The Trials of Raising a Diabetic Child

Help Support Juvenile Diabetes Research - Remember to order your Letters From Santa

2007-09-22T18:09:00.000-04:00

With Christmas much closer than it seems, it's time to start thinking about those special gifts that every child dreams about getting at Christmas time.
If you would like a simple way to get a child excited in the anticipation of Christmas before it even gets here, one gift that can do just that is an authentic postmarked letter from Santa from the Northpole.

I designed this site right in time for Christmas last year with the intent of raising money for a great cause. For every purchase made on my site, I will donate up to 20% of the total purchase price to The JDRF (Juvenile Diaetes Research Foundation)for all orders $20.00 and greater. Anything less than $20.00 will be 5-10% depending on the amount.

Please help me reach my $5000.00 donation goal this year by sending all the little ones you know the #1 rated gifts for children. Make a child smile while helping to cure another.Together, we can add magic and hope to a child's life. Order soon and beat the rush !!

My letters are all carefully hand-made, one at a time (no form letters)while paying attention to detail. My letters also have more parameter entries per letter than any other site on the web. Imagine the look on a child's face when they realize that Santa knows so much about them.
Please visit http://www.santabuddy.com/ for more details. Thanks so much for your support.

Bryan's Thoughts - "A Week Without Knowing"

2007-08-13T22:27:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-06T23:52:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-05T21:46:00.000-04:00

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.

Blog Team Members Wanted

2007-07-29T22:43:00.000-04:00

I am currently seeking team members to assist in providing various diabetes related postings. If you are interested in becoming a Juvenile-Diabetes-Stories blog team member please send me an email with your valid email address (one that you use often), your first name, and a short intro of your diabetic story. Requirements for being a team member are, you must either be a diabetic(preferably type 1) or you must provide care to a type 1 diabetic or juvenile diabetic. You must also have at least some knowledge of diabetes. If you or your child was newly diagnosed, that is fine also.

Once you email me your info along with your eligible requirements, I will send you an email of your acceptance. Thereafter, you can log-in as a team member and submit diabetes post entries as you wish. They may consist of, but not limited to, anything diabetes related, for example, feedback or review of diabetes testing supplies & equipment, insulin pumps, diabetes questions(simple or advanced), topics, stories, tips, and inspirational notes. All info that you share with me will remain confidential and will only be used so that I may recognize you as someone who is, or was touched by juvenile/type 1 diabetes. I also need your email info so that I may extend you access rights as an author of our community blog.

Thanks for your interest in joining my juvenile diabetes blog team. I look forward to everyone becoming a very close-knit community.....team members and non-team members, where we can help and offer the much needed support to everyone and each other facing this disease of many faces and complications.....so that we all may be stronger, healthier, and live happier lives as a diabetic, or as a family of a diabetic.Knowledge is power, and I hope to become a wealth of diabetes information for all of our visitors, and one of the most popular juvenile diabetes blogs on the web.

I also want to thank all of my visitors for being patient while I am tweaking the blog, and making adjustments and interactive additions to it. If you are not interested in becoming a team member, feel free to read posts and submit comments. Comments are what makes the blog "spin". : )

And don't forget about the embedded chat room at the bottom of the blog page where everyone including team members may edit their chat room name and chat with all visitors and members on the site.

Have a Wonderful week

Bryan - Author
diabetes-blog(at)santabuddy(dot)com
Please send me your email address that is active and often used, your first name only, and a short bio/story on how diabetes affects you and/or your family. The email address you supply will be your login to author your posts.

2007 Walk to Cure Diabetes

2007-07-29T11:28:00.000-04:00

Attend the 2007 Walk to Cure Diabetes Team Captain Kick Off Luncheon on July 31, 2007 at The Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe from 11:30am-1:00pm at 1421 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212. Call 614-464-2873 to RSVP or email midohio@jdrf.org .

The 2007 Walk to Cure Diabetes is coming up on September 30 at The Ohio State University. Check in time is 9:00am and the event will kick-off at 10:30am, rain or shine.

The 5th edition of JDRF’s Promise to Remember Me Campaign will start on August 1.

What is Promise? Promise is a campaign to schedule local meetings between JDRF advocates and their Members of Congress.

Why participate? JDRF has been cited as one of the most effective advocacy organizations in Washington, and that is a direct result of the relationships our thousands of advocates around the country have developed with their Members.

What’s at stake? $1 Billion in type 1 research funding over the next 5 years from the federal government. Our advocates will be asking legislators to support this expansion of type 1 research this year. Since the stakes are so high, we’re aiming to conduct the largest number of meetings in the history of the Promise Campaign: 400.

We need your help! To reach our goal, we need you to participate in a meeting with your Members of Congress in your local community. Send an email to advocacy@jdrf.org to register to attend a meeting. A campaign coordinator in your area will contact you! Thanks!

Amber Alert - Ohio

2007-07-28T22:14:00.000-04:00

I posted an Amber Alert ticker on my blog, unfortunately right in time to notice that an alert has been posted for my home state of Ohio. Please click on the ticker on the top-right of my blog for the details of this alert. Any parent who has had a missing child truly has my deepest sympathies as this is the worst thing that you could possibly imagine happening to a parent. It is simply impossible for everyone to help in the search of a missing child, so please help do our ethical part by checking the ticker. It may seem impossible that you know the missing child, but that is how most children are found...through unrelated leads. It only takes a minute...and you could help save the life of a child, and the sanity of a parent or guardian.

Interesting Post

2007-07-25T14:46:00.000-04:00

I read an interesting post on diabetesselfmanagement.com that is not related specifically to only juvenile diabetes, but to all types. It is a good article on support, depression, and some aggravations of having the disease.

Blog Chat

2007-07-24T12:23:00.000-04:00

Good afternoon bloggies,
Since this is a brand new juvenile diabetes blog, I am still adding additional functions to it. The newest addition is a Juvenile Diabetes chat/discussion room (aka discussion window) for any visitor to my blog page or anyone on the Meebo network who searches for diabetes related chat rooms. You may find it at the bottom of this page. Feel free to copy or embed the chat room code (embed button is located on the chat window) to your own page or blog if you prefer. I hope that, with help of my blog guests, my blog will someday become one of the most popular juvenile diabetes blogs out there. Please be patient while I add additional functionality, while regularly adding content. As promised, my diabetes story is coming soon.

--Bryan out

Welcome Mat

2007-07-23T14:15:00.000-04:00

Welcome & thanks for stopping by my blog where both you and I can learn and teach, & teach and learn everything we possibly can about juvenile diabetes...a disease of many complications.

You have just crossed the welcome mat into a domain where the more we all think we understand about diabetes, the more confused we may become. That is where the great web of ours connects so many great people, some providing information and comfort, and some desperately looking for it. That is what this blog is for....for the many parents who are lost without the ever-so-generous people who share their experience & knowledge of this devastatingly silent disease. I hope everyone who frequents my blog will either feel better knowing they have learned something valuable, shared a common experience, offered their advice or opinion, or just simply listened to someone who needs to be assured, informed, or just needs heart warming words or a helping hand.

Caring for a child with juvenile diabetes (or anyone with diabetes for that matter) can be very challenging in many aspects. It seems simple, but can be very complicated. Diabetes is a slow, and silent disease that cannot be underestimated or ignored in any way, especially during childhood. When everything seems to be under tight control, it can become unmanageable in a hurry. The fact that you are dealing with a child with sporatic eating habits and activity levels makes it even more challenging. That is the very thing that makes juvenile diabetes so difficult to manage. Children with juvenile diabetes have mood swings, their parents go through periods of depression, feelings of guilt, helplessness, and sadness. Children and adults alike can live a healthy, happy, and productive lives with diabetes just as could a perfectly healthy person.

Being a parent of a child with juvenile diabetes for 5 1/2 years, I have been through a good majority of the ups & downs, and I'm sure it will run it's course over and over again. I do not imply that I know everything about diabetes...I still have plenty of learning to do. Sometimes it feels like we have a good handle on things and understand what's going on...until things get so bad, we try to figure out what went wrong, it gets pretty darned complicated and confusing, not only for the newly diagnosed child, but even for children and adults who have had diabetes for many years.

I hope to bring some issues regarding juvenile diabetes front and center, not only to help myself, but to shed some light on common and uncommon things that parents have experienced, good and bad, so that everyone, myself included, can have a better understanding of this dreadful disease, and the impact it has on your child and family as a whole. Having diabetes is by no means easy, but can be so much easier with some work, dedication, and sharing info with others.

Bring your ideas and comments forward so we can address them. We are all in this together. Please email me with your life stories and I will post them, or you may comment about mine or others. No passwords or moderating here...just honest help from honest people.

Stay tuned for frequent updates to this blog, and for my diabetes story, coming soon.

Thanks for reading, and have a healthy day........

--- Bryan (author)

Pray For A Cure