Yesterday marked the 3rd Anniversary of Noah's diagnosis. Sometimes it's hard to believe it's been 3 yrs and other times it feels like that's all we've ever known. We Type 1 parents don't want to skip over that anniversary, because it's sad and life-changing. We want to celebrate it, because we have healthy kids DESPITE the diagnosis! So, here's a quick look back at some of the things we've been through in this 3 year journey....
Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011 was the night I quickly drove Noah to the hospital with a blood sugar reading of 571. I remember testing him in our bathroom, using an old glucose monitor that I had used while pregnant with Olivia. I had suspected something was up, because he was peeing so much, but really wasn't ready for that number to pop up on the screen. I knew what it meant and instantly burst into tears. I quickly called one of my dear friends, who had been over for a playdate just a few hours before, and told her what the number was. Long story short, she called me back just a few minutes after that conversation and said, "Get him to the hospital!". It was nearly 9pm and he was ready for bed, but I got him in his coat and we headed out to the emergency room. Pete and the girls stayed behind, quite uncertain about what this all meant. He stayed in the hospital until the next evening and this picture is from that second day. He was comfy with his sock monkey and playing some playstation. He had already, by this time, had more shots and finger sticks than any of us could've imagined and he was so scared every time he had to get one. Those first few days were probably some of the most difficult days in my life.
We took a trip down to Peoria that Friday and came back with more stuff than I knew what to do with. The organizer in me took over and went through all of that information and equipment and supplies that Saturday and got everything ready to go. Our new life was beginning.
We spent the next 3 months going back and forth to Peoria (2 hr drive each way) to learn about this disease and how to care for Noah. We came home with a large notebook and tons of notes, that I still keep on our shelf for reference to this day.
Because the changes were hard on the girls, we took them with us to a couple of those appointments. They didn't understand fully what was going on with their brother. Though, in this picture, they had a few months under their belt and were handling it a lot better by then.
The next year we did our very first JDRF Walk with my sister and her family and had the BEST TIME!!! We raised $600 for JDRF and were really proud of Noah for leading the charge on that.
For these past 3 years, we've gone to Peoria every 3 months for check-ups. It becomes a special day for Noah and I, and sometimes all of us, as we go and make sure he's well and that his A1C levels are good and his ratios are on target.
Unfortunately, last year, we had our first experience with high ketones. He was so sick and it was so scary. We caught his diagnosis before he got sick, which isn't the case with most Type 1s. We were lucky/blessed. But, this episode with high ketones was definitely a wake-up call about how serious this disease can get.
Each August, since his diagnosis, we get his school supplies ready like all the other kids. We just have his diabetes kit to get ready as well, with his treatment forms, snacks, juice, and supplies. This year he got a brand new backpack and his very own cell phone, so he could start carrying his stuff from class-to-class and text his nurse his blood sugar numbers, so he wouldn't have to leave class to do that.
We got to meet with the IL Rep to the U.S. House of Representatives, Adam Kinzinger. I know, he's super-cute, right? We joined 3 other families that talked about the need to keep govt. funding available for Type 1 research. He and I both shared our store and it was an honor and privilege to be a voice for Type 1.
The most exciting thing for us happened in October. We got him a pump! This is the goal of all Type 1s, but we didn't jump into it right away. We took our time to think about it as an option and finally took the plunge and are thrilled that we did!
We had to do a lot of studying and take a couple classes, so that meant extra Peoria trips, but we learned a lot and were able to get it figured out enough to have him hooked up before Halloween. This was our saline class when we learned about our pump's functions and got him hooked up to saline.
After 2 weeks of saline, we got him hooked up to insulin and haven't looked back. What an absolute wonder this pump has been! It's been such a god send and I'm so thankful that we have the technology that we do. His numbers have been so good lately and the shots are a thing of the past. Now, it's just a site change every other day.
So, here he is. Nothing like that scared 7 yr old in the very first picture. He's that crazy kid that we all know and love and I am SO proud of how he's handled his journey so far. There's not a day that goes by, heck... a meal that goes by, that we don't think about how to manage his disease, but it's not hindering him or stopping him from doing anything he wants to do (except maybe eating a candy bar, which is a funny story I'll have to share later). Yep, I'm happy to say that three years since that scary day in January of 2011 we've come so far and we hope for more wonderful years of health and happiness for him. :-)
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