Swirly Ramblings

I just wanted to blog some things swirling around in my brain:

A couple of weeks ago Riley was in a play called "Winnie the Pooh and Friends". He was a panda bear. He sang one song by himself and did a cute little dance. Then he sang another song with a few other kids.

Here he is in his costume. (My mom made it.)

Here are the kids in front of the hundred acre woods. (I helped paint the backdrop. I think it turned out pretty good.)

While I'm showing pictures. Here's my big boy at the athletic awards banquet. In just a few short weeks he'll officially be a Senior. I can't believe it.

We went to the academic awards banquet last night. He received an award for highest average in History and also for highest average in SAT Test Prep. He was also recognized for making all A's and B's for the whole year. And, he was recognized for being a Marshal at this year's graduation. He's ranked 3rd in his class.

My boy's so smart! ;-)

We have a movie night every week or two. Usually Holden picks the movies. On Monday we watched the very, very long 3rd Lord of the Rings movie. I have never had any interest in watching the Lord of the Ring movies but Holden insisted. It turns out I kind of liked them. The third one was my favorite.

My favorite character was Samwise Gamgee. Why? Because he was so nice and called everyone sir or ma'am. And, because Goonies never say die.

Thursday night we watched Cloverfield. While we were watching the movie Holden received a text from one of his friends (one of the boys in his class that has D). He texted him to let him know that a boy in the 5th grade at their school had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

I don't even know the boy, but the news hit me like a ton of bricks. I feel so badly for him and his family. They have a rough road ahead of them, a never ending road.

Whenever I hear news like this it makes me sad. That sadness is mixed with anger. It makes me angry that kids (and adults) have to deal with this.

I don't really know his parents, but I plan to write them a letter to offer my support.

When I opened my email this morning I found out that my blog had been ranked an 8.0 out of 10.0 at Blogged in the health/condition and disease category. Neat.

While I was perusing some of the other blogs this morning. I found JJS Diabetes. And from there I found a news story talking about research to develop a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes.

Not long ago I didn't have any interest in a vaccine. I figured it couldn't help Riley so I never paid much attention to them. But, while reading the story I couldn't help but think of that 10 year old boy who was recently diagnosed. And, I thought of how wonderful it would be that if at diagnosis the doctor could give him a vaccination and say come back every six months for another one. No finger pricks, no insulin, no counting carbs, no balancing exercise and food, no lows, no highs.

Sorry for the discombobulated post. Now I'm going to go clean my room and then maybe we'll head to the beach to soak up some sun.

Have a great weekend!

Some Answers

Here are answers to my questions. If I get anymore later I will answer them in another post. So, if you haven't asked any yet, but would like to go to this post and fill in the blanks. I can always use something to post about.


These questions came from Molly.

1. What do you think of non-invasive blood testing?

I think its would be great if it actually worked. I don't think I can trust it's accuracy. I would love it if it does work. It would mean no more ugly black spots on Riley's finger tips.

2. When did you last sing?

This morning in my car. The station I was listening to had people calling in and saying what their favorite summer songs are. The last song I sang along with was "What I Got" by Sublime.

3. Plain or peanuts? Why?

Peanuts: because I don't really like chocolate. I cannot eat just plain chocolate so I have to have nuts in it to eat it or it has to be with something else, like in a cookie or with peanut butter. I absolutely love Resses Cups.

4. What did you do on your 21st birthday?

I honestly don't remember. I imagine I didn't do much of anything. I don't drink so I know I didn't go out and get drunk. I was in college at the time, but I was also the mother of a 3 year old. I probably spent time with him and my family.

5. What's your favorite color for a pair of socks?

I wear mainly white sock because I'm a nurse and they go with everything. My favorite pair of socks that I own are a sage green color. They are very warm and fuzzy.

6. How would you like to go on a 10 day camping/canoeing trip to the BWCA in Minnesota?

No offense to you Molly, but I don't think I'd enjoy it too much. 10 days outside? 10 days without a bed or a nice hot shower? No thanks.

7. Whom would you most like to dance the tango with?

The devil in the pale moonlight. (I just like the sound of it;-)

Next up is questions from Shannon:

1. What do you think of the economy?

To put it mildly, it sucks. I was just talking to a co-worker about it. I think the economy is being ruined by rising gas prices. The increase in gas prices is affecting everything from the price of milk to tourism to eating out at a restaurant. I think if something isn't done about gas prices very soon that America is in for some very hard times. (BTW, a gallon of gas where I live is now $3.98/ gallon for regular. How about you guys?)

2. When did you last shave your legs?

This morning. I shave my legs almost every morning when it's warm. I'm wearing long pants now but Riley has a T-ball game tonight and I'll probably put on a pair of shorts to go to it. If you'd have asked this question in the winter the answer would have been very different.

3. Poultry or red meat? Why?

I wish I could say poultry because it's better for me, but I have to say red meat. I am a meat and potatoes kind of girl. The rarer the meat the better.

4. What did you give Michael for Christmas?

Nothing. We don't usually do gifts for each other. I didn't get anything from him either. We would rather spend the money on the kids.

5. What’s your favorite TV show?

Right now I would have to say House. I am a long time fan of ER too, but it's starting to get a little boring to me.

6. How would you survive being stranded on a deserted island?

I don't think I would. I am a terribly picky eater. I guess I would literally rather die than eat a bug. Yeah, I wouldn't last very long on Survivor.


7. Whom would you most like to meet on the red carpet of the Oscars?

My first thought was Will Smith. I don't know why. I really like Will Smith. I've been a fan since his Fresh Prince of Bel Aire days. He's seems to be a genuinely nice person. Then again, there's also Keanu Reeves who I used to have a huge crush on. I don't know, I'll go with Will Smith, final answer.

Next, Allison:

1. What do you think of the election so far?

Hmmmm. I try to avoid politics on my blog. It's a very divisive subject. I guess mainly I'm just curious to see who the Democrats end up with on their ticket.

2. When did you last watch a movie?

We watched "ET" on Saturday. Riley had seen part of it on TV the day before and he wanted to watch the whole thing, so we watched together as a family. If you're talking about the last movie I watched in a theater I really don't know. I think the last movie we watched at a theater was.....I don't know. It's been so long ago that I honestly don't remember what it was.

3. Romantic comedies or dramas? Why?

Romantic comedies because I have to think and feel too much in my every day life. When I sit down to watch a movie I prefer to just be able to relax and enjoy it.

4. What did you want to be when you were 5 years old?

A veterinarian, that is until I found out from my mom that vets have to put animals to sleep. It altered my career path forever.

5. What’s your favorite color?

yellow

6. How would you change your appearance?

I'm not a fan of elective surgery. It's fine if someone else wants to do it, but it's not for me for many different reasons. But, I wouldn't mind if I could just take a pill that would make me tan. Is that possible? Someone needs to work on that.

7. Whom would you most like to have dinner with - dead or alive?

My Pop Pop. He's my maternal grandfather. He died 14 years ago. I still miss him. I would love to sit and talk with him again and tell him what's been going on since he left. I've graduated college, gotten married (to someone that reminds me a lot of him), and had another child who I know he would love to meet. I miss other dead relatives too , but I absolutely adored my Pop Pop. (Gee Allison thanks for making me cry;-)

And, last but certainly not least, Carey (when I opened my email this morning and saw that I had a comment from him I knew I was in for some strange questions)

1. What do you think of toe fuzz?

I don't have a problem with it really. Live and let live. It's just trying to make it's way in the world like everything else.

2. When did you last pick some?

I'm not sure. Much like going to the movies, I don't do it that often.

3. Black toe fuzz or white toe fuzz? Why?

White. Because that's the color of my socks.

4. What did you do with it?

I sold it on eBay to a foot fetish freak so I could buy a gallon of gas.

5. What’s your favorite toe to pick from?

My big toe because it always has the most fuzz on it.

6. How would you sell it?

See number 4.

7. Whom would you most like to share it with?

You. I would like to share it with you Carey because you asked such wonderfully insightful questions.

Because I Want to Post Something

I ran across this and thought it would be fun. Leave your questions in the comments (or email it to me) and I'll post it when I get a chance. (keep it clean please)




Fill in the blanks:


1. What do you think of ________?



2. When did you last ________?



3. ________ or ________? Why?



4. What did you ________?



5. What’s your favorite ________?



6. How would you ________?



7. Whom would you most like to ________?

The School Nurse Job Update

A few weeks ago I wrote about a school nurse position that I was thinking about applying for.

Well, I applied for it and had an interview. The day after the interview they called and offered me the job. The pay was much less than what I make now, so I almost turned it down right away.

But, I didn't. Instead I prayed about it. I prayed that if it was meant for me to have this job that there would be a pay increase.

The lady that did my interview called me back a few days later. She said that all school nurses in the state of NC are required to get certified within 3 years of getting hired. I am at an advantage because I have a BS degree. So, really all I would have to do is take the test. (and pass, of course).

I was told that once I passed the test that my pay would "increase significantly". I asked how much "significantly" was. The figure she quoted me was almost exactly what I make at my current job. I couldn't believe it. My prayers had been answered.

But, there was a catch. I was told that the earliest I could take the test was in February. That meant we would have to live on much less money for about 7 months. I wasn't sure we could do it.

But, Michael and I talked about it and I decided I could work at a hospital or nursing home some weekends to supplement our income until I could take the test.

Then, I found out the next test is being offered in July. So, I am registering for the test and hopefully I'll pass it the first time and then I won't have to wait 7 months for my pay increase.

To get to the point of my post: I officially accepted the job today. My first day at my new job will be on June 16th. I'm so excited!!

And, you want to know what the best part is? Since the kids get out of school on June 13th, I will work for about 2 weeks and then I will have the whole month of July off.....with pay. I'm loving this job already and I haven't even started yet!!

I'm sure I'll be studying a lot during my time off. But, there are worse things than studying while working on my tan.

I just opened an email from tudiabetes that read : "We were informed that one of our members Kyla Maldonado has passed away as a result of diabetes complications. She left two daughters behind. "

I went to her page. She was only 29 years old. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 5.

I don't know what to say. I want to curl up next to Riley and hold him forever, protect him from the future, protect him from diabetes, protect him from complications.

But, I can't. I just can't. And right now that's a little more than I can bear.

My heart goes out to Kyla's family. I'm so sorry for their loss.

10 Wierd Things About Me (only 10?)

I have been tagged by Colleen to reveal 10 things about me.

Here are the rules:

Once you’ve been tagged, you have to write a blog with 10 weird, random, facts, habits or goals about yourself. At the end, choose 6 people to be tagged, list their names & why you tagged them. Don’t forget to leave them a comment saying “You’re it!” & to go read your blog. You cannot tag the person that tagged you, so since you’re not allowed to tag me back; let me know when you are done so I can go read YOUR weird, random, facts, habits and goals. Have fun!



#1 When I'm sitting down I have a habit of bouncing my leg up and down all. the. time. It's a family thing. My dad and aunt both do it and my grandfather did it. I think some people find it annoying. If I'm sitting on a bench with you I would probably drive you crazy because I would be shaking the bench. I usually don't realize I'm doing it until someone asks me to stop.



#2 I am not a perfectionist by any means. One only needs to peek into my house to see that. The little details don't bother me usually. For example, I can have several smudges on the wall and it won't bother me all that much. That is until I start cleaning the walls. Once I'm done washing the walls if I see one smudge that I can't get it will drive me insane. I will scrub and scrub and then decide I need to paint if I can't get the smudge out. But, when there was a zillion smudges on the wall it didn't bother me at all.



#3 I have always wanted to be a singer. Not as a career or anything. I would just love to be able to stand up in front of a crowd and sing and it sound good. I am in awe of people who can sing so well.



#4 I can't sleep on my back. I have to sleep on my side or my stomach. No matter how tired I am I just cannot stay on my back while I sleep. I've often thought that if I'm ever injured to where I cannot turn over I will be in trouble. I would be more sleep-deprived than I am now.



#5 I often have to kick Holden out of my bedroom at night so I can go to sleep. He will come in after Michael and I have gotten into bed and talk and talk about random things. He'll tell me what he did that day or tell me something funny that happened at work. Or redo a comedy routine he saw that day. I sometimes literally have to push him out the door because he would talk for hours if I didn't. Don't think that's weird? He's 17 and he enjoys spending time with his mom.



#6 I don't do this anymore, but it wasn't that long ago that I did. When I was driving in my car I used to sing along to the radio and pretend that I was a famous singer putting on a show. It passed the time.



#7 I used to be deathly afraid of lightening. When I was a teenager if there was a lightning storm I would take off all my jewelry and sit in the middle of the floor and make sure I was not near anything metal. I'd even do this if it was 3 o'clock in the morning. I think it's because I had heard a story about a man who was in his house leaning up against the wall when lightning struck a nail in his wall and killed him. I'm not sure if the story is true or not, but it made me spend a many of sleepless nights when I was younger.



#8 The middle finger on my right hand is fatter than all of my other fingers. I slammed it in a car door when I was 7. The finger nail on that finger never grows longer either. It's always the same length.



#9 I still have a love letter that a boy wrote to me when I was in the first grade. (I'll show my age. The letter is 28 years old.) It is written in red ink and has a big heart on it with a line drawn through it and says "You have broking my heart."



#10 About a year before I met my husband I had a dream that I would marry a guy named Michael. In the dream I was standing at the alter in a white dress with a guy in a tux. The guy didn't have a face. All I knew about him was that his name was Michael. I told my best friend the next day that I was going to marry someone named Michael. About 4 years later I married my husband. Also, before I ever met my husband I had decided that if I ever had another little boy I would name him Michael Alexander. After knowing Michael for a few weeks I asked him what his middle name was. When he said Alexander I almost fell out. I think that's the night I fell in love with him.



I tag :

Sandra at A Shot in the Dark
Kelly at Chasing Numbers
Lisa at Mommie Squared
Chris at Rub Eyes When Needed
Nicole at Curious Girl
Caro at Diabetes Wise

Prom and Birthday Pictures

Holden had his prom a few weeks ago and I never posted any pictures. The theme was "Red Carpet Romance". All the kids walked up the red carpet and had their names announced while a valet (some of the dads) parked the car for them.

Holden and his date, Brittaney. They have been dating for 2 years now.

Holden and me.

Riley got two birthday parties. The first one was on Mother's Day. Then, he had a party at school on his birthday.

That night we went to eat at a Japanese Steakhouse. Riley probably averages eating around 170 carbs in a whole day. Well, Riley's meal was about 70 carbs. Then, because it was his birthday they sang happy birthday to him and brought him a muffin roughly the size of his head.

I thought he'd eat a few bites, but he ate the whole muffin which I estimated at 70 carbs. So, he had 140 carbs at one meal. He got 4 units of insulin. That is the most he has ever gotten at one time. His sugars did surprisingly well.

I was dying with each bite of muffin, but the grin on his face made it all worth it.

Diabetes doesn't keep Riley from doing anything. That includes being a goofball.

6

I love you little man.

Why I Almost Wish Riley was Diagnosed at a Younger Age

I read a news story this morning that made me cry.

Here are a few of the highlights that jumped out at me:


Ryan Collins of Aldie, Va., was only 10 weeks old when doctors made the diagnosis: Type 1 diabetes.

10 weeks old are you kidding me? How horrible. Why would I wish Riley was diagnosed that young? Keep reading.


Until last month, that is, when Ryan, now almost 7, stopped needing shots.

A dream come true.

Dr. Hattersley has also helped show that diabetes diagnosed in the first six months of life is monogenic. And about half those cases are caused by a particular mutation that can be overcome by sulfonylurea pills, an old and inexpensive class of diabetes drugs.

What does that mean for little Ryan?

Ryan now takes three small pills with breakfast and three with dinner. His body is making insulin again, and his blood sugar is better controlled than when he was taking all those shots.

“He’s ecstatic,” Ms. Collins said. “For this summer, I’m signing him up for summer camp, which he’s never been able to do before.”

I'm so happy for this little guy and his family. Can you imagine what it must be like to be free from the confines of insulin? He's never known any other way of life.

You can read the full story here: Some Diabetics Don’t Have What They Thought They Had.

Just Imagine

It was Riley's bedtime. He was getting ready to brush his teeth. I had fixed a bowl of ice cream to eat after he went to bed. He asked for a bite of ice cream (chocolate chip cookie dough; it was delicious). Anyway, I gave him a small bite and his eyes lit up.

"Yummmmm!! That is so good!! Wouldn't it be great if I didn't have diabetes and I could eat all of that I want?"

"Yes, it would, " I said as I held back my tears.

Then he smiled, made a sweeping hand gesture, and said, "Just imagine. If I didn't have diabetes then I could go out and play and run all I wanted and never have to worry about my sugar going low."

Blinking back my tears I said, "That would be great wouldn't it?"

"Yeah."

Michael walked into the room and asked what would be great. Riley repeated what he had just said. The look on Michael's face said it all.

I quickly got up and went into the bathroom just before the tears spilled over onto my cheeks. I sat in there a few minutes and composed myself before coming out and tucking him into bed.

I hope and pray every day for that day when he can run and run and run and not go low.

Just imagine.....

Getting on with Life

Today started out to be one of those days. You know the one.

It's one of those days where everything reminds you of diabetes and how stupid and horrible it is. One of those days where all you want to do is escape to some non-existent tropical island where diabetes does not exist.

It probably all started because Riley ran high pretty much all day yesterday and most of last night. He was 114 when he woke up yesterday. He was 112 at supper last night. The rest of the time he's been in the 200 and 300s.

His sugar when he woke up this morning: 255. I figure the highs are a result of 1 of 3 things.

#1) Holden was sick with some sort of stomach virus earlier in the week. Riley could be coming down with that, thus the high sugars.

#2) For several days last week Riley kept going low. I actually ran out of juice boxes and had to get some from my mom because he was going low so much. After a couple of days of this I decided a basal change was in order. I decreased his basals by 0.40 units. He went from getting 6.0 units of basal a day to getting 5.6 units a day. That's a pretty significant change for him.

But, it worked. He hasn't had any juice since then and only a couple of sugars in the 200s. He's been pretty much right were he should be since I changed his basals. That is until yesterday.

I blamed the lows on the seasonal changes. But, I'm thinking that maybe his body has adjusted to those changes now and his basals might need to be increased. The bad part of that is that I've got to let him run high for another day or two before I can come to that conclusion.

#3) This morning was a site change morning. When I changed his site on Tuesday I used the last of the insulin in the bottle. I've found that sometimes when we get down to the last little bit of the insulin in the bottle it's potency tends to taper off around day 3. But, that's just sometimes, not all the time.

Just like everything else with diabetes.

So, the highs got me down. And, not knowing what to do about them got me down.

Also, like I mentioned above, this morning was a site change morning. Most of the time when I change his site Michael is still at home. Riley always says, "Come talk to me, Dad."

Michael will sit and talk to him (usually about baseball, Halo, or Star Wars) while I insert his needle.

Michael left a little earlier this morning so he wasn't there to talk to Riley. So, the site change didn't start off well. Riley was upset that he didn't have anyone to talk to. (What am I you might ask. I'm just mom. I don't really count.)

First I had to examine his bottom and decide where I could put the site. He's too thin to put his sites anywhere but his bottom so they look a little worse for wear. I looked at his left butt cheek which was my target for the morning. It's pocked with a few scars. I can see where his last site was that I pulled out 3 days ago. I know I don't want to put it there. So, I look for a better area.

The rest of his prime area is mottled with bruises of all different hues. It pains me to know I have to stick him somewhere in or around those bruises.

I pick a spot and apply the IV prep. All the while I'm trying to hold a conversation with Riley. We talk about school as I prep the needle and push it against the least bruised part of his butt cheek.

He tenses up when the inserter touches his skin and I have to tell him to relax. As we're talking about PE at school I push the sides of the inserter to release the needle. As it pierces his skin he lets out a low howl. (He usually does pretty well. He does much worse when he's been running high for a while.)

I tell him "I'm sorry." He asks, "Why?" I say, "Because Mommy doesn't want to hurt you."

Next, I fill the cannula and decrease his basal. Then, I have to give him insulin for his breakfast. He starts to scream. "No, don't give me insulin! It burns! It burns!" But, I have no choice. I have to give him insulin.

When I was done and the tears were dried I picked him up and gave him a big hug. He wrapped his arms around my neck and squeezed. I blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill over onto my cheeks.

"You know mommy wishes she didn't have to stick you with needles, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

Then he was off to play xbox until it was time for school.

I watched him as he sat on his bed. He was sitting a little crooked. He wasn't sitting on his bottom but more on his right hip to keep from sitting on his site because it was still tender from being changed.

I'm not sure why some days I can fly through things without any problems and then there are days, like today, where every little thing makes me want to cry.

But, I'm trying to take my cue from Riley. He said what he had to say about the site change and the burning insulin and then he went right back to life without giving it a second thought.

As he stood in the hallway brushing his teeth this morning (he hardly ever stands in the bathroom to brush his teeth) I noticed how cute he looked. It's supposed to be warm here today so I sent him to school in shorts, cargo shorts to be exact.

And, noticing that he had on cargo shorts made me think of a joke done by Daniel Tosh. And, I just had to laugh. What is up with cargo shorts/pants anyway? Does anyone really need that many pockets?

And, so, I went on with life also.

I'll leave you with this clip of Daniel Tosh's cargo pants day. I hope it makes you smile.

Have a great weekend!