Wednesday, March 08, 2006

What would he be doing now if he didn't have diabetes?

A post I read today by Jamie got me thinking about what Riley's life would be like without D. I thought about it and realized that the important things haven't really changed for him.

He still plays video games.
He still goes to the park and plays.
He still eats the occasional sweet. He didn't eat sweets much even before he got D.
He still fights with his brother.
He still tortures the cats sometimes.
He still watches Spongebob every morning.
He still runs around the house with a light saber slaying the siths.


In the grand scheme of his life D doesn't really interfere with much. He has to stop playing his games long enough for me to check his sugars. Maybe about a minute at the most and then he's right back to playing. I just think that he doesn't see D as a nuisance, just a part of life. I've realized I have to see it that way too. I don't want my negative attitude towards D to affect the way he sees D. I realize that he may change his views on his own as he ages. But, I wonder if I stop talking about D all the time, maybe he'll continue on with the attitude that you just pause your normal life for a minute or two to deal with your D and then you're off again. I so want him to always feel that way. I realize that some days are going to be worse than others for him. When he starts doing more on his own, it will take more of his time. I just do not want his D to define who he is or what he does.

So, what would he be doing now if he didn't have D? He'd probably be playing a video game, just like he is right now. Then, he'd go torture the cat a while, as I'm sure he'll do later on in the day. Then, he'd catch an episode of Spongebob, take a nap, and then pretend to be a jedi. All of which he will probably do today anyway.

6 comments:

Shannon said...

Penny, I think this was such an important post. It really puts things in perspective. And I'm sure it will help the parents who have newly diagnosed D kids to realize that life isn't so dismal after D and that their kids will be OK.

Once you get the hang of management, life really isn't much crazier, different, etc. It's just an extra task we have to account for.

Although for our kids, life will be more complicated, but if we parents are centered about their diabetes, it will help tremendously with their attitudes toward their D once they're on their own.

Jamie said...

Good post Penny. I guess what I was getting at (and did very poorly at it in my blog) is that while Danielle is fine - it's ME that is the mess. I have to say for the most part, I'm dealing ok with all of it - it's become a daily routine for us, but because Danielle is too little to take any part in her care, it is me that is doing it all and I worry a lot. I miss living without the burden of this worry of Diabetes.

I guess that's where I was coming from and it came off incorrectly in my blog. Danielle is doing great - she's happy, healthy and plays just like any other toddler would. And, I wouldn't want to change that for the world.

Penny Ratzlaff said...

Jamie, I liked your blog. We all get down once in a while. We wouldn't be normal if we didn't. I was just trying to point out that even though D disrupts my life some, it really doesn't seem to disrupt Riley's. And I love that.

Chris said...

Penny, Cade is the same, last weekend we went to an amusement park with friends. He stopped for about 3 minutes the whole day (1 minute for each finger prick), aside from that he looked and acted like any other 3 year old. And I love seeing him like that. It's only been 6 weeks for us - and like Jamie said, I'm the on really having the up and downs.

Penny Ratzlaff said...

Chris,
It's been five months for me and the ups and downs are still there, they are just not as pronounced as they once were. They are easier to deal with now. I still have days where I break down and cry, but they are few and far between now. Really, I don't know when I last cried over his D. I wanted to cry last night, when I had to change his set, but I didn't. A couple of months ago, I would have been a blubbering idiot over things like that.

Anonymous said...

AsI watch my 15 yo prepare to play HS football and I am thrilled beyond belief that he is able to do this with D. His doctor wants him to be able to play without concern. There is really nothing they can't do and we live in a wonderful time of medical advances that make that possible. The pump will be worth the effort once you find the right infusion set.