I wish that I had more time to write. My real job seems to be interfering. Then when I have time to sit down and start, I have trouble narrowing my topic because my mind swirls. So, this will be a bit of a "week in review."
Monday I went to parent teacher conferences for Tylie. Imagine my surprise when she had a D in her father's class! I called her and made her come up and take the test before she could go to the soccer game. I would like to claim this as my idea but it was really my friend D's suggestion! I was waiting for a huge argument and was really pleasantly surprised when she not only came to take the test but visited the remainder of her teachers with me. Overall, reports were good so I guess we will keep her. I was surprised, however, that with the exception of the teachers who had had her before, they were not aware of her diabetes. This is the first year that I have not sent out a note- after all, she is a junior and can speak for herself. Plus, the information is on Powerschool so I trust that the teachers see the little red medic alert sign by her picture. Apparently not the case. So, for my own peace of mind, I sent out a note. My reason is as a teacher, I would want to be aware.
TJ was student of the week this week. That means we got to write all about him, send pictures to school and I got to go and visit his class. I usually take this time to do the big "D" talk. This would be the 3rd time I have done it for him. A few of the kids have heard it since preschool. They could probably have given the talk! I love going into classrooms of little kids. They are so accepting and if you are open with them, they are honest right back. The questions they asked were very thought provoking. And, of course, they were appropriately excited about the coloring sheets I brought along. We made Rice Chex bars. This is our gluten free version of Rice Krispy bars. They are perfect because they are also peanut free so everyone in class can eat them.
So, after that 'feel good' presentation, the next day I got a call because his pump wouldn't stop alarming. We did all the problem solving we could over the phone but I ended up taking a trip to school. Luckily, he just needed to have his set changed and we got his blood sugar back under control. However, the teacher got her first glimpse of what a high blood sugar looks like when she had to practically scrape him off the ceiling. He tends to get VERY energetic initially followed by 'the crash.' At least now they will know what to look for and when an additional finger poke might be necessary. Ironically, this call came after the nurse and I had spent the previous day going through a variety of scenarios and what steps staff would need to take in each situation.
Friday, we went to a wedding. It was cold and windy and it was outside. However, that isn't what I worried about. I worried that there wouldn't be any food that Trav could eat. As it turns out, I didn't really need to spend time on it. First of all, his little back pack is usually so full of stuff, he could live for a week. Second of all, he is so darn responsible, he doesn't put anything in his mouth without checking with me or another family member first. And third, his little friends he hangs out with are like police! So, he managed the wedding without cake and in fact, didn't even ask for cake. He was quite happy with the candy corn/peanut snack mix combination. I also worried that the girls would eat a ton and not put the carbs into their pumps. This is a legit worry- teenagers are tough!
The result of all these little incidents this week makes me think of the quote, "You plan and God laughs." Now, don't get me wrong, I will still plan. Sometimes I will even over plan! And I nag! I can't help it. However, I have gotten somewhat better at going with the flow and not panicking when things stray from my plan. This is not always easy, but I think I am getting better. For example, Sunday, Troy and the two oldest girls left for a Leadership conference for school. Originally, Taya was not planning to go. However, an hour before departure, Troy realized that he had an extra space for a girl and she was a freshman so she was invited to come along. Initially, she didn't think she would be ready to go, but I said I would grab her D stuff if she got her clothes together. So, she packed with the help of her older sister and I did inventory of the ziploc bags going along- set changes (2 kinds), inserter, insulin, extra strips, extra batteries, etc. And, by the time they needed to leave, she was ready. I was amazed. First of all, I would never have been so so spontaneous at her age and second of all, that I so easily supported her going. There was a time when just the thought of reorganizing supplies and making sure there was food for emergencies and going through all the "what if" scenarios in my mind would have been too overwhelming for me. But, luckily, I was over that and she got to go and experience something new. Ironically, the dad did forget his medicine! (Now next time he will find me nagging about that! Apparently, I can't let everything go!) Tessa got and unexpected invite to a party later that evening so TJ and I were alone for supper. So, I took him out to eat! Another thing, that if you asked me one year ago I couldn't have imagined doing, at least not without hours of internet research and a phone call to the place and a million questions for the server. I still asked the server questions, but we have been here before so I didn't have to research and call! I guess the fact that we are able to do these spontaneous things without too much extra stress means we have found our new normal- or it found us! I'll take it for now- at least until the next curveball!
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