Accomplishing Diabetes Big and Small

Today I will share with you one of my smallest accomplishments that will hopefully have a BIG impact.

Empowering my girls.

In our house, we have the motto, "You CAN do ANYTHING."

We don't let D stop us.

Well we try to not let it stop us. High blood sugars and ketones sometimes win out but not too often. Chasing low blood sugars sometimes come in delaying fun (or sleep for this D Momma) but we keep moving forward. I don't want my kids to feel like victims...I want them to feel like kids; that can do anything; and just happen to have diabetes.

Since Nora was little I've taught her to speak up if she is feeling bad. To get up out of her seat and head to the Nurses office REGARDLESS of telling the teacher or not. To ask for help if she needs it. To stand her ground and educate people who question her about diabetes. I'd like to think that this has rubbed off on Evelyn too as she can be very outspoken if she is passionate about something.

I know I won't be around forever to fight their battles.

I want them to be able to do that for themselves.

Memorable Day

Today for the Bitter~Sweet Diabetes Blog Week we are asked to share a memorable diabetes day.

I have several but I'll pick when Nora was diagnosed back in June of 2005; she was 4 years old.

That spring she ended up with walking pneumonia. She didn't sound bad...she was just lying around; not her typical monkey running around self. She was laid up for a couple of days when I took her into the Dr's office when they told me she had walking pneumonia. After about a week or two she seemed to bounce back to her normal self. But then I noticed that her hands would start shaking and she would whine that she was hungry. I didn't think too much of this as I have that exact same issue. It was always in the morning so it made sense that she was hungry. I would feed her breakfast and she would be fine. Then the excessive water drinking started. She would down 20oz bottles of Dasani in 30 seconds flat and ask for more. It was then that it hit me. 1. She would do well in college for beer bong contests or 2. Something is wrong.

So fast forward to the second week of June 2005. I called the Dr's office and asked for an appointment for Nora. I told them all her symptoms and then said I need her tested for Juvenile Diabetes. Here's the thing. I didn't know what Juvenile Diabetes was. Had no clue. The words just came out of my mouth. We have no family history. We had no friends with it. I've never seen it. I didn't know the symptoms. I didn't know squat about diabetes...let alone T1D. Call it divine intervention, a fluke thing...call it I don't know. But as I said those words it was almost an out of body experience. Weird...

That got me an appointment the next day. Urine analysis confirmed sugar in the urine. What did that mean?  Sent us to get a blood draw. Now remember, Nora is 4 years old. She hated to pee in a cup and then she had to give blood. She was NOT a happy camper. I believe in bribery. By the time we stopped off at the mall for said bribery gift and got home a recording was left saying yes, Nora has diabetes and to go down to Children's Hospital where we would be staying for a week.

I remember that day like it was yesterday and Nora will be celebrating her LIVE-a-versary June 13th with 8 years of T1D.

We the Undersigned and I'm NOT your honey!

So what's up with all these petitions going around the Internet? 

That's my challenge today...write my own. Who would it be to or about and why.

Today I'm writing my petition to the Food Industry. 

Calorie King is great. Restaurant websites are okay. But for D-sake...if you make it, cook it, plate it, serve it...give us a carb count. I don't ask for much. I just ask for ALL menu items to be listed. And nice waitress at Max & Erma's who runs to get the manager when I asked about how many carbs are in their warm, delicious cookies and then come back with a "we can't find the nutritional info and don't worry about it honey...you'll just have to walk it off"... um...I'm NOT your honey and yes I will worry about it...I NEED to give my daughter insulin so that she can eat those cookies because she is a T1D. Look, I can SWAG with the best of 'em. Sometimes I do pretty well others well...not so well. I know that even with the exact carb count stuff happens blood sugars rise and/or fall. But I really would like to know...at least have a fighting chance for good blood sugars. 

So that's my blog challenge petition. What would yours be?