Lost and Found (Can You Find A Bolus?)




To give you a frame of reference for this post, type 1 diabetes is a giant brain sucker.  I imagine it to be green and kinda like something you would see on a classic movie, devouring Tokyo.  Except I am Tokyo.  At least, my brain is Tokyo.

Every morning, I wake up and do a two-hour rush of chores in order to send my Naturally Sweet Sisters off to school.

It starts with waking up oldest daughter, marching her out of her warm bed and into clean clothes that were hopefully laid out the night before.  Then after a quick beauty routine, she is down to the kitchen to eat.

The meal process is seemingly simple enough: 

1.)  Check blood sugar.

2.)  Measure breakfast food. 

3.)  Count carbohydrates in food.

4.)  Calculate insulin dosage.

5.)  Bolus.

6.)  Brush teeth.

But did you catch that hidden phrase?

No, not brush teeth.  Had you there, didn't I?

Seemingly simple.

Back to the morning rush, after prepping oldest daughter, we wake up youngest daughter and head out to the car for a quick commute to the middle school.  Once back home, we start the meal process for the youngest daughter.

1.)  Check blood sugar.

2.)  Measure breakfast food. 

3.)  Count carbohydrates in food.

4.)  Calculate insulin dosage.

5.)  Bolus.

6.)  Brush teeth.

We do this every single day (minus the rush to school) and every single time the girls eat anything.

As you know, type 1 diabetes is never-ending.  It is a constant juggle of assumptions (like hormones, activity, emotions and I swear -weather), along with a balance of insulin to food.

It is a bit like being trapped in that movie Groundhogs Day with Bill Murray.  Except, with the green monster devouring Puxatawny, PA or maybe Bill's brain.





So are you ready for this?

Sometimes, we mess up. 

And when we say "we", I really do mean we.  The "we" is our entire family of a dad, mom, oldest daughter, youngest daughter and a cat. 

Then, my brain mushed out.

I sent youngest daughter to school without bolusing for her breakfast. 

Her blood sugar wasn't corrected until an hour later and by then, her numbers had skyrocketed.  Our school aide wasn't happy with me.  Youngest daughter wasn't happy with me.  And I certainly wasn't happy with me.

And so the "we", really is me.

Yes.  I do sometimes mess up.  Because being a pancreas for someone else (x2) is hard.  Somewhere in that mushy brain of mine is an entire list of type 1 diabetes chores that can never, ever be forgotten.

Like, injecting new infusion sites, loading insulin cartridges, remembering to order more supplies, changing pump batteries, checking blood sugars every 2-4 hours, downloading meters and pumps, troubleshooting bent cannulas or clogged tubing, remembering extra snacks, alcohol wipes, or extra sticky IV 3000s. 

These are just a few of the daily chores.

However, this is a very real life that we are living.  The kind that involves school, ballet, sports, after-school dances, homework, household chores and the need to feed our family cat.  We aren't always going to remember every single thing that has to be done, at least without getting some help.

This story really has no great outcome.  The next day, I woke up and did indeed remember to bolus as I am sure, I won't forget for quite some time.  I actually had to refrain from setting this as my facebook status because the rest of the non-type 1 diabetes world would probably think I am a bit looney for forgetting in the first place.

Instead, I poured myself a cup of coffee with the extra good kind of creamer and gave myself a big pat on the back for remembering, in spite of my brain being mush.  Even with making mistakes, I am also doing one heck of a job as someone elses pancreas (x2). 

I survived the big green brain eating monster of type 1 diabetes.  Now that is a real miracle of modern medicine.