One thousand, nine hundred and twenty

My flower child

From time to time, I calculate how many times Chase's fingers have been poked & how many insulin injections he has had. His current total is 1,920:

8 months since his diagnosis = 240 days w/diabetes

4 insulin shots a day x 240 days = 960 shots

4 finger pokes a day x 240 days = 960 pokes

For a total of 1,920

Why do I do this? See previous post "The cure was in sight".

I love me

Grandma D. was able to leave without a repeat of

what happened at Easter. Let's just say that my folks don't sneak out during Chase's naps any more. We video taped what happened when he woke up to discover that his grandparents were gone. Of course I sent the clip to them so that it was in their inbox even before they got home. Gary says I'm evil, but I can't be too bad because I get teary-eyed every time I watch it.

Video link:
Waking up to Grandpa gone!

Thank you so much, Mom, for you help this week. It was great having you here. And it doesn't hurt that much that Chase says, "I love you" to you and "I love me" me. Little stinker. Oh, and all those rides in the back seat of the pick up with you has taught him to say, "Crazy driver." Geez, all we did was go over some railroad tracks today!

Four years of bliss

Hey, Chase. Your folks are celebrating their 4th anniversary today. Shortly after you were born, we wrote the following wishes for you in your baby book. During your journey through life, we hope that you find some special to share your life with...and we hope our wishes for you come true!

From Mom: "Chase, my wishes for you are that you find happiness and health all throughout your life. Embrace life with passion and go where your heart tells you to go. And always know that your mom and dad will be there for you. Carpe diem - seize the day!"

From Dad: "Chase, my wishes for you are that you be blessed with good friends, good luck, and good fortune - and that your life be filled with Love, Compassion, Smiles and Laughter. I hope that you look forward to each day, that you have an appetite for learning, and that you learn to always maintain a positive attitude. Enjoy every step! And remember, life is too important to take it too seriously'"

July 27, 2002

July 2004

Ps, Gary...I love you more!

8.4

Chase had his third A1C appointment today. An A1C is a blood test (also known as glycated hemoglobin or HbA1c) that provides an estimate of average blood sugars over the past 3 months. His score was 8.4, which means his blood sugars have averaged about 220 mg/dl since May. It may sound high, but it is EXACTLY where they want him to be. Wow! His last A1C was 7.4 which meant that he was having too many episodes of low blood sugars. Low blood sugars affect a developing child's brain so they want him to be slightly higher than normal until he is about 7 years old. Then they will aim for tighter control and an A1C of 6 or 7.

We've also started the process for getting him on an insulin pump!!! An insulin pump will give him continuous doses of insulin and will eliminate the need for needles and daily shots. We don't know how it will go since he is still an active 2 year old, but it is worth a try (Gary and I have made a conscious effort to no longer say, "Let's give it a shot" since it gets Chase nervous!). I'm very excited about this recent development since insulin pumps with continuous blood sugar monitoring are just hitting the market. It will make being a kid (and a parent) just that much easier.

We meet every three months with Chase's doctor, diabetes education coordinator, and dietitian. They praise us every time for the effort that we are making to control his diabetes. And every time they do that I say, "Wouldn't every parent?". And, sadly, their answer is no. It is hard to imagine.

In other news, our day care provider is on a much deserved vacation this week, so Chase has had the pleasure of having Grandma Diane as his live-in nanny. We picked her up on Sunday and also brought back "Hand-me-down Heaven" from my sister's kids. Chase is now the proud owner of his own pick-up which he has named "Monster". Luckily, it runs out of juice and needs to be parked so it can be recharged. Boppa is coming Thursday night to pick Grandma up. We are really going to miss her, but we're looking forward to seeing Boppa and making him chase after Chase in the pick-up. I'm sure Chase would drive Boppa to Menards in his new truck if we let him.

Thanks Brianna and Ben. For a "used vehicle", this truck runs and looks like new!

The cure was in sight - H.R. 810

Statement from the American Diabetes Association:

"The U.S. House of Representatives fell short in the effort to override the President's veto on H.R. 810. This means that H.R. 810 will not pass this legislative session.

By expanding the number of stem cell lines that are eligible for federally funded research while also implementing strong ethical guidelines to improve federal oversight, H.R. 810 not only provided hope of a cure to patients with type 1 diabetes but improved treatment options for all people with diabetes. It is sad to know that President Bush took that hope away from all of us.

The President’s decision to veto H.R. 810 is a devastating setback for Americans who are affected by diabetes and other debilitating diseases. "
Newsweek article

Maybe next time, guys, maybe next time.

Birthday girl, round two...

After speaking to the birthday girl yesterday, she informed me that those weren't good photos of her, so I thought I'd post some more just to show you what a doll this kid really is - and how she has her aunt wrapped around her finger. ;-)

Brianna & Chase - Christmas 2005

June 2006 - Brianna w/brother Ben & Chase

June 2006 with brother Ben

11? It can't be...

Happy 11th Birthday Brianna! e

Brianna is Chase's oldest cousin. She lives a couple states away, but we are lucky that we get to spend quality time with her every summer & a few holidays here and there. We wish we could be there to help her celebrate today. She is a wonderful cousin to Chase & really looks out for her baby cousin. She even lets him punch her in the nose from time to time. Just a few weeks ago she helped him catch his first real fish! After that, we watched her go water skiing - on one ski!

Our favorite quote from Brianna is, "I didn't even know I wanted this!". She was 6 at the time and had just opened a Christmas gift. Gary and I use that line all the time when we are shopping & discovering new and exciting things we didn't know we wanted!

We love you, Brianna. Have an awesome birthday.

Type 1 Diabetes 101

I thought I'd give a short primer on diabetes since I'm asked what a normal blood sugar reading is every now and then. My friend, Gwen, lent me a text book on endocrinology to read more about diabetes. If you want to ever borrow it you'll need 2 people to lift it...

Chase has Type 1 diabetes (a.k.a. juvenile diabetes or insulin dependent). This is an autoimmune disorder where his white blood cells, for reasons unknown, attacked and destroyed the insulin producing (beta) cells around his pancreas. The body uses insulin to convert sugar to energy and without it, the sugar builds up in the body. This was our first clue to his problem - he was drinking huge amounts of fluids before his diagnosis to rid his body of the excess sugar.

Chase has had blood sugar readings of over 500 and as low as 33. Normal glucose (blood sugar) values after fasting for a non-diabetic is 70 to 110 mg/dL. One to two hours after meals, normal blood glucose values should be less than 120 mg/dL. The low blood sugars (insulin reactions or diabetic shock) are what we are most concerned about as they can lead to a coma.

We still do not know what "triggered" his diabetes. We've read theories such as the rubella virus, a lack of vitamin D, or vaccinations. My grandma Irene use to think it was caused by too much sugar. If that was true, she'd have given my sister, brother & me diabetes 10 time over!

Lastly, this is a disease that he will have until there is a cure (insert prayer here). It is not something he will outgrow. They are making amazing progress in the treatment of this disease such as an artificial pancreas. Pancreas transplants are also an option but the anti-rejection drugs that he'd have to take would be worse than the disease. If things in the transplant field ever change, I know that Gary, my mom and I would be elbowing each other to be the first in line to give him our own.

That's it! If you made it though all of this and understood any portion of it you get an A!

Now, on to happier things to talk about. Check out the shirt I found for "him" at JCPenney. I had to convince him that it was a cool shirt even though it didn't have Spiderman on it. I played a little "Back in Black" for him and I think that sealed the deal! Hey, it has a great beat. I know, I know...

It's hot

Yesterday broke a record for July 12th with a temperature of 105 degrees. We sold our hot tub a few weeks ago in order to pay for a new central air unit. At this point, I'm 100% satisfied with that decision!

Chase was happy to entertain Grandma Diane these last 2 days while she was in town for a conference. She stayed at a hotel so Chase could go swimming. He was very excited about that - so much so that he was trying to take his shirt off in the hotel restaurant. Luckily, he was literally able to keep his shirt on while we finished eating. He had an absolute blast in the pool!

Intensity Face

Do I need to explain?

Okay, it's a face Chase has been doing for over a year (we call it his "intensity face" and he'll gladly do it for you if you ask). He taught his uncle Todd how to do it over the 4th of July. It is nice to see Chase being a bad influence on Todd and not vice-versa.

I want coffee!

So, we're at Starbucks tonight and Chase belts out, "I want coffee!". Apparently the barista wasn't moving fast enough for him. Luckily, it was a slow night for coffee drinkers in the city (90 degrees and very humid) and the place was empty.

Chase has had a love of coffee for as long as he's been able to drink out of a cup. I cut back considerably when I was pregnant with him, so I'm not sure where the addiction is coming from. Maybe I can blame genetics? I think I'll start with his 99 year old great-grandpa with whom he is taking a coffee break this last spring.

Eureka!

It's yellow bath tablets...really. This is what I get when I ask Gary to give Chase a bath.

The picture is to announce that we have officially started potty training! Chase used the potty last night for the first time. He was really interested in potty training before his diagnosis, but once he got sick he didn't want anything to do training. So, for all of us, last night was a big event in many ways.

You go Chase...!

Character and Characters

The characters above are my dad and Chase at my folk's place this last weekend. Chase couldn't wait to take a ride on one of Boppa's tractors. This was his first ride on the big Farmall tractor and he was in heaven...I think Boppa was, too.

I felt very guilty after Chase's diagnosis that I had never really understood diabetes better. I watched my dad deal with it every day for 32 years but it never really hit me what he had to do on a day-to-day basis. It also took me that long to realize that I've never heard my dad complain or feel sorry for himself - even after a stroke and open heart surgery.

I've seen a lot of similarities between these two in the last few years. I really hope that Chase inherits a bit of his Boppa's character in dealing with diabetes, as well. If he turns into a hard-core Democrat, though, I will get a little freaked. Love ya, Dad.