As you might know, 100% of our offspring have type 1 diabetes. (Excessive, right?) It involves a lot of math, a lot of needles, a lot of tears, a lot of unpredictability, a lot of doctors visits, and a lot trips to the pharmacy.
Recently Mackenzie, our older daughter, got an insulin pump. A rocking green Animas Ping to be specific. A pump is just a another method of insulin delivery. As opposed to multiple daily injections.
So yesterday was her first day using insulin in the pump. Finding the right settings for the pump is a lot of trial and error and requires a lot monitoring. It's a little stressful as you deal with highs and lows while you figure it all out. All the same, she enjoyed her day with no shots and we got her set for bed. The 2 a.m. check rolls around. She was 71.
Not a terrible number for you or I, but a bit on the low side for a diabetic. Especially at night. And she is never that low at night. So we carb her up a bit with some peanut butter crackers and head back to bed.
About 20 minutes later, just when we're back to sleep, we hear this loud beeping over one of the monitors. (We have monitors in both the girls rooms incase they need us.) We jump up and I say, "What is that?" Kevin shouts, "It's her pump!" And we rush to her room.
You Know You're a T1P When...
You hear a loud beeping noise in your house at night and your first thought is that it pertains to your child's medical devices. We rush in to her room and find her cowering and shaking in her bed. But not because her blood sugar was low. Because the smoke detector scared the ever lovin' out of her.
Yes it was the smoke detector. We checked for fire, none, Kevin messes with the detector. It's seems to be fine. We do another quick sugar check (96) and go back to bed. The instant, I mean the instant, our head hit the pillow. It goes off again. Twice.
Actually it was 2 smoke detectors. One in Mackenzie's room and one right outside Kayleigh's door. Low battery. We haven't even lived here long enough to warrant a change. Cheap, builder's grade batteries. I have several new gray hairs.
P.S. Mike and Young Joe (builders) you might want to make sure that you drive by my house with your windows rolled up or you might find yourself pelted with your cheap batteries. Seriously, spring for Energizer next time.
P.P.S. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the symptoms of type 1 diabetes.
Oh my goodness, it's not funny but it is funny! What a great post about it too.
ReplyDeleteI hope her new pump makes both her life and yours a bit easier. I don't think I'd trade mine for the world.
ReplyDeleteOk I know that laughing may be inappropriate, but oh my did I laugh.
ReplyDeleteI can tottaly sympathize with you. My kids dont have T1D but were on apnea moniters when they came home from th NICU.(twin girls born 12 weeks early) Anyway those things loved to go off at the worse times for no reasons. I feel for you.
ReplyDeleteWhen Philip was in the hospital hooked up to an IV Pump it was generally plugged in. It had a battery so you could go to other rooms to play. It would last 30 to 45 minutes without being plugged in. In the middle of the night you would get up to take him to the washroom and then forget to plug it back in. 45 minutes later just as you get back to sleep the low battery alarm would go off.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little paranoid about smoke detectors. We had a kitchen fire a couple of years ago. Philip warned us before the smoke detectors went off. Could have been a lot worse. The whole story is on my blog.