Safety Is A Cell Phone

Shortly after my oldest daughter was diagnosed, her first (and really only major complaint) was the sudden loss of play dates. 

It wasn't that she suddenly had friendships disappearing either, because one very nice surprise (unlike our youngest daughter's diagnosis) was that every friend she had, rallied in support of her new diagnosis.  In fact, a fan club for diabetes was formed right in the classroom.  Kids clamoured to be a part of her daily blood sugar testing and they also loved sitting with her when her aide or I came in to administer insulin.

It was like that before diagnosis too, except they clamoured to be around her 'just because'.

She really is that kind of a kid.  The kind that you immediately like because she is just a cool personality.

I suspect this is one reason that no one bailed but I also think that having been around our family already dealing with diabetes helped.  We had been teaching through example that living with diabetes wasn't going to change our family.  And if it did, it would be in as many positive ways as possible.

To help make a smoother transition, we started having her gaggle of girlfriends over to our house.  After school and on non-soccer practice days, our house would become a girl's world (or Estrogen Land as my husband refers to it). 

That seemed to be OK, for awhile at least.

Then one day, my oldest daughter said she wanted to know if she could ride the bus home with her friend and have a pizza dinner at her house.

((silence))

Yes, oldest daughter could go.  No soccer, no homework, no illness and absolutely no other reason as to why she couldn't go.

Except for me.

I knew that a pizza dinner would require a blood glucose check (or two), carb count and an insulin dose.

I also knew that the hosting parents, as lovely and eager as they were to learn, really didn't know what to do. 

That meant that I needed to follow along and hover over my daughter, at least until she was done with eating, and in a major way, crimp her style. 

So I did. 

The night went well and my youngest daughter even managed to squeeze in a play date too.  Yet, I knew that this wasn't the path that I wanted to oldest daughter on.  I wanted her to learn Independence in age appropriate ways - just like she would have without diabetes.  I also wanted her sister to learn that sometimes, older daughter needed to have experiences without her.

Kids first, diabetes second.  I thought about it all night long.... what to do, what to do.

That weekend, she became the proud recipient of a cell phone.



 Let me tell you... right up there with all of the other fantastic technology that we use like modern insulin, pumps, CGMs, and the internet;  one of my most favorites is the cell phone. 

I can't remember the first play date post cell phone, but I can recite about 1,000 different ways that the cell phone has helped us.

A couple of sample texts from this week....

"How many carbs in a fruit snack?  We got one for a birthday treat and I want to eat it."

"My tubing has a bubble.  Can it wait?  I am 174."

"Alex and I are making brownies.  Can I eat one?  I am 223."

"How is Winston?" 

OK, so the last one has nothing to do with diabetes but I loved that she was thinking about our family cat and his recent check-up at the veterinarian's office and for the blog record, he is fat and completely fine. 

Even as I write this, she is off at an after-school movie matinee event enjoying Madagascar Christmas and a slice of pizza with her friends.

I know this because I signed the permission slip (smile) and she texted me about the pizza (huge smile). 

Technology is a beautiful thing. 

Now, can someone please get FDA approval for an app that will allow me to use GPS like technology to see blood sugars??????  And new shipments unloading at HomeGoods??????