Tag: diabetes parenting

No they do not all have capes and sometimes they are right in our own backyard.  I have seen request after request after request about parents wanting the names of celebrities who have T1 so their newly diagnosed child can be inspired.  I say—THEY CAN BE JUST as inspired by seeing kids THEIR OWN AGE doing …….well…..anything…..with diabetes.

Let’s DO SOMETHING to show them just THAT!!!!!
Kindly send me a photo of your child doing what they do best——the more action the photo shows—-even the better.  Let me know their first name only, their age, where they are from (state or province is fine) and when they were diagnosed.  I am going to create something that can show off our kids doing wonderful things with diabetes so when someone is newly diagnosed——they know they will be limited………by nothing.

Send to my email at karlya@optonline.net.  VERY IMPORTANT that you put ‘hero’ in the subject line of the email.  Again, REMEMBER; the more action shown in the picture the better.  Also……ANY AGE is just fine also.  Age 3 to age 80—–Sports, dance, drama, being silly, being serious, cheerleading, ANYTHING THEY/YOU DO……..is good enough….just show action, action, action.

At the end of the day, the real heroes, the real inspiration……..are our own kids and people who live every day as every day should be lived.   Send today and please pass this column to anyone and anywhere you know people with T1 hang out.
As I stated, not all heroes have capes……..but many do take insulin.

I am a diabetes dad.

Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.

I want to establish from the onset, that this article is about what I feel.  I do not know if it is the norm, I do not know if it is correct, but what I do know; it is how I feel.  Kindly feel free to add to the discussion with what you feel.

I have written, many times, how I was right in the middle when a young person died from complications of T1 in 1994; when it happened.  There was no internet that could instantaneously share with the world of this young person’s death. The unfortunate truth is that being in this diabetes world for as long as I have, I have seen more young people pass away than one could ever dream of seeing.  One is too many.

There are many factors when it comes to dying from diabetes complications.  Some families will share and some families will choose to keep to themselves the many details and influences; and that is surely their prerogative.  I do not think I have once really needed-to-know of the very specifics of how someone died.  What I mean is that I did not ask to hear details because it would not influence what we do in our house one iota.
I ask questions when I do not know.  I ask questions if I need to understand more.  I ask questions that will influence present behavior for better outcomes.

We have been around long enough to know what to do and how do it.  At this stage in the diabetes world, I do not think we can learn anything more from how someone died that we could use to keep our children with T1 alive.  And that is the honest truth.

If we are doing everything we can, if we are staying current on diabetes tools, insulins, care, and education…….what more can one do?  As I stated, and PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DISCUSS this any way you want to, but I have yet to hear details how someone died that lent itself to a discussion on changing anything in our household.

People have shared with me some very intimate details over the years and I never thought, “We need to do XYZ to make sure THAT does not happen to us.”
Yes, my heart has broken many times.  I can share with you that if you live your life in paralyzing fear, you will do more damage than good in encouraging your child to live their lives to their fullest potential.

I have asked people with this fear about this before and many have shared that if they knew details they could make sure that it did not happen to their child.  I will also share that I have talked to many families who have lost children and there is a common theme with most of them; that outside of being with your child every minute of every hour of every day; there was not much that could have been done.

Many things in life ‘can’ happen and it is a fact that people with diabetes surely have an increased exponential risk factor, but learning how to live is the best way for you and your family to cope with the fear of dying.  People who enjoy life know the risks, accept the risks, and do everything in their power to stay healthy.  Staying healthy to live is so much better than those that need to know every aspect of another’s death.  And in all honest, I have never learned one thing in someone’s death that made me say, we need to change anything.

The best way to over come a fear; is to do what ever you can to have the knowledge needed.  If you do not have that knowledge, go get it.  After that, like so many other things in life, we have to leave it to the higher power we believe in (or not) because we have done all we can do.

I am a diabetes dad.

Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.

How many times have we felt this, read this, or experienced this……too many, right?  I have stated many times that you can follow two simultaneous days, minute-by-minute, second-by-second, eat the exact same things, do the exact same activities, and even wear the exact same clothes and get two different days of glucose readings.

That’s diabetes.

We as parents, and surely those with diabetes, try everything possible to achieve better management but there will be days that some unknown factor can enter in and ‘the number’ just gets stuck, or you plummet, or you can’t get the number to come down, you crash, and no matter what, diabetes does not do what you want it to.

It is on those days that YOU MUST tell yourself that it is part of dealing with diabetes.  It is not your fault nor your child’s fault…..it’s diabetes.

Now listen to me for a second……do not just gloss over that last statement…..there WILL COME TIMES that no matter what you do, it just won’t work.  It is crucial that you recognize those days.  It is important that you realize that it is NOT YOUR FAULT……it happens, does happen, and will happen.

So do not give diabetes the chance to once again beat yourself up for something in which you do not have control.  If you are doing everything you need to do and you know you are doing everything you need to do—–do not drive yourself nuts.  This day will end and tomorrow will come.

There is enough that those who have diabetes, and parents who do most of the management, go through with ‘the guilt’—-cross this one off your list.  It’s not worthy of your energy…….and don’t give it any.

I am a diabetes dad.

Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.

Are you just counting down the days until summer with your kids.  In as much as I love the summer, I think one of the most brilliant commercials ever made was this one (only 30 seconds): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvQO0jrRj6I ……and they ran a whole series of them……and you can bet it will be back again.

There are plenty of ideas for your child with diabetes; insulin kept in heat too long, diabetes devices falling into pools, check your back-ups—-but today, is an important and necessary message as I remind you of your other kids, while you tend to your child with diabetes.

Summertime, of course, comes with an entire list of ‘keep-an-eye-on’ aspects and you should always be ready for them.  First and foremost be safe.  Do not forget that while you are attending to your child with diabetes and their lows; you may have reacted and left that back door open that leads to the pool area.  That is a huge invite to your younger ones so make sure that you have taken care of the details while you are needed elsewhere.

Also do not think you will be ‘only a minute’ and leave any young children unattended in a pool.  Of course you would never do it normally; but when distracted for one emergency be ready to avoid another.

Arriving home from somewhere.  You are pulling into your driveway and your child is having a reaction.  I get it, you want to get to them right away but do not take one child inside and say to the other, “You stay right here, I’ll be right back,”  Absolutely not.  That car will heat up so quickly and you will have another big problem on your hands.  It will take thirty extra seconds to get all children inside the house.

And speaking of inside the house……..

Especially when coming in from outside; make sure that all doors that need to be closed with a child-proof latch……..closes with the child proof latch.  While you are tending to your child with diabetes, an unattended door can spell big trouble to a little one.  Make sure the door gets closed.

This one is all year round but always remember that when your child calls you; stop and think, “I’m going to go to them, am I leaving what I am doing in a safe manner.”  Sounds like a silly idea, but stop and always ask yourself and it will serve you well.  Are you giving a child a bath, are you leaving a tool or a kitchen knife in an area that it can be grabbed?

Just stop, take a quick inventory, and go forwards.  Anytime your child with diabetes calls out to you, or you get that feeling that you need to check on them, always think of one word: SIM.   Stop Inventory Move.  SIM as in; it’s SIMple.  Stop Inventory Move.

It is a silly idea……a silly word……but do this every time you need to change your direction because diabetes is trying to get in the way; I promise you there will be one time that you will see an unlatched door, a knife in the wrong place, a screwdriver, or scissor left behind and you will be glad you took this SIMple step.

When called away, 3 seconds is all it will take.  Stop. Inventory. Move.  SIMple.   Now go enjoy your summer.

I am a diabetes dad.

Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.