Back to school......

Well, Courtney was finally well enough to go back to school today. She was sick for 7 days straight. Fever, headache, cough, stomach ache, ketones, no appetite.....uuugggghhhh!!!! The fever was gone by Saturday, but she still had moderate - large ketones & a cough. She also got tired pretty darn fast. But of course she wasn't going to miss trick or treating!! We didn't go for very long because it was so cold, but we went to the firehouse for a party & costume contest and she won 1st place! She was thrilled!!!

Feel like rolling in the mud??

Well, we are heading into day #4 of Courtney being sick. It started Sunday evening with a low grade fever & a headache. I knew it was just a matter of time before she got it since 1/2 of our student body is out of school sick. I kept her home from school Monday since she had a fever of 101. She still had an appetite at this point, but she was starting to spill some ketones. I went ahead & went to work Monday night, but came home early when my husband called & said her fever was up to 103 & she had large ketones. So, Tuesday morning started the roller coaster. She had a high fever, headache, sore throat, cough, large ketones & a blood sugar that I could not get up over 96. After being on the phone with her Endo every 2 hours, she suggested taking her to the pediatrician's office to be swabbed for swine flu. He ended up prescribing an antibiotic since her sinus's were very swollen & congested & her throat looked red. When we left the dr's office she was finally hungry so we stopped for a happy meal, but she only ate about half of it before she started complaining of feeling like she was going to throw up.

Tuesday night I was up most of the night with her because she didn't sleep well. Her fever was pushing 104 & the ibuprofen wasn't doing much for her. She finally fell asleep at 6:30 a.m & slept for about 4 hours. When she got up her fever was still 104, blood sugar of 115, large ketones, complaining that she was going to throw up & she looked absolutely horrible. I made a call to the endo & she agreed that she needed to go to the ER to be evaluated & most likely needed IV fluids & possibly an insulin drip to get the ketones out. I was totally expecting them to admit her since everytime this has happened in the past we've been admitted. I also expected to have to wait for hours to be seen since our hospitals have been flooded with patients lately.

Thank goodness we didn't have to wait long. They took one look at her & took her right back to a room. They got her IV started, took blood & told us that depending on her labs, she might have to stay (yea, prepared for that). Much to everyone's surprise the IV fluids made a world of difference. She perked up, drank some juice & asked for something to eat. Her labs showed she wasn't in DKA so her endo felt that she could go home. Her blood sugar was 230 so she got a dose of insulin before we left. Once we got home she asked for something to eat. The girl must have been hungry because she at 6 pieces of pizza. I was thrilled because she was finally getting enough carbs in her so I could give her a bigger dose of insulin. 2 hours later her ketones were small (woo hoo!!) Her fever was 101, so I gave her another dose of motrin & we went to bed. I just got up to check on her & her blood sugar is 220, moderate ketones & a fever of 100.7. I'm hoping she has enough of an appetite today so I can dose her with insulin & get these ketones cleared out.

The pediatrician called me last night to tell me that her nose swab came back positive for Influenza A. I asked him what that means & he said that it doesn't necessarily mean she has H1N1, but that they treat it the same. The only problem is that since she has already been sick for longer than 48 hours he didn't feel that Tamiflu would do much good. He said it would MAYBE only shorten her sick time by a day. He felt that since we are keeping in close contact with her endo that he felt confident that her diabetes was more of an issue than possibly having H1N1.

SOOO....I'm exhausted, but of course can't sleep. Just knowing I need to check on her every 3 hours or so keeps me from really sleeping good. Plus just the worry of all this keeps me awake. And I'm sure the big diet cherry pepsi I had earlier doesn't help. Yea, I know better, but sometimes I just have to have the caffiene!

Hope everyone is staying well & having a good week. I will keep you all posted on how she is doing!!!

Spoke too soon.....OINK OINK!!

Well, as I said in my last post.......the sickness was likely to hit since I "bragged" about none of us getting this nasty flu yet!!

Adam got up this morning complaining of a headache, followed by a cough later in the morning & a fever of 102.7 by late this afternoon.

Courtney came home from school complaining of a headache & just basically not feeling well. She doesn't have a fever yet, but I'm sure it's coming. Her sugars have been good so far, so hopefully I can keep them that way!!

I talked to the school nurse today & she said that 30% of the student body is absent because of the flu & strep throat. SOOOO....I'm just waiting for DH & I to end up with it....aaauuugghhhh.

No news is good news....

Ok, so I'm almost afraid to even type what I am about to say, because as soon as I do I know I will be jinxing (sp?) myself. So here goes.........COURTNEY'S NUMBERS HAVE BEEN FABULOUS!!!!! Absolutely FABULOUS!!!!!! We see the endo in about 3 weeks & if she likes her A1C she will give us the go ahead for the pump. This sounds crazy, but as good as things are going right now, I'm almost afraid to get the pump & start a crazy roller coaster of adjustment again. But, I know it will be the best thing for her in the long run.

Also, we haven't been hit with the flu or any other illness yet, so I'm sure we will all end up sick TOMORROW since I have now bragged about our "wellness"!!

I realize it's been over a month since I've blogged on here. I've totally been neglecting both of my blogs & have been trying to play "catch up" for the past few days.

Hope all is well with everyone!!!!!

A bump in the road & a seizure

Courtney numbers continue to improve even though she had pneumonia a couple of weeks ago! She started complaining one night that she had "heartburn". I honestly just thought maybe her dinner didn't agree with her and that she just had a belly ache. Well, for the next 2 days she kept complaining. I finally called her endo (I always start there) just to be sure it wasn't something diabetes related that I was missing. Her sugars were within normal range & she didn't have any ketones so they advised me to call the pediatrician. The pediatrician suggested taking her to the ER (it was a Sunday) because for someone her age to be complaining of heartburn is not normal. Poor little girl immediately started crying because everytime we go the ER we end up being admitted. After a chest x-ray, blood work & 2 throat cultures they decided she had pneumonia & fluid around her right lung (which explains the "heartburn" feeling). So she got antibiotics & pain medication. The crazy thing is that she never ran a fever or had a cough. No symptoms what so ever.  She complained of "heartburn" for about a week until one day she said "hey mom, my heartburn went away". Woo Hoo!

This past Tuesday she had gotten in bed with me at some point in the night. Around 5:30 I was woke up to my husband yelling "Jennifer, she's seizing". Luckily the seizure must have just started because she wasn't completely out of it. We were able to get her to come around pretty quick & once she was awake she was able to drink some juice & I had put some icing in her cheek. I checked her sugar as she was seizing & it was 52. I'm not sure why she went so low, but I've been up at 3am everyday since then to check her. I'm pretty much thinking that I wont have a full nights sleep for the rest of my life!!!

Improvement in numbers!!!!

Ok.....It's been 4 days since we made insulin changes & I've seen a dramatic improvement in Courtney's numbers. On Wednesday her endo changes her meal doses. She gets 1 unit per 8 grams of carbs & we went up a unit on the Lantus. She now gets 15 units at bedtime. Here are her numbers since the change:

Thurs:  

B'fast: 359

Lunch: 59

Snack: 157

Dinner: 237

Bedtime: 81

Fri: 

B'fast: 319

Lunch: 265

Snack: 88

Dinner: 240

Bedtime: 458

2 a.m.: 100

Sat: 

B'fast: 140

Lunch: 48

Dinner: 100

Bedtime: 240

Sunday: 

B'fast: 118

Lunch: 53

Snack: 324

Dinner: 545

Bedtime: 232

Classification: OUT OF CONTROL

Well, there you have it. The label I was expecting. OUT OF CONTROL DIABETIC. Yesterday's endo appt was not a happy one. Her A1C came back at 10.6, the highest it's ever been. I can not put into words how I'm feeling right now. We had a long visit with the dr trying to identify the problems & of course we made insulin changes. We have a new game plan in place & the dr seems to think we can get her better controlled by her next appt in 3 months. I have to call & report blood sugars weekly. 

On a happier note, all paperwork is turned in & they are supposed to be contacting me in the next few days to schedule our first pump class. 

Live & Learn

Well, if I've learned anything about diabetes this summer it is that diabetes likes routine. I really thought Courtney's blood sugars would improve over the summer since I would be doing 99% of her care, but I was wrong. The past month or so has been hell to put it mildly. Looking back, she does so much better when we are on a routine of getting up everyday for school, eating on a schedule & having a normal sleep pattern. Her 3 month endo check up is on Wednesday & I'm not looking forward to it. I just have a horrible pit in my stomach thinking about what her A1C is going to come back at. 

One a happier note, I have all my paperwork done that I have to do in order to get her on a pump. We are actually waiting to here from the insurance company. Who knew there would be so many hoops????? 

6 Month Dental Check Up

The kids had there 6 month cleanings last week. Courtney passed with flying colors. The dentist said that her teeth look excellent & gave her some extra treasures for being such a good patient. She only has a tiny spot on one tooth that she couldn't really call a cavity. She said that it looks like some enamal had chipped off & that she probably wont even need to use anesthetic to fix it. She was so proud of herself. Now if only her brother would take a lesson from her and be a better patient!!

Lantus increase

Well.....Courtney's blood sugars are STILL all over the place. She had a rough week with sugars being high, then being REALLY low, belly aches, headaches.........you all get the picture. She has had a terrible cough on top of it which is not helping things. I talked to her endo Friday morning & she increased her lantus from 13 units to 14 units since her morning numbers have been so high. I have to call Wednesday with an update on her sugars. I think this is the first time in a long time that I can say outloud "I HATE THIS DISEASE"!!!!!!

Lack of posts

Wow....it's been FOREVER since I've posted. Things have been kinda crazy around here. Softball & baseball season is wrapping up. My computer died. My new one was a piece of crap....so I bought a MAC. Now I'm just getting used to a whole new computer. We went on a camping trip for the 4th of July. I have been sick for the past 4 days with asthma & serious burning in my chest. I went to the ER earlier this evening and they didn't do CRAP for me. So....off to my dr I go in the morning. Courtney woke up one day last week COVERED in poison ivy & her pedi gave her prednisone......NOT A GOOD DRUG FOR A DIABETIC. Blood sugars went wacky & I've been dealing with ketones all weekend. I stopped giving her the steroid after 2 doses. Her sugars have come down but she just feels like crap. So needless to say my head is spinning in 40 different directions. I'm hoping to be able to get back to a normal life this week & back to posting. Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!!

Yearly eye exam

Courtney had her yearly eye exam yesterday. Her eyes are healthy, no diabetic complications....thank goodness!! Her vision changed slightly so we are getting new lenses. I totally expected her to pick out new frames, but after about 10 minutes of looking & trying some on she asked me if she HAD to get new frames. I told her absolutely not....she can keep the ones she has if that is what she wants to do. So, that is what she decided to do. Fine with me...saved me some money! I also expected to pay out of pocket for her exam (we don't have eye ins.), but much to my surprise they told me that since she is diabetic our medical insurance pays for the exam. Hey.....no arguments here!! Every little bit helps.

Ear pain update....

Well, Courtney's ear pain has seemed to subside for now. She hasn't complained for a few days (knock on wood!!) I have to call the doc this week to take her in for a quick peek into her ears, so hopefully the infection is gone. Her sugars did pretty well over the weekend considering we had 5 parties to attend that all involved cake!

Now my only hurdle is to find some things to keep her busy because I hear everyday that she is bored. I told her that I can sign her up for summer school if she is THAT bored!!! She wasn't too keen on that idea.

Ear pain....STILL!

Courtney finished up her 5 day antibiotic & she seemed to be feeling better. Yesterday she started complaining of ear pain again & tonight she asked for the ear drops. When we saw the doctor last week he told us that he wants to see her in 2 weeks for a re-check & if she is not cleared up then we should consider seeing the ENT doctor. Courtney had her tonsils & adnoids out & tubes put in her ears when she was 3, but the tubes fell out about a year ago. The pediatrician thinks it might be a good idea to consider tubes again, which I personally think would be a good thing. Not only because she is MISERABLE, but when she gets these ear infections & sinus infections her blood sugars go haywire!!!!!

Feeling better....

Just a little update on Courtney. The antibiotic seems to be kicking in & she hasn't asked for the ear numbing drops since Saturday night. So hopefully she is on the mend. Her blood sugars were a little high this weekend, but I'm thinking it is due to the ear & sinus infections. Today her sugars are down quite a bit (79 @ b'fast & 197 @ lunch) so I think we are getting back to normal.

Oh, and today is the 1st full day of summer break & guess what she told me this morning??? "I'M BORED"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you kidding me?? It's going to be a long summer!

Under the weather

Well, Courtney finally went to bed around 11:30 last night, but she woke me up around 1am crying & complaining of ear pain. I gave her some motrin & she went back to bed. 3am...up again. 5am...up again....more motrin. 7am...up again. So at 8:00 I called the dr & they got her in at 11:15. She has had plenty of ear infections before, but I've never seen her cry like that & complain of being in such pain. I felt so sorry for her. SO, we see the dr & he comfirmed what I already knew....DOUBLE EAR INFECTIONS & a sinus infection to go along with it. He gave her antibiotics & some ear numbing drops for pain. We just put the drops in & gave her more motrin.....explains the picture of her passed out in the chair!!

"Schoooools out for summa"!!!

Holy Moleeeee school is out!!! It's 11pm & Courtney is still going strong. I asked her if she was going to bed and she said "heck no, I don't have school tomorrow". She is definately my night owl. She also informed me that if I get up before her I am NOT to wake her...she is sleeping in! Well, alrighty then.....the princess has spoken! Little does she know I will be in there around 8am giving her a little poke in the ribs to make sure she is ok...hehe.

The school nurse called me today to let me know that she was sending all of Courtney's extra supplies home with her. I have to admit I got a little choked up talking to her because she has been so good to Courtney all year. Courtney just loves her to death & she is going to miss her this summer. I requested her email address so we can keep her updated on how Courtney is doing & how our progress on getting the pump is going.

Tomorrow I have to make a call to the endo to report blood sugars. It's been a week since we increased her lantus from 12 units to 13 units. I haven't seen much of an improvement in her morning numbers this past week so I'm expecting ANOTHER increase. Since February we have gone from 9 units of Lantus to 13. Oh the joys of diabetes!!

Endo Appointment

Can you see me doing the happy dance???? We saw the endo today & it went very well. Her A1C was 9.4 (down from 10.5 in Feb). Now, I know 9.4 is HIGH........but it is BETTER! We are headed in the right direction. It makes me feel good knowing that the changes I've made around here in the past couple of months are paying off. We were also told today that the nurse should be calling us in the next few days to schedule pump classes. YEAH! The Dr. made a couple of insulin changes though. We are now up to 13 units of Lantus (up from 12) & dinner is now 1 unit of novolog per 8 grams of carbs. Breakfast & lunch stay the same at 1 unit per 10 grams.

So, hopefully we will continue on this road and her A1C will be EVEN BETTER next time!!! Here are a few pics from our visit today! We go to St. Louis Children's Hospital in St. Louis, MO. We LOVE this place. It is such a bright, colorful, cheerful place......it's all about kids! I love how everything is decorated with animals. Courtney loves the cafeteria....LOL. Seriously....it is the only reason she looks forward to going to her appointments!

This is the cafeteria. It is decorated so cool....lots of bright colors..........

We parked on the "Froggie" level...........Her least favorite part.....stopping at the lab to get her blood drawn....YUK!!!.............But, getting a sugar free sucker afterwards is SOOOOO worth it.............And last, but not least.......visiting with Dr. Karen.............................

I'm ready for summer......

BUT, not for the reasons you think. Yes, I am looking forward to the sunshine, being outside & spending LOTS of time in the pool. But the biggest thing I am looking forward to is being able to have the kids home & be more in control of Courtney's blood sugar. She is so worn out & ready to be able to sleep in & not be so tired. She is a bear in the mornings!! I'm looking so forward to getting her numbers under control.

We are heading to St. Louis this Wednesday for her 3 month endo check up. I have written out a list of questions regarding the pump. I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the pumps that are out there so I'm hoping they will give me more information to read. I've done alot of reading, but I'm still confused.

I get nervous about these appointments because I hate getting that STUPID A1C RESULT!! I'm sure you all know what I mean!!

Just pluggin' along...

Nothing new to report. Courtney's blood sugars continue to be up & down. We were supposed to see the endo on Tuesday, but I came down with the flu & had to reschedule for next Wednesday. She is still complaining of a belly ache quite often, but I'm fairly confident it is because of all the fluctuation in her numbers. I am looking VERY forward to school being out for the summer so I can try to figure out how to get her under better control.

When we see the endo next week I am hoping we will have a better idea of when we will be getting the pump. I am excited, but nervous. I'm also EXTREMELY nervous about getting her A1C this time....I hate that little blood test with a passion!