After doing our best to gear up for the switch to MDI (multiple daily injections), we officially changed V.’s insulin regime.

We then proceeded to spend a nearly sleepless night of blood sugar low, after low, after low.

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Awhile back I wrote about planning to make the switch to MDI (multiple daily injections). We had planned to make this change to V.’s insulin regime to gain better control over her blood sugars and have more flexibility in her meals. We decided to put off the switch to MDI, however, because V. surprised us with in-target blood sugars several days in a row following our summer holidays.

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We’ll soon be heading on our first family vacation since V. was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The big question when travelling with diabetes: what to pack?

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OK, I’ll admit it. I’ve got the back-to-school jitters.

V. heads back to school tomorrow. And back-to-school time is hard enough on families as it is. There’s adjusting to the school routine. Shifting bedtimes and wake-up times. Packing lunches. Incorporating after-school activities.

But Diabetes and school? Add type 1 diabetes into the mix and things get even more complicated.

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Birthday celebrations tend to be sugary events. Cakes always seem to take center stage, and with children with diabetes, the challenge is to come up with an equally impressive, but less sugary option.

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V. was diagnosed with diabetes just over a year ago. She was six years old at the time.

Here’s the thing about being diagnosed with diabetes at six: you’re young enough that you’re pretty accepting. You may not like change, but you understand that it happens and that you have to deal with it. And you’re innocent and trusting enough do whatever your parents tell you…

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Managing diabetes is all about planning. But what do you do when your plan to plan falls apart? Well, you get a new insulin plan. Or go back to the old one…

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I try to avoid words like “imperative”. They sound too dictatorial, too heavy-handed.

But I’ve come to understand that with a child with Type 1 Diabetes, it is imperative that he or she always have a fast-acting sugar source on hand.

No, I’m not being overprotective or paranoid. Even if you feel you are managing your child’s diabetes well overall, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can come on very quickly and you have to be prepared.

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June is upon us and it’s time to show our appreciation for the kids’ teachers with end of school year gifts.

This year, in addition to her home room teacher, V. is giving an end of school year gifts to Mme M., the teacher’s assistant who has been assigned to V. to help out with the whole diabetes situation.

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V. is home from school sick today, but it’s hard to tell if she’s “just sick” or if she’s REALLY SICK.

I’m pretty sure it’s nothing much. Her throat is sore. She’s sniffling and sneezing. She has a bit of a cough. No fever as of yet. All of the obvious symptoms of the common cold….nothing unusual or particularly worrisome. Even her glucose was still well within range when we checked her at breakfast.

But to hear her tell it, she’s at death’s door.

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I thought we’d be done with The Bag when the kids were out of diapers.

You know The Bag…the one you agonized over before finally picking The One to put on the baby gift registry.

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One of the bonuses (if we’re looking on the bright side) of having a diabetic daughter is that I’m much more conscious about the food I put on the table or in my kids’ lunch bags. As a result, the whole family is now eating healthier overall.

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There are a gazillion reasons why someone might ask for the nutritional information of menu offerings in a restaurant.

OK, maybe not a gazillion, but I can think of several just off the top of my head: food allergies, food intolerances, restricted diets, religious observances, heart disease, diabetes…None of which are really anyone’s business.

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On a hot summer day last July, a gaggle of neighbourhood kids—including my two—were running around and playing in our backyard. They were laughing and sweating, and the next thing I knew, they were clamouring for the ultimate summertime treat to alleviate the heat: a popsicle.

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Patterns are important when trying to manage diabetes. If V.’s glucose readings show a high three days in a row at the same time or a low two days in a row at the same time, an insulin adjustment is in order.

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