Tuesday, December 27, 2011

A Christmas Miracle (Or My Mind Wanders)


Our Family's Traditional Christmas Morning Orange Rolls




One for the record books!  This has definately been an unusual holiday break for our family.  

A few days before Christmas, our youngest daughter contracted a stomach virus.  On Christmas Day, our oldest daughter battled a migraine which led to sniffles and coughing the next day. 

Two separate viruses appear to be floating around our home and neither one we want.  Hello, Lysol!

Oldest daughter's common cold is our typical norm for illness.  The kids seem to pick this type of bug up once or twice a year.  Blood glucose tends to raise, sometimes uncomfortably, but we feel in control and with a few minor changes to either basal rates or extra bolus corrections, we can get that pesky blood sugar under control.

Because of the stomach virus, youngest daughter's blood glucose has remained low. Crazy low.  The kind of low where we actually had to decrease basal rates to 20% of her normal for 8 hours on Christmas Eve.

That's right.  -80% basal rate change.  I know.  Shocking, isn't it?

We have also decreased her boluses by about 30% too.

This is not the honeymoon period.  She has had diabetes for five years.

So what is this phenomenon? 

I have scoured the Internet and found nothing. 

Is this a Christmas Miracle? 

Obviously kidding but I did let my mind wander there around 2:00 a.m. a few days ago during one of her CGM alerts of a low blood sugar.

Lucky for her, (after the first night) she actually feels good and has a great appetite.  So maybe this is her special gift.  A chance to eat without bolusing much insulin and without having any rebound highs. 

Her gourmet menu of choice has included cookies, fudge, macaroni and cheese, Hawaiian rolls, cheesy potatoes and a sweet potato casserole which was really a dessert.  Last night, she indulged in a plate full of gooey cheese pizza at a new restaurant.  This morning, I surprised the girls with Monkey Bread. 




Through all of this, she has been low.

And even though our oldest daughter has battled her cold, because of our lovely Apidra insulin and basal rate changes, she has been able to eat everything as well.

Maybe that is the Christmas Miracle?

Christmas arrived and celebrated with gusto in spite of blood sugars high and low.  And maybe, just a little more so! 

Monkey Bread, anyone?

2 comments:

Dana said...

I hope that everyone is on the mend!

Naturally Sweet Sisters said...

Me too! Sickness makes for a very long night. Mama needs some sleep!