Disney - Tips from A 9-Year Old

After writing my series on Disney and Diabetes, both our youngest and oldest daughter were inspired to write up their own version of tips at the parks.  For your viewing pleasure and because ultimately, nothing makes me happier to see my kids using their 'school skills', here is our youngest daughter's tidbits for Walt Disney World.  Hope you enjoy!

Roller coasters: When you are at Magic Kingdom you should always visit the rides first because the roller coasters gets busy fast. I would recommend Splash Mountain if you can handle it. The drop is really fun but still really scary. Splash Mountain is located in Frontier Land. If you are one of those old people or young toddlers you should stick to a small ride such as the Great Goofini. It is a short but fun ride. Also get fast passes to go on the rides faster. They help if you are getting hot or getting bored in line.

Pin trading:  Pin trading is very fun for anyone who wants to do it. You can go online and get Disney pins to trade with at the parks. You can put the pins on anything. I used a lanyard for them. All the Magic Kingdom Cast Members are willing trade with you (but be nice). Look for Hidden Mickeys on all of your pins

Eating: For the old men,  you should go to the food  places at Magic Kingdom and eat your way back to the ladies that are shopping for cute things. If you are really hungry go to Epcot they have really good food. Magic Kingdom has a couple good restaurants, like Pecos Bill. It is located in Frontier land.

 Shopping:  Your kids are probably begging to go shopping or maybe you are too but now when you take a step into Magic Kingdom you can really feel the magic. When you are here you may go shopping at Castle Couture.  It is a very cute store here in Magic Kingdom.  It will put the sparkle on you.

Having fun: Where ever you go and where ever you are you should always have some fun. Remember to do most of these steps and to always have some fun.  

By Youngest Daughter - Age 9

Blood Draws - How Things Change In A Blink!

Youngest daughter is the lucky recipient of two auto-immune diseases; type 1 diabetes AND Hashimotos Hypothyroid. 

You can read a little bit more about her experience with Hashimotos here.

For the most part, neither diagnosis holds her back from enjoying all that life has to offer.  There are though, the days when one or the other disease causes a little too much grief.  If we can't rule out high or low blood sugars as a culprit, we often will turn to a blood draw for some investigation on her hormone levels.

What is most interesting about her hypothyroid diagnosis is how often her thyroid hormone levels will fluctuate, causing discreet symptoms to flare and reappear.  This is not necessarily the case with many children that have Hashimotos.  In fact, one of our dear friends has children that rarely have dosage changes, so in that regard, it is very different from patient to patient.  I also find it interesting that my oldest daughter has perfect thyroid levels and even three years post diagnosis continues to be in range at every check.  Like type 1 diabetes does not necessarily develop in every person with a genetic connection, neither does Hashimotos.

Youngest daughter's chief complaint is, and always has been, leg pain.  As a mother, nothing is worse than seeing your child tear up from feeling aches and having absolutely no way to make them go away, even with warm baths, ibuprofen and other miscellaneous attempts to calm her.  The only true way to discover what is going on is through labwork where her TSH, T3, T4 and Free T3, T4 are carefully reviewed.  For as much as our youngest daughter hates blood work, when she is feeling her leg pain, she will practically volunteer for the poke. 

Can I just say how sad that is for a nine-year old?  Sigh.

Once again at our recent pediatric endocrinologist appointment, both youngest daughter and I mentioned a few of the random symptoms that she had been feeling.  Headaches and leg pain topped the list - with youngest daughter sharing that during her dance class, the pain was so strong that she couldn't even stand on one leg during the barre exercises. 

Hearing a child talk so openly and candidly about her situation is certainly a compelling reason to head into the nearest lab to check TSH levels.  Which we did, immediately upon receiving our blood draw script.

And sure enough... TSH had elevated just a tiny bit from 3.00 to 3.50.  This small jump is enough to cause symptoms to flare in many individuals.  It also completely validated youngest daughter's worries as with her symptoms, you can not actually see anything with the naked eye - except maybe an enlarged gland (goiter) but that would be from very high levels of TSH.  A tiny bit of an increase in her Levothyroxin will eventually, (as it does take about six weeks to build up in her system) help decrease her symptoms.  Not to mention that if we waited, with all of her impending growth, we could find ourselves dealing with a much bigger problem in 3 more months - and a much unhappier child. 

Like I have mentioned before, this is just one pill a day.  That's all that is required for her to continue being a happy kid.

While I wish she didn't have 'one more thing', I am so glad that we can help her to to solve this and I am also so glad that she will be back to feeling like any other healthy 9-year old should! 

Eyes and Feet - Check, Please!

One part of my daughters' visit to our endocrinologist includes a foot exam.  While this is a consistent part of our endocrinology appointment, some pediatric endocrinologists never even look at the feet.  Because of this discrepancy in routine, I thought it might be a good idea to put a little reminder of what to look for on the Naturallysweetsisters.com blog.

From the American Diabetes Association Website:

Caring for Your Feet

• Take care of your diabetes. Work with your health care team to keep your blood glucose in your target range.
• Check your feet every day. Look at your bare feet for red spots, cuts, swelling, and blisters. If you cannot see the bottoms of your feet, use a mirror or ask someone for help.
• Be more active. Plan your physical activity program with your health team.
• Ask your doctor about Medicare coverage for special shoes.
• Wash your feet every day. Dry them carefully, especially between the toes.
• Keep your skin soft and smooth. Rub a thin coat of skin lotion over the tops and bottoms of your feet, but not between your toes.
• If you can see and reach your toenails, trim them when needed. Trim your toenails straight across and file the edges with an emery board or nail file.
• Wear shoes and socks at all times. Never walk barefoot. Wear comfortable shoes that fit well and protect your feet. Check inside your shoes before wearing them. Make sure the lining is smooth and there are no objects inside.
• Protect your feet from hot and cold. Wear shoes at the beach or on hot pavement. Don't put your feet into hot water. Test water before putting your feet in it just as you would before bathing a baby. Never use hot water bottles, heating pads, or electric blankets. You can burn your feet without realizing it.
• Keep the blood flowing to your feet. Put your feet up when sitting. Wiggle your toes and move your ankles up and down for 5 minutes, two (2) or three (3) times a day. Don't cross your legs for long periods of time. Don't smoke.
• Get started now. Begin taking good care of your feet today.  Set a time every day to check your feet.

I also want to add that my girls love having at-home-pedicures, so for all of those moms of daughters living with type 1 diabetes, this is a great way to carefully look over the piggies AND make them as cute as can be.  Bonus for our female endocrinologist that gets a kick out of seeing what colors and fashions that the girls are wearing:)  Yes, it is the little things that often make the long appointments fun!

Another part of my daughters' visit to the endocrinologist always includes a reminder to have another appointment for annual vision screening at our friendly Ophthalmologist office.  Over the years, I have adjusted the dates so that the annual visit occurs in the summer, when our schedule is at its most lazy (if that is even possible!).  It helps to take a little bit of the stress out of having to have just one more appointment.  After all, to my girls, it seems that we are constantly at the "doctors" office.

But to make that appointment happen, I have plan ahead as appointments for diabetic eye screening usually are more comprehensive and tend to take a little bit longer. 

From the American Diabetes Association:

When to See an Eye Care Professional

• If you are between 10 and 29 years old and have had diabetes for at least 5 years, you should have an annual dilated eye exam. - Side note: Our endocrinologist recommended this as soon as both girls were diagnosed in an effort to get a baseline to work from.  Your endo may have a different idea.  It is great to discuss and decide what to do together.
• If you are 30 or older, you should have an annual dilated eye exam, no matter how short a time you have had diabetes. More frequent exams may be needed if you have eye disease.
• If you have any changes in your vision.
• You should have a dilated eye exam if you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant. 

 
 After you receive the eye screening results, another good reminder is to either have the Ophthalmologist fax a copy directly to your endocrinologist or make you an extra copy to bring along to your next appointment.  By keeping this communication, you will be able to ensure that all caregivers are up to date on the latest developments and able to thwart any potential problems quickly and easily!