THANKFUL

     In light of the month of November, as well as Diabetes Awareness Month, I wanted to take a moment to say the things that I am most thankful for, as related to diabetes. (Of course, 30 things for the 30 days of November).

I AM THANKFUL:

1. That my husband has a job that enables him to take time as needed to go to Dr. appointments and the miscellaneous things that diabetes throws at us. Years of working 50-60 hours per week are now paying off.
2. That my husband has a job that enables me to be a stay at home mom and allows us to have the ability to pay for the best care available for diabetes.
3. For our pediatric endocrinologist and his diabetes education team. Every single person I have met in the local D community or fellow doctor raves about him and for good reason. Unfortunately I’ve heard he’s stopped taking on new patients because his existing ones are so numerous. (Not for sure though). Also one of his diabetes educators is a fellow D-mom, which makes me really feel that someone TRULY understands what we are going through. She was also our nurse when M was diagnosed, as she was in her last weeks in the Special Care unit before she left for the pediatric endocrinology office.
4. For the Dexcom technology which has already saved my daughter’s life at least once. If only this had been around 13 years ago, my cousin’s life wouldn’t have been forfeited to D.
5. That my daughter was able to receive the pump less than 2 months into her diagnosis because we weren’t able to dose her properly before.
6. That I was already pregnant when she was diagnosed, because I always wanted several children and I don’t know that my husband would have agreed to a second child after M’s diagnosis. It is an emotional and financial strain you cannot be prepared for, one that you want to give everything for and leaves you in doubt that you have the strength for anything else.
7. For the TrialNet program that will test our newest child for the possibility of D.
8. Although she is so little, in a way I am thankful that she did get this so young because she will never know a life without it so everything will be a way of life for her instead of a huge change.
9. That she is rather protected in her young age against diabetic complications from high blood sugar. We are still figuring out dosing and foods and would be that much more paranoid about everything if there was a huge possibility that she could have permanent damage for our mistakes.
10. That we even have insulin. Before 1922 my daughter would most definitely already be in the grave right now. She is such a bright light in our lives, I hope I never see it eliminated.
11. That my husband is on top of everything with d-care. I trust him to make decisions in her care as much as I trust myself. With as much stress as there is in having a toddler with D, it is such a relief to be able to escape the house on occasion and not worry about anything d-related.
12. That my daughter is a good eater, which means that we can bolus her before a meal and know that in one way or another we will meet her carb count. Toddler’s are picky eaters but she is pretty steadfast on eating a variety of food and a good quantity of it.
13. That she is as patient with us as she is. She lets us do her blood checks 90% of the time with no fuss, and the other 10% is normal toddler behavior of not wanting to sit still while we take her out of the action for a check.
14. That my family knew all about diabetes before this. Unfortunately my cousin passed away from a low in 2000, after which my mother was a fanatic about any d-like symptoms. She even kept the urine strips in the house to test my younger brothers on occasion. So I knew the signs of diabetes and it helped me diagnose my own daughter.
15. For a great online community of fellow d-moms and dads who share advice. The early months were like a black hole for us and we spent a lot of time online researching about the disease, tips on care, advice on products, etc.
16. That we are getting free speech therapy through a state program for developmental delays. Hopefully this will get her back on track from any delays D contributed to.
17. That my newborn daughter is such a good baby. Minimal fuss and a great sleeper. Since week 5 she has been sleeping 7-9 hours per night. It is such a relief, especially since M didn’t sleep more than 4 hours straight until nearly 6 months old. It allows me to stay (relatively) sane and not sleep deprived, which would make it so much harder to take care of M.
18. For our extended family. My husband’s cousin sent us the expanded Pink Panther D book after we finished the abbreviated version our Endo gave us at diagnosis. My aunts and uncles all do fundraising for JDRF, and have done so for over ten years already. One aunt is on the board of her local JDRF chapter.
19. That I previously held a job in a medical office, where I did medical insurance and appeals. It has aided me so many times when dealing with hospitals, Dr. offices, and insurance companies. You cannot believe how many denials I’ve had to fight in the past while working, which in turn sharpened my skills for personal use. Also now that our health coverage is being cancelled due to Obamacare, it is aiding me in knowing exactly what pros and cons each replacement plan has.
20. For the other parents of Type 1 kids who have developed products for D kids, such as insulin pump pouches in cute fabrics fitted to their tiny waists or custom D alert bracelets. Adult sizes and patterns just don’t work for kids.
21. For the restaurants that actually provide carbohydrates counts for their foods. (Cracker Barrel, you are really disappointing).  Some are really great at this, even though their food isn’t super great for you. McDonalds labels EVERY item in the Happy Meals with carb info, and IHop has a nutritional menu you can ask for. Chikfila even stores their carb info inside their registers, with a printout available for any item on their menu. Others have the information on their websites or have provided it to other websites. Hardest are the mom-pop type places since nothing is standardized or analyzed.
22. For organizing products that can be used for D products. So far I’ve used a Caboodles makeup organizer as our main D supply station (see other post), a makeup bag for our D supplies on the go, another makeup bag for our emergency carb stash in our car. Glass tumblers we use to amplify the vibrations of our Dexcom alerts, and a three-tier plastic container holds extra pump batteries, syringes, test strip solution, and extra meters.
23. For our local fire and health departments, who provide sharps containers free of charge. We can also drop them off with no charge.
24. For the website I just stumbled across, safesittings.com. I don’t know how I didn’t find this sooner than I did with all my research on Type 1 diabetes and resources for it. We don’t have a lot of sitter options so this could well prove a godsend. We have already started initiating contact with a local young woman with Type 1 to become our backup sitter.
25. That my mom moved up to our area last year. She couldn’t stand not being nearby after M was born, so she picked up and left her house, job, and community that she had been a part of for over 25 years. Four hour drives were way too much and I am so happy to have her here for support.
26. That my husband’s mom is so committed to being able to keep M for future grandma visits that she even started counting her own carbs to be able to better learn D care.
27. For the pharmaceutical companies who supply vast quantities of samples to their reps. We have received insulin, test meters, a ketone meter, recipe books, and more free of charge. We spend so much money on D care that it is nice to get something for free! (Even if it’s only so we spend money on their products in the future….yes, I have a marketing degree, I know how that works lol).
28. That we live in a country with great access to care, as well as economic prosperity. Type 1 kills untold numbers of kids in poor countries because their parents do not have the ability to see a doctor for a diagnosis. They do not have the internet to discover the cause on their own. If they are fortunate enough not to die of DKA before they are diagnosed, then they may not have the money to pay for the newer insulin which is more predictable, or perhaps any insulin at all. They may not have the money to pay for test strips, let alone insulin pumps and CGM’s. I shudder at the thought of not having every single thing necessary to care for my daughter.
29. For smartphones and the ability to peruse the internet in a restaurant, or out and about. Having access to carb counts in foods, or contact numbers not previously stored in the phone are so very helpful. Bye-bye pager, I haven’t missed you at all since you’ve been gone.
30. For my friends who have supported us through this diagnosis. I can vent on Facebook or over the phone and know that my friends will be there. Even having a distant friend clicking “Like” on a post is a great comfort because it means that people are listening and understanding what I am going through. When you feel alone on an island, it helps to know there are at least people on the mainland still waving to you.