Life Goes On -Part 2

Field trips were also looked at in a new way. Being a teacher myself, I rarely had the opportunity to go with Kelsey on her field trips. It was difficult for me to get substitute coverage and I usually saved my time off for doctor’s appointments and sick days. Now it was mandatory. Sometime the school nurse would go if it were a half day trip, but it was difficult to leave the other nurse alone for any longer than that. As a working mom I always missed out on the field trips and class parties so it was fun seeing Kelsey interact with her classmates. It was great getting to know the other parents as well. I was relieved that Kelsey wasn’t at that age yet where she was embarrassed by her mother.
Going out to eat was now a challenge. She could no longer get chicken fingers and french fries-her favorite meal- every time. The nutritionist asked us to limit that meal since it was high in fat-fatty foods make it difficult for insulin to be absorbed into the body. This was a real sacrifice for Kelsey as it was -and still is one of her favorite meals.
I now had to ask restaurants for the nutritional information. Even though restaurants are supposed to provide this information, it I found it rare to ever receive it. After a few months I accumulated a folder full of nutritional pamphlets from most of the local fast food places such as McDonalds and Subway. I also stumbled on to a great carb counting book (The Doctor’s Pocket Calorie Fat & Carbohydrate Counter- www.calorie king.com) It has nutritional information for over 150 restaurants. It was essential in helping us count carbohydrates more accurately.


Through all of these new challenges, Kelsey continued to impress me with her optimism and determination. I had little pity parties for myself all the time . When would her time come? I was waiting for the frustration to build and the tears to come and sure enough they did. One summer night the neighborhood girls were running around the neighborhood .They were riding their bikes,going from house to house, when Kelsy started feeling low. She came back home to take get a juice and I made her stay and rest until her sugar was at a safer level.If she dropped too quickly she could pass out.Riding her bike would only bring it down more. Her body needed time to process the carbs and steady her blood sugar.
The girls were coninuing to play and she was missing out. It all of a sudden occurred to her that this diabetes was interfering with her life. She was crying hard now and complaining through her tears that it wasn’t fair. She didn’t want to get shots anymore, She didn’t want to take her blood sugar anymore. She just wanted to ride her bike.Why was she the only one? Why couldn’t someone else she knew get it so she wouldn’t be the only one. Then it wouldn’t be so bard. My heart was breaking. I wanted to give her answers but I couldn’t. I just hugged her until she calmed down . I promised her that I would be there for her and help her through this struggle . She cried herself to sleep and I could only hope and pray that she would get through this. We were so lucky that she’d been handling things so well up until this point. How could so much be asked of a 10year old? She was right. It wasn’t fair at all.