Another Opening, Another Low

It's been a couple of years, and we forgot. Performing in musicals makes my kid low.

Except for an occasional adrenaline-induced high, especially on opening night. For which insulin should be dosed sparingly, not aggressively.

Exercise is the most obvious cause. This year's show was particularly dance intensive. At two and a half hours long and involving at least five quick costume changes, every performance resembled a marathon. Saturday's double-header was made possible by a giant between-shows order of Thai pineapple fried rice.

Being in a show also puts her off schedule. Diabetes likes to eat, move, sit still and sleep within the confines of a predictable routine. Dinner at 4:30 on show nights, 8:30 on dress rehearsal nights? Both unusual. Dancing and performing in the evening instead of sedentary homework? Unusual. Diner pancakes or cast party food post-show? Her insulin to carb ratios are set pretty accurately for regular mealtimes, not so well for midnight. There was lots of overnight juice.

Exhaustion is another probable contributor to the show lows. The weeks leading up to opening night involved long rehearsal days followed by late homework nights. Schoolwork didn't stop. Regularly scheduled music rehearsals didn't stop. She burned more energy than usual just to keep up with the long hours.

It's absolutely true that kids with diabetes can do the same things others do. They can even make it look effortless. Waking a couple of times per night for juice, calculated intermission snacks to improve the odds of stable second act blood sugar, checking and double-checking the backstage bag of supplies, and maintaining an overall high level of diabetes vigilance are invisible tasks, even to most of her cast-mates.  To her all those tasks are totally worth it to be able to participate in her high school's musical.

Wouldn't it be nice, though, if she could just do the same things other kids did without all of the extra effort?

#IWishPeopleKnewThatDiabetes

I Wish People Knew That Diabetes...


is never and never will be "under control."

stops us dead in our tracks at the most inopportune moments.

makes my daughter one of the toughest and bravest people I know.

has caused us to purchase (literally) thousands of juice boxes in the past 13 years.

means my kid has sites for two devices inserted in her body all the time.

requires my kid to experience long scary needles every other day for her sites.

has led us to meet some amazing people we would not otherwise know.

means it's been 13 years since I've slept through more than 3 nights in a row.

has no cure.

could have killed my kid if she wasn't diagnosed.

makes us do serious math every time food is served.

has led to my having closer relationships with the teachers and administrators at school.

is the reason I'm slow on the uptake some days because of a long night of highs or lows.

when graphed looks like a roller coaster; and when experienced feels like one too.

is what inspired me to start writing again.

means 15 minutes in the nurse's office a couple of times every week.

is worth advocating and fundraising about.

is why my cell phone is in my hand whenever my daughter is not in my sight.

is a diagnosis shared by some cool famous people like Nick Jonas and Sonya Sotomayor.

means that a little piece of me worries every morning about whether my child will wake up.

is a challenge shared by the family and friends of the person with diabetes.

means my kid never leaves the house without a bag full of stuff.

is a death sentence for people without access to insulin and glucometers.

is something I wish I knew much, much less about.


It's #IWishPeopleKnewThatDiabetes day- these links will take you to the I Wish People Knew That Diabetes and Diabetesaliciousness websites for more info about the day. You can also search the hashtag on twitter to see more thoughts and to add your own!