January 24, 2011
It's been 2 years since our lives were forever changed. Two years ago today, Chase woke up in the morning and went to kindergarten just like he had done every other school day that year. He had been really thirsty all weekend so I called the pediatrician's office and made him an appointment for after school that day. As soon as I knew my sister's kids were off to school, I called her and told her about Chase's excessive thirst all weekend.
As soon as she started to cry, I knew that something was seriously wrong. It turns out his symptoms were textbook for the onset of Type 1 Diabetes and my sister is a pediatric endocrinologist. She advised me to not wait until after school, but to pick him up now and get his blood sugar tested. I followed her advice and checked him out of school and headed to the doctor's office calling Bobby along the way to meet me there. First he peed in the cup and it came back HIGH for sugar in his urine. Then they pricked his finger and there it was. 561. I will never forget that number, or the look on the pediatrician's face when she said, "He has Type 1 Diabetes. You need to get to Shands immediately."
We spent the next 2 days in a small conference room learning all about how all our lives were going to change. Finger pricks and needles would become routine, they said. Before you know it, it will just be part of the routine - like brushing his teeth. Checking blood sugar multiple times a night, counting carbs every time he eats or drinks anything, learning how to deal with blood sugar that is too low or too high, what to do in case of a seizure or he becomes unconscious, on and on and on. It was such an overwhelming amount of information that we were all in a blur.
The hardest part about all of it was making Chase understand that drinking all that water over the weekend isn't what caused him to get diabetes, and that this isn't something that goes away after taking medicine for 10 days. It is forever. He doesn't understand forever at 6 years old. Forever his life is changed. From now on, every time he exercises or doesn't exercise, eats, drinks, sits too long in a car or airplane, or movie theater, he has to think about what will happen with his blood sugar. Let me just be one to say that it SUCKS. (and if you know me, I never use that type of language).
The initial weeks were extraordinarily hard and involved two people holding Chase down to give him shots and check his blood sugar and educating everyone Chase comes in contact with how to manage carbs and high/low blood sugar. I am SO thankful that all his friend's parents and our family were willing to learn how to help him so that he can still have playdates and sleepovers like all kids should.
I have never seen God's work so first hand as I have in the past 2 years. I believe He guided my sister into pediatric endocrinology for just this reason. Nine years ago she made a decision to specialize in this field not knowing how personal it would become. She has been the biggest blessing of all through this process and willing to answer the phone at all hours of the night/day, fly down in times of our greatest need, and just be a listening ear who at least partly can understand what we are going through from day to day. I also think it has given her a whole new insight on what her patients are really enduring, especially the newly diagnosed ones. We are so grateful for this gift.
I am happy to report that the doctors were right. Two years later, checking blood sugar HAS become part of the routine, just like brushing his teeth. Of coarse, sometimes he fights us over it, but don't kids do that about brushing their teeth on occasion? Every few months he says, "why did this have to happen to me?" It breaks my heart every time, but I tell him that God knows how strong he is, and He only gives life's biggest challenges to those that are strong enough to handle them. And Chase is handling diabetes beautifully.
It's been 2 years since our lives were forever changed. Two years ago today, Chase woke up in the morning and went to kindergarten just like he had done every other school day that year. He had been really thirsty all weekend so I called the pediatrician's office and made him an appointment for after school that day. As soon as I knew my sister's kids were off to school, I called her and told her about Chase's excessive thirst all weekend.
As soon as she started to cry, I knew that something was seriously wrong. It turns out his symptoms were textbook for the onset of Type 1 Diabetes and my sister is a pediatric endocrinologist. She advised me to not wait until after school, but to pick him up now and get his blood sugar tested. I followed her advice and checked him out of school and headed to the doctor's office calling Bobby along the way to meet me there. First he peed in the cup and it came back HIGH for sugar in his urine. Then they pricked his finger and there it was. 561. I will never forget that number, or the look on the pediatrician's face when she said, "He has Type 1 Diabetes. You need to get to Shands immediately."
We spent the next 2 days in a small conference room learning all about how all our lives were going to change. Finger pricks and needles would become routine, they said. Before you know it, it will just be part of the routine - like brushing his teeth. Checking blood sugar multiple times a night, counting carbs every time he eats or drinks anything, learning how to deal with blood sugar that is too low or too high, what to do in case of a seizure or he becomes unconscious, on and on and on. It was such an overwhelming amount of information that we were all in a blur.
The hardest part about all of it was making Chase understand that drinking all that water over the weekend isn't what caused him to get diabetes, and that this isn't something that goes away after taking medicine for 10 days. It is forever. He doesn't understand forever at 6 years old. Forever his life is changed. From now on, every time he exercises or doesn't exercise, eats, drinks, sits too long in a car or airplane, or movie theater, he has to think about what will happen with his blood sugar. Let me just be one to say that it SUCKS. (and if you know me, I never use that type of language).
The initial weeks were extraordinarily hard and involved two people holding Chase down to give him shots and check his blood sugar and educating everyone Chase comes in contact with how to manage carbs and high/low blood sugar. I am SO thankful that all his friend's parents and our family were willing to learn how to help him so that he can still have playdates and sleepovers like all kids should.
I have never seen God's work so first hand as I have in the past 2 years. I believe He guided my sister into pediatric endocrinology for just this reason. Nine years ago she made a decision to specialize in this field not knowing how personal it would become. She has been the biggest blessing of all through this process and willing to answer the phone at all hours of the night/day, fly down in times of our greatest need, and just be a listening ear who at least partly can understand what we are going through from day to day. I also think it has given her a whole new insight on what her patients are really enduring, especially the newly diagnosed ones. We are so grateful for this gift.
I am happy to report that the doctors were right. Two years later, checking blood sugar HAS become part of the routine, just like brushing his teeth. Of coarse, sometimes he fights us over it, but don't kids do that about brushing their teeth on occasion? Every few months he says, "why did this have to happen to me?" It breaks my heart every time, but I tell him that God knows how strong he is, and He only gives life's biggest challenges to those that are strong enough to handle them. And Chase is handling diabetes beautifully.
Extremely well written Kelley!! You captured so much emotion and reality in your discription of what all of you had to go through! Jill's role was immense and I know she feels there was a guiding hand in her decision for her speciality. And Chase has taken on this difficult pathway like a champion. SO PROUD of all of you!!
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All of you have done an amazing job handling Chase's diabetes! And there's no doubt that Chase is a trooper...triple trooper!! Miss you guys!!
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