Things diabetes has taught me this month... July edition

Holy schnikies... it's August! Although you can't see me, I'm hyperventilating a bit.  School starts in 2 1/2 weeks. I haven't done the 504 plan yet. Fred will be travelling more than usual this month, including THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL! The kids' birthdays are in less than a month and I haven't planned the party yet.

And, to top it off, I still need to post July's "Things diabetes..."

Breeeeeeathe!  Here we go...

-FFL... go.  That's about it. I almost went last year but couldn't because of pregnancy complications and surgery.  I almost didn't go this year because my life is insane.  Just. Go.

-I love watching how Elise reacts when kids look at her pod or CGM sensor. Even if they don't ask, if she catches them looking, she'll go right up to them and say, "that's my pod/CGM... I have type 1 diabetes!  Wanna play?" She's cool like that.

-FFL made Elise want to be more active in her care. She's already pretty good; she checks her own BG, helps weigh her carbs, boluses herself (under supervision), gets everything ready for a pod change... but now she wants to know the "why" behind certain things. Why do we do temp basals? Why do we rotate sites for her pod? Why do I do extended boluses?

-Oh, and she checked her own BG in the middle of the night when she got up to go to the bathroom because, "she felt high". She was... in the 300s.  Thankfully she didn't do anything about it (we had been fighting highs all night), and we had to have a talk about asking us before EVER bolusing, but I love the initiative!

-One of my favourite sessions at FFL was the 504 plan one, because the presenter from the American Diabetes Association had so much great info. For example:

• Did you know that most camps must provide care for your type 1?  They cannot be turned away because they have diabetes. And it doesn't have to be federally funded either.  The same goes for daycare.  The only exclusion is for religious organizations.  I know too many families who have been told, flat-out that, "we cannot accommodate your child with type 1".  If you want to read more click here for the ADA's information. My comfort level with leaving Elise at such a place wouldn't be high, but I always thought they were allowed to refuse.
• So many people who run into roadblocks at school are not turning to the ADA for help.  Some of the people that were in the session had horror stories when it came to their kids and care at school. Please, please, please... if you feel your child's school is not following the law, you need to call 1-800-DIABETES (342-2383) to speak to an ADA legal advocate. 
• There are some cities in the U.S. that have been forming "diabetes schools", where they are forcing all the kids in the district with type 1 to attend the same school. I can't imagine how that would affect a newly dx'd child; already facing so many huge changes in their life, but also being told they can't go back to the same school they've always attended.

-And finally, apparently Elise hears EVERYTHING Fred and I talk about.  As we were leaving FFL, I asked Elise if she enjoyed it and did she want to come back.  She told me she had so much fun, and really wanted to come back, but... After a long pause I was able to get it out of her that she worried about how much money it was.

I laughed and hugged her, letting her know that some things are just worth spending a lot of money on.  We're already saving for next year!