Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Can Diabetes please move to Pluto so we can have some peace?

I am tired. I am done. I would like Diabetes to kindly pack its bags and take the first space shuttle to Pluto.  It can start walking now and meet it when the shuttle is leaving.  I had suggested it could go to Mars, but my friend Pam suggested that a non-planet such as Pluto would be much more fitting. Who was I to argue?

I am just a tired Mom of a joyous teen with diabetes.  Don't get me wrong, my kid could be way worse.  He has an attitude twenty times his size when he is high but we will keep him for most of the rest of the time. 

Yesterday was day one of the new regime...Mom texting and son texting readings back.  It was a partial success. First reading came in without prompting. I was shocked, amazed and impressed.  Lunch time arrived and no word.  I texted, and I texted, and I texted.  Finally after school I got a reply! I was not happy.  On the upside, he had remembered to do all of his tests. I said I was happy with that. I had data to work with.

He came home high but after some activity and insulin, he was back to his human self.  We were looking forward to a positive day two.  I told him that if he sent me the readings, which I would still verify when he got home, then I would not text him.  He thought that was great and a new deal with struck.

It was soon time for me to head to bed so I checked on my child--readings were good and he was soon to fall asleep himself.  I had been reading and was about to take my book to bed with me when I changed my mind and put it on the kitchen table.  The sane part of me said that I would probably read a bit with my tea in the morning. The skeptical part of me said "Well, if he is low during the night I won't have to hunt around for my book while I am waiting for him to come up!"  I quickly brushed away the skeptic's comments and crawled into my cozy bed.

I had just fallen asleep it seemed when Mother Nature called. How could I need to use the washroom already? It was only 1am.  Should I do a test? I would probably wake at around 3 or 4 anyway.  I was up though so perhaps it was best to go ahead and test while I was at it. Extra data is always a good thing and with that I headed in to do my Mom job.

I looked at the meter after the reading registered and shook my head.  What the heck? I know that everything happens for a reason but...what the heck? He was low.  How did that happen? Did I really know it was going to happen and that's why my book was ready for me? How does my body always seem to know when to wake up? When will my son's body do this for us?

So many questions....and so much time to ponder and come up with more. It took me over an hour to get him in a range that allowed me to sleep.  On the upside, I got a lot of my book read. On the downside, I tossed and turned for another hour or two before I could fall asleep. I was exhausted when I got up to get my son off to school. I wanted nothing more than sleep. Real, honest to goodness sleep. Was that too much to ask for? Diabetes hadn't gone to Pluto but it had gone to school with my child so maybe it was possible? Nope.  After less than an hour, despite my fiance telling me I really should just stay in bed and sleep, I was up with a great desire to sleep but no ability. 

Imagine how patient that made me for day 2 of the new regime? The first reading arrived.  He was high again. Crap! I waited for the next reading, and I waited. I texted him to remind him. Nothing. I texted him and told him to test period. Nothing.  Finally I got a reply. "I forgot to test. I will test before and after gym though."  He is supposed to test before and after gym! Ugh! When he got home there was no yelling.  I was frustrated and tired. What the heck were we going to do? He swore he would do better and hey, he did remember to test before gym.  Okay, I gave him that.

It will soon be bedtime for me again. I am truly hoping I can get some sleep. Basal rates are changed.  Carb to insulin ratios have been altered.  I need sleep.  There is only so much foundation that one can put under their eyes without looking like they are practicing putting on their Halloween make up! It would really be so much easier if Diabetes would kindly move to Pluto.

1 comment:

  1. Pluto is not a "non-planet." Only four percent of the IAU voted on the controversial demotion, and most are not planetary scientists. Their decision was immediately opposed in a formal petition by hundreds of professional astronomers led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto.

    I agree with you about getting rid of diabetes. A close relative of mine, a little boy, has juvenile diabetes, so I'm personally affected by it and know how strongly we need a cure.

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