I find it extremely interesting that no matter how much we store in our kids’ rooms for night-time lows; no matter how many juice boxes, gels, cookies, glucose tablets, and whatever else we store; the counter in the morning reveals that a blood-sugar-low led them to waking up and making their way to the kitchen.
It is a clear reminder to all of us when our kids go low they will do what is natural and not what we think is convenient. Because they don’t think of it when they need to; they go to what they need and know.
As I wipe the counter off, again, I wonder what it would be like to be a parent without any children with diabetes again. I would love to get pissed off at them for leaving the counter a mess, yet again, as many parents would do if their kids were just eating to eat–but mine do it to stay alive. I’m being a bit melodramatic about that point I admit, but it’s how I feel today.
But on a particular morning, as I wipe a counter, it is a labor of love to clean the counter because I know that they did what they had to do; cleaning up after them is not on the ‘must-do’ list after a low. And I am okay with that.
The more I am at this, I find myself knowing that the little stuff just doesn’t annoy me that much anymore. I also know that there was a time that the little stuff did get to me, but diabetes changes that in a person. Just too much THAT DOES matter to sweat every little thing any more.
How I wish to have back the times when diabetes was not around.
SIGH
I am a diabetes dad.
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4 replies on “Does Anyone NOT RECOGNIZE this Picture? Ohhhhhh Diabetes.”
Funny how many of us go through the same exact thing. I no longer sweat finding an occasional alcohol pad or lancet cap because I know he tested when he needed to. And I too have a trail to follow some mornings when he has had a low and treated it with real food.
What gets me is when someone from outside our diabetes world freaks out over finding something like this in our house. They just don’t get it.
I so agree, Tom. I have also noticed, the longer my teenaged daughter deals with having diabetes, the less tolerant she is of people who DO sweat the small stuff, no matter what it is.
I have glucose tablets and a small bottle of maple syrup right by my bed, but when I wake up low, I automatically head for the kitchen and the sugar canister. A couple of teaspoons of sugar are NOT particularly pleasant to eat; the glucose tablets would probably taste better, but my animal brain doesn’t remember anything but the sugar canister. I’ve done that kind of thing in other places too — I once begged a friend to buy me a Coke when I had one sitting right in front of me. And I also once told a friend that I didn’t have my meter and had nothing to treat my low with, when my purse was full of supplies, and my meter was in it too. I’m just glad that your kids had the presence of mind to do SOMETHING, even if it wasn’t the carefully planned resource that you set up! 🙂
I feel the same way- sadly remembering a time in my life when my daughter did not have diabetes, and how much I hate the lows, and the highs, and all the medical supplies, and the 2 am testing. Then I feel so guilty because I know she needs all of this to be alive and to stay healthy. And the mess I leave on her dresser with juice boxes and skittle wrappers and test strips. As parents we lose a senes of freedom, and we gain such a bigger responsibilty with diabetes. Maybe that could be your next topic- how do we deal with this increased burden that we all take on with love every day, all the time, in the name of keeping our kids alive and healthy.