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20 years of being in love

14 years of marital bliss

5 years of infertility

9 months of a high risk pregnancy

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1 type 1 diabetes diagnosis

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I am a stay at home mom who is raising twins. One of my guys has type 1 diabetes and one does not. I am writing this blog to unite type 1 parents or twin parents. Comment on my posts or in the "what's your high?" and "what's your low?" to join the community of parents just trying to do the best we can!

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2/15/12

Valentine's day for a diabetic 6 year old



I have to say I was nervous about this Valentine's Day.

Past Valentine's Days have not done well for Rocco or I. Ok, take a trip down memory lane and remember your kindergarten or first grade Valentine's party. Close your eyes. What do you see? If you saw treats, raise your hand. Yep, I will bet 99% of you said "treats!". The other 1% said Valentine cards. Right? Truth be told, that is the way it should be. I agree, whole heartily! I love treats, especially pink ones. Especially since we are all trying so hard now to make healthy choices everyday for our kids. So, letting them go hog wild for one day and eat what they want should be OK. It should be, unless you are diabetic. I have said it before and I will say it again - Diabetics can eat sugar, they just need the insulin to match the carbohydrates. That being said, people with diabetes will live a better life overall if they eat fast acting carbs (jellies, ice cream, frostings, etc...) in limited moderation. It's not that they "can't" have it, it just makes their blood sugar spike and it takes a little while for the insulin to "eat up" the high blood sugar. Short spurts(hours) of highs are not terrible long term. Long spurts(days) of highs are life threatening.

But, a table of sweets, can, and has sent, this little one into blood sugars in the high 400s and even low 500s during his pre-school years. So, as you can see "Sugar Day" as I like to call it, is no longer my favorite holiday.

Last year for his Kindergarten Valentine's party, I called my mother crying after I got in a "fight" with a mom who said that the teacher told her that the children would rather have 24 carb Capri Suns than mini bottles of 0 carb waters. I still think the teacher never said this. But, during that conversation, my mom had the wise words of saying "Shari, I think it is time that you adjust Rocco around the world and not the world around Rocco". I have thought about that advice and really spent the last year preparing my 50 pound little son for the large world he is about to enter.

This year, I signed up to be in Zeke's class, I was not involved in the party planning for Rocco at all. I did not dictate what was to be on the menu. I did, however, talk with Rocco about choices he should make. We both decided to have him bring a can of 0 carb Caffeine Free Diet Dr.Pepper instead of the Capri Sun. I almost put it in a water bottle because I felt as if I had to sneak it in. But, I decided to leave it in the can. Let the kid have his kind of "treat". We also talked about cupcakes vs. cheese and crackers. Finally, we talked about blood sugar. How fast acting carbs make him feel vs. slow acting carbs. My little guy was so adorable. I wish I would have video taped our conversation. He is so grown up. He really gets his condition. I am so lucky. No crying, screaming or feeling sorry for himself. He was just glad to be "in the know".

So, I swore today to make it about the love and not the sugar. When he woke up his blood sugar was 274.  Shoot! I was hoping his day would have started a little better. 


That is high so I gave him his insulin and was glad I made a low-carb quiche for them the night before.
It only had a small amount of carbs because of the croutons that were in the recipe. Lucky for me he hated the croutons so now he started his day with only 6 carbs from his 1/2 glass of milk!! Trying to make it about the love, I decorated the table and made them goodie bags! I did buy a little box of chocolates that had 5 pieces in it because my dad who passed away two years ago used to do this for my sister and I every year! Thanks again Dad for never forgetting. Other than that, I just bought dollar store stuff. I packed their Valentine's cards and sent them on the bus with dread in my heart. I hate "sugar day".

I got the text from the woman that checks him before lunch and he was 154!! Awesome! I packed him a 0 carb lunch because his party was an hour after lunch.


Once I got to the school, my nerves were shot. Why didn't I get more involved in the planning? Why didn't I just dictate what these little kids could bring? Why am I not brave enough to stand up to the moms and fight for him? Why do I need to? The tension oozing from me was, I am sure, obvious. Then, something amazing happened!

I looked at the sugar table and I saw this (3 carbs)...


and this(0 carbs)


Besides the dreaded Capri Suns (which we already figured out) there were Rice Crispie hearts (12 carbs) and Jello Jigglers(10 carbs)!!!!!

The entire plate was only 25 carbs! I started to tear up and one of the moms quietly said "oh, is that OK for Rocco? We didn't get too much did we?'. I just hugged her and said 'No, it's perfect. Thank you very much for trying for him".

For the first time, I felt proud of myself. I felt like I had tried so hard to do everything right by him and it actually worked. I did not fight with moms, I did not single him out as the "special" one, and I did not single myself out as "that mom". These moms just took it upon themselves to "help a girl" out. Most importantly, to help "a little guy with a huge future in front of him" out. Thank you ladies!

I gave Rocco his insulin then walked across the hall to watch my other little munchkin enjoy his 35 carb cupcake! 

And the beat goes on...

1 comment:

susie said...

What a great story. How great were the Mom's that "got it". I am sure that they were also happy when their kid's weren't bouncing off the walls when they got home. You did a fabulous job making his lunch, it looked awesome =) and so did the treats at school. It's great that you are keeping Rocco in the know and involving him in food choices. Keep up the great work! Hugs! Susie Reno =)