Tate is "PUMPING"

It has been a little over a month with Tate's pump, and things have gone pretty well overall.  At first, his numbers went all out of whack, which was somewhat expected.  Now we are back to more of a "normal" range for him.  We typically figure things out for a week or two, and then have to make changes due to growth spurts.

I am very happy with the results I am seeing.  Because he is so young, we give him his insulin after he eats.  (Normally insulin is given before eating.)  So his insulin is always behind, and chasing his carbs.  With injections, his Dexcom reading would peak between 300 and 400 after eating.  Now, with the pump, he only peaks around 200 or 250.  This is GREAT news!

It is nice when we are out to dinner to not have to pull out a vial of insulin and a syringe.  Instead we pull out the little remote that goes with his pump, enter the carbs, and send it to the pump.  That simple.  The pump figures out all of the math for us.  It is waterproof so he can go swimming and still keep it on.  He is as typical as any other 2 year old.

Tate likes it, too.  If you ask if he wants his insulin with a shot or his pump, he always says, "My pump."  As usual, he is a trooper.  We have to change his site every other day.  We started by numbing him, but now we no longer need to do it. He lays down on a pillow for us, and waits for us to finish.  He doesn't even flinch when we stick him.  Amazing little guy to say the least.

We have received so much training over the summer from Cincinnati Children's Hospital.  We are so blessed to be so close to such a wonderful, knowledgable hospital.

Insulin Pump Update

Tate started using his pump on Monday.  We went through a 5 hour training at Children's Hospital with him with us...a little challenging to say the least, but we got through it and he, once again, did great.

They said to expect a few weeks to get everything ironed out.  He started off with his glucose numbers all out of wack...highs and lows, and very different than they were.  Now, on the 6th day, he has been running low.  Today, I have had to prick his finger 16 times since midnight, and there will still be more tonight.  No tears, though, and he says he likes his pump better than his shots.  Thank goodness we have his Dexcom CGM to help us monitor his levels because it has caught all of these lows before they were really low.

So, his pump is attached just below his waist line.  It is inserted with a needle, but the needle doesn't stay in.  Then there is tubing that goes from the infusion site to his pump (this is how the insulin gets from the pump to his body).  Then we hook the pump to his pants, but it seems to fall off a lot.  I guess because of how active he is.  We have to change this every 2 days.  It is a little challenging right now, but I know it will get easier with practice.  We do numb the site before we change it.  Yesterday, he did somehow pull the infusion set (what is attached to him) out...I have no idea how. He brought it to me:)  So, of course, I initially panicked because I didn't know what to do.  Then I calmed myself down and realized that I would just give him a shot for his lunch carbs and then put a new one on.  It all worked out.  Giving him his insulin through the pump is much easier than giving him shots!  I can't wait till we get all of his numbers smoothed out.

One of the toughest parts is that we have to check his glucose level every 3 hours around the clock.  It gets harder and harder, the older I get, to keep getting up through the night and then function during the day.  I'm glad it is summer and I don't have to go to work right now.  However, I will do ANYTHING for him.

Again, through all of this, Tate is Tate...a trooper.  He lets us do what we need to do when we need to do it.  He now "pretends" to read the carb counts on the labels of packages. He tells people that what they are eating has carbs in it.  It is hilarious!  He amazes me everyday with his knowledge and his easy go attitude.

Rough Patch

I always say that Tate is an amazing little guy.  On Monday, Brian was eating some chips and dip that was leftover from Father's Day. Tate was sitting by him and asked him, "Daddy, does that have carbs?"  He wanted some and knew that he couldn't have carbs at that time.  ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!  HE IS 2! In the moment, I didn't know if I should feel proud or sad, and I actually felt both.  Proud that he is learning, and sad that he actually has to know things like that as a child.  It gives me a whole new perspective on life, learning, and what is expected of our children.  Mine might not know his numbers or letters or pee on the potty, but he knows to count carbs, to drink juice when he is low, and how to check his blood sugar.  He will go to school with an entire different life experience than his peers.

Rough Patch
We are in a bit of a rough patch right now.  He is healthy and doing fine, but has been running high now for too long and we are having trouble getting his levels down. We made some changes last week that didn't work.  Then more over the weekend that didn't work.  Then another one today.  Now he is running low.  This is the frustrating part.  It is such a roller coaster ride...up and down.  It is sometimes hard to find that middle, level, in range number that he needs.  So now what?  I have no idea....we will just keep adjusting things until we get it right.

We do have his pump now, but will not start using it until July 27th when we take the training class at Children's hospital.  Excited, nervous, and anxious about this.

Dexcom CGM is wonderful and gives us so much peace of mind!

Dexcom CGM

We FINALLY have Tate's Dexcom CGM (continuous glucose monitor)!  On Monday, we went to a 4 hour training (with Tate) to learn how to use it, and how to put it on him.  This shows how great he is!  We were at Children's from 1:15-5:30 in a little room learning all of this information.  It was his nap time, too.  He was so good.  It is really unbelievable.  When we put the CGM on him, he did cry while we iced his leg to help him not feel the sting.  Then he stopped.  We showed him the CGM, told him what it was for, and told him not to touch it or pull at it.  He hasn't bothered it at all.  He has shown a few people, and sometimes he will tell me to "be easy" when I am changing his clothes:)  He is nothing but amazing!

The CGM is awesome and I am a little obsessed with it.  It tells us an "approximate" glucose reading, but more importantly has an alarm setting for if he goes below 90.  It also tells us if he is going up or down and how quickly.  I LOVE IT!!!!!  Last night Brian and I both got to sleep through the night.  This was the first time in over 6 months!  We still have to stick his finger to get an exact reading before eating and before doing treatment of any kind.

We are so thankful for technology like this!

AND....the pump is coming soon!  Hopefully he will have it and be using it by the end of the summer!

Ups and Downs

Over the past week or so, Tate has had a lot of ups and downs.  He was running high so we called Children's and made a teeny, tiny change to one of his insulins, and then he started to run low at night.  We had a week of sleepless nights.  I think sometimes that is the hardest part for us.  We are up a lot at night checking him, treating him, re-checking him, and worrying about him.  We now have fixed the original change we made, and adjusted his carb ratio (the amount of insulin he gets per gram of carbs he eats).  Now things are much better, but still seeing a lot of ups and downs.  Today, for example, he was high this morning and now low again tonight, but overnight has been better.

The exciting news is that we are supposed to receive his CGM tomorrow.  This is the monitor that will tell us if his glucose level is rising or falling, and how quickly it is rising or falling.  Once we get it, we can schedule training and then start using it.  I am so excited for this and so hopefully that it will be successful with Tate.  It will give us some peace of mind, especially at night.

Also, tomorrow we are submitting our paperwork to Children's to start the process to get his pump!  It will still be awhile for this, though.

As always, he is our trooper!  Never minding all the poking and prodding that we do to him.  He has even started to push the button on the finger poker that we use to check his glucose level.  He is so amazing, and we are so blessed to have him!

Lemonade Stand for JDRF

On Friday of last week, J.F. Burns Elementary (where I teach and Ty and Tucker went to school through 4th grade) had a lemonade stand.  This is somewhat of a new tradition at our school.  The past 2 years the funds raised were donated to Childhood Cancer.  This year, they were donated to JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).  I cannot explain the feelings I feel inside about this.  It's weird.  The fact that people gave money to help children like Tate is unbelievable to me.  Our school of K-4th grade children raised almost $700 for JDRF.  I am touched beyond belief.  It also gave me the opportunity to share Tate's story with 4th graders, and clear up any misunderstandings that they may have about Diabetes.

I want to thank everyone who helped with the Lemonade Stand, donated lemonade, and donated money for a glass of lemonade.  I am truly blessed to work in such a wonderful school!!!

Physical Activity

I am struggling to figure out how physical activity affects Tate's glucose levels.  Yesterday was a rough day with his levels.  He was outside enjoying the nice weather.  I gave him carbs while he was playing and before going in for his nap and checked him quite frequently.  He was running on the lower side, so I kept giving him more carbs.  While he was napping, I checked him after an hour of sleeping and his BG was 120 (80-150 normal).  I checked him again 45 minutes later and he was 29...YES...I said 29!  My heart dropped.  I didn't panic, but you can't imagine the things that went through my mind in those next few seconds.  I immediately picked him up out of his bed and started to try to get him to wake up. I quickly gave him 15g of juice to try to start getting his BG back up.  Thank God Tate responded well.  He woke up, and willing sucked the juice right down.  Within 20 minutes, his BG was back within range.  This was the scariest and most emotional moment for me so far on our journey.  He has never been this low before, and I know the lower he goes, the riskier it is for him.  Needless to say, I am glad it is a rainy day today!  He is much calmer! 

However, we might have had a little breakthrough with Tate today.  I was driving home this afternoon and he asked me if it was lunchtime.  I said no, but almost dinnertime.  He said, "I have blackberries?  And strawberries? And chicken?"  I said, "Sure."  Then when I was getting him out of the car, he started whining.  I asked him if he felt low.  He said yes.  Now, I ask him this sometimes, but I don't really know that he knows what I mean.  So when we came in the house, I decided to check his BG.  It wasn't a normal time to check, but I thought since he was whining and asking for food I would check.  Sure enough, his BG was 55.  It's the first low that I have been excited about:)  Maybe he is starting to be able to tell?! Maybe when he starts asking for food, it is a sign for me?!  I still don't see any physical signs, though.

Please keep praying for Tate!  Thank you!!!

Road to a CGM and Insulin Pump

Today we had Tate's appointment at Children's.  His A1C went up to 9 (should be 7.5).  We have had a much more difficult time controlling his levels over the past 2 months.  They said that is ok, though, especially with a 2 year old.  We have decided to move forward with getting him a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor).  This is a device that he wears 24/7 that monitors his sugar levels.  It will alert us when he is going low or high and how quickly he is dropping or rising.  We are really excited to get this, especially since he is unable to tell us how he is feeling.  We will also be moving forward with getting him an insulin pump.  This will take longer to get than the CGM, though.  Hopefully sometime this summer we will get a pump for him.  Hopefully the pump will help us keep his sugar levels more in his range.

Tate Update

I haven't written in awhile.  Tate is still doing well, but these past few months have not been as good as the previous month as far as his glucose levels go.  He has been running much higher than before and is more inconsistent.  I don't feel like we have had as much control.  He has had several colds and recently was sick with a fever...both will cause him to run high.

Most recently, we have been teaching Tucker how to measure Tate's insulin and to give him his shot.  He has done AWESOME!!  He can do it!!!  Now we are working on the calculations.  Other than Danielle, Tucker is the only other person that has given him shots.  Sometimes, Tate doesn't want Tucker to do it and will throw a fit...that makes it really hard to give a shot successfully.  At this point, Ty doesn't want anything to do with it.  Needles/shots/anything medical freak him out!

I feel like we have come so far and have learned so much.  However, sometimes, I still get very overwhelmed.  For example, today I totally messed up.  I gave him too much insulin...a lot too much!  I know we all make mistakes, but this is not an area that I feel like I can mess up. Especially the way I did.  Thank goodness I realized it within about 10 minutes and was able to figure out how many carbs he need to eat to reverse what I did, and thank goodness he willingly ate the granola bar I gave him (this was right after he ate dinner, so he wasn't really hungry).  Here's what I said to him, "Tate, Mommy gave you too much insulin so I need you to eat this granola bar so that you don't go too low."  He said, "Ok." and ate the granola bar.  I am so blessed!!!!!

Childcare for Tate

Any parents that work outside of the home and have children that aren't in school yet, know what a nightmare finding good childcare can be.  With Tate, we have been truly blessed.

About 18 years ago, I was coaching JV softball at Loveland High School.  That is where I first met Tate's babysitter, Danielle.  She was a freshman or sophomore on my team.  I only coached one year, so after that, we kept in touch a little bit for a little while.  But years went by with no communication or contact.  Then we reconnected on facebook when I was pregnant with Tate.  I noticed that she had in home childcare.  I asked if she would be interested in watching Tate.  Of course, she said yes.

Since day one, we have been nothing but happy with Danielle.  Tate loves her and loves going to her house.  When we found out that Tate had Diabetes, one of my first thoughts was how would Danielle be able to do this.  It took a little while for me to process the idea that she might not do it at all.  Then I became terrified!!!  However, I don't think she ever even considered not continuing watching him.  While we were in the hospital, she came to see him and to learn a little bit about his diabetes and what to do.  The nurses were so impressed and commented on how lucky we were to have someone who cared so much about him.  They said they don't see that happen very often.

Over the next two weeks Brian and I took turns staying home with Tate until my 2 week Christmas break.  That would give us a month to figure this out and teach Danielle.  She came to our house and spent hours with us counting carbs, measuring insulin, learning how to give shots, where to give shots, how to hold him so he stays still, going through the "what-ifs..."  By January 5th, when I returned to work, she was ready. I was so nervous.  I told her how I felt and assured her that I wasn't nervous because it was her, but just because it wasn't me. It is so scary to hand your baby off to anyone under these circumstances.

It has almost been a month that he has been back to Danielle's house.  She has done an amazing job.  She texts me every time she checks his glucose level and every time he eats.  She tells me what she is going to do.  She always knows what to do.  ALWAYS!  I am so blessed.  I can't even put into words how I feel.  God is so good to us.

I believe God puts people in our lives for a reason.  Sometimes we will never know the reason.  I know why God put her in my life 18 years ago.  She is here for Tate.  She loves him as her own child.  She would do anything for him...ANYTHING!  It doesn't get any better than that!

So, our blessing is Danielle.  Thank you God for placing her in our lives!  We will forever be grateful!  Thank you, Danielle!  We love you, and will forever be grateful to you, too!

Team Work

Tate is doing great!  His glucose levels are usually pretty consistent and in his range most of the time.  He doesn't cry about his finger pricks or getting shots.  He doesn't cry for certain foods anymore.  He wears a medical alert bracelet with trains on it and can tell you why he wears it:)

I've learned so much in the past 7 weeks that I didn't think it was possible to fit anymore into my brain.  But, going through all of this takes me way back to my days of playing sports.  I believe that there is so much to learn about life through sports. I didn't see this as a kid while I was playing, but as an adult, I do see it and I try to teach my kids through sports, as well.  For those of you who know me well, know how competitive I am.  I love a competition, and I love winning.  I don't like to lose, but when I do, I do it with good sportsmanship.  Brian is the same way.  When we compete, it is best we are on the same team:)  

Well...we are on the same team in this journey...TEAM TATE.  We have to work together to get through this and to take the best care of Tate.  There are times where Brian has made a mistake (I have, too) and I have to tell myself that it is ok.  I even have to tell him that, too.  We talk through it and figure it out together.  We are team mates and we have to pick each other up when we are down or when we need some encouraging.  If we place blame on each other, we are not helping each other, or helping Tate.  We win together, lose together, make mistakes together, rely on each other.  I feel like we have only gotten stronger as a family because of all of this.  We rely on each other more now than ever before, and that is the blessing I find today.  

Thank you for your prayers!

Tate's Journey

Tate, Brian, and I spent 3 days in Children's Hospital learning how to take care of Tate.  We are so blessed to have Cincinnati Children's right here so close to us.  Everyone there was wonderful!!!!  Brian and I learned so much in those 3 days.  We still don't know everything.  There are so many "what-ifs" and judgement calls to make.

Tate gets his finger pricked every three hours to check his glucose level.  On a good day, he will only have to get 5 insulin injects...breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime snack, and a 24 hour insulin shot.  Some days he has more than that if his glucose level is too high when we check.  When we first came home, he was getting injections almost every 3 hours...every time we checked him.  The first time he had a normal glucose number, Brian and I weren't sure what to do...LOL.  His numbers are much better now and his days are usually "good" ones.

He is a champ.  The finger pricks don't bother him at all.  Never have.  In the beginning the shots made him cry, but not for long.  He cried more before hand in anticipation of getting one.  Now he doesn't cry at all.  He squirms and makes it difficult for us to give it to him, but doesn't cry.  It is amazing.  When we first came home, the hardest part was limiting his snacks that had carbs in them. He didn't understand why he couldn't have fruit snacks right now.  That is when he cried and threw fits.  It is amazing how quickly a 2 year old will adjust.  Within a few days, he knew he couldn't have them whenever he wanted. We would  give them to him when he was getting a shot anyway.  Now...5 weeks later...he doesn't even ask for them.  When we ask him what he wants for snack, he says things like cheese, peppers, tomatoes, peanuts, pistachios.  What 2 year old asks for that?  It's a good thing he likes a variety of foods!

Thank you for all of your prayers for Tate and our family.  We really appreciate them and need them!

Tate's Journey

A little over a month ago, on December 2, 2014, Tate was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  The most frequent question I get is, "How did you know?"  Tate was drinking and peeing EXCESSIVELY, especially during the night.  He is normally a great sleeper, but he kept waking up asking for a drink.  He would pee through a nighttime diaper is less than 2 hours.  His mouth was so dry that he wouldn't even want to use his pacifier.  Finally, on December 2, I took him to the doctor knowing that there was a possibility that he had diabetes.  He tested positive in the pediatrician's office.  We went to Children's late that afternoon for a 3 day stay.  It was very scary...all of the unknowns running through my mind.  I felt bad for him, knowing that he was going to have to take insulin for the rest of his life, knowing that he was going to have to have many shots everyday, and prick his finger multiple times a day, as well.  At the same time, I knew that he had it, and we had to deal with it.  There was no looking back, only ahead.  God was with us and had chosen Tate for a reason.  I would find the blessings in this journey.