Tomorrow is my son's birthday (Kortnie's little brother), Kortnie asked what time Graham was born. I said something like 6:30am, she got out his baby book to look, she came across something I had written about how I found out I was pregnant on Halloween day and the conversation went like this....
Kortnie: How'd you find out you're pregnant on Halloween Day?
Me: I peed on a stick and it told me.
Kortnie: Eeeeewwww!
Me: That's how you find out, you pee on a stick and it tells you if you are pregnant or not.
Kortnie: Oh! Just like ketones!
Me: Um, yeah, just like that.....but better
Things only a Type 1 Kid would think of.
And yeah, peeing on stick and finding out if you are pregnant is way better that peeing on a stick and finding out you have ketones.
She looked thru his baby book further and read what I wrote about him sleeping for 22 hours straight after he was born and not eating, the nurses poked his heel and he had low blood sugar and so they poured sugar water on my nipple and stripped him down and made him cold so he would wake up and eat.
She thought that was the meanest thing and is now concerned about him having low BG when he was a brand new baby.
I also think of that often and wonder if it's some kind of omen that he'll get T1 or Hypoglycemia someday too, of course back on his birthdate I didn't know that stupid T1 would be a part of our lives someday. Kortnie's bday is in June also, in November after she turned 5 and started Kindergarten is when she was dx'd with Type1. Graham's bday is in June, he's turning 5, he's starting Kindergarten, I'm scared that in November he will also be dx'd with T1. I know it's kind of an irrational fear, but I am scared, nervous, and on edge about it. I wish November would hurry up and come and go and no diagnosis for him too. Am I crazy, or do other mom's worry about this too? My husband doesn't want any more kids because he's afraid they'll get Type 1, but he's not worried about the other 2 kids we already have getting it. I guess we both have our crazy, irrational fears.
Kortnie
Kortnie at the 2011 JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes, Tempe Town Lake, Tempe, AZ
I love you. Irrational fears are part of life. One day at a time. xoxo
ReplyDeleteI love you too! Thanks Kim :)
DeleteI held my breath a little as my son approached and eclipsed the age that my daughter was diagnosed. Not that he would be diagnosed at the same exact age, but I kind of felt like I had to get past that milestone.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are such amazing parents that I think you should definitely have one more, through whichever route you are comfortable with. :)
ReplyDeleteAlso...can you explain ketones to us lemmings?
You get Ketones when your body is burning fat for energy instead of glucose, when diabetics have high blood sugar for an extended period of time they develop ketones and if there gets to be too many, acid builds up in the blood, then you develop Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) and they can end up in a Coma which if not treated can lead to death. In some cases they can get Ketones if they are sick and throwing up too. To treat you drink water to flush them out and take insulin and rest, if you can't get them under control you go to the hospital. To measure them most commonly you pee on a stick, and look to see what color the stick changes to and compare with a chart on the side of the bottle. (I find it to be just like those acid and litmus tests we did in High School Science classes). If you are dieting and excercising, trace and small amounts of ketones are okay as long as you are staying hydrated, but if you are diabetic and you have Ketones showing in the Moderate-High range then it's not good. You can also check Ketones using a strip with a drop of blood on it similar to testing your blood sugar, it is more accurate than using the pee on a stick method, but the blood strips are more expensive than the urine strips. Diabetics are advised to check ketone levels when they have a blood sugar reading of 240 or above or when they are sick, or when they are showing signs of Ketoacidosis. Signs of Ketoacidosis are thirst, frequent urination, not being able to focus, hard to breath, really dry/ashy skin, stomach ache and "fruity" breath (this is why the say diabetics sometimes smell like they've been drinking). Kortnie was in severe DKA when she was diagnosed and I never want to see her like that ever again.
ReplyDeleteLove the peeing on stick bit!!!! Only a type 1 kiddo would think of the Ketone part.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I think if Bridget were younger than Joe, I would have the same worries as you. I have always worried that she will get it though. My worries are much less than they were the first year after Joe's diagnosis...I swear I had a built in Pee-meter...I could tell the amount of milliliters exiting her bladder by the splash of the toilet water. :)
I understand your fears. i think its part of being a parent. Every parent has irrational fears (sometimes more than one). Can you have Stasia and Graham tested? Is age 5 a magic number for being diagnosed with T1 or can it happen anytime? HAng in there momma!
ReplyDeleteIt can happen at anytime, just Kortnie got it around this time and so it's in my head that he's gonna get it too. You can have them tested to see if they carry the antibodies that can develop into diabetes, but even if they have the antibodies they might not develop it, or if you don't have anitbodies now, you can get them later, so we havent' tested them yet, I'm still not sure if I want to or not. It might make me crazier.
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