Around a hundred years ago, Maddie's great-grandfather was growing up in Burgaw, NC as the oldest of 10 children. He had a younger brother, three years old, who followed his mama around crying, "wahwah, wahwah!" (that's baby for "water, water!"). His thirst grew and grew, along with other health problems such as frequent urinating, weakness, … Continue reading Maddie’s Mission
Category: Type 1
What the data “says”…
Picture This: My husband and I are sitting in a room at Brenner's Hospital on the 7th floor, just a month or so after Maddie going on the pump. Our wonderful diabetes doctor, Bobbi Hackman, asks us how it's going with the pump. My answer: "I'm drowning in diabetes. I'm frustrated with her blood sugar … Continue reading What the data “says”…
The Roller Coaster Ride
To say that Blood Sugar Levels for a Type 1 Diabetic are like a Roller Coaster Ride, would be accurate especially if you are talking about roller coasters such as Carolina Cyclone, ThunderRoad, and Top Gun, all from the Carowinds themepark in SC. Here's a one-day roller coaster we ride fairly frequently: 7 am at … Continue reading The Roller Coaster Ride
The Inset
At the other end of the pump and tubing, is the highly important "inset", short for "Infusion Set". We chose a particular kind of inset for Maddie based on several factors: her being a child and needing a slanted insertion rather than 90 degree insertion, and a manual insertion rather than an "automatic" type. As … Continue reading The Inset
The Pump…Not a Pancreas
After 7 1/2 months of giving our daughter 4 shots a day (sometimes more if she wanted to eat more), she "went on the pump" July 22nd. This is terminology used for saying that she now wears, 24-7, a cell-phone sized device that administers insulin for both meals and a continuous base-line amount. This little … Continue reading The Pump…Not a Pancreas
Type 1, My Story
Danny Gregory's most recent post on September 21st, has caused me to think a bit. He talks about how Everyday Matters, the book, came to be...how he had not thought that his story of learning to live again after his wife Patti's tragic accident which left her paralyzed, was something he could/should/wanted to share with … Continue reading Type 1, My Story
“I’m Pumped!”
Thursday, July 22nd was a day I had both been anticipating and dreading all summer. This was the day our youngest daughter, Maddie, who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on December 7th, of last year, was to go on the pump. We've actually had the pump in our possession for over a month in … Continue reading “I’m Pumped!”
Honeymoon Over…
A recent conversation with our diabetic educator (the wonderful Kathie Cooper): Me: "I don't get it, I don't know what I'm doing wrong...but Maddie's sugar levels are up and down, all over the place it seems, and for reasons we can't quite figure out." Her: "Welcome to Diabetes. This is what I would call classic … Continue reading Honeymoon Over…
Angelica from Hawaii
Before Spring had sprung, our family had a visitor...she came down the stairs dressed in her bathing suit with shorts and tee shirt over that, and a light yellow jacket on top. She wore a pink tinkerbell visor with sun glasses and flip flops. She introduced herself as a friend of Maddie's from Hawaii! She … Continue reading Angelica from Hawaii
The Glad Game
Maddie and I have just finished reading Pollyanna together. She received the book for her birthday in January from a friend. It has been the perfect story as we are in the beginning stages of the diabetes journey. I was surprised and delighted as each chapter unfolded; and couldn't wait for the ending! I really … Continue reading The Glad Game