To my tiny tomato, Today, you are two years old! Two years ago, you and I were still occupying the same space, your little body making my belly round, the excitement and fear of motherhood on high alert at all times. Your arrival was a little bit early but exactly on time. And when you got out and gave me…
What Helped Me as a Kid with Type 1 Diabetes
Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes and Family, UncategorizedI was diagnosed with diabetes in second grade, so I’ve had this disease along for essentially all of the available rides in my almost 40 years. From 1986 onward, I’ve experienced everything from field trips to fights with my parents about boyfriends to learning to drive to college to pregnancy and parenting children of my own. My life, for all…
I’m the middle child of three, the only one in my family with type 1 diabetes. My “diabetes diet” influenced food choices for the whole family, but we weren’t without sweet treats, especially since my brother and sister weren’t under the thumb of NPH and Regular insulin. So sometimes my mom got crafty with her food storage stylings. Like when…
For several weeks this summer, my daughter played in a competitive softball league. The whole tournament had my concern levels amped a little bit. Was she getting enough sleep? If not, was that why she was impossible to drag out of bed for 9 am games? It was so hot. She had to wear a lot of sunscreen. When they…
Parenting with Diabetes: Round Two
Diabetes and Family, Diabetic Mommy, Real Life Diabetes, Relationships“Pump! Pump, pump, pump! Pump, where are you?” It’s his siren call, yelled at full volume as my toddler forages around in my top trying to find my insulin pump. “Oh hi, pump! One … two … three!” and the buttons are pressed and the beeps are beeped and I’m constantly checking to make sure he hasn’t given me a…
This was part of my daughter’s school work* last week: What about the thing that I am certain will happen today? I will have a rough blood sugar roller coaster. – nope. That’s not a certainty. Today’s been pretty mellow, to be honest. The temperature will be exactly 72 degrees and sunny today – nope. I live in New England….
Dino Days
Diabetes Advocacy, Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes and Family, Diabetes Community, Diabetes Online Community, Psychosocial Support, Real Life Diabetes, RelationshipsBeing diagnosed with diabetes as a child twists time, making me feel like I’m not terribly old but that my diabetes is ancient and withered. Looking back at an online journal that chronicles almost half my life with diabetes paints me as a digital dinosaur, one whose story and community has evolved in response to time, technology, and ability. The…
Your mama so awesome that she dragged measuring cups and a tiny scale to restaurants so she could accurately carb count your food. Your mama so awesome that she hand-fed you graham crackers while you had a logic-defying low on the kitchen floor. Your mama so awesome she woke up in the middle of the night to check your blood…
Dear little man, So … monthly letters? I’ve kind of fallen off the wagon in terms of keeping up with those. But I have a good excuse: you. Kid, you are busy. You don’t sit still. You like moving. You laugh loudly and then run off while simultaneously escaping from your shirt and shoes (how do you do that?). And…
Before I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I started wetting the bed. I was six years old. We didn’t know to check for diabetes. I wasn’t exhibiting any other symptoms. But on a somewhat regular basis, my mother was changing my sheets and I was turning my pajamas into soggy bottoms. “What do we do? What should we do?”…
The One About Steel Magnolias
Diabetes and Emotions, Diabetes and Family, Diabetic Mommy, Infertility and Pregnancy, Real Life DiabetesI remember sitting down to watch this movie, not knowing how it ended. “How scary can it be? Julia Roberts has such a big laugh. Mom likes Sally Field. Diabetes in it, too? That’s cool. Let’s make some popcorn.” record scratch Narrator’s voice: Yeah, that was me, around the age of 10. I didn’t know anything about the movie Steel…