My third day in April

This is a day that for many months I did not know if it would come true. Thankfully, it did and this my third day in April is a day of celebration!

I am the only one with T1 diabetes in my family. Thankfully my only sibling and her two sons did the testing and it does not appear that they will develop T1.

When T1 came into my life it changed my life drastically. Many obvious signs such as testing my blood glucose level and taking shots. However, the emotional side of diabetes was often a bit hidden.

I was only 13 years old when hypoglycemic unawareness rudely appeared in my life. This complication would make me have to work harder to stay conscious and to stay alive.

I knew that my life could be gone so fast, that I never looked ahead very far in my life. I wanted to find a loving, supportive and caring soul to marry; however, I never dreamed about a wedding as I wasn’t sure if it would ever happen.

I choose psychology as my major and after college I needed a break from school. I went to Alaska and worked with severely emotionally disturbed children ranging in age from 8 to 18 years old. These children were placed by the state in a residential treatment program. This position gave me such insight into how life could be really challenging for a child if they were not brought up by healthy parents.

I knew I would never want to be a mom without being married, so I didn’t count on being a mom.  I did know that if I married and my spouse and I felt that being parents was the right step for us, that I would want to become a mom by way of adoption.

When I was a junior in college I spent a semester abroad on an amazing program called Semester at Sea. While sailing around the world at the age of 20, I visited orphanages in China, India, and Russia.

As my life went on, I did get married and I did become a mom by way of international adoption.  Russia would not allow me to adopt because of T1. That was hard to take, but each country has the right to determine the type of parent who should be allowed to adopt.

I saw my son for the first time in Guatemala when he was three and a half weeks old. It was so hard to leave him; thankfully, he was with a very loving foster family. In February of 2008, it was another trip to Guatemala to bring my son home.

My son has an April birthday. He is my biggest blessing and he most certainly is a diamond!

My second day in April

This day is one I will never forget as it changed me life drastically.  It was a scary change and put a lot of pressure on me as a 6th grade student.  I had not been feeling right.  I was waking up during the night to go to the bathroom and I was so thirsty.  My thirst could not be quenched.

A Sunday in April after church my family and I went out to eat, this was our tradition.  We were living in Michigan at the time.  I do not remember the restaurant we were at, but I do remember drinking my whole soft drink before the meal even came.  Thankfully, my mom took notice of this and I went into my pediatrician on April 10, 1985.

I remember this appointment all so vividly.  I knew  I was really sick and I thought I might be dying which was very scary for someone as young as me.  I was sitting on the patient bed with my legs dangling off the side.  My doctor came in not long after asking me some questions and having a test done.  She told me that I had diabetes and that I needed to go home and get my things as I needed to go to the hospital.  I asked if I needed surgery and she said I did not.  I still wish surgery was possible to cure T1 diabetes.

I was hospitalized at William Beaumont Hospital.  This is the same hospital where Lee Iacocca’s first wife Mary received treatment for her complications from T1 diabetes.  After 5 days I was sent home with the knowledge of how to check my blood glucose number, give my self a shot, and my Pink Panther diabetes book written by Dr. Chase.

My first day in April

Writing is something I have always enjoyed. It has helped me cope with the tough and unexpected parts of life that have been mine. When I started college my dream was to become an endocrinologist so I could help people like me. I took an English class during my first year of college. Professor Claire Garcia met with me in her office and encouraged me to become an English major. I did not become an English major, but I still have a paper I wrote in her class. So, please excuse any grammatical errors.

The reason I choose the name Days In April for this blog is because there are very important dates in April that I celebrate and one that I remember.

My best friend who I met after college while living in Portland, Oregon. We actually met on match.com in 1997. He met me at the law office I was working at and we enjoyed a great lunch. He made me laugh, was kind, brilliant, and a gentleman. He was new to Portland. He grew up in Alaska and I worked with severely emotionally disturbed kids in Alaska ( I choose psychology as my major). He watched Nicole Johnson become Miss America. He did the ADA walk with me. I met his parents and thought the world of them. His dad was a gentleman, smart, and so kind. His mom did an excellent job of raising her two sons and then became a lawyer. I looked to her as a role model. In the summer of 1999 I received a call that I never expected or wanted to receive. My best friend had collapsed while riding his bike to a Bible study. I went right away to the hospital. Thankfully, we (his friends from church) were able to see him. I had never seen anyone on life support. I begged him to come back to life as the ADA walk was quick approaching. The next day I returned to the hospital but was not allowed to see him.

My friend’s parents had to make the very difficult decision to have him taken off of life support. I have never stopped missing him. He is the best friend I have ever had and the kind of friend every person deserves. I grieved his death as best I knew how. I celebrate his life on April Fool’s Day as laughter is so important. It helps your brain get important chemicals. So, 4-1-15 is my first day in April.

The medical devices that I depend on

On September 30, 1997 my life with T1 changed in such a positive way, it was the day that I started pumping insulin with a Minimed pump! I actually stayed overnight in a hospital. I lived in Portland, Oregon at the time and was thankful to receive my care at Oregon Health Sciences University. A very strong hospital with an endocrinologist I will always appreciate, Dr. Andrew Ahmann.

The majority of my doctor’s are female, but Dr. Ahmann was the right endocrinologist for me. He was someone I respected and I knew I needed to do what he suggested. Even though he was a bit overweight and telling me I needed to lose weight; I accepted it as reality. There was no question that he was always looking out for my best interest.

It was so exciting to no longer need to take shots. My first pump was blue but I used a black case for it.

I did my research on insulin pumping the best way I knew how; by going to an Insulin Pumpers Forum. It was so helpful to get my questions answered by people who were already pumping.

Over the 17 years that I have been pumping insulin, I have rarely taken a pump vacation. I did once and my BG readings were horrific.

I am so thankful my newest pump that I received in December 2014 is a Medtronic one (Medtronic bought out Minimed), my pump is clear. It is to remind me to find safe people to tell my tough life challenges to.

In December 2014 I also received a Dexcom CGM. This is the first one that has ever worked for me. It keeps me safe overnight and during my waking hours. My Dexcom representative is amazing. She doesn’t have T1 but she went to Camp Midicha to help out, the same camp that I attended as a kid in Michigan. Her husband who has T1 did his residency at the same hospital I was diagnosed at.

This is what is so special about the DOC, JDRF, the ADA and all the other groups out there online and in person. We get the support we need and know that we are not alone!

I appreciate being a newcomer to the DOC as it is so helpful for me to write about my experiences of choosing each day to live as well as I can with T1.

A Cover Up (written while in high school)

Once upon a time about five years ago a young girl was admitted into the hospital. She was 11 years old and was not sure what would happen to her. The little girl’s doctor had just told her and her family that she had Diabetes Type 1. The girl knew very little about this disease but was happy that she would not need surgery. This girl did very well learning how to handle this disease and was only in the hospital for five days. When the girl came back to school she just covered up the disease from her friends and tried to get on with her active life. She covered up her disease because she didn’t want people to not accept her. This girl after time learned that she shouldn’t worry about not being accepted and that it would not only help her but would help others if she put her disease out in the open. This little girl is me.

Why I Blog

Hi Friends!

I am so glad you can read about one beautiful and crazy life that I am so thankful that T1 diabetes is a part of as I needed it to come into my life. I was young on 4-10-85 and scared as I was so sick and afraid of dying. T1 came into my life unwelcomed, unintroduced, and uninvited. How could I invite it? I didn’t know it’s name or even what it was. Now I know that T1 taught me how to be disciplined so that I am 1 strong woman who likes to help anyone. Especially those of us affected by diabetes!

I hope my posts will encourage you and bring a smile to your face or better yet a laugh!

Kay