continue and eventually he really will enjoy his new environment.