The Medtronic Store

Pet peeve #110 of diabetes - my closet resembles a Medtronic warehouse. When your husband's job is to preach emergency preparedness, you HAVE to have your shelves stocked with insulin pump supplies, sensor needles, test strips and lancets. The main problem - where do you put it all?

Get it. Got it. Good!

One of our 4 yearly trips to Medcenter One. Yep, that's normal.

Well, August came and left and I have to be honest and admit that I wished the summer away. Fall was the projection for the end of the flooding and life is slowly getting back to "normal". Life in our household is ever changing, so normal always deserves quotation marks.

Chase is back in school. Now that we have 2 years under our belt, making the transition back is getting easier each year. I feel truly blessed to have the full support of the staff at Solheim. They get it. They got it right away.

Getting people to understand type 1 is not easy. Either I get a deer in the headlights look when I describe what it takes to keep my kid healthy, happy and alive. Or I get the wave of the hand and an "It can't be that bad" comment or look. I'd rather have a deer in the headlights look because then I know they get it.

A few years ago I had a "wave of the hand" friend watch Chase for a couple days. After the first day she met me a the door and said, "I had no idea managing diabetes was so hard!" Part of me felt good to know that she finally got it. The other part of me wanted to ask, "What took you so long?".

I'm not sure why some get it and some don't. Maybe because when you see a child with type 1 you don't see a sick kid. They look just like any other kid.

Or, maybe you've never been around what a "normal" day looks like:

7:00 am - Grab glucometer, test strips and lancet. Pull back covers, grab foot, poke big toe for morning glucose reading. Do one of the following - treat high blood sugar on insulin pump (and wonder why he went so high during the night), wake sleepy child and force feed fruit snacks to treat low (and wonder why he went so low during the night), or tell sleepy child to wake up and get ready for school (always a good way to start the day).

7:15 am - Count amount of carbs in breakfast and give him insulin with the pump. Hope to heck that he eats everything otherwise he will have a low blood sugar later.

8:15 - Drop him off at school. Say a little prayer to God to watch over over your son. Wonder if watching him walk away from you is ever going to get easier.

8:45 - Arrive at work. Place cell phone on your desk just in case the school calls. Take that phone with you at all times - except into the bathroom because you learned a $150 lesson when he was in kindergarten that cell phones are not waterproof and that you don't need it with you at ALL times.

9:30/10 - Snack time at school. Have faith that your child is giving himself insulin for his morning snack.

11:30 - Have faith that his blood is being tested before lunch and that lows or highs are being treated correctly.

11:45 - Have faith that he is giving himself insulin for his lunch and that he eats all his lunch.

Noon-3:05 - Have faith that highs or lows are being caught and treated.

3:05 - Happy to have your little boy back in your care!!

3:20 - Keep nagging kid to give himself insulin for all the food he is inhaling after school.

5:30 - Test blood before supper. Treat high blood sugar or feed kid supper immediately if low. Count carbs eaten and give insulin accordingly.

7:00 - Nag kid to treat himself for any snacks.

8:00 - Test blood before bed - treat high with insulin and/or feed him a bedtime snack. Count carbs & give insulin.

Every three days - remove insulin infusion site, refill pump, poke kid in the butt with the infusion needle.

Every six days - remove sensor needle, find another spot on his little butt to replace sensor needle. Give the kid and extra hour on the Wii because that needle is HUGE.

That's a normal day and, though it may seem it, I'm not complaining. It's what I have to do to have that little boy in my life. I got it. I get it and life is good.

Four years of faces

Four years ago this coming Saturday the world was introduced to Leah Marie. The world has never been the same since.

Happy birthday to my little fire cracker. I love you!

Totally worth the wait.

A little girl with a thirst for getting into trouble.

And being slightly difficult & demanding at times...


And perhaps non cooperative?

Super silly

"Slightly" animated.

A bit goofy

Forever my beautiful daughter...no matter what silly face you give me!

Keeping up the fight

June. What a crappy month you've been. Things have finally slowed down so that I can give a monthly update. What I've learned from this month is that diabetes is much easier to manage when you are not a single parent.

It all started at the end of May. That's when Gary started working 90 hour work weeks due to record flooding on the Missouri River. The continuous glucose monitor that I begged and prayed for was left off of Chase for a week so that Gary could sleep through the night (okay, me, too). One day I even did something that shocked me - I allowed Chase to have Skittles for lunch.

Mentally, it was hard to focus. Bismarck was a war zone. Over a thousand National Guard members were called in to help build levees to protect our infrastructure and homes. Gravel trucks whizzed by everywhere. Helicopters flew continuously overhead. Neighbors were frantically building dikes to protect their homes. Streets were cut off & getting to work was more work than work itself.

Projections for the Missouri River seemed to change daily. Our city did an outstanding job of preparing for the worst. Waiting for the water was the worst part. Amazingly, the Missouri cut it self deeper and wider. We aren't out of the woods yet, but we are going to be okay.

My heart goes out the the citizens of Minot. What Bismarck was preparing against is now their reality.

During the disaster I learned quickly who in my life I could count on (but in a way, I already knew). I also discovered that I live in a wonderful neighborhood with caring neighbors who I consider my friends. I found strength I never knew I had. I missed my husband more than you could imagine. Going to work was reprieve. Doing something normal like mowing my yard was pure therapy. Being a single mother sucks.

I never allowed myself a pity party for I knew there were others that weren't so lucky. Some don't have a home to come home to and have to wait until the end of August to see what has become of theirs. The battles in my life are nothing compared to what others are facing.

After confessing to my friend Gwen that I let Chase have a bag of Skittles for lunch, she berated me like she always does. Not for being a bad mom, but for being hard on myself. I have since forgiven myself & am happy to report Chase's A1c this week came back 7 (average blood sugar of 155). Not too shabby for going it alone for a month. I just hope we never have to do that again.

12 Questions

Last year, my favorite niece gave me grief that I haven't been keeping up Keepingupthechase. So, one of my New Year's resolutions was to do an entry a month. Another was to loose weight, but who saw Stockert baby #3 coming in October? Not me or Gary, that's for sure.

I have to admit that I took this idea from another blog. It looked fun & it was. I asked Chase a few questions on what it is like to have diabetes as well as a few others. I learned somethings about Chase I didn't know (see what he wants to be when he grows up).

Here's Chase:

Q. What is the worst part about having diabetes?

A. Getting poked by a needle.

Q. Is there anything good about having diabetes?

A. No. (Add an are you crazy look to get the full affect of the "No")

Q. What will you do when there is a cure?

A. Throw a party and have cake, balloons and presents.

Q. What do you want to be when you grow up?

A. Why do I have to be something? Can't I be a jobless deadbeat? (Yes, he REALLY said that - apparently thanks to an episode of SpongeBob)

Q. What is your most favorite thing in the world?

A. Charlie (the dog he doesn't like to feed, walk, play with, let outside...great, I'm starting to sound like my dad)

Q. What is your favorite color?

A. Red


Q. If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go?

A. Legoland


Q. What is your favorite food?

A. Chicken drumsticks

Q. Who is your favorite person?

A. I have 7 - Davey (fish), Charlie, Dad, Mom, Leah, God and Jesus (yes, I was looking for "Mom", but I like his answer)

Q. Favorite movie?

A. Despicable Me


Q. Favorite TV show?

A. SpongeBob (which Mom might have to ban so her son grows up and gets a job some day)

8 Tracks to a Cure

On nights when Chase has a pump site change his blood sugar numbers tend to go drastically low (it's the only common theme we've encountered with type 1). Last night, as I lay in bed next to him waiting for his monitor to alarm, I had an epiphany. It's about time, because I've always wanted to have an epiphany.

It may have come from updating our iPod earlier in the day, because memories of my childhood and music came rushing back to me. My first memory of portable music came in the form of 8 track tapes. When I was old enough to save up money for my own music, I purchased 45 records (I still remember my first was the Go-Go's "Vacation"). Then came cassette tapes to play in my boombox. I'd always have a blank cassette in the box just in case a song I loved came on the radio & I could tape it (no iTunes to buy that single song for $1.29). Of course, then came along a huge collection of CDs which now occupy space in my basement because my collection is now on the iPod.

My mind then started to race to other areas where I've seen amazing changes:

I've gone from my first video game of Pong to the endless games available on the Wii.

In high school, I learned keyboarding on a Radio Shack Tandy computer with a 5 1/4 inch floppy drive. I now type on an HP Pavilion laptop which can do a heck of a lot more than a Tandy computer! A lot more - and it's more portable.

On family car rides, I literally had to roll our windows down. There was no pushing a button. Or how about dimming headlights? Okay, I actually miss the switch on the left side of the floorboard you pushed with your foot.

1984 is when my dad bought our first VCR. I remember the day he set it up. We had no clue what he was talking about, but he was excited and it changed our lives (we could record Days of Our Lives!!!). If we wanted to rent a movie, we headed to Wally's Supermarket, where we could rent an extra VCR for the night, too. I now enjoy Netflix movies streamed instantly through my Blu-ray player. On my computer I can catch up on recent TV episodes on Hulu.com.

So many changes in what seems like a short time. As I reflect on the changes that I've seen just in my life, I hold on to hope for amazing changes in Chase's. I was once told by one of Chase's medical team members that Chase is in a great era when it comes to the technology available to manage his diabetes. Right now we are benefiting from an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor.

Just thinking about going from an 8 track tape to an iPod made me realize that an artificial pancreas will happen in Chase's lifetime. Or even better - a cure.

Daily Reminders

Can you spot the insulin pump in this picture?

By now you should all know how I feel about insulin pumps. My feelings are obvious. I sometimes feel Medtronic should give Chase a lifetime discount (or shares of stock) for as often I recommend their product.

A few years ago I use to frequent an online support group for parents of T1 kids. One common concern I saw with parents of non-pumping kids was that the pump would be a daily reminder that their child has diabetes. Years and years later, I still scratch my head over that concern. When, during a normal day, do you forget that your child is a diabetic?

Daily, I find myself frantically searching for my car keys in my Grandma Helen purse. Every day damn day. My hand always touches the glucometer case and glucagon I carry with me where ever I go.

Then there is Chase's other glucometer, test strips, and lancet that have a permanent home on our kitchen counter. It's hard to miss because it's always there.

I also see Chase's blood anywhere between 5 to 10 times a day. Every day.

Chase prefers to have his toes tested instead of his fingers, so I am guaranteed to find a lone sock on the floor. Everyday.

And, no matter how hard I try to throw them away, a used test strip ALWAYS seems to show up somewhere. Everyday.

None of the photos above were staged. They didn't need to be. They are my constant reminders.

If Mama Ain't Happy

I recently watched a diabetes nurse educator give a presentation on parenting kids with type 1. He stated that the number one most significant predictor of a child's A1C is if the mother feels supported as a wife, woman and mother.

Not the education level of the parents.

Not how much money the parents make.

It's if the momma is happy.

Want to know what Chase's A1cs are? They are perfect. They are right where his medical team wants him to be.

I've never been able to pinpoint exactly how to characterize my marriage. Some couples gush that they married their best friend, I don't feel that way. Gary is much, much more than that. He is my rock. In addition, he shares my warped sense of humor, love of good music (when he told me he didn't like Bruce Springsteen & Bob Seger, I knew I was in love) AND he cleans the bathrooms.

Right after we were married, we did what most most married couples should not do - we remodeled our house. I figure that if we survived that, we could survive anything. And we have. While sitting in the hospital with our newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic child, our nurse educator took us aside and gave us this advice: Work together as a team or your marriage will suffer. Don't let one parent take on the responsibly of managing the diabetes. It was advice we took to heart.

We both know that there are many tangible things in life we can give Chase (Legos, Legos, Legos, Legos, Legos). And there are fun and exciting experiences like trips to Disney World, Mount Rushmore, and Washington, DC. But, the most important thing we can give him is his health and we are committed as a team to do just that.

A couple years ago we did it again - did what very few married couples should do. We built a house together. Side-by-side, day and night we worked until it was finished. The finished product is the labor of our love. Just like Chase.

A Love/Hate Relationship with Resposibility

Seven is a magical age. Thirty years ago, I remember the thought of turning eight literally brought me to tears (now it's the thought of turning 40). I cried and cried because 7 was so much fun and there was no possible way that eight could be any better.


Because of that memory, it's been fun to watch Chase at seven. It's an age full of Legos, games, play dates, monkey bars, swimming, sledding & playing with our puppy. I think my childhood was much the same if you throw in some Barbies here and there and add a couple heaping cups of carefree irresponsibility.


I recently watched my carefree seven year old take five snacks from the pantry for his daily school snack break. He went to the drawer, grabbed the Sharpie and proceeded to write the carb count on each snack. I thought proudly to myself, "Wow, he's seven and he's so responsible!" Then, a couple seconds later, I thought sadly to myself, "He's seven and he has to be so responsible."


Last night I asked Chase to come up for supper (he's moved all of his Legos into our basement in case there is a tornado...he has his priorities). I watched him go straight to his glucometer and test his blood. I thought proudly to myself, "He did it on his own. I didn't have to ask him to do it." And again, I felt that jab of pain. Seven is not suppose to be ruled by carbs, blood sugar numbers and insulin. It is suppose to be carefree.


Everyday I remind myself that, to Chase, this is all normal. He hasn't known life any other way. I need to be happy that he wants to responsible for managing his diabetes, because one day I will have to hand over the reigns. For me, that day will be harder than turing 8, or even 40, but I will need to be responsible and let him take over.