A drawer full of cheese

Cheese has become a staple in our house the last 7 months. Virtually no carbs, it makes a perfect snack. A week or so ago, I bought cheese at Costco. Lots of cheese. It should last about a month.

A whole drawer in the fridge is dedicated to cheese, right below the drawer of insulin. 

They eat cheese plain, but they have also come up with some other ideas for low carb snacks.  One of the favorites is chipless nachos.  Sliced cheese with a jalapeno slice, baked at 400 for about 7 minutes. Yum! The inspiration came from this blog.

Cheese, meat, eggs, sugar free jello....those are about the only carb-free foods, so we keep plenty of all of those on hand.  Veggies are mostly low carb, but even some veggies with dip require an injection, depending on the veggie, the dip, and the amount.  All fruits require an injection. So I try to keep plenty of carb free snacks on hand.  Growing boys need lots of food, and shouldn't always have to take a shot to eat it.  Carb free snacks help my guys KDA every day!

Food

Food is a somewhat controversial topic in the type 1 community. Some people greatly restrict carb intake, others don't. We are in the 'don't' camp. We just make sure we are eating healthy meals with lots of veggies (those have carbs too, by the way) and count every carb! The insulin must match the carbs. Even then, it's no guarantee they will stay in range. Diabetes really has no rhyme or reason, nor does it play by any rules. The same exact meal can produce different results on different days. Jason and Seth tend to react similar to the same foods, but not always. It hurts my logical brain some days. Ok, most days.

Here's an example of a meal. Keep in mind Jason is 6'9" and Seth is a 6'6"ish growing teenager, so it's more food than most people eat.

When there is a special occasion or event, Seth eats cake, ice cream etc. Just like every other kid. His pancreas doesn't work, and it's not his fault.He just has to inject the insulin that other kids secrete naturally. Jason watches sweets more carefully, as all adults really should, but he isn't super restrictive either. It's such a change for him from the days he thought he was type 2! More difficult in most ways, easier in a few.

There are some food that are more off-limits. Regular soda and juice, especially at a restaurant, are almost impossible to calculate so they drink diet soda. We also keep sugar free jello cups on hand all the time. Otherwise, regular food. We just have to count Every. Single. Carb. I'll write more later about the calculating process and also how we order in restaurants.

Something that will blow your mind...a banana has about the same number of carbs as a cupcake. From an insulin standpoint, they are equal. Obviously they aren't from a health standpoint, but still. It's crazy that they need to inject the same amount of insulin for healthy fruit as a cupcake. But that's the way it is.

Ok, I think that's all I have for today. More next time! Until then, we will keep doing our best to KDA.

Hard to put into words.

Words have not come easy lately. It has been about 3 weeks since I blogged. I can't decide if I have no words or too many. Probably too many, clogging up my brain so I can't arrange them in a coherent way. I mean, 2 diagnoses in less than 4 months is kinda overwhelming by anyone's standards. Anyway, my awesome friend Jen encouraged me to continue spreading awareness, saying she has learned more real, practical information from me than she did in pharmacy school. So I will try to organize the jumble of words and emotions in my head in order to continue helping people understand this horrible, invisible disease just a little bit better.  More awareness means a better chance we will KDA.

The Quest for Insulin

Jason's insulin dose has been undergoing massive changes recently. His doctor started him out conservatively, but they have made several increases the last few weeks. Because of that, he realized on Thursday night that he would run out of insulin over the weekend. So, he called the pharmacy Friday morning. The insurance company wouldn't pay for the refill until Monday.  No problem, the doctor authorized an increase in the dose. Problem solved, right?

Wrong! The insulin the pharmacy had was expired, but being the awesome pharmacist she is, she transferred the prescription to the Wal-Mart pharmacy nearest Jason's work. Problem solved.


Wrong again! When he got there after work, they were out of it! So they called several other stores in the area and located the precious insulin he needs to live. I got home from work and off we went to a neighboring town. We stood in line, and when it was his turn they had no record of him in the computer. I was beginning to get a little anxious. Then the pharmacist had a thought....did they perhaps call the Neighborhood Market? He looked it up, and sure enough that's where it was. And we actually had time to get there before they closed. We made it, bought the insulin,  then had a lovely dinner together. Whew! It's hard work to KDA!

Happy New Year!

Those who know me personally know that 2012 was a really rough year from many angles. Loss, frustration, illness all bombarded us and our friends/family, particularly in the last half of the year. But I will not let that define me. We are already stronger - as a family, as a couple, as friends. We will continue to grow, to face any trials that we encounter this year. But I am optimistic that this year will be a good year. Josh will continue to discover his adult self. Seth will become confident in his diabetes management as well as excelling at school and in his music ventures. Jason will find the best treatment for his newly-discovered type 1.5 and continue to excel in teaching. I will regain control of some things I have left unattended the last few months, and enjoy my new adventures in my digital classroom. I am hoping to resume swimming soon, but I would hate to be mistaken again for a New Year's resolutioner. I may wait until February....ha!

May your 2013 be a wonderful year filled with love, happiness, and good health!

And just because I think every blog should have a picture, here is my cute little fat dog roasting herself by the fire.

White Christmas in Texas?

It snowed HARD yesterday. Reports vary as to how long it has been since we have had a white Christmas, but I honestly can't remember one. Ice, yes. Snow, no. But it snowed a large portion of the afternoon. Thankfully, we were prepared to spend the night with my parents. Plenty of extra insulin, a change of clothes, etc. Traveling with diabetics is almost like travelling with a baby again. We can't just pick up and leave spontaneously. The list of supplies has to be checked then checked again. It would be catastrophic to forget anything.
After 2 days of travel and eating with different parts of the family, I would classify the holiday as a success. Blood sugars stayed under 400 for both of my guys. I would have liked them to have been lower, but it was Christmas! No real restrictions on what they ate, so I expected them to run high, even with extra injections. Some foods are just hard to calculate, but we continue to learn.

Merry Christmas!

It has been a year of challenges to be sure, but also a year of blessings. Here is it, good and bad:
1 kid home from college for a couple of semesters
2 diagnoses of diabetes...a type 1 and a type 1.5
3 worked as lifeguards this summer
4 days in the hospital for Seth and 4 years of teaching for Jason
5 k of swimming by Jason (at one time, not total)
6th year of DI by Seth, and a 2nd place finish at competition
7 years in our house
16th birthday for Seth
17 years of teaching for Cassie
19th birthday for Josh
21st anniversary for Jason and Cassie
62 miles swimming for Cassie (total, not at one time)
Much love and multiple blessings for our friends and family. They helped us through this very trying year of loss and pain. Merry Christmas to you all, and may 2013 bless you all year long.

Another Diagnosis

Jason has struggled for several years to control his type 2 diabetes. Despite eating pretty well, exercising, following doctor's orders about medications, and even the type 2 last resort of Lantus (long lasting insulin), his A1c values continued to be too high. Comments about losing weight, eating better, exercising more, just getting it under control were not helpful. They often came from well meaning people, but the pressure it creates is not helpful. At. All.

After Seth was diagnosed with type 1, I began researching to learn all I could to help him. I stumbled across some new numbers. Type 3 diabetes is a nonmedical term used to describe caregivers of diabetics; that's me! I never dreamed I would have a diabetes number, but now I do. Then I saw type 1.5 diabetes. As I read more, I began to think it described Jason....diabetics that might be slightly overweight but having poor control. It's basically slow onset type 1 that is often misdiagnosed as type 2, the best I can understand. The ADA doesn't distinguish it from type 1.  I encouraged Jason to discuss it with his doctor at his next appointment. That appointment was today. The doctor agreed that he was misdiagnosed, and changed his diagnosis to type 1.5, also known as LADA (latent autoimmune diabetes in adults). Previous treatment plan scrapped completely, as it was a completely inappropriate treatment plan for a type 1. No wonder control has been unattainable! New plan is in place, and I am hopeful it will work fabulously. We are a family determined to KDA.

On a positive note, Seth's endo appointment was today also. A1c was 7.3. This was the first A1c that included a full 3 months of treatment. I was thrilled! I continue to be so proud of his attitude and proactive approach to living with type 1 diabetes. The only thing that worries me is his unawareness of lows. He was 58 in the endo's office, but didn't realize he was low until she asked how he felt. It was then he realized his hands were shaking. Type 1 peeps/parents -will he likely learn to recognize it?