Earlier this morning, my phone rang. It wasn't the typical time of day for either one of my little girls to be calling, so I wasn't overly concerned. I finished my last sip of coffee and strolled into the kitchen to retrieve my cell phone.
Then, I saw her lovely face on the caller ID.
"Mom?" She said, while sounding a bit breathless.
I answered her and immediately asked if everything was alright. While waiting for the answer, the little hairs on my arm stood to attention in anticipation of a dreaded response.
"Yes. I just finished that science test and I got a 93%."
Relaxing, for just a moment, I congratulated her and told her how proud I was.
Impatient with me she said, "No. It's not good. I went into the test and my blood glucose was 189 mg/dl and now, I am 83 mg/dl. I feel terrible. I dropped all that way in 45 minutes."
My concern escalated and I suddenly understood her reason for the call. It wasn't to tell me that she did well on a science test. It was to tell me that she was worried about her health and needed some reassurance on what to do.
We talked a bit more and I encouraged her to eat something to help both raise her blood sugar and to calm her nerves. From the noise in the background, I could tell that she was between classes and most likely rummaging through her locker goody-basket for something that sounded palatable.
A second more and while chewing, she said her good-bye and told me that she would call later but was already feeling better. I wisely understood that, most likely, she felt emotionally better but not physically better.
And she will be fine. I know this. We have lived in this world of type 1 diabetes for me to understand that cycle of high to low and back again.
But what I will never get over is the fact that our life can never fully celebrate the joy that we have without some part of type 1 diabetes creeping in.
What I wish I could have said without having to say anything else is this...
I am so proud that you did well on that science test. You are amazing. You are smart. You are strong. You are wonderful!
2 comments:
I totally remember this from the first couple of school exams i sat after being diagnosed! my blood sugar responses to exams still tend to be that high from a stress response followed by a dramatic fall... sending sympathy!! and congrats on your test results! (I always felt more pleased when I managed to get a good mark WHILST managing crazy blood sugars... great marks whilst multitasking!)
That is so interesting Beth! This is where the knowledge that you have is invaluable... thanks for helping both of us to know that this part and parcel of the journey in school with t1d. I wish I could sit down and chat and learn all of the secrets before she goes through them!
:)
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