A Priority

Diabetes care is always a priority in our house.  An even keel of blood sugar numbers results in a happier, more energetic child on a day-to-day basis, and will hopefully lead to a longer and healthier life.  There are some days, though, when good control jumps from 'a priority' to 'the number one priority.'

Take the birthday party of a couple of weeks ago.  Considerable attention and energy was committed to frequent checking, correcting, and careful carbohydrate counting throughout the day leading up to the party.  Starting that evening with a pattern of decent numbers in the book increased the chances of a disaster-free evening.

The same attention is needed this week during the state-wide standardized tests at school.  While, as evidenced by last year's nurse's office work-out, rogue numbers are always a possibility, we're doing our best to keep them at bay. 

This week, great care is being taken in hopes of steady blood sugar through the morning tests.  The breakfast insulin bolus is given before the milk is even poured.  The measuring cups and scale are in use to calculate carbohydrates as accurately as possible.  Protein and fiber are players in the meals to lessen the possibility of big blood sugar spikes.  Mid-morning snack is also carefully counted prior to being packed up for school.

Should this happen every morning?  Of course it should.  Some days, though, a bit of unfinished homework or my own priorities for the morning distract us or limit our time.  The strawberries look like about 8 carbs but don't get measured.  The lure of toast with butter instead of peanut-butter is just too tempting.  The 'did I bolus?' conversation takes place on her way out the door. 

Diabetes drops down on our priority list once in a while.  Sometimes it's on purpose. Faced with the opportunity to eat our way through a vacation or hike a mountain, we enjoy it and do the best we can with the diabetes part.  Sometimes it's inadvertent.  We get distracted by the morning rush to school, or by an unexpected bit of fun and need to pick up the diabetes pieces afterwards.

Making diabetes the first priory all of the time does not seem reasonable.  There are times like this week when it becomes necessary.  There are other times when it's necessary to let go just a little bit.  It needs to remain a priority.  Completely forgotten, it tends to make itself known in very unpleasant ways.  Making it the only priority, though, would be letting it win, and we can't have that.