Finally, a post released 2 days early

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,

One creature was stirring, but it wasn’t a mouse.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

As I looked and found his hand under head,

I peeled open a finger and with a muted click,

I drew enough blood to fill the test stick.

As I left the room there arose such a clatter,

I ran to the window to see what was the matter.

Up on the rooftop I heard the hooves click,

I knew in an instant it must be St. Nick.

I crept down the stairs and patiently waited,

He saw me there standing and quietly stated,

“Oh my, I wasn’t expecting to see you,

Christmas eve meetings I don’t normally do.”

I smiled at him happily and noticed his sack.

“Santa,” I said “you can take it all back.”

With shock and confusion his mouth opened wide,

His curiosity and wonder he just couldn’t hide.

“Santa, you see, there is only one thing we want this year,

but it does not seem to be a wish you can grant, we fear.”

“Our little boy upstairs dreaming of a fanciful trip,

Lives each precious day in a disease’s tight grip.”

“The gift we really want is to take diabetes away,

But we already know that tonight it will stay.”

Santa lowered his head as he pondered a thought,

He knew too well that this matter has us fraught.

A kind smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye,

He said “There is no wish gander, this I can not deny.”

“Sadly, you are right, there are some deeds I can’t do,

But I leave this for your family and you.”

“A Christmas of joy and family together,

Aside from your wish, nothing could be much better.”

He placed with care his gifts under the tree,

Bid me good night and left fast as could be.

Dawn arrived swiftly and the day was at hand,

Over was the wait the children couldn’t stand.

They cheered as they waited to open their first present,

The moment so perfect, the gift missing I could hardly resent.

The old man was right, my wish not granted indeed,

In stead, for the time, we have what we need.

Blessed by the miracles that gave us this day,

We have too much to celebrate to let D in the way.

I will wait again next year with my wish held steadfast,

That once and for all, diabetes becomes a thing of the past.

The truth is... I am Iron Man

   Maybe it's because he's such a great looking guy....  Maybe it's because he's so popular with the ladies....  Maybe, it's because he really is as cool as a billionaire playboy...  Or maybe, just maybe, it's because he has a miracle of technology plugged into his torso.  But no matter how you slice it, he's my hero!

   Someone asked me today "How do you do Halloween with Jonathan?"  To which I responded "Well, first we find a really cool costume, then we dress him up and give him a bag.  Finally we send him running house to house screaming 'trick or treat'..."  And I was once again labeled a 'smart-ass'.  Fact of the matter is, we all know it looks a lot easier than it is.  

   Factor in assumed activity to the dinner bolus, set temp-basal, check BG often, have juice boxes on hand, and try to keep up.  I've never been a much of a juggler in a practical sense, but it kind felt like we were marching down the street with our balls in the air.

   I'd like to consider myself to be fairly non-judgmental, and I honestly don't remember having an opinion on diabetes and Halloween before, but I can imagine there of plenty of people out there who would shake their head at the notion of a diabetic child going trick-or-treating, and maybe even a few who would question our fitness as parents for allowing such an activity.  The simple matter of fact though, is that Halloween is no different for a diabetic child as it is for any other (at least not in their minds) and the irony of it is that most, if not all of our kids, actually are healthier trick-or-treaters than some of the other kids because they are typically more responsible (ok, with some guidance) with their sugary treats and don't gorge themselves on piles at a time (like I did when I was a kid).  He, and his sister, each get one - occasionally two treats per day as desserts after a meal (usually lunch - sometimes dinner), and his is factored into his carb count.

   Halloween this year, that is the night of, wasn't as big a deal D-wise as some may think.  Actually, there was no candy consumed by either child last night.  In D terms it was no different than a long after dinner walk with some extra fun thrown in.  I really don't want to over-simplify it (a 3.8 / 68 half way through was a big F-me moment), but the things is as much as it's harder than some may think, it's more doable than they might imagine.

   The thing that amazes me though about Jonathan is, over the past year had change, when special treats come up he doesn't put up too much of a fuss if his sugar is high and he has to wait until later.  He's shocked the hell out of both his teachers with how good he is about it.  Not just Halloween, but birthday cupcakes, craft snacks, and a number of other seasonal items.  Sometime he's not too high and there's no concern, but if he's in the 20's (>360) the teacher feels uncomfortable about sending him up higher, and really she's right.  As much as I don't want him to be excluded from special activities, he's better to wait until later for that special treat and have something more sensible at the time.... and he never puts up a fuss about it.

   Calm, cool, collected... and great tech for battling evil... he is a real Iron Man.

Wasn't so bad afterall

As they say, all's well that ends well.  I can only say that in regards to short periods of time as the chase never ends, but as our Easter weekend draws to a close I'm amazed that we had as little BG drama as we did.  The only thing I think we can really attribute it to is that Jonathan was outside playing a lot as it was a beautiful weekend; perhaps as well to a few little changes in the holiday events.  My family, extended family, never ceases to amaze me.  Not only were Easter treats kept to a minimum and in a centralized area that we could easily monitor, but those that gave him gift bags went out of their way to find treats more suited to his needs.  Most of our family couldn't take care of Jonathan on their own for any length of time right now (they just don't have the training ), but they all display a firm awareness of his situation and do their best to be considerate of it (thank you to all of you!).

 

It was about this time yesterday evening however, that I was quietly enjoying the notion of our holiday success, but not long after it looked like we were in for another ride on the glucoaster.  He was about 12ish (~220) when he went to bed and 10 (180) at 4 hours after dinner - pretty average.  Typically we expect he'll stay about there ± 2 (36).  Normally I'd have let him go through the night, but since I was up for about an extra hour or so watching a little TV, I thought I'd check him one more time before I hit the sack.  20.3! (365)  Damn, we were so close.  There was no apparent reason for the spike other than perhaps stress.  He did NOT want to go to bed.  And to make matters worse, he took a bump to the noggin when I closed the hatch on the wagon when we got home.

 

Usually I don't wake him up for testing and injections at night, but I was doubly panicked now.  Thankfully he woke right up and gave me the same "go to hell" look that I give others when I'm woken from a sound sleep.  But I knew that was a good sign.  So a unit in at 23:00 and down to 17 (206) three hours later.  I decided to be a little less aggressive last night and let him coast down slowly.  He was still a little high at breakfast so we bumped up his bolus, but the rest of the day was stellar, so much so that there was a trip to the park, ice creme, and afternoon of play and he still rocked the dinner check. :)

 

And so, "one more sleep" as the kids would say, and it's back to our "normal" routine.  Easter was a non-event (D wise) after all.  And aside from being a little warn out from the long weekend, he's no worse for wear.