It's been a long and draining weekend for us- we spent it in the hospital with DD, age 5. We're home now and she should be able to return to school in a few days.
I'm sharing here most of a letter I just sent out to family and friends via email-- names and minor details changed for internet privacy. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.
Dear Family & Friends,
As some of you know, we have spent the last 48 hours in the hospital with DD. Over the last few weeks we had noticed an increase in her thirst, frequent trips the the restroom, and weight loss. On Friday afternoon our fears were confirmed when she was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. She was immediately hospitalized. (For those of you with some diabetes knowledge- her blood glucose was over 500, she was throwing ketones in her urine, and she was treated for ketoacidosis.)
Type I means that her body produces no insulin-- it has nothing to do with anything she ate or anything that we did. There was nothing we could have done to prevent it. DD will require four or more insulin shots a day for the rest of her life, plus 5 or 6 daily AccuChecks (DD calls these "finger pokes"). She will continue to eat normal foods, but now we have to balance everything she eats with the proper dose of insulin after each meal. Each dose of insulin is measured based on how many carbohydrates she has eaten, so you will notice that our conversations are suddenly full of carb counts.
It is our desire to continue life as normal as much as possible. We ask that you not refer to DD as "sick" or "poor DD"... for her, this is simply a change in lifestyle. Soccer, school, birthday parties, trick or treating... it will all go on as usual after these first few weeks. If we are going to be eating with you, rest assured that she can eat anything she likes- you don't need to make special foods- we will just need to control her portion sizes & give her a routine injection afterwards.
Your prayers as we all adjust to this new challenge are appreciated. We are exhausted and overwhelmed, but confident that we will soon learn to take this as just another part of everyday life.
Amy & Randy
P.S. Please feel free to pass this information along to any family or friends we might have missed.
What a scary time for you all Amy, I hope that the transition with lifestyle changes is easy and DD gets comfortable with all these changes.
ReplyDeleteOh, Amy!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that your family is having to face this challenge! I will keep each of you in my prayers! I know that y'all will be going through a huge adjustment as you work to make the changes your DD needs for her health.
Love,
Kim
You all can do this, Amy! Your daughter will probably adjust faster than you and your husband do. Kids are resilient, your attitude is great, and improvements are being made all the time.
ReplyDeleteHang in there!
Wow. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Rest assured, though, that she will be fine. Like you said, a few lifestyle adjustments. My best friend in college had Type I, and I have a student that wears a pump, and it's hardly noticeable. She is as active as any other 7th grader. My grandmother had Type II. Thank goodness it is manageable. I'll continue my prayers for you and your family nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteOy. A tough challenge, to be sure. I'm keeping you all in my prayers as you embark on this journey together. She's lucky to have you. You have support from places you have yet to discover.
ReplyDeleteAmy my heart goes out to you and I can relate to what you are going through. My DH was diagnosed with diabetes at a young age to (7) and he had a kidney transplant about 5 years ago due to renal failure. My heart goes out to you and your family. Your family is in my thoughts and prayers. If there is anything I can do let me know. I know you said your daughter will continue to eat normal foods but I have a box of cookbooks that are diabetic receipes, if you like I can pull them out and send them to you, you may get more use out of them then they are sitting in a box unused. The receipes in them are pretty straight forward none of this diet crap. Let me know, no pressure.
ReplyDeleteMy prayers are with you and your family.
ReplyDeleteAmy..........many prayers and hugs!!! My friend's 7 y.o. niece has Type I and she has shared a lot of info on her blog.........it sounds like you are being fabulous parents and your daughter will be able to have less stress because of you!!!
ReplyDeletePrayers with you and your dd.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you were scared out of your mind while all of this was happening. Please know that lots of people are praying that you all get the hang of it all quickly and that life goes on as normal for all of you.
ReplyDeletewow. I can imagine how hard it must be realizing what she'll have to deal with for the rest of her life. But thank God that she has been diagnosed and you know the proper steps to take now. God bless your daughter and your family.
ReplyDeleteOh Amy, I just now read this from your other blog and the link to this post.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry you guys are thrown this curve ball, but I know God will take care of your daughter.
You guys will be in my prayers. I promise to say a prayer for your dd every day.
Good luck with the adjustments you will need to make.
Hugs to you!