Logging Numbers

After the second child was diagnosed, our desire to log a second set of blood glucose numbers went right out the window.  

I say that because in all honesty, having to record everything your child eats or does during the day is monotonous at best.  No one that I have ever met says, "Recording blood sugars is so much fun!  I wish I could do it all.day.long!"

Um, no.  CRA-ZY!

When the endo finally gave us clearance to do as we pleased with recording bg, we abandoned the hand-written notes for an easily downloadable meter.

That worked for another short period of time until we also realized that there were many times during the day that both of our daughters used the same blood sugar meter - with different needles of course.  Trying to sort out which bg went to whom, was a bit of logistical nightmare.  

After the review of our bg recording situation, we realized that there just isn't enough time in the day to micro-manage every single detail.  

It was at that point that we decided to log every single number into the insulin pump and on Sunday nights, to download those numbers for review.  

While it is still cumbersome and probably one of our least favorite t1d tasks, it works.  We get to keep a watchful eye on what is happening and make changes as needed.

But what do you do if you are on an injections or insulin pens or you can't/don't want to input each of the blood sugars into the pump?  I don't have all of the ideas, but from a conversation with some of my local friends, these ideas were tossed around.  I thought you might like to hear them.  

**  One of my girlfriends has a brilliant idea to send herself emails.  She simply pulls out her phone and messages herself as a reminder for later.  On that same note, my girls also like to text me bgs from school.  We use it as an opportunity to fine-tune anything that needs immediate attention.  They also sneak in some non-t1d talk from time to time too.  I love how connected we stay.

**  Another friend bought herself a beautiful journal that she can send with her daughter to school.  They both said that it was so pretty, neither one felt it was a chore to log blood sugars.  This would be great for a little boy too.  Just find the hobby that he is most interested in and either purchase a blank book or make one from some scrapbook paper.  

**  Finally, a newly diagnosed mom of a two-year old little girl, shared with me her Glooko App on her phone.  She explained that her husband also had the App installed and they loved being able to see blood sugar numbers as their baby-sitter input them. I haven't tried this App myself, but found this neat guide to all t1d Apps on the market.    Maybe there is one that is right for you?

Regardless of how you choose to log blood sugar numbers, I have found that just by doing so, you can help keep a good handle on how your child is managing t1d either with or without you.  

Nifty T1D Bandages That You Can Find In The Pet Aisle

Vetrap by 3M

Recently, I discovered that there is a cool bunch of tapes manufactured by 3M that are self-sticking, sweat proof and water resistant, which is absolutely perfect for keeping infusion sets and CGM sensors on during summer days at the lake and the pool.

The really cool part is that these tapes are manufactured in bright colors and with adorable designs. The one pictured is from PetFlex and is made by Andover.  After we opened the package, it appears to be made exactly as 3M brand.

With blue stars too!  Adorable!

The price is reasonable too.  We paid 3.99 for the 3M and $2.99 for the PetFlex.

Oh, and in case you didn't notice, did I mention that these were designed for pets?

Yes, that is right!  Our furry, non-human friends!

However, thanks to 3M Vetrap and Andover PetFlex, our kids can be as comfortable as their pets while splashing around pool side with their medical t1d gear.

A few neat things about the product that have my kids thrilled are the self-sticking bandage material that does not need a product like UNI-SOLVE to reduce sticky.  All you need to do when removing is simply peel off the bandage.  The other neat piece is that when the girls feel like being private with their infusion site or Dexcom sensor, all they need to do is wrap a bit of the brightly colored bandage around their arm and no one will need to know what is underneath.  In fact, oldest daughter giggled and said, "I am going to be a trend-starter with this."  Who knows, you may see this at pools across the nation this summer!

I found a few other versions and loaded them into the Naturally Sweet Sisters Amazon Store.  You can check it out HERE.

We picked up our first set for our Spring Break get-a-way.  After, we real-life test it out, I will report back with results.

In the meantime, if you have tried this, I would love to hear from you.

Happy Spring Break!


 

394 And A Perfect Score

I don't know what a high blood sugar feels like.

I've only been able to read the vast array of symptoms such as being thirsty, having blurry vision, feeling weak or tired, unable to concentrate or feeling antsy.

My girls have also told me that they sometimes have sharp pains in their stomach, so much so that they want to lay their heads down and cry.  They tell me that they often feel so thirsty that all of the water in the world isn't enough to calm the dryness.

They also (embarrassingly enough) feel the need to go to the bathroom every few minutes, so concentration is out the door for most every task, until they find relief.  Almost like a clock, they explain that if they do not see their blood sugar numbers going down, it is difficult not to panic and worry about things like ketones or dehydration.

As I write this, I feel both an incredible amount of sadness that my girls have to go through this and also, a huge amount of pride that they manage so well, in spite of this.

Because yesterday, as a validation of the deep strength that they possess, even while battling t1d, this came home:






See that 394 in the top right corner?  Well, that is a 394 mg/dl.

See that 40/40 circled in blue?  Well, that is a perfect score on a math test.

See that type 1 diabetes holding her back?  Well, me either.