Last night...

Last night.

Last night was one of the worst nights we have ever had.

Seriously sucked.

I will use our Dexcom graph to explain what took place...

Not sure where the 300's came from at dinner time. We bolused. He ate (cereal!). We bolused. He went HIGH. We changed his pump site. We bolused.

He seemed to come down fine. A little too much. We gave him a small "snack" before going to bed. When I went to bed at 10:30 Dex said 197 with a slanted arrow up. Rod was already sleeping in The Superhero's bed (he fell asleep with The Superhero). I went to bed.

1:30am. I wake up to The Superhero SCREAMING. I thought he fell out of bed and ran to his room. Rod was still in there and The Superhero was just SUPER upset. He said he heard a noise that scared him. He was genuinely SCARED. It was horrible to see him THAT scared.

I immediately grabbed Dex to see what we were dealing with.

I saw this...

Dex had said something in the 80's, but it looked like he had been LOW for 4 checks before going back up to the 80's. I did a finger check, 65!

I have no idea if he really went LOW (below 40) or not. We were sleeping. It was about 15 minutes after the LOWS that we were woken up to the screaming. I am really hoping he was laying on it weird and he didn't go THAT low.

But, if he did, THANK YOU GOD for keeping my boy safe while we were sleeping! And THANK YOU GOD for him waking when he did!

We treated the low with snacks. I also started a temp basal decrease. I had a feeling the lower numbers came due to the site change (often happens with new sites). And of course lots of hugs were given out. He was SO SCARED.

Rod and The Superhero got up and went to the couch. The Superhero was still SCARED. They were going to watch some TV for a bit.

Apparently when my temp basal decrease ended, The Superhero started to drop again. Rod treated and started another minus temp basal to get through the rest of the night.

This time, definitely over treated a bit. It is all such a "guessing" game.

I woke up at 5:30am to find The Superhero STILL awake on the couch. I told both Rod and The Superhero that he needed to go back to sleep, even if only for an hour. He has art class today and I am NOT taking an overly tired, cranky child with me.

I was happy to see when I woke up at 7, that both boys were sleeping on the couch.

I was not happy to see The Superhero had been HIGH for a couple of hours (to no fault of anyone, but Diabetes). Ugh.

An hour and a half later right now, and he is down to 367. I am RAGE bolusing this morning and need to get him DOWN.

Especially since he wants cereal for breakfast. I told him his blood sugar has to have a ONE in front of it.

I hate Diabetes. No silver lining. No rainbows. No unicorns here today.

*Disclaimer: I am a mom of a T1 Diabetic child and a child with ITP/Asthma/Dysphagia. I am NOT a doctor. I just play one in real life. Please do not take anything in this post or any other post on this blog as medical advice. If you have questions or concerns of your own, please seek advice from your doctor.*

These are a few of my favorite things...

(Day 15 of NaBloPoMo)


Well, Diabetes things anyway.

While I do NOT like diabetes, I do like the fact that technology has allowed us to treat this disease so much more efficiently and for lack of a better word, easier than in years past.

I have a friend on FB who posted about her daughter's first glucometer from 12 years ago (not even that long ago) and how she would get results in just 45 seconds! Now we have awesome technology and get those results MUCH faster, in about 5 seconds.

I know things have come a long way since then, just as I know they had from 10 years before that point. So, here are a few of MY favorite Diabetes things.



1) Apidra













When The Superhero was diagnosed he was put on Lantus (long acting insulin) and Novalog (short acting insulin). When we started pumping 7 months later, Lantus was no longer necessary and we just used Novalog in the pump.

A few months ago I started hearing more about this newer insulin, Apidra. I did a little research on it. The reviews I read from other families was that it had a quicker peak and no tail end. It was completely out of the system a little before 3 hours, for most families.

I decided we would give it a try. So, a few months ago I emailed our endo, Dr. D. She told me to go ahead and come get a bottle to try. I went that afternoon and we started a few days later (waiting for next site change). At first I was not sure we would like it.

We made LOTS of adjustments to basal rates and the basal times. After about 3-4 weeks we really started to like it. A few more weeks later and I can tell you that I LOVE it.

When The Superhero goes "high" he comes down faster with this insulin than he did previously. I feel this has greatly contributed to our decrease in A1C (down from 7.8 to 7.4). I also LOVE that their is no tail end. It is nice to know that once it is out of his system, it is OUT of his system. With Novalog we would see a tail end up to 5 hours later. Apidra is definitely GONE before 3 hours.

I have now stockpiled my fridge with Apidra and would not want to go back. This is definitely #3 on my top 3 list of Favorite Diabetes things.



2) Animas Ping (meter remote and pump)















Since the Princess was born only a few short months after The Superhero was dx with Diabetes, we waited to start pumping until I could focus on a new venture. It was about 7 months after he was diagnosed I decided it was time. I had already researched pumps and had made the decision that we wanted the Animas Ping Pump. We chose this pump for a few reasons.

1) SMALL dosing. We had been trying to draw up 1/4 units in syringes for 7 months and sometimes even THAT small of an amount was TOO much for The Superhero. Being able to give doses as small as 0.05 units at a time was a DREAM.

2) SMALL basal increments. We can adjust basal amounts in increments of 0.025, and often do! There was a period of time that for 2-3 hours at night his basal would actually be 0.025 units per hour. This again, was a DREAM.

3) The meter/remote. I am in LOVE with the meter remote. Not only can we check The Superhero's blood sugar, but I can also bolus The Superhero for his blood sugar or his food right from the super awesome remote. When we first started pumping, this was very important, it still is, but even more so early on. We were nervous using a pump with tubing (but the Omnipod was not something we liked well enough, for many reasons), so being able to bolus from the remote was nice because we did not have to draw any attention to the pump itself. The Superhero wore his pump on his back in a pump shirt and forgot it was even there most of the time.

I also LOVE that I can download the info from the pump and it captures every BG reading from the remote and all the bolus and basal info. I think this is going to save me TONS of time logging before Endo appointments. I just used it for our last appointment, I had forgotten about it for a long time. LOVE IT!


Definitely would NOT go back to shots and this makes #2 on my top 3 list of Favorite Diabetes things.



3) Dexcom 7+ CGMS













Dexcom= LOVE.

We started the Dexcom CGMS in January of this year (2010) and fell in LOVE right away. It was love at first site, for sure. The Dexcom gives us a sugar reading every 5 minutes around the clock. We can see which direction The Superhero's BG is going, if he is dropping or rising, and how fast that might be occurring.

Prior to starting Dexcom we were checking The Superhero's fingers anywhere from 10-15 times per day. With his young age, it is hard to tell when his blood sugar might be too high, low, or if he is just acting his age.

So, he got checked, A LOT.

Now, with the Dexie, we check his BG around 6 times per day. We are only required to check 2x per day to calibrate, but I feel more comfortable still checking at meals, before bed, and once in the middle of the night. Other times we just take a glance at Dexie to see where he is at. This has made our life SO much nicer AND the people who watch The Superhero when Rod and I are not around LOVE Dexie too. It is SO nice for them to just look down and know where he is.

Before starting Dexie, I was a little skeptical about having something else attached to The Superhero 24/7, but now that Dexie is here, I don't know how we would go on without him. This is by far, my #1 favorite thing about Diabetes.


So, what are YOUR favorite things?

How was YOUR Sunday?

Mine consisted of the following events...

1) 5am-6am The Princess was in my bed, COUGHING. Finally got up at 6 and gave her a breathing treatment.

2) Took my shower.

3) Get Rod off to work. (2nd job on the weekends)

4) Make cranky kids breakfast. They refuse to eat. Both kids don't feel well. The Superhero has a small fever. Give The Superhero TYLENOL without thinking.

5) Call my parents to let them know I will be dropping the kids off early so I can run to the store for cough meds for The Princess. My dad asks me what medicine it is that The Superhero CANNOT have because of his Dexie, OH CRAP! TYLENOL! What was I thinking!?! We have had Dexcom for 9 months and in that time I have NEVER needed to give The Superhero meds for fever, so without thinking I chose to give him tylenol. Oops!

6) Get kids ready to go spend the day with NaNa. Get myself ready for a marketing event at the baseball game. Pack everything we need, including all D-Supplies and The Princess' breathing machine/meds.

7) Get kids in car. Begin drive to my parents house and realize I forgot the ONLY thing The Superhero asked me to bring with us, Toy Story movies to watch on NaNa's couch.

8) The Superhero begins his Not-Feeling-So-Great-MELTDOWN. I tell him I will drop them off and run back home to get his movie when I get The Princess her medicine for the cough.

9) Drop kids off. Run back home and grab both Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 2. Run to the store and grab cough meds, more ibuprofen, and some yummy looking powdered donuts.

10) My co-worker meets me at my mom's (thank goodness for Starbucks, and Thanks Kimberly!).

11) Change The Superhero's Dexie site since it is not working and needed to be changed out today anyway. Instructed my mom to start the sensor in about 2 hours when the Tylenol would be out of his system. Then to check his BG 2x 2 hours later. (still kicking myself for giving him TYLENOL)

12) Head to the baseball game for work. Talk to a few interested families. Got to meet one of MY students and another one I enrolled a few months back.

13) Go back to pick up the kids. The Princess was still sleeping, The Superhero was just waking up. He did NOT look good. I went and sat by him and could feel the heat radiating off of him. I asked my mom for a thermometer, which she could not find. So I ran to the store to get one for their house. (and I picked up some GREEN gum, since that is how I convinced The Superhero to let me leave)

14) Get back. The Princess is now also awake and bright, pink cheeks. Not good. Check The Superhero first, 102.1 fever. The Princess next, 101.0 fever.

15) Go in the kitchen to get the meds. Measure 1 tsp for The Princess, she takes it like a champ. Go to give The Superhero his dose, 1 1/2 tsps. He GAGS himself and throws up ALL OVER. He is not a fan of medicine and said it was yucky. I then remembered I bought NEW Ibuporfen this morning at the store and I then PRAYED it was a different flavor. Thank goodness, it WAS. Bubblegum! Smelled just like the yummy antibiotics he liked a few weeks ago. My mom and I convince him to try them, and after some convincing, he did, and he liked it much better. No gagging this time!

16) After a few more minutes and lots of moaning and "I don't feel good" looks from both kids, we decided to take them to Urgent Care. My mom and I packed up the kids and headed out.

17) Urgent care. 2 hours after throat swabs for both, urinalysis completed with catheter for The Princess, ex-rays for The Princess, and a good once over from the doctor and we were on our way. They are fine. Other than a virus/cold. And a side note, the doctor there tonight has volunteered at the local Diabetes camp (7 years ago) and she was telling me how hard it was doing the night checks on the kids and then having to do it all over again the next day/night. She said she has more respect for Diabetes parents than ever before. And that you cannot fully understand unless you live it...I might love her. :-)

18) Pizza at my mom's house for dinner. Praying that works out for The Superhero's BG. I attempted another combo bolus.

19) Head home. Drug up my kids with meds (Ibuprofen for both, and the following for The Princess...prevacid (acid reflux), orapred (steroid for croup), and Triaminic (for the cough) )

20) Give The Princess her breathing treatment. She is almost asleep from the busy day. Rock her for a few minutes. She is a little restless and coughing a ton. But falls asleep anyway.

21) I am sure The Princess will be up again soon and climbing in my bed.


ONE LONG DAY and I am HEADING TO BED early!

Night all!

Another Day of Pre-School for The Superhero

Well, we made it through another day of pre-school. He came home ALIVE. Here is a run down of the 3 hours of school today...

7:15am - Refused to eat breakfast. Ate roughly 2 grapes, received bolus for said grapes. BG was ok when we left at 7:50am.

8:00am - Drop off at school. Start temp basal, -40% for 1 1/2 hours. Check Dexie, 172 double arrows UP.

9:25am - Call from Awesome Nurse S. The Superhero had gone low. Dexie beeped. Teachers saw 65 double arrows down. Called Nurse. She told them to give him a juice while she headed over. Finger poke revealed a number in the 50's. Granola bar to go with juice. (turns out juice given was the incorrect juice, they ended up only giving him a 2g carb juice. These 2g juices were meant for snack time) Re-checked 15 minutes after low, up to 90 something.

9:30am - Re-check finger. Up to 172. Sent to recess.

9:45am-10:15am - Juice hits The Superhero's bladder, and he does NOT have time to make it to the potty. He pees in the sand at recess. Teachers were not able to find his change of clothes (in his BACKPACK) and he came home wearing school clothes. (see picture below)

10:15am-11:15am - The rest of the day went fine. BG cooperated.

11:15am - My wonderful friend Kate picked The Superhero up from pre-school and brought him home just after I finished my work meeting online.


So, overall, things went ok. The teachers did MUCH better responding to Dexie, and to Diabetes. (other than giving him a 2g juice for a low) They even remembered to document in his little notebook I provided for that purpose! Progress is being made.

Since The Superhero has gotten home, I have called Awesome Nurse S., Teacher #1, and have changed The Superhero back into his own clothes.

Rod and I have now made the decision that The Superhero MUST eat a full breakfast, or he is not allowed to go to school. Period.



And now for the pictures of what The Superhero came home wearing...



Yep, that's right, The Superhero, my little BOY came home wearing pretty girl panties. I can't help but laugh. Since he is only 3, he did not think anything about it.

And here's hoping we have a successful week of pre-school!

Dexcom Insertion

I received a call on Friday from our wonderful Dexcom rep asking me if I could remove my original Dexcom insertion video because the competitors were giving Dexcom some trouble. Technically, Dexcom is not approved for kids as young as The Superhero. And since the rep was actually in the original video, this could get them in trouble.

Since I was willing to remove the video, they are sending me a few freebies. (sensors and one of their new skins to try)

Since we removed the original video, we recorded a new one tonight.

Watch my AMAZINGLY AWESOME 3 YEAR OLD!

I KNEW I should have checked

I checked The Superhero's Dexie before we went to the park, 215 and a slanted arrow down. Perfect! He can play.

I checked The Superhero's Dexie while he was playing, 195 and 1 arrow pointed down. Perfect! He can keep playing.

He played for a bit longer. We walked home. I gave the kids their snack, put on a movie, bolused for The Superhero's snack and went to take my shower.

I came out of the bedroom a few minutes later. Both kids had finished their snacks and The Superhero said "I am going to lay down right here".

Uh oh! He NEVER wants to lay down. Something must be up. Or down in this case! I looked at Dexie, 95 DOUBLE ARROWS DOWN! Still had insulin on board, and LOTS of it. I had bolused for his snack before my shower. And his breakfast insulin was peaking.

I checked his finger to see just how LOW he was and I saw 45 and freaked out a little. I ran to get a juice in the kitchen and forced him to drink. He was in a "low" mood. He drank.

Then he ate a little more snack.

Then he whined for more snack. I made him wait and I just sat their and held him. I did not want to let him out of my sight.

45?

Really?

Ugh. I am glad he recovered fine and is being mean to The Princess like normal. Guess he feels better. I am still thinking about that 45.

He rarely goes low like that.

I REALLY should have checked Dexie when we got home from the park.

Live and learn I guess!

Dexcom

Since starting The Superhero on the CGMS, Dexcom, I get a ton of questions about it. I love sharing our experience with it because as most of you know, I am IN LOVE with Dexie. If there are any questions I do not answer in this post and you want to know more, please comment and ask away!

What is a Dexcom?

Dexcom is our Continuous Glucose Monitoring System. We insert a wire using a long needle into The Superhero (we have only done arm sites so far). The wire stays in place and is attached to the sensor. The needle comes out after Dexie's site is in place. This gets changed out every 7 days. Some people can get an extra week or so out of the sensor with no problems. We have not had this luck yet, not because of the sensor itself, but the tape only seems to stay on for a week. I will be getting some adhesive to help the tape stick longer.

Here is a picture of The Superhero sporting his Dexcom sensor on the first day he was wearing it...

The Dexcom is not the only brand of CGMS out there, but it has the smallest insertion needle and the smallest site on the body. Dexcom also only has a 2 hour warm up period as opposed to 4 or 12 hours (which is what I believe the others are) We also can calibrate when he is between 40 and 400. The other CGM systems have a tighter range in which calibration must take place.

With the sensor attached to The Superhero, it transmits information to the receiver. Basically, the sensor measures the interstitial fluid for glucose and gives out a reading every 5 minutes. This is very similar to checking blood sugar. It has been quite accurate for us thus far. The receiver must be within 5 feet of him at all times. He usually wears a second pouch (made for his insulin pump) and puts Dexie in there. He sometimes wears it in his pocket if he has cargo shorts/pants on. I don't let him put it in his regular pocket because I do not want it to fall out. He really does not mind the second pouch for now. As he gets older this will most likely change.

This is what the receiver looks like...

The picture is a little blurry, but this is the receiver showing a 191 steady sugar level. The arrow is pointing to the right. The arrow gives us the trend. We can see the arrow going straight up with one or two arrows, diagonal up, steady, diagonal down, or one or two arrows straight down. The change in sugar levels between each 5 minute check determines which way this arrow is pointing. If The Superhero's BG level is falling fast, his arrows will be pointing down and his Dexie will alarm. It vibrates first and then if ignored, it beeps. Each reason for alarming sounds different. It took me a few weeks to differentiate between "High BG" (above 240, we have it set at this number) and the "dropping" or "low" alarms.

We still do finger checks on The Superhero. We have to do at least 2 per day to calibrate the sensor. We usually do a few more than that though. We check his finger in the morning when he wakes up, at lunch before he eats, sometimes after his nap, before dinner, before bed, and usually once in the middle of the night. It depends on how he is trending to determine how many times his fingers get poked. So far, Dexie has been pretty accurate most of the time.

Dexie does not talk to the pump. We still have to tell the pump how much insulin to give The Superhero. (I get this question a lot!) There is another version out there that does this now and the Dexcom and Animas (pump) will be able to do this at some point. Right now they are two separate systems.

I do feel that having Dexie is the second best decision (next to pumping) we have made since The Superhero was dx with T1. There are some faults as with any technology. We have had a few failed sensors. They seemed to happen when he was sick with the tummy bug. Not sure if that had anything to do with it or if it was just a coincidence. When this happens, we called Dexcom and gave them the lot number, etc and they would send us a new one right away. We just go with the flow and this does not bother me. We just insert a new one and move on.

So far, we do not have a lot of trouble changing sites. The Superhero is usually ok with us doing it and only throws a minor fit. After it is over he always says, "that's not too bad". I have gotten faster at doing it over time, just like with the pump sites. We do not use EMLA (numbing cream), but I know many families that do. It just depends on you and your kiddo.

I do feel we sleep a little better having Dexie around. I have a baby monitor turned on in his/our room and I do hear the alarms at night. We still get up to check Dexie, especially if we have an off night. Seeing the trend arrows is amazing! Knowing which way he is headed is definite peace of mind.

To get insurance approval (all insurance companies are different) we just had to provide 1 month of BG logs showing at least 3 lows below 50. Our insurance covers 80% and we cover the other 20%. We are paying about $100 per month. (totally worth it!)

My favorite part about Dexie is when we are at a friend's house or the park and I can just look at Dexie, treat, and let him run off. I don't have to check his finger constantly as I would normally when he runs around like a crazy kid. I can see the trend and treat before he gets too low (which is the problem when he runs around like that).

I know my mom feels a lot better knowing she has Dexie when she watches The Superhero. She can easily see where he is and know if he needs a snack or not. She feels a lot more comfortable keeping him now. (and I am sure she will chime in on the comments)

The only thing I can think of that I HATE about having a Dexie, is the fact that we need one. I hate having another thing attached to The Superhero 24/7. BUT I would not go a day without it now! I feel like we were going through Diabetes life with one eye closed before. Having Dexie shows us the WHOLE picture and it is amazing!

If there is anything that I left out that you want to know, PLEASE ask!





Comments/Questions from original blog:

Heidi / Jack's Pack said...

This post was so helpful. Thank you so much for writing about Dexie! I think you've sold it to me! Now I just have to sell it to Jack! :)

March 16, 2010 10:15 PM

Kelly said...

We have the Minilink, and I love it....Maddison, not so much. I wish we could use it every day! It really DOES show the whole picture! I'm so happy you have Dexie for The Superhero!

March 16, 2010 11:45 PM

Wendy said...

I'm getting closer to allowing another CGM in the house...closer, closer, closer....but...not yet. No, not ready yet!!!!!!!!

(turn on soap opera music)

I just don't know (sob) how I'll ever trust again (mascara tears)...

To be continued.

March 17, 2010 12:58 AM

Reyna said...

T....

Thank you, due to your information to me on my insulin pumping post...I went ahead and signed us up to trial Dexie. I just paid for the supplies the other day. I'll keep you updated. Also, Dexcom and Animas are partnered...and are hoping to have a system similar to Medtronics' within the next year. JDRF partnered with Animas for the pseudo-artificial pancreas project (I slapped a link up on my blog in the side bar)...where the pump should "self-adjust" insulin delivery to blood sugar numbers, but NOT to carb boluses...who knows when or IF that will happen, but some cool stuff on the horizon hopefully....HOPE...thanks to all of you...we got a lot of it. xoxo

March 17, 2010 3:09 AM

Danielle said...

I'm so tempted to get one. Charlotte's nights are always so unpredictable. It would be nice to know at least which way she was going!

March 17, 2010 3:38 PM

mommy1 said...

Wow! Great minds think alike! I have been super busy the past three weeks and have been away from blogging! I just posted something similar to this! I love your name. So is the CGM a girl? :)

Amy

March 24, 2010 11:47 AM

Tracy said...

Thank you all for your comments.

Wendy, I love the continuing soap opera. :) (with the dramatic music and everything!)

Danielle, You might be able to try one through your endo. I know our endo is getting 3 to use for her patients to try and for her to figure out what is going on with their numbers.

Amy, I am not sure if Dexie is male or female. :) I think I go back and forth between calling it a he and a she. :)

All the HARD work being a pancreas

has PAID OFF!

WOO HOO!

As you may have read in my post from last night, we had The Superhero's quarterly endo appointment this morning. I was a little off on his last A1C, it was 8.2.

I am SO HAPPY to report that his current A1C is 7.8!

Dr. D. was impressed that we could get such an awesome number with The Superhero only being 3 years old and the fact that we don't really see too many lows. I attribute much of our success at being a pancreas to Dexie. We got Dexie in January and I am SO in love! (I will do a post on Dexcom soon, I have been getting LOTS of questions. :) )

He has not gained weight in the last 3 months and has grown a little. We will keep an eye on this, but I am sure he is fine. He had that tummy bug last month that I am sure did not help.

Overall, a GREAT appointment! I can't wait to see our endo at her new office in June. :)

"My hand hurts"

Before yesterday, I had not had "one of those days" in a L O N G time!

You know, one of those "Why me?" Why my kid?" "This isn't fair!" kind of days.

Why does MY kid have to have Diabetes?

It is NOT fair that I have to wake my 3-year-old up from his nap to have cake gel!

It is NOT fair that MY 3-year-old has to be a pin cushion 24/7 for the REST OF HIS LIFE!

If is NOT fair that MY kid has to feel like CRAP when he is low/ high/ dropping fast/ rising fast.

It is NOT fair that WE have to think about being a pancreas 24/7! Diabetes NEVER sleeps.

It sucks that no one REALLY gets this all, unless they are going through it themselves!


Yesterday was exactly 1 year and 7 months since The Superhero was diagnosed with T1 Diabetes. He is 3 years old. He has now had diabetes for more than 1/2 his life. Most of his life. This did not even hit me until late in our crappy day.

We have been having crazy numbers lately. It all began with a tummy bug (again!) on Saturday night. We seemed to get past it with only one vomiting spell and then we drugged him up with anti-nausea meds for a couple of days. He seemed to get back to "normal" except that his insulin needs decreased, DRAMATICALLY.

We were doing -50% - -70% of his basal needs for DAYS and he has barely been hovering at 100 during the day and 150 at night.

Yesterday brought MANY lows.

He was being really whiny and crying A LOT in the morning. I finally checked him (via his Dexie) and he was 78, and dropping! I got him to drink some juice. He spilled some juice on his shirt and FREAKED out. We changed his shirt. Then he kept FREAKING out that he DID NOT want that shirt! And "Mommy, you need to take it off!" I finally just had to grab him and hold him tight until he calmed down. I have not seen him like that in a LONG time.

He hovered around 78 all morning, did not want to eat, basals were already decreased by 70%. He then refused to eat lunch. Went down for a nap and ended up going as low as 57 at one point. I woke him up to give him cake gel and he went back to sleep. He slowly came back up to around 100 an hour or so later.

He slept for about 3 hours. I had to wake him up or he might have never gone to bed last night. I got him to have some marshmallows for a snack (healthy, I know). This got his BG up to a more comfortable 180.

I had a marketing event for work and he was going to my mom's house for the evening. I did not want her to battle lows like I did, hence the marshmallow snack.

Off I go to my marketing session, about 30 minutes away (in traffic). I call as I am getting close to the location to check on the kids and see how they are doing. They were doing great, then we started to end the call and my mom had to go QUICK because The Superhero was throwing up!

So, I did my meeting quickly, got my Starbucks to go and went back to my mom's house.

The whole way there I was thinking about how much I HATE this disease. I was thinking about Meri's post about being Strong, but human and her post about Feeling Edgy and I just broke down and started crying.

Yes, I am strong. Yes, I handle Diabetes because I have to. I know The Superhero was given to me for a reason. BUT I am still human and this is A LOT to handle sometimes.

I live life on the edge EVERYDAY. I guess I got pushed off the cliff when he threw up again. I just don't know how much more I can take. I seriously feel like I am on an edge about to be blown off, EACH AND EVERY DAY.

I know my friends and family try to understand, but until you live this life, you never can truly "get it". I appreciate the effort all of them put in trying to understand and to show compassion.

Anyway, I was on the way to my mom's house when all of this hit me and I just could not stop crying and asking the Why me? Why The Superhero? questions. (listed above)

Then I get to my mom's house and The Superhero was happy as can be and running around like crazy. He kept wanting to eat and he snacked a little. He seemed to feel better.

Then we headed home. Since this was a Wednesday night, Rod was in school so I was on my own. I put The Princess to bed as soon as we got home and then was hanging out with The Superhero. He kept complaining that his hand hurt. I pushed all over it and he did not complain. So, I figured no broken bones, he must be fine. Maybe a pinched nerve or it fell asleep or something.

Then it was time for him to go to bed. We went in his room (around 9pm, very late for him) and he just would not settle down. He kept complaining that his hand was hurting. I held him and rocked him. I asked what would make it feel better. He kept wanting me to rub/massage it. I did so. He kept fussing and would not sit still. My mom came over to try to hold him too, so I could get a break. He DID NOT want NaNa last night.

She and I just kept watching him. He was SO uncomfortable and just kept saying his hand was hurting. Then it finally hit us! His Dexie site was on his right arm, the one with the hurt hand.

The ONLY thing we could think was that it must have gotten bumped and was hitting a nerve, causing the hand to feel weird (or pain in his mind). So we changed his dexie site and he went to lay on the couch and was OUT!

Asleep INSTANTLY.

It was 10pm and he just CRASHED. I have NEVER seen him fall asleep SO fast!

Here are pictures of him sleeping on the couch last night. I guess the dexie site did the trick!

I am feeling a little better this morning. I still hate diabetes, as anyone would. But I am moving on. I had not had "one of those" days in SO long and I am sure it will be a while before another one hits me.

So far, AMAZING!

Just a quick update.

We LOVE the Dexcom, aka Dexie. The Superhero thinks it is SUPER cool and LOVES to show it off to everyone.

We LOVE the trends. LOVE the graphs. LOVE arrows telling us which direction the BG is going. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

The Superhero has started "interpreting" the information too. He will feel it vibrate and look at it and say, "oh, I'm coming down." (like he really knows what it is telling him)

So far, the readings have been VERY close to the actual blood readings. We are doing WAY fewer finger pokes than before. We used to check his BG at least 3 times at night and we are now only doing 1. We may even cut that out at some point. We LOVE being able to just walk in his room, take a quick look at Dexie, and make a decision.

Along with the pump, this is DEFINITELY one of the BEST things we could do for managing his Diabetes.

Dexcom

I am SO proud of my little man! Here is the video of The Superhero's start up.

Video has been removed. I will record and upload a new video soon.

ETA: New video is posted under the tabs at the top of the page.