Tales of a diabetic father: the importance of having extra supplies

Quite a number of years ago, we've helped another diabetic family--whom we didn't know at the time--because they were in a crisis.

Long story short, their son's insulin pump broke and Medtronics was overnighting a pump to them.  In the meantime, they had to inject insulin the old-fashioned way (at least for us who happen to rely on pumps to do everything): with a syringe.  They were also out of town, far from home, and didn't know anyone nearby to help out.

Luckily, the EMT worker who assisted them was a friend of ours and called us up.  We had extra supplies we were able to provide for them, to get them through their crisis.

As a father who deals with diabetic children all the time, the amount of supplies we have on hand can be daunting.  There are times when you wonder why in the world you even have it all.  Once again, the events this past Saturday proved why we do.

We were able to pay it forward.

Because so many people have helped us out in a pinch along the way.

Tales of a diabetic father: dealing with rebellion

Rebellion for a young diabetic all comes down to control.  They want some.  Especially in a world where they seem to have none.

They're being controlled in what they eat, what they can do, what they can drink.  Virtually their entire life is turned upside-down due to this disorder.

So they rebel.

Food seems to be the one area where young diabetics rebel first.  This can either be two-fold: they refuse to eat or they sneak/horde food.  Both can be dealt with easily enough, but you need patience.  Remember, we're talking about control here.  If the diabetic perceives they're more in control, the less apt they are to rebel.

Refusing to eat can be dealt with simply making something they like.  You need to be reasonable, of course.  You just can't let them eat chocolate cake all they want.  Our oldest son has never liked mashed potatoes.  So, whenever mashed potatoes are on the menu, we make him a baked potato--which he likes.  Go figure.

Sneaking and hording food is a bit more difficult, as you have to be constantly vigilant.  As our son's dietician said to us, "Feed him until he's full."  So, we feed him until he's full.  Then, when we catch him not sneaking food, we praise him.  We remind him if he does.  It's difficult not to get angry, especially when you're on a strict budget.  Ask your dietician for ideas on how to make your little one more full.

Tales of a diabetic father: the dangers of complacency in diabetes (and what we can learn from a Matthew Broderick movie)

A number of years ago, our family had a major medical emergency: we lost our daughter's insulin pump somewhere between our local pool, my sister-in-law's van, and our house.  Needless to say, we were in a panic.

I'll spare the details of the ordeal, but rest assured we found the pump by our front door--amidst a pile of shoes in the corner--the next morning.  For a good 12+ hours, we had to rely on insulin pens (which my daughter hated!) to deliver insulin and kept an all-night vigil every 2-3 hours.

We became a victim of complacency.  And for diabetics, this is a very bad place to be.  Instead of constantly wanting to know where the pump was and making sure she wears it at all times, we fell into a mode that could've turned out dangerous.

Raising diabetic children requires us parents to have a constant vigil.  I'm reminded of the Matthew Broderick movie from 1983 called War Games..  In particular, the DEFCON mode of the country, with DEFCON 5 being completely safe and DEFCON 1 being World War III.  Dealing with diabetes requires parents to be constantly in that DEFCON 2 or 3 mode, and ready to move to 1 at a moment's notice.

Even though emergencies may be far and few between, they can happen.  And many of those times can be preventable, as we become victims of complacency.

Tales of a diabetic father: packing extra for trips

Three years ago, over the Fourth of July, I took my wife and our oldest son to Rochester, MN, as my wife had an appointment at the Mayo Clinic.

Our son has type 1 diabetes.  He is on a Medtronic pump, and has been for over ten years.  And there is one thing about pump-users: there is a lot of equipment to bring.  Even for an overnight trip, like this one was, we still had to bring an extra reservoir full of insulin and 2-3 infusion sets, just in case.

Because you never know when things go wrong.  Even if you're not a pump-user, things can still go wrong.  Sometimes we over-prepare for trips, and feel stupid for doing so, but when the crap hits the fan we're glad for the extra supplies.

I checked our son's insulin level on the reservoir before leaving.  It was half-full, which should've been more than enough for the trip.  It wasn't.  As we left Rochester Friday, our son said, "Ah, Dad, I only have 3 hours left on the pump."

This was three hours with no bolus activity.  Not good.  Especially for a 7-8 hours trip.

Needless to say, we're glad we had the extra reservoir of insulin packed.

Tales of a diabetic father: a math lesson for the younger diabetic children

When our youngest daughter was in the first grade, she was having troubles with math.  She wasn't failing.  Lord, no.  But she was having a little troubles with addition and subtraction.

Then, I decided to make a game out of her blood sugar checks.

Let's say we check her blood and her reading is: 145.  I then ask her, "Okay, what's 1 plus 4 plus 5?"

She'll think and think . . . then say, "Ten!"

Yes!  She is so proud of herself.

Now, so many months later, we still do it.  It's a little game we play, which gets her to start thinking of addition in her head.  There are times when she counts on her fingers.  No problem.  At least she's thinking about it.

And loves it!

Here's the cool part: it even gets her to remember what her blood sugar is afterwards too, later in the day.