Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by garidan on April 8, 2012 at 6:14pm

Natalie, my daughter id db1 since being 14 months old and now she's 3,5 years old (and celiac...).
Our other daughter is now 5.
We are growing them up together, anything equal: we don't want to put them one against the other. I think it will be hard when they grow older, but it will specially due to the celiac desease, not diabetes.
I let her eat "broadly", I try to do the calc and I measure a lot.
I think measuring a lot is due when thing changes, and that happens often.
When her BG is high due to an "extra food" I'm not upset if she's having goog time.
I'm upset when everything is controlled and her BG go roller coaster anyway.
Your daughter is 12: I think you chose right to go for the omnipod.
At that age is actually much important (and hard) to look good and love herself, her body among other things.
If she gets a few highs but she grows good in her self-respect, you did a good job.
I thought often insulin was guilty for her highs, but it was never a ruined insulin the cause, usually it was me afraid of giving her more insulin than usual: things change fast.
As for husband and wife, diabetes can be a "couple-breaker".
Tell you husband and explain him what you are doing and thinking about your daughter therapy: diabetes is a 24/7 matter, you can't avoid sharing it with your husband.
But you both have to never forget your daughter is as before diagnosis: don't let diabetes hide her. Enjoy her life, let her enjoy hers.
English is not my mother language, I hope I got you my feeelings.

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Permalink Reply by Lorraine on April 9, 2012 at 6:00am

Hi Natalie.

I have found that there is a "vacation factor". After doing this for more than 5 years with Caleb from the age of 3 and now he's 9, it always seems that no matter how consistent I try to make the vacation environment, there is some nuance to it that makes all the regular rules go out the window. We can keep the same hours, eat the same foods, but there's always something different. I try to always prepare myself mentally for that, and it helps. We've been through so much over these five years and 99% of the time, it's not a Pod issue. But because we can't immediately identify the problem, that is always a consideration and the unknown nature of it all only increases the stress of the situation which can compound the issue. At least that has been the case for us. Since accepting that it's not likely a Pod issue, it's a little less stressful, although I still tense up when arrows start to go up and I can put my finger on the reason.
I'm sorry she did't enjoy her vacation. I remember our first vacation with diabetes - three months after he was diagnosed, at Universal Studios on shots. Tears (all mine) on a daily basis. But I think Caleb actually had a good time. I hope you can look back and find some happy memories after it all. Hugs. -Lo

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Permalink Reply by NatalieHodge on April 10, 2012 at 8:00pm

thanks, I find the trouble is its only in retrospect we can say its NOT a pod problem, but things are better since increasing her basals, and tweaking carb ratio. We'll be better prepared next time, I hope.

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Permalink Reply by smileandnod on April 9, 2012 at 7:12am

Hi Natalie, I just want you to know how much I admire you for all that you do as a young mother to care for your daughter. I know as a mother that we would take it all upon ourselves if we could free our child of any struggle. And after being married for 28 years, I also know that anything going on with a child can bring you together or push you apart and sometimes both at different times. I would imagine that goes ten-fold for parents of children with diabetes. Just keep working at it.

I use OmniPod and just came off a vacation myself. I had some issues with control as well but I know it was not the pods. I was on MDI for 25 years and had bg issues on every vacation I've ever taken. For me, it's a combination of excitement, different schedule, different activities, and eating out/eating different foods.

Diabetes care can be disruptive, even for adults. We stayed in a suite at the hotel so I would have a separate area to test, treat, take insulin, and change Dexcom sensors and pods without keeping everyone else up all night. That worked well for us as I had to get up to test or take insulin or treat from my post restaurant meal high then subsequent crash.

Had absolutely nothing to do with my pod; had everything to do with being a PWD-on-vacation.

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Permalink Reply by NatalieHodge on April 10, 2012 at 8:03pm

thanks, you are on omnipod and dexcom? I am 43 this year, with botox, I look oh... a solid 31, I think... ha ha . thanks for the vote of confidence,

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Permalink Reply by smileandnod on April 11, 2012 at 6:45am

Well I'm 52 this year, so 43 is still young to me! :) And, yes, I'm on OmniPod and Dexcom. I started first with the Dexcom and I think dealing with the tempermental nature of the Dexcom and getting used to inserting and wearing it really made the transition to OmniPod a lot easier for me. To me, the OmniPod feels just like the Dexcom, just a little bigger. And when the smaller pods come out, it'll be that much better.

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Permalink Reply by Sophia'smommyLori on April 9, 2012 at 7:17am

Natalie, sorry about the vacation :( We had the same experience last summer on our vacation to Disneyland. 200-300 constantly. No swinging to lows but at least to a normal 110 by morning which we attributed to Sophia still being on the honeymoon and a good 12 hours w/ no food gave her body time to get back to normal. She was 5 at the time. The 2nd to the last day we were to leave for home we noticed her PDM was acting weird. Turning off/on, moving to different screens on it's own, etc.... Well, that was what was causing all the problems. They told us to just change the batteries (although the charge said full) so we did. Then we had to treat low bg the entire flight home!!!!! The new PDM was on our doorstep when we got home and literally w/in an hour her bg was back to normal. UGH!!!! At least my husband went home for work after the 3/4th day out of 9 ;) but it is stressful. I completely understand the not knowing if it's the pod, your settings, etc...
I am in the medical profession too and I also handle about 95% if Sophia's dm management. I know it gets to be a lot at times. It can be very stressful on marriages and the other children as well.
Here's to getting back on track :) Lori

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Permalink Reply by Emily Coles on April 9, 2012 at 2:56pm

There's a ton of great support from other parents of kids with diabetes in this thread, but I don't see any kids with D talking about their PARENTS! So I'll do it :)

I'm not a kid any more, but I WAS a kid with diabetes, so I have that perspective on the dreaded "vacation with/as a diabetic kid" experience. Indeed, vacations are a total minefield for a diabetic, and especially if you're young and don't have a lot of coping strategies in place yet. I remember very well being really excited, along with my parents and siblings, to go on a trip, only to realize over and over again that the exact stuff we were all looking forward to (fun new activities, sleeping late, special food...) was all going to be problematic for me and cause me to spend much of the vacation feeling pretty bad. It can feel like a total bait-n-switch as a kid, and the height of unfairness.

Here are a few of the things my family did to deal with it:

1. make healthy foods and activities be the fun, special stuff.  No one gets a 32oz. coke for a treat because it's bad for everyone, but everyone can have a scoop of ice cream.  No one gets to lie on the sofa all day because everyone is going for a bike ride together.

2. my folks let me see that controlling my sugar could be frustrating and difficult for them, too, but that they were always up for the challenge, hopeful and determined to keep at it. No one gave the slightest hint that they thought it was impossible or wanted to give up. I think that's important because it translated directly into my own attitude toward my blood sugar control, and I think it's a pretty good one.

3. I was allowed to get angry and spit a little fire, but no one else was. This is a selfish one, but I really appreciate that when I was growing up I never had to feel like my diabetes was messing up anyone else' vacation (or life, for that matter). If my folks had gotten really upset about it I would have wanted to hide it from them to spare them those feelings, which wouldn't have been good for any of us.  At the same time, if I hadn't been allowed to shout about it once in a while I would have exploded.

4. EVERYONE in the family was on board with whatever was good for me, with no argument. This is not to say that if my sugar was too high to eat then no one ate, but that I was accommodated as much as possible with no hint of grumbling from anyone (including my grumbly teenage sibs).

5. when I was young enough to be sent to bed before everyone else they would all wait til I was asleep to break out the dessert. When I got a little older I think they switched to healthier desserts for everyone.

I don't know if any of that is helpful, but I hope so.  Strategies are crucial.

Good luck, Natalie!

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Permalink Reply by jrtpup on April 9, 2012 at 6:04pm

Thanks Emily, what a great post! I rarely get to see a child's perspective.

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Permalink Reply by Emily Coles on April 10, 2012 at 4:14am

:) Thanks Barbara

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on April 10, 2012 at 4:23am

Nice post! I'd like to hear more of the kids' perspectives too! They end up being sort of 'silent' in a lot of these sagas, even though they are teenagers who probably send 4 or 5 thousand txts/ day about more important things.

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Permalink Reply by NatalieHodge on April 10, 2012 at 8:09pm

ha ha

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