Sunday, April 23, 2017

Another Anniversary

As we approach Tommy's 6th anniversary of being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes I have encountered a first for me. Just a few days ago Tommy was going to be getting braces. He was very nervous about the thought of it and I tried my best to distract him leading up to the visit with the dentist. In our hurry out the door I left his meter and CGM on the dining room table because I forgot he had diabetes. I FORGOT he had diabetes! For 6 years I have always thought about his disease first. It's what I plan for, it's what I need to anticipate and on this day, in this moment I completely forgot! Sitting in the waiting room waiting for his name to be called I got a text from my husband saying Tommy's things were on the table and immediately I thought what kind of parent am I? How do I forget the one thing that I always remember first. I always have smarties with me in case of a low. I have them in every purse, backpack, and any other item with a pocket. I also knew that Tommy's blood sugar tends to run higher when he gets nervous so I knew for the next hour he'd be ok with.

So what does that have to do with his 6th anniversary of his diagnosis? Well if you had told me 6 years ago in the hospital that it would be possible to forget that your child had diabetes I would have laughed, it wouldn't have been possible. Nothing in those first few days, months, years would have surpassed diabetes. Six years allows for so much growth and understanding.  I have watched Tommy learn how to manage his disease and make it work for him. At his last doctor's visit he had the lowest A1C he's ever had. Tommy earns every bit of that achievement alone. I may buy the food but we allow him to make food choices (as much as a 10 year old should) and he makes good choices almost all of the time. He loves pizza but knows it's not practical to eat it every day. He understands that he should bolus for his food ahead of time. I tell him when a meal is coming and tests and boluses then. He understands that if he's running high he needs to wait a little longer to eat. He doesn't like pump changes but knows it's all part of it. His willingness to help with his disease makes all the difference in the world. I thank him for testing his blood, it's an "oh good, you already bolused" when he gives his insulin before a meal, and it's listening to him when he's having a bad day. We are a team.

What happens when both members of the team forget the T1D meter and CGM on the dining room table? We agree it is an epic fail and then decide what color rubber bands to get for his braces. I'm not sure I'll forget that he has diabetes anytime soon but I'm glad the neither of us thinks of diabetes as the end all of the day. Sometimes there are things bigger than diabetes and I think that's a healthy attitude!