Our long story shortened...

20 years of being in love

14 years of marital bliss

5 years of infertility

9 months of a high risk pregnancy

2 perfect boys (at the same time)

1 heart failure

1 type 1 diabetes diagnosis

1 happy life

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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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8/5/12

getting ready for school




Ugh! Look at all of these forms...


 

Sorry it's sideways. You get the point. 

Each one represents a possible scenario whereby Rocco could be in trouble from his blood sugar going too low or too high at school.  I am starting to get nervous, as I always do when the school year starts. However, I do feel as if I am getting better at rallying people to care for Rocco. The pump breaking in the water and the 23 blood sugar have really lit a fire for me this year.

 

It seemed like this next year was going to be easier to trust the people at school to take my place and care for him during the day. Well, at least I thought so. 

 

One of the reasons was that the boys have made the decision to be in the same classroom (I kind of have been letting them choose each year). At first, I thought I wanted them to be in separate classes like last year. It worked well because during the school breaks when they were just starting to get sick of each other, the break was over and they went their seperate ways. Even if it was just across the school hallway!   But, I must admit, it will be much easier on me in the long run if they are in the same room. Especially during the school parties.  It was always hard to count carbs for Rocco's party when I was in Zeke's classroom. Each boy wanted me to be thier special mom and not go to their brother's classroom. The Mother's Day Tea was by far the worst. 



This picture sums it up. See, it's a nice picture of me and Zeke. You'd never even notice Rocco waiting next to us totally mad that we are not in his room! 


They each had planned such great things and when it was time to perform each thing, I was always in the opposite room. It ended in Rocco just coming in to Zeke's classroom missing at least half his party. And when we got back to Rocco's class, the party was over, the moms were gone, the room was cleaned up and all the kids were back at their seats. Rocco and I were devastated. 




So, if they are in the same room that means one party, two kids. Plus, schedules, homework and tests will be easier to manage if they are the same. The boys are comforted by each other but don't rely on each other. This is why it doesn't bother me either way to put them in the same rooms or separate. Whatever they feel is good for them is good for me. Such a hippie statement! Haha! So far, each year they have agreed on their decision.  Let's just hope that continues. Ugh! I dread the day when only one wants to be with the other. 

 

Also, this year seemed easier because the staff was well-versed on how to care for Rocco's diabetes. Rocco has two other children in his school with diabetes, so the library, gym, art, music and lunch teachers all know how to care for him/them.By October, the principal finally understood the severity of having three different kids with three fluctuating blood sugars every day. She hired an aide to care for just them throughout the day. 


Another reason this year was going to go smoothly was that full-time aide was coming back. She understood everything! All of the highs and the lows. By the end of the year, she could almost predict his blood sugars before the number came up on his meter. She was my angel! 

 

Finally, I felt like the school district was making some progress. The superintendent was making changes within the district that benefited all of the children with Type 1 diabetes. Such as carb counts for cafeteria food, being accepting of 504 plans and ensuring staff implement these plans. A 504 plan spells out the modifications and accommodations that will be needed for students with a "disability" to perform at the same level as their peers. For example, when Rocco's blood sugar is low he has trouble focusing because his vision gets blurry. He can not be expected to take a test when he can't read it. This type of information is in the 504 plan. Believe it or not, some schools give you a hard time about the plans that explain how to care for your child. Usually because it something they are legally bound to do and are held accountable. 



We were well on our way to a successful year! I was getting excited to get back to my blog full-time and start my new at-home part-time job and really make them both fly to next level! 


Boys same room - check! 

Rocco's "staff" trained - check! 

 

Then, over the summer, the superintendent quit, the principal retired and the aide told me she isn't coming back, the district is outsourcing the bus drivers and the teacher will be new. Shoot!

 

So now, here I sit trying to fill out all of this paperwork to explain how to ensure that my Rocco doesn't get too low or too high to a bunch of people that haven't even been hired yet! I feel anxious! 


Teaching someone how to care for a diabetic child is easy if they are only going to be in that person's care for a couple of hours. But, the overall responsibilities of the full-time aide are far more complicated.

 

One of the other diabetes moms said she might want to take the job (after I practically begged her!) But she changed her mind as we discussed how this would be really difficult for a number of reasons:

 

What happens if your own child has an emergency? You would never want to "ditch" the care of the other children.
What happens if one of your children is sick for the day? Again with the ditching.
At some point, you just have to cut the cord and trust the schools to figure it out. Sure, we would all love to follow these little birds around throughout their day. We know best how to care for them in any scenario. It would be easy and convenient to take the job. But, at the end of the day, everyone needs to grow. The schools need to prepare, the kids need to trust themselves and other adult caregivers and the diabetes moms, well, they need to get their own life.

 

Anyway, so here I sit, shuffling papers, trying to coherently communicate what to do for Rocco in all of the different scenarios that may come up during the school year. Wish us luck! Of course, I will keep you posted! 


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