Text Me A Picture

Today we're trying a new tactic in diabetes management.

There's a Thanksgiving feast at school today.  In elementary school, I always volunteered at these things.  I do enjoy being around kids, and probably would have helped at many events anyway, but the need to monitor what my daughter was eating made my attendance essential if she were to participate.  By 4th grade, she was able to handle some simple carb counting on her own, like a slice of pizza or a packaged snack.  Anything without a set portion size was, and still is, too much.

Middle school is a new world, though.  Parents are not invited in to help with class parties.  The kids are on their own.  We had to come up with a plan which would allow my daughter to participate in this event without me hovering over her.  The school nurse is a great help with many things, but can't be expected to know how to eyeball a buffet plate and pronounce the number of grams of carbohydrate on it.

Enter modern technology.  The school nurse will text me a picture of my daughter's plate.  My daughter will then call me and we will work together to tally the carbs.  I'm not sure how clear the photo will be.  Will I be able to tell if there are marshmallows in the sweet potatoes or how deep the pile of stuffing is?  The element of taste will be gone on my part too.  I'll sometimes have a bite of a pie or cranberry sauce and realize it's significantly sweeter or denser than I'd estimated.

We'll see how it all turns out.  I don't expect her to come home with a blood sugar of 130.  What I do expect is for her to come home happy.  She'll have enjoyed trying foods from other families' Thanksgiving traditions.  She'll have had a few bites of the cranberry sauce she helped prepare.  She'll have taken another small step towards diabetes independence.