went for a walk

we went for a walk today and some neighbor friend's caught up with us. They had seen us walking by and came to join us. Our kids walked together as us moms, chatted. one child in a stroller and three running ahead.

when we left the house, my sweetie was 191. I brought smarties and cheerios, just in case. we walked the long way so that they could pick flowers and help neighbors receive their newspapers that were sitting in driveways.

As we came up the last street on the way back to our house, we spotted another friend home, working in their driveway. He also is our diabetic friend that runs a group for diabetics. (God's plan). we chatted for awhile, while the kids played on his front lawn. Then it was about time to leave.

It had been almost an hour since we had left home. As we were starting to head off, my little sweetie, laid down on the sidewalk. As they do this for fun on the walk too, I wasn't overly alarmed. But decided it was time to check her again. I yell back at our neighbor. "64!"

I grabbed the smarties that I always carry, just in case, and opened some up for her. Our neighbor asked if I wanted a juice box. Of course all of the kids did, diabetic and non diabetics! So he graciously brought four juice boxes back. She began to drink one and finish her smarties. My son wanted smarties too.

we then checked her again and the meter said 287. Our neighbor said, "that can't be right?" He had never seen numbers go up that high so fast before. He suggested retesting her. He ran in the house and grabbed some alcohol wipes for me to clean her finger and try again. 106. that was better. We gathered all of our stuff, including the plant that he gave us, and headed back home.

I was thankful that we have a friend that knows all about diabetes right down the street from us. Not every neighborhood is equipped with lifelines! and I was reminded to always clean her fingers when checking her. False readings could be dangerous.

and our other friend was educated at the same time.

almost a year

It has been almost a year now, since our sweetie in the middle of the picture there, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. juvenile diabetes. a permanent condition. insulin dependent. an autoimmune disease.

This time last year, our little 3 year old was slowing down. she would often lay down on the floor and rest during play time. She was starting to wet her bed again, even though she had potty trained for quite awhile. She had a lot of trouble peddling her bike on walks. She was beginning to feel light when I carried her. She was getting quieter and quieter.

One day, a friend came over and during my friend's visit, our sweetie ran to tell me that she needed to go to the bathroom three different times and each time had an accident. I told our friend that our sweetie had been having trouble making it to the toilet lately. I thought it was strange but didn't know why. We agreed it would be good for the doctor to check her out. I thought maybe it could be a bladder infection. I had never experienced a bladder infection, but that seemed to make sense.

Valentine's night, I was calling around trying to find a babysitter for my other kids so that I could take our sweetie to her doctor's appointment the next morning. It was to no avail. Unfortunately our nice date night was full of concern as to how I was going to get our daughter to the doctor the next day.

That next morning, after changing our sweetie's bed sheets again, and noticing a rash, my teenage daughter offered to stay home from school that morning so that I could take our sweetie to her appointment. I was relieved.

I felt like a mom that was being proactive and going to find out why our daughter was having so many accidents. I read in a magazine that when anything is out of the ordinary in a child's behaviors, seeking a doctor first, is wise. I thought, whatever the problem, we will start with the medical profession, if its behavioral, we will deal with that next...

and the rest is history.

the doctor took a urine sample, just to be thorough.

She walked in carrying the paperwork and said that she ran the sample just to be thorough but didn't expect to find anything.

Then she looked again.

Her glucose levels were over 600.

She left the room.

Her nurse came in a blood meter, that now I am too familiar with. At the time I was yet, so so innocent.

What's going on? I innocently asked. innocently asked. so innocently asked.

the doctor is calling the endocrynologist.

what's that? I asked.

the diabetes specialist.

what's diabetes? I asked.

the doctor will come back and talk with you, soon.

Basically, in the next 30 minutes, my daughter was not the same daughter I packed into the car that morning on the way to the doctor's office. She no longer had a bladder infection that could be treated with antibiotics and returned to normal. She was now a daughter with an incurable autoimmune disease that had to be rushed by ambulance to faraway hospital and admitted for the next few days and I was to stay in cell phone contact with the doctor the entire drive to make sure my daughter didn't....pass out?, die?,....I don't know. I never asked.

so here we are today. Almost a year later. I still fight tears typing this horrible scene from the doctor's office that I never wanted to be part of.

But here we are. almost one year later.

my heart goes out to all of you knowing all to well what I am writing about.