I picked up a new book this week that has me enthralled. I love a book that is hard to put down - one that makes you think, laugh out loud, and sometimes cry. It's called Think Like a Pancreas. Really, it's good. I hope by the time that I'm done with it I will have learned some tips and tricks to manage Chase's diabetes better.
Every day with diabetes seems to be a learning experience. With the right tools and knowledge you might be able to make it through the day without a stiff drink (just kidding, sort of). A year ago we were finally approved for a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). Although it hasn't been all that and a bag of chips (HUGE needle which has left an abscess on two occasions), it is an invaluable tool.
We no longer make any adjustments to his pump without having the sensor on him for a couple of days. One quick upload to the computer and we are able to print out a graph of his blood sugar pattern for 24 hours. Amazing technology. Not perfect, but amazing.
With a tweak here and there, we are able to reign in his numbers. A little more insulin here, a little less there and hopefully we get a chart that doesn't look like a wild roller coaster ride. With the tighter control, I think we might have finally arrived at the time in this journey that I've been waiting for - he is able to feel his lows.
This is BIG. For six years I've been going off external cues from that kid. I have been his continuous glucose Momiter. At age 2 it was thumb sucking. And not your typical thumb sucking. It was "I'm going to suck this thumb right off in my sleep". Needless to say, Chase slept between Gary and me for a good year so we wouldn't miss that sign.
Then there was the "I'm acting naughty/goofy" clue. When he was 3 my mom came up to me and said, "Chase is in the basement pulling Kleenex out of the box, throwing them up in the air and saying, 'Fire! Fire! Fire!' Is that normal?" Um, no. A quick blood test revealed a blood sugar of 45.
Recently it's been the Little Sister Button. That girl can push his buttons like no other. While Gary and I find her singing precious, Chase finds it anything but. When Leah was belting out the tunes on a trip to Devils Lake and Chase wasn't reacting that revealed a blood glucose of 34.
Finally we are at the point where he grabs his glucometer and tests his blood because he feels low (can you hear the choir of angels singing?). Reigning in his numbers has been the key. When I downloaded his first report from the CGM it was heartbreaking. I can close my eyes and still still see the up and down, up and down, up and down marks. It made me sick to think how he must feel with numbers like those. I thought we were doing a good job managing his numbers. It was humbling.
With the CGM sensor I am able to let my guard down a little. It has been like turning the light on in a very dark room. We can finally see what we are up against. No day with diabetes is the same though, so even with the monitor we still have a lot to learning to do. So in the meanwhile, this mom won't stop thinking like a pancreas.
