It has been three weeks since D-day. I still have moments
that feel almost surreal. I’ll be prepping a syringe with insulin or helping
Blaine with an injection, and think, Is
this real? Am I really giving my son a shot? A shot that his body needs to stay
alive? Surely this is still just a dream and I will wake up soon.
But I don’t wake up. I count carbs, I keep lists, I package
out individual snack bags, I pack his lunch along with a list for the school
nurse documenting the carb count of his lunch. I go to work and while I’m
working exchange an email or phone call with the school nurse at least one,
two, or three times daily.
Today she called. After making breakfast and counting carbs
we calculated he needed 4 units of insulin.
A part of me thought, No, just
give him 3. But, I gave him 4. I
just spoke with the nurse, a little later than normal. Its sounds as if she and
my son have had a busy day together.
She arrives at school at 9:30 am. He was waiting on her. They immediately
checked his BG. It was 53, which is too low. His class was on the way to PE.
Not him, she kept him with her until his levels came back up to 91, then he
went on to PE. He continued on through his day, with a few stops by the clinic
after PE, before lunch and after. It seems after lunch when he needed more
insulin to cover his carbs, there may have been a malfunction, or human error
with the kwik pen. Shortly after the insulin he came back to the nurse to let
her know he had a headache. He checked his levels and was in the high 200s. She
asked him to wash his hands and check again. This time he was even higher, 324.
That shouldn’t be after his insulin.
She called me to let me know the calculations. He needs 6
units, but she thinks she should only give him 3. He will finally be able to
stay after school to practice for Academic Bowl today. She doesn’t want to give
too much and have him go too low. I agree. She will give him 3.5 units and
check him again at 3:25 pm before she leaves. I will pick him up from Academic
Bowl practice at 4:30 pm.
And that is what can now be called a typical day for Blaine.
Other children worry about homework, tests, classwork and peer relations. My
son gets to worry about these things too, as well as his blood sugar, insulin,
carb counts and whether he has headaches from being too high, or feels weak and
shaky from being too low. He’s probably spent a good hour out of class today if
you add up all his time in the nurse’s office. He now gets to worry about what
he missed and his makeup work too. We have a 504 plan, and if needed I'm sure I could ask for accommodations regarding missed work. But, prior to diagnosis he was an all A student that rarely had to study. Now, who knows how this stress will impact his ability to sit in class and focus? Thank goodness he is gifted. He will be fine
if we can manage his stress. This is one more thing he will overcome and cope
with, but… wow.
I don’t even need to state the obvious: It’s not fair, he
doesn’t deserve this. But, then again, life isn’t fair.
