Summer!

Ohhh the first day of the new Summer schedule at our house! I must say, parents that leave “D” at home in the summer months have so much more to worry about than our kids just watching too much TV or playing too many video games! Last night when I should have been sleeping, my mind was going through all the questions……

Will Maddison bolus like she knows she should for everything she eats? What if she thinks she can go ahead and guess carbs herself without calling me first? Will she check her sugar with a clean finger? Will she recheck a number that seems wrong? What if she forgets she already bolused something, then boluses again? Will she immediately go to check her sugar when she feels low? Or will she be too busy doing something fun? I know **I** myself have a bad habit of ignoring lows until they take over….she is only 10!! Will Maddison choose the wrong carb to treat a severe low with? What if she chose something that isn’t fast acting enough like chocolate? Will Maddison be honest in her amounts of sugar she takes for a low? Or will hunger take over causing her to over indulge, which will in turn cause a high? I can see how this summer I could be changing basals and ratio’s around something that isn’t accurate…..accuracy is SO important!

The worst thoughts by far; What if Maddison DOES wait too long to check when she is feeling low and ends up confused and headed towards an emergency situation, will her sister even notice? What if her sister fell asleep? If Maddison had a seizure would her sister use the Glucagon? Would she remember amidst the panic to try to rub gel on her gums?

I don’t fret the highs like I fret the lows. If anything, Maddison will be low, not high. It’s the darn lows that cause worry. It’s the lows that are emergent NOW. My biggest fear this Summer when I am away at work is that Maddison could fall asleep or take a nap after eating, which would mean she has a ton of insulin working. She doesn’t wake up when she is low…..Oh, how I wish I didn’t have to think these things! But this COULD BE reality when you leave D home alone in the summer.

I have to remember that Maddison has matured in many ways this past year and takes pride in her responsibilty of taking care of herself. She has been awesome with bolusing, and still to this day has only forgotten to bolus once. She knows the importance of clean fingertips with each poke. She knows not to sneak food, cuz Momma ALWAYS knows. She knows I just ask that she BOLUSES FOR IT if she must have it, AND she knows better than to throw some crazy unknown bolus into her pump to cover something that doesn’t have a carb count. (she learned this the hard way) I know she will be a great Pancreas while I am away. Its not that. Its just the dang lows that worry me, especially with all her insulin needs changing RIGHT NOW because of the new summer schedule!

The good news is, Dad is home with them one day of their week, and most weeks I can compress my hours into just 3 days for the summer. Which *should* mean that Diabetes is only left home alone 2 or three days a week. I know, Im all dramatic for 2 or 3 days a week….but hey….this is my child and lows CAN BE serious! I wish people understood that! I get the impression that my coworkers think I'm a weirdo for worrying about my 10 and 14yr old left home on summer days. If they only knew it's not just taking a shot when you eat!

So, this morning I was off to work leaving Maddison in charge of managing her own Diabetes. Of course this meant I couldn’t just leave the kids to sleep in. Nope, not with a child that has Diabetes! The plan was to at least get breakfast into maddi before I left, but she wasnt hungry....and she was 76. Nothing a tad of chocolate milk wouldn't fix :) It was nice having the kids in school knowing Diabetes was managed by our fabulous school nurse, but now the chaotic summer begins!