We really do our best around here to move on with life despite diabetes. It doesn't get a say in where we're going, or a choice of how we get there. It's constantly with us, and does get its needed attention, but we make every attempt not to let it weasel its way into places it doesn't belong.
Yet, this philosophy isn't fool-proof. Diabetes has its ways. Often it doesn't even need a major ploy to get to us, just a well-timed nudge.
Take last night.
My sleepy daughter reappeared at 9:15 p.m. after being tucked in at 8:30. Wearing her pink and red angry bird jammies, squinting in the living room light, she said, "I couldn't sleep. I'm 65. I'm also out of test strips in my room."
We rose from the couch. I fetched the juice and my husband fetched the test strips. There was a dreary quiet about these tasks. I walked my daughter back to her bed, retrieved her stuffed rabbit from under the covers, and gave her a hug.
"You ok?"
"Yeah."
"I'll check you again in a little bit. Hopefully you'll sleep now."
"I hope so. I'm tired."
"I know. I love you."
"Love you too."
Sometimes I can tough out this routine mindlessly. Juice, kiss, bed. All in a day's diabetes work; better luck next time.
Yet last night, it just felt extraordinarily unfair. All she wanted to do was get a good night's sleep and wake rested for school. Instead she was up needing juice and worried about her supply of test strips.
It made me sad.
Thanks for sharing, Pam. Diabetes is pretty rough to us sometimes, even in these little "nudgy" ways.
ReplyDeleteWe know what you mean. Spent the evening making homemade pizza only to test 10 minutes before it came out of the oven to see a BG around 400 stare back at us. Up from 114 from three hours earlier? Really? What in the world? We just scratched our heads, gave a shot and moved on. Until next time.
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