Bryan's Thoughts - "A Week Without Knowing"

Like everyone else who had never thought diabetes could strike a loved one or a very young child without notice or warning, diabetes would never have crossed my mind. In a sense, we were slightly relieved of the doctors diagnosis because we immediately thought, diabetes is a very widespread and relatively well known livable disease. The reason I used the term "relieved" was because the entire week prior was of pure hell and worry simply because we had no idea what was going on with our 17 month old little girl. This first week also baffled a couple doctors who had sent us home to treat an ear infection and the flu. Although I'm sure that many other parents have been in our shoes many times prior to our finding, and I'm certain there will be plenty more parents who get scaed out of thier wits wondering what is going on with thier child. I seem to think it is probably normal for parents to feel like we did when we found out it was diabetes. We felt extremely guilty, and we had felt that we were ignorant and had lingering feelings that we had neglected our child because "we should have put 2 and 2 together" and that we should have known because it all made sense once the diagnosis was made. Diabetes is such a well known disease, how could we have been so ignorant to not think of it ourselves.
I think this is a normal way of thinking when someone close to you has been newly diagnosed with diabetes after spending possibly a week or more deathly ill and lethargic. After all, everyone has heard of diabetes, right? ....Probably. But the problem lies within the knowledge that people think they know about the disease. Most people who are introduced with or have a casual discussion about diabetes are simply misinformed and interpret the disease in thier own way. This is a totally normal reaction for someone with no experience or knowledge of the disease. For example, one person who we informed of our daughter being diagnosed with diabetes thought that people with the disease couldn't consume sugar. Diabetes is a very complex disorder and my blog's objective is to inform, teach, learn, and discuss this disease of many complications with everyone, including those parents who may someday face this same situation some day with thier child, so they can get treatment for thier child before things get too far out of hand.
Once we seen "the big picture", things get much easier to manage and understand. While I can say I have learned very much about diabetes, I can still honestly say that there is still a lot for us to learn and many things we still do not understand. We take one day at a time and take advantage of every opportunity and resource that we possibly can.
What you have read in the last few minutes are my thoughts regarding the time which diabetes had crept upon us. I wanted to share those thoughts to put into perspective how other parents felt, may have felt, or may unfortunately feel in the future if they or their children are are ever faced with this disease.
Thanks for reading, and check back soon for my day by day account from day 1 of our daughters illness until we were sent home from our 2 week hospital stay.
Pray
for a Cure

Inform, Stay informed, educate, learn, & listen to help yourself and your child lead a healthy & productive life with diabetes.

Contributing Authors

I would like to personally thank the folks that have asked to become a contributor to our juvenile diabetes and diabetes blog. Just a reminder, you may post as you wish, about any topic related to diabetes /juvenile diabetes. It can be regarding pump & equipment reviews, everyday life, question & answer, public polls and opinions, your diabetes story(how you found out you had diabetes or what that day was like) or even a friendly chat between community members. Just honest information and experience sharing, helping others, and having a sense of community within our pages. We're pretty laid back here...... Thanks again & happy posting! : )

Bryan

Pray for a Cure

Den and Ange's Inspiring Story

Thanks to Den & Ange for submitting this truly uplifting family story.........

I remember being introduces to diabetes at camp when I was small. After chapel every day I would head with my friend to her camper where she had to eat her snack on schedule. Little did I know then that diabetes would become a huge part of my life.

When I met my husband, we were at a singles group and I tried to feed him chips all night...that's how I found out he had type one. I remember making a spaghetti supper for him for the first time and him getting low after eating it because the insulin kicked in before the spaghetti did and thinking do I really want a lifetime of this... I guess I did! I love my husband and would never trade him!

Then on March 3rd of this year, our worst nightmare came true. Our son David came home from spending the night at grammy's and grampy's. Grammy said that he had peed through 3 pull ups in the night and kept saying that he was thirsty and wanted water...something he never wanted to drink. As soon as they left we checked his sugar and it was high. We rushed to the hospital and have been dealing with the wonderful world of diabetes and a preschooler ever since.

Since David's diagnosis, I have been diagnosed with type 2 as well so we are all dealing with the implications of the disease.

Some days seem easier than others. I now understand the weight that my husband feels in always being aware of the disease now that I manage David's. It is never ending and never sleeps. I feel exhausted mentally and physically most of the time.

The last few days have been better. We finally got some diluted insulin for david and it seems easier to manage now. We want to get a pump soon for my husband but insurance doesn't cover much so it looks like it will be a while before we get one for my son.

Caring for two juvenile diabetics can be draining. I hate lows! My husband has a ton. But I wouldn't trade either of them for the world!

**Thanks to Den & Ange for this wonderful story, and it just goes to show how difficult diabetes can be on a family, but faith and hope seems to be holding it all together.