4 Years

It's been 4 years since Type 1 Diabetes came into our lives.

Yesterday I read thru the tab on this blog that tells Korky's Diagnosis Story.  I think it is just a post from over on my family blog that I wrote back in the beginning.  It's not really the whole story.  So, now that I've had 4 years to reflect on it, I'd like to try and re-tell it.

In the Spring of 2009, Kortnie graduated from the pre-school Headstart program.  It's a free program for low income kids that the county or state funds.  Besides pre-school it also focuses on health.  When she graduated her final report had in it that she was obese.  I was mildly offended, yes she was a chubby kid, but I didn't think she was fat, I thought she looked just fine and I said so.  The teacher agreed with me and told me that they are required to weigh and measure the kids and follow the guidelines that they were given.  She told me not to worry about it, she knew that Kortnie was healthy and would be just fine.  She was only 4 after all and had years and years of growing ahead of her.  Soon after she turned 5, we had a great summer.

In the Fall of 2009, she got her 5 year old shots so she could start Kindergarten.  She had a terrible reaction to her shots, her arm got so swollen at the shot site, she had a fever, and was just kind of yucky for a few days.  Kindergarten started and she went to school.  She loved everything about Kindergarten.  But, we noticed she was tired when she got home from school.  She hadn't taken naps in awhile, and Kindergarten was actually a shorter day for her than Headstart had been.  We were perplexed, but just figured she was growing.  She started eating more, and she started slimming down too.  Again, we figured she was going thru a growth spurt, and I was relieved that she was slimming down and would hopefully no longer be categorized as obese.

May 2009

I was working full time, my husband was working full time.  We had 2 daughters in school and a 2 year old son.  Our babysitter also made note that Kortnie was sleeping more, eating more, and that she was dizzy and falling down more, and running into things.  We still didn't really put it together.  Halloween was on a Saturday, we all had fun trick or treating, on Sunday she was sickly, she had a mild fever, she was thirsty, she was going to the bathroom a lot, she was sleeping on the couch, we thought she just had eaten too much candy, had too much junk food, etc. By Monday she was feeling better, we sent her to school, our regular babysitter was on a vacation, so our backup babysitter kept her.  She told us that Kortnie came home from school everyday and would sleep for 3 hours, that she'd ask for something to eat and act like she was starving, she'd eat one or two bites and be done though.  I said she was like that at home too, we were all frustrated with her weird appetite.  We got thru the week.  Friday night she wet the bed, we thought that was very strange.  On Saturday we went shopping at Walmart, all 5 of us.  She had to pee about 3 times in an hour, she was exhausted and crying, not her normal self.  Her daddy picked her up and said that she didn't feel heavy enough.  I told him that I'd seen her in the shower that morning and that she looked like skin and bones, and that when I'd downloaded the Halloween pictures, looking at them made me see that she'd really lost a lot of weight.  Maybe too much...

Oct 2009

Rockstar Halloween 2009

We agreed that we'd take her to the doctor on Monday morning.  When we got home that night, I actually got on Web MD and put in her symptoms.  

Dry Gray Skin

Extreme Thirst

Frequent Urination

Weight Loss

Hunger

Change in Attitude

Web MD said she had Tuberculosis or Diabetes.  I though, "yeah right", and shrugged it off, Swine Flu was the IT thing during this time, I really thought if she had anything, that would be what it was.

On Sunday, we went to church.  Brian and I were Sunbeam teachers, the 3 year olds, the Primary (3-12 year old Sunday School) was putting on a program, Brian and I were supposed to sit up with our class during the program.  I'd arranged for Graham to sit with a friend since both girls, Brian, and I were participating in the program.  Kortnie was excited for the program, but just too out of it to participate, so she and Brian ended up sitting with my friend and watching the program instead of participating.  The program lasted about an hour.  I was sitting up in front of the church with my little class and I kept looking down to where Brian was sitting with Kortnie.  She seemed to be in and out of consciousness and I kept hearing this voice "get up and take her to the hospital" and I kept thinking "I will, I will, after the program is over, I can't just get up and leave in the middle of it".  Finally, the program got over and that voice was saying "now, take her now!", so I did, I got up and went to her and Brian and said "I'm taking her to the ER, you stay and teach our class, you can walk home after church" Brian quickly agreed which I kind of thought was strange, that he didn't argue or anything.  I picked her up and carried her to the car, we came home and changed clothes and headed over to Show Low to the hospital (20 miles or so).  Our regular babysitter called while we were driving to tell me they were home, I told her what was going on.  When we got the ER there was no waiting, thank goodness, we were brought right back to triage.  When they weighed Kortnie I realized that she'd lost 14 pounds since August, I told the triage nurse this and she got us right back.

From there on, everything happened so fast.  The doctor came and other medical people came back, they poked her finger and did a blood draw too, they took temperature, blood pressure and heartbeat, and all that stuff they do.  They didn't tell me anything at first, but after a little bit someone came and gave her an IV, and told me that they were testing her for Leukemia and Diabetes.  Needless to say, I was FREAKED out by now, and so was she because of the IV, she didn't know what the words Leukemia or Diabetes meant.  In fact, I didn't even really know what Diabetes meant either, but I did know what Leukemia meant.  Just a short while later, they came back and told me her diagnosis.  Type 1 Diabetes, Strep Throat, and a Bladder Infection.  They would give her IV antibiotics for the Strep and Bladder Infection.  Then, they started talking about her Potassium and Magnesium levels and her blood turning into Acid, Heart Attacks, Insulin, and Glucose, they told me that if we'd have waited until tomorrow and let her go to bed that night, that she probably wouldn't have woken up the next morning.  They said that we were going to be in the hospital for a few days.  And, then they all left the room.  Kortnie was dozing off so I called my Mother in Law.  Don't ask me why I called her first, I'm not really sure.  I cried and told her that I was at the hospital with Kortnie, that she has diabetes, that she's really sick, that Brian was at church and didn't have his cell phone so I couldn't even call him, and that we should cancel all family dinners from now on.  Brian has a food allergy, his Grandma had 2 different food allergies, and here I was thinking Kortnie couldn't have sugar now.

After I called her and talked to her, this is where my memories start to blur together.  She must have calmed me down and started letting our family know what was going on.  I must have called my parents too.  I do remember watching the clock, waiting for the time when I knew Brian would be home and I could call him.  It never occurred to me to call the church building.  Meanwhile, the hospital decided to move us from the ER to a room and they called our family doctor in Snowflake, they also said we'd be in the hospital for 4 or 5 days.  I finally was able to call Brian, and I had a plan.  I told him to pack a bag for Kortnie and I, to bring us some clothes, toothbrushes, etc, and to bring me my book and my laptop.  I told him I'd call our neighbors and ask them to watch Stasia and Graham since the hospital said they couldn't come in.  I called my neighbor and she said, yes of course she'd watch the kids.   My mother in law must have gotten ahold of our family, and she sent Brian's brother Brandon over to help give Kortnie a blessing.  I can't remember who got their first, Brian or Brandon, maybe Brian.

Brandon gave Kortnie a blessing and I remember him saying something about how sick she was and how it was going to be a long hard road, but that she had lots of people who loved her and she needed to stay here for us and we'd help her with everything she had facing her.

Then the hospital people came again with the on-call doctor from our family practice.  They did this awful blood gas test on her, they held her down and put a needle deep into the vein on her wrist.  They came back and said that the results from the test were bad and they had to send us by helicopter to Phoenix.  Then, everything started happening really fast.  They hooked her up to heart monitors, they had a million things going into her IV, they strapped her down on a different bed, they asked me how much I weighed so they could figure out if I could go on the helicopter with her.  Thank goodness I was able to go!  They took us out to the helicopter pad, Brian, Brandon, and Erin gave me a hug and then Kortnie and I got in the helicopter.  They let me take a few things, so I took my purse, laptop, underwear, and toothbrush.  I took jammies and a stuffed animal for Kortnie.  As we took off, I saw Brian crying.  The helicopter ride was something like 45 minutes, Kortnie fell right to sleep, and I had headphones on so I couldn't hear anything.  I had my phone so I texted people to tell them what was going on.  Halfway thru the ride the doctors started shining lights on Kortnie and I freaked out but they said that she was ok, they were just doing routine vitals.  We landed at the Phoenix Children's Hospital and everything started happening fast again, they put us in an ICU unit and started checking her and running tests all over again.  We had family in Phoenix, Jason, Magen, and Marc, they showed up and brought me some pillows and a blanket.  Magen stayed with Kortnie while Jason and Marc took me to the cafeteria to get some food, by now it was 9 or 10 at night.  Magen said that Kortnie slept while I was gone.  After they left, I called my mom and since she doesn't use text on her phone she didn't know what was happening so I filled her in, I spent the rest of the night sitting by her bed, crying and praying that she'd be okay.  She'd been asleep since before the helicopter took off.  She'd been poked and prodded and never woke up or made a sound.  I was scared and I felt alone.

The next morning the nurses told me to have a shower and go fill out paperwork so I did that, when I look back now, I wonder how I could have left her side at all, I think I was in shock.  Back at home Brian was getting ready to come to Phoenix to be with Kortnie and I.  I think his mom came over and helped him pack and took our dog back to her house.  Our neighbors, the Pearce's kept our turtles for us.  Brian went to school and told them what was going on and got all of Kortnie and Anastasia's homework for the week.  Again, maybe he and I were both in shock, because I can't imagine why I even thought of making him get Kortnie's homework.  Brian's mom said she'd watch Graham and Stasia, but we decided we wanted them in Phoenix with us, Jason and Magen volunteered to keep them.  They came and moved us to a regular room on the Diabetes floor and said that Kortnie was stable and they let her eat.  I got on my computer and saw tons of messages from our family and friends on Facebook, Korntie's Grandma's had been posting and keeping people up to date for us.  Finally, Brian got there, and I melted.  I guess I'd been holding it all in.

We stayed in the hospital for 3 more days.  We were given a big binder full of stuff we needed to learn.  They showed us how to count carbs, how to give shots of insulin, and how to check Kortnie's blood sugar. We crammed tons of information into our heads.  They told us that we were fast learners, they made sure we knew that we didn't cause her to get T1D, and they told us that we could do this, that we could take care of her, and that she could live a long, happy life.  

They wouldn't let us take her home until we both were able to calculate how much insulin she would need in different situations and until we both gave her a shot.  Brian gave her a shot first, I almost threw up.  He gave her the first 3 shots actually.  Finally he and the nurse made me do it.  I cried and cried.  She cried a lot too, but sooner than me she got brave.  The girl in the bed next to us was a newly diagnosed T1D too and she was a bit older, she had both of her parents with her too, but she was so brave and independent, and doing her own shots.  Kortnie and her hit it off and Kortnie wanted to be brave too.  Her name was Jocelyn and I think she was from Tucson.  I wish we'd have exchanged phone numbers.  She left a day before us.

When they let us out of the hospital we were scared to take her home and scared to take care of her by ourselves.  We stayed one night at Jason and Magen's and then headed home on a Friday.  We were greeted by friends and neighbors and welcomed back.  They brought us dinners and they had a welcome home banner on our house.

We went to the hospital on Sunday, November 8th, 2009.  We left the hospital on Thursday afternoon the 12th, we got home on Friday the 13th, she was back to school on Tuesday the 17th.  Anastasia's birthday was the 18th.  A sucky birthday for her that year, but I remember telling everyone that I wasn't going to forget her birthday and I didn't, but I can't remember what I got her or how we celebrated.  I took a leave from my job at Walmart, I tried to go back part-time in January, but it just didn't work, so I ended up quitting.

2 Weeks after she got home, looking much better

Our friends, family, neighbors, Kortnie's teachers, everyone has rallied around us, they've always been here for us.  We are grateful for everyone. We've learned so much over these 4 years and we've come a long way.  I am so grateful her life was saved, and I'm so grateful for how well she's done with everything, and I'm so grateful that we have access to the things we need to take care of her properly.

I still have my angry days and so does she.  We still have struggles, but we have lots of triumphs too.  

Blood Sugar was 60 at 2:18. I had a glocose tables. (glucose tablet)

Rechecked at 2:35 blood suger was 86 I looked at IOB 

(insulin on board-her pump tells her if there is active insulin in her system)

and it was 0.00 I think I was fine.

Just this morning she handed me this note.  Apparently I'd slept thru my 2am alarm.  Heavenly Father and her Guardian Angels were watching over her and/or she is just getting to where she can feel her lows, even while sleeping.  I can't explain how awesome this is.  If you are the parent or family member of a PWD (person with Diabetes) then you know how awesome this is.  If you're not a caretaker of a PWD...just trust me...this is Awesome and a Blessing.

I think Heavenly Father was looking over her and woke her, just like 4 years ago He prompted me to take her to the ER.  I'm so glad that I listened then and she listened last night.

Today, to celebrate her 4 year D-Aversary, I took blue Rice Krispie treats to her class at school.  Then I let her pick our dinner, hamburgers and homemade Mac & Cheese.  After dinner the whole family went to the ice cream counter at our grocery store and got big ice cream cones.  It's been a good day!

Day 22 A Thankful Post

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving and the writing prompt for today is to write what I am Thankful for.

How easy is that?

 

There are many things I am Thankful for and I probably won't even think of all of them to write here in this post.  I read a thing once that said,

"What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thought to be Thankful for today?"

That really hit home with me.  Everyday I try to be thankful, not just in November.

 

I am Thankful for

My Family, all of them, from my husband and kids, to my inlaws, and my side of the family.  Brian and I both have large families, he has 4 brothers and 1 sister and they all have little families of their own.  I have 4 Uncles and an Aunt and 15 cousins and all of their families, we are pretty close with the majority of all of these people and I am Thankful for all of them. 

My little Family

 

My little family and some of my husbands side of the family

My little family and some of my side of the family.


My Dog, how could I not be Thankful for this sweet guy?  He is our friend, our companion, our playmate, our protector, he's my 4th kid.

My Home and all that is in it, the comforts of life, indoor plumbing, a wood burning stove, refrigeration, electricity, a roof, walls, beds, couches, TV, Netflix, entertainment, radio, our big jetted bathtub.

My husband's job and his ablility to support us.

My community, Snowflake, AZ is a wonderful place to live.

Teachers and School, I wouldn't like homeschooling my kids, more power to those who can, I just recognize it is something that I would not like to do. And our School Nurse, we love her, she loves Kortnie, she isn't afaid of her and she does whatever we need her to do to take care of Kortnie, she never has an issue with anything, she just does it.  The staff at school too, I don't think they get enough credit, the janitor, the office ladies, the principal, the special aides, the parents who volunteer at school, they all contribute to the raising of my children.

The other adults in my kids lives, their Primary teachers at Church, their coaches in the sports they play, their Girl Scout leader, their dance teachers, their activity day leaders, their friends parents, it takes a Village, I am thankful for our Village!

Insulin and technology that helps keep my Kortnie alive, and I'm thankful that I have access to those things.  While I'm on the subject of T1D, I am thankful for the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) and for the various organizations out there to help us navigate this illness.

My car, transportaion in general.

Techonology in general and the internet.  Some of it can be a pain sometimes, and some of it can do harm, but if its used properly it is a blessing.

Friends.

Date Nights.

Babysitters that have fun with the kids and people who aren't afraid to take care of Kortnie.

Nature.  From trees to lakes to oceans.  Rain to snow to sunshine.  The Stars and the Moon.

My Country, the good ole US of A, the rights I have, the solidiers who protect those rights.  The Civil Servants of my great country, the police, firemen, national guard, and the 5 branches of the military, and all the others who serve, from church leaders to doctors and nurses, from road workers to forrest service. 

Oppurtunity

Medicine

and lastly

My Husband

I know I mentioned my family first and he is my family, he is where my family begins, but really he needs extra thanks.  I love him, he is my best friend, he makes me laugh, he makes me crazy, he makes me hot!  He works hard for us, he brings home the bacon, he plays with the kids and the dog, he does whatever I ask of him most of the time.  He loves unconditionally, he has a magical laugh and a sexy smile, he has a twinkle in his eye, he loves his mama, he loves his babies, he loves me, and he loves his family and mine too, even when we are making him crazy.  He is a giver, he is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and he ranks right up there with my dad as the best man I have ever known. 

Happy Thanksgiving!
 





Humanitarian Missions-Honoring our Vetrans Day 11

Today's prompt in the Wego Health NHBPM is write about your favorite thing this is not health related, but likely improves your life.

Well, it is Veteran's Day today, so I will write a little about the Military, the men and women who serve now and the Veterans.  I guess the military couldn't quite be classified as one of my most favorite things, but it is  they are, something I respect. 

We live in a great country where our young men and women get to choose whether or not they want to serve our country.  There are so many places in our world where people are forced to serve their countries.  I am forever glad that we live in a place where we get to choose.  For those who do choose to serve our country by joining the military or the national guard, I am thankful for you too. 

My dad, 2 of my uncles, all 3 of my grandfathers, some of my cousins, my husband's grandfather and brother, and many, many friends of mine have served or currently are serving now.  I believe my life is improved by the military who protects my country and my freedoms.  I also believe the live of my kids are improved, as well as the lives of countless others all over the world.

I'm gonna turn it back to medical now, not only do our military members protect us, they perform countless humanitarian efforts in the name of the US, the deliver medical supplies, food, water, and assistance all over the world, the people who receive and benefit from these deliveries would likely tell you their life was improved by them.

My dad, is my most favorite Vetran, One of the stories I remember most from when I was growing up a military brat, is from a time when we were living in Guam, my dad served as a Chief on the USCG Basswood,
Basswood has taken part in many notable missions since her commissioning and while being stationed in Guam . In addition to her primary mission of aids to navigation, she also participates extensively in maritime law enforcement missions, search and rescue cases and marine environmental protection. During her tour on Guam, Basswood has been the driving force of PROJECT HANDCLASP, a U.S. Navy program that provided health care and humanitarian relief to the farthest outlying islands of the Pacific Ocean . Basswood's participation in this program has allowed her to travel to virtually every island or atoll in Micronesia .

There is no finer example of devotion to duty than through Basswood's display of dedication to the aids to navigation mission. She was responsible for maintaining all federal aids to navigation in Micronesia . This area of responsibility was roughly the size of the continental United States . It included over 100 fixed and floating aids in Guam , the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) and Kwajalein Atoll. Basswood was also responsible for the aids in Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines , prior to the closing of the U.S. Naval facility there in 1992. Basswood also worked the aids in Palau , Hawaii , and along the West Coast

 

I remember him going on missions to the atolls in Micronesia, to Kwajalein, and to the Philippines.  I remember him coming back and talking about delivering supplies to the Peace Corp workers on the atolls.  Places where there was no electricity, refrigeration, or telephones.  People lived in grass huts and often only wore grass skirts and nothing else.  Sometimes, the USCG guys would bring clothing that their own kids had grown out of and trade it with the islanders for some of the things they made like coconut soap and carvings.  He brought back pictures and told of how the people lived a simple life.  They would moor their ship a ways away from the atoll (small island) and take little speed boats up to the shore to deliver the supplies.  He told us of how the kids would get so excited and one time they got the grand idea to bring coolers of ice onto the island to let the children play, they had never seen ice or felt cold before, could you imagine?   I am proud to know that my father served such important missions, they may not be the MOST important missions in protecting us and our freedoms, but to me, humanitarian missions are just as noble and wonderful as protection missions.  Yes, humanitarian military missions is one of my favorite things. 

My favorite Vetran

 

3rd Platoon Bravo delivering medical supplies in Baghadad

Delivering supplies in Kirkuk, donated by the World Health Organization (WHO)

Medical Supplies going to Haiti after the Earthquake

Military Police teamed up with Iraqi Police to deliver medical supplies to Basra, this little girls smile says it all, her life was improved this day.

National Guard delivering medical supplies in Cambodia

Getting ready to air drop medical supplies in the South Pole

There are so many more pictures of our military men and women delivering medical supplies all over the world if you look around the Internet. 

 

 Check out the Who Diabetes Program and definitely go do the Big Blue Test, help these organizations get the funding to get medical supplies gathered so that our military can deliver them. The Big Blue Test is the easiest way to help.  You don't need to be diabetic to do it, just log some activity and bam you help them get one step closer to meeting their goal of raising $100,000 by November 14, 2012, which is World Diabetes Day. 

 

 

 

 

Learn more about World Diabetes Day here

 

 

 

Diabetes Fact of the Day

 

347 million people worldwide have diabetes¹.

In 2004, an estimated 3.4 million people died from consequences of high blood sugar.

More than 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

WHO projects that diabetes deaths will increase by two thirds between 2008 and 2030.

Wanderings of my Thoughts

On the way down to The Valley (Phoenix area) last week for Kortnie's Endo visit I had time to think and let my mind wander. It's a 230 mile drive, my husband was driving, the kids were busy with their Ipods and DSi's. We were in an area where there was no radio service so I put in a few CD's, held hubby's hand and took in the scenery.

Then the song "My Sharona" came on. This song always makes me think of a work friend I had a while ago, maybe 15 years ago. I was young, unmarried and not a mom then. She was probably closer to the age I am now. She had a few kids, one of them had Cystic Fibrosis, CF. I can't remember how old he was maybe around 10. Anyways, he was sick and dying. I didn't know much about CF, and I guess I still don't. I did remember having a friend with CF back in maybe 7th grade. I remember my friend coming to work and always having a smile on her face, she'd occasionally tell us what was going on with her son and I remember her taking days off to do things with him. Anything from Dr visits to special outings, a Make A Wish trip and Hospital stays. We all would make sure to pick up her shifts so she could have this time off with her son and family. She made sure to work enough to keep her medical insurance. After a few months of her son being really ill, he passed away. It was sad, and all of us felt really bad for her. Like I mentioned before, I was young, unmarried and childless. I felt sorry for my friend, but I don't think I ever really felt too sympathetic towards her. Not to make myself sound harsh and I knew it must have been an awful thing for her to lose her child and to actually watch him die and know it was coming, but how could I have known the extent of her feelings. Now when I hear that song on the radio I think of her and my heart breaks for her. Now that I have my own kids and I realize how awful it must have been for her and her family.

So, here we were headed to Kortnie's Endo appointment and I'm thinking of my old friend who had a son with a chronic and deadly disease, I remember how upbeat and postive she always seemed and how she seemed to really live life. Could it be that facing the mortality of her son made her more inclined to LIVE? So that got me to thinking about how we live. Now I am not about to compare Kortnie's T1 to CF and I know that Kortnie isn't dieing right now, but I do think that if no cure is found, T1 or Complications becasue of T1 will eventually probably be the thing that Kortnie dies from. I know (hope) that she'll live a long life as long as we continue to take care of her T1 and teach her how to take care of herself. But, here's my question. Has your kids T1 diagnosis made you live life any more adventurous or fuller than you had been? It seems like my family is just plugging along. We don't do anything more adventurous or extreme, and well, I'd like to. Not because I (we) are faced with Kortnie's T1, but because we are all faced with mortality, anything could happen at any time, right?

Brian and I have always talked about possibly moving, we'd love to live close to the water, Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Maine, South Carolina, even Alaska. As we were driving thru the Salt River Canyon I thought to myself that even though it's a dream of mine to live close to the water, I still think it's beautiful here in Arizona and I enjoy living here. I'd like to appreciate it more, explore, take pictures, go hiking, spend time with my family. Live our lives to the fullest each day. And maybe someday, we'll get out dream and be able to live somewhere else, or maybe someday we'll take our kids to visit these places and enjoy the time we have visiting these places.

Korky's 1st D-Aversary what I learned, Gratitude

The time has come, a day I myself dreaded. The first anniversary of Korky's Diabetes diagnosis. She was diagnosed on a Sunday afternoon, November 8th 2009. We recognized her one year mark this year on Sunday November 7th, I suppose we can have the D-aversary on either the 1st Sunday of November or the actual date November 8th. Personally I just thought that it was kind of depressing and I felt like taking it to the Lord and telling him, "Okay, it's been a year, that's enough, you can take it back now". My Korky though, thought it was pretty cool, I guess to a 6 year old it sounds like another day to celebrate, she told people all day "today is my Diabetes 1st Birthday!" My husband and I talked and I told him "Guess what today is?" Of course he didn't know, but when I told him it had been a year since I'd taken Korky to the ER that fateful Sunday afternoon, his face kind of fell, and he said to me, "It's only been a year?....Oh, yeah, I guess so, it feels like longer". Yes it's been a long year!

We figured to "celebrate" we'd have a Junk food Carb fest all day. One donut each with a 3/4 cup of Lucky Charms cereal and a 1/2 cup of Orange Juice for breakfast, for lunch it was a cheese crisp, then we went to church, came home and had a "make your own pizza" night, I make the dough up and then we use up leftovers and just stuff we have on hand. For dessert it was one piece of Halloween candy. Yes, it was lots of carbs and a lot of junk, but I try to rationalize it that some of it was pretty good for the kids, the OJ, the milk on the cereal, the cheese and the veggies on the pizzas (even though they really didn't put on too many veggies, mostly black olives). And awesomely enough her BG's stayed in range all day, they hung out in the 130-150 range with only one high of 238 which she had insulin on board for and it came down pretty quick.

Like I said above Korky has taken her disease in stride, at first she would ask "why me" or "why don't Stasia and Graham (her sister and brother) have to take shots", she get upset when she couldn't just have a piece of candy or an apple without a shot or finger poke. She'd get mad if I told her to come check her BG while she was busy playing with her friends, she wouldn't want to poke her finger or take shots in front of anyone. In the hospital, she only wanted daddy to do her shots, when we came home and he went back to work, she got used to me doing them and then only wanted me to do them and not her dad. When we went on the pump it was the same way, she only wanted her dad to do the site changes, but I forced my way in there and now she and I have become so good at it that most of the time we don't even ask Daddy-O to help us with it. Over the past year she has adjusted and grown, she doesn't really care if other people see her poking her finger, taking a shot or a bolus, or doing a site change. She doesn't love when complete strangers stare at her or ask questions, but when it comes to friends and family she doesn't care one way or the other about doing her stuff in front of them. She's learned that if she just gets it done she can go back to whatever she was doing in the first place, there's not much procrastination anymore. She has learned what she can eat anytime, what she can't ever have, and what she can have with a small bolus. I am constantly amazed by her adaptivness, I guess that's why this Disease is given to young children mostly, they can learn to change and adapt much faster and easier than adults. I'm not saying it's easy for her, some days she makes it seem that way, and then we have some days that are absolute HELL! But really, this has been a tough, long year for my 5 now 6 year old baby. I am proud of her, in awe of her, amazed by her. In fact I am amazed by all of my kids on a daily basis, how well they all have adapted to Korky's disease.

Now on to me, I said this one year D-aversary was depressing right, well the day started out that way, I was feeling sorry for myself, sorry for Korky and sorry for the whole family. I am so glad that we recognized her D-aversary on Sunday though. We went to church that afternoon and I was still having my pity party, I didn't even really want to go to church, but the kids wanted to go and Brian must have felt that I needed to go too, so we all got showered and dressed and went to church. I am so glad we went! Now we are LDS (or Mormon) and the first Sunday of the month we have a Testimony meeting, we take our Sacrament and then for the rest of the meeting time, our Ward (or congregation) members are encouraged to come up to the stand and give their testimonies. The first person to get up started off the theme that everyone seemed to follow, Gratitude and Thanksgiving, very appropriate for the first Sunday of November. Various member of our church got up and testified the things they were thankful for and recognized that God has his hand in all things. We went on to our Sunday School class and were taught a lesson on keeping our Cisterns full, by trusting, studying and communicating with the Lord. (I could go on and on but I'm trying to paraphrase), after Sunday School the women and men separate and go to our individual classes, the women's class is called Relief Society, where the theme of Gratitude and Thankfulness was continued. As I sat through those 3 hours (yes 3 hours) of church last Sunday afternoon, I realized there is much to be thankful for and that instead of having my pity party I should show some gratitude and my heart was lifted. So I have to say, I am thankful we recognized Korky's D-aversary on Sunday so that I could have my inevitable pity party, then go to church and have my heart lightened.

Yes my daughter has Type 1 Diabetes and it sucks, big time. But, there are diseases and afflictions out there that can be worse, there isn't a cure, but there is insulin and insulin pumps, and various other devices, that we can use to help control it. She has to work hard to maintain her health, but if she works hard she can do most anything that a "normal" kid can do. Yes, I live in fear that she MIGHT die in her sleep, but some mother's live with the KNOWLEDGE that their kids won't make it past X number of years. It is hard work, not only for Korky, but for the whole family, but that hard work builds character, teaches us resilience, and compassion. So, yes, I have a lot to be Thankful for, I won't go so far as to say I am thankful for Diabetes, but I am Thankful for my daughter Diabetes or not, for my other 2 kids and their sweet souls, for my husband who helps me more than I recognize on a daily basis, for my home, for our insurance, for our family and our friends who love us unconditionally and support us and would do anything to help us, for our crazy dog, for modern medicine, for the country we live in which isn't always perfect but could be a lot worse, for the fact that my husband has a good job and I am able to stay at home with our kids, for electricity, for running water, for an abundance of food available to us, for the Internet and the DOC, for the teachers who love my kids at school and at church, and for so much more, again I could go on and on, but this is getting long.

Bottom line is we as a society take so much for granted, when we are having our pity parties, we just need to sit back and think of the things we are taking for granted and remember to be thankful for them.

Here are 3 people I am most Thankful for, Graham (3 years old), Stasia (7 almost 8) and Korky (6). They are decorating their pizzas as my GrammyBoy would say. We used, leftover spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, ham, pepperoni, green onions, mushrooms, black olives, jalapenos, leftover taco meat, and bacon bits, and of course cheese.

Here is Korky, clearly enjoying her pizza and her Junk Food Carbfest D-aversary.

Taking a bite of that delicious pizza, I think she put pepperoni and ham slices and tons of cheese on her pizza. Oh and an extra special treat of Diet Mug Rootbeer.