It's Just a Piece of Bubble Gum

"It's just a piece of bubble gum Mom!", said my adorable youngest child.  She grinned at me while trying to blow the world's largest bubble.

It really is just a piece of bubble gum.

Yet, with type 1 diabetes, that piece of bubble gum represents exactly 1.5 grams of carbohydrates.  If my daughter decides to pop a handful of pieces of bubble gum into her mouth in order to make the world's largest bubble, than that innocent piece of bubble gum reflects about 10 grams of carbohydrates.

10 carbs can raise her blood sugar about 30 points.  If she is at a comfortable 170 before chewing, she most certainly be at 200 afterward.

So she needs insulin.

Even with a piece of bubble gum.

With type 1 diabetes, everything is just a bit more complicated.  The hardest part for me as a parent is to try to manage that constant barrage of thoughts so that I can sit back and enjoy watching my daughter blow the world's largest bubble without letting type 1 diabetes pop it.