Sunday, November 21, 2010

Dex...YES

Yes!! We received a box with more Dex's!! I spoke with another person, and she was going to extend our current year one more month!! I was so happy when I saw that white box with orange letters!! Thank you Providence...at least for now.

What does this mean?? We can sleep so much better at night. We already were saved by Dex once tonight...he was low, only an hour after we put him to bed. So instead of waiting until close to 3am to check him...we were able to respond to the nice little alarm and give him a juice box and curb that low...MUCH EARLIER THAN IF WE HADNT HAD DEX!

Ahhh. Sleep. How I love sleep.
ZZZzzzzZzzzzzZzzzzzzzzzz.......

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Who makes these decisions anyway??

When I get anxious, I sometimes get a little...frantic. A little mind you. (DO NOT ask my husband his opinion of this).

Today was one of those days.

I called the middle man, aka Providence Home Services Diabetic Supplies, to request more Dex sensors to be ordered. (aka, my sons CGM...continuous glucose monitor). Today is Nov 11th. After verifying I am his mother, and our address where I would like our supplies send to, the woman on the line tells me we do not have a current authorization. It expired on Nov 5th. WHAT??

Apparently we have to "re-apply" for Dex annually. Which is also weird b/c our 1 yr date is Dec 23rd. When I asked about that, I was told, well, it was probably the time when it was approved to when you got it. I politely corrected her....they sent it to us the MINUTE we were approved. We were waiting for our approval.

Why the frantic frenzy anxiousness?? We had to fight for our insurance to cover Dex. We had to appeal. They told us we didnt need it. We didnt need a device that could tell us an estimate of what our sons blood sugar was at any given time. Our son who at the time was 2.5 yrs old. Who could not, and still cannot tell us when he feels low (or high, but the concern was with the lows). Really?? Really people. I remember the frusturation at that time, I remember wanting to go sit outside of the board of directors who denied our request and have Jack with me. Have them see that he shows NO signs of being low, that he cannot communicate it.

Well, it was authorized, and we have LOVED it. Technology is amazing. I know ppl live without Dex, or any CGM, but it is so helpful. We can see when he is going up, going down, dropping like a rocket...and seeing this helps us manage his disease (gawd I hate that word!!) It allows us to NOT poke his finger 12 times a day. Dex is usually spot on. It is reliable. If hes starting to crash, we can catch it before it happens (not always) and supplement with a carb snack or juice. If hes wanting a snack, we can look at Dex and see where his blood sugar is to gauge what kind of snack he can have...low carb (like proteins/ SF jello/ or his current fav: almonds & olives), or if he can have a snack with a light carb load.

The anxiety is because I fear they are going to tell us no again.
I have NO idea how this process works. I sure wish I did. Am I anxious for nothing??

I love Dex. Love it. I think ANYONE with diabetes should wear one. They would be amazed at what their sugars actually do.

Research has shown that you have much better control with a CGM. Who decides this?? Who are these "board members" that review our case. Do they have diabetes? Do they know what it is like to have a child with diabetes?? More importantly, do they sleep? Because without Dex, it is middle of the night checks. With Dex, there is a "low" alarm that occasionally goes off and alerts us to get up. Its not nightly, like it is without it. Do they sleep??

So for now, I will sit eagerly/anxiously/impatiently awaiting their decision...and try to sleep.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

The meaning of FAT

Fat.

As Webster says, "Well filled out"

As Urbandictionary says,
1. According to Hollywood, What you are if you are a female weighing over 100 lbs.
2. The condition of weighing more than the medically prescribed average for a specific height and age range.
3."Fat" is a term that is being used more and more often now days. This word is being thrown around lightly. Fat, or Obese, means to be over sized, or enlarged. Hollywood portrays that any woman over 100 pounds is "fat". Genetics, Stress levels, Work habits, etc can effect a persons weight. Not all "Fat" people can help how big they are. Sure they can increase exercize habits, and eat healthier, but that does not always mean they will get thin."

Well, Ammie (grandma) usually goes to the gym and we always say, "Shes going so she dosent get fat." Or after dinner, we will feel bellies and say, "Oh, my belly is so fat"

Jack started patting Sophias belly saying, "Oh Soph, youve got a fat belly!"

It occurred to me yesterday that we need to NIX this word from our sons mouth! Just a week ago we were out to dinner at a sushi joint and Jack kept pointing to people saying "he's fat. He's fat daddy" Ok, so thats just a kid. Kids do that right??

Well, last night Jack and I went outside after dinner and he said he was going to run a little. His exact words were "Oh, my belly is fat. I need to run because Im fat." He says this JUST as a neighbor is walking her dog past us. And I think, GREAT! She now thinks I tell my son he has to run b/c he is fat!! Is that reportable?? Next thing I'll know I'll have social services knocking on my door!!

Fat. No more going to run/to the gym b/c of being fat. As of today the terminology has changed to: Im going for a run so I can stay healty and get strong!!

Lets see if this catches on, or if everyone that works out is doing it because they are FAT!!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Im gonna get you WIND!

Today, we were walking to the market. Soph was in the burley, but Jack was INSISTENT on walking. Ok, walking is good for the kid...give him a little exercise. What I didnt anticipate was how long it was going to take to get to the store! It was a little windy out. Jack took off his cute, perfectly knit hat that my mom made for him and started beating a bush with it saying, "Ahh! Go away wind! I got you wind! I got you!" I was laughing to myself at this interaction he was having with a bush. We were strolling along and I kid you not, we strolled only 5 feet until he came upon some of that wispy tall grass people plant in flower beds. The same thing happened. He started swatting the weeds with his hat yelling at it. So then, instead of discouraging my son from looking like a schitzophrenic, I encouraged it. Hell, that was one way to get us moving! So I yelled to him, "Look! Look up there (the end of the street)! There is some more wind in that tree!" He was looking so hard, and finally he yells, "Wind!! Im gonna get you wind!" And he took off running to the end of the street to again swat at the tree. I was rolling at this point. But I admit, I kept pointing out the "wind" so he would move onto the next spot, which eventually got us to the store.

It was WAY funnier in person. I assure you.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

In Remberence

Anyone ever truly believe spirits say goodbye when they leave? I used to wonder, used to question it until a specific evening 10 years ago today.

My uncle left this world and went on to somewhere better. But as he was leaving, he stopped to say goodbye. To this day, I can look back and remember where I was and what happened like it was yesterday.

I was at work, working a 16 hour shift (night) in an Adult Foster Care Home in Fowlerville, MI. I had gotten everyone tucked into bed, was getting ready to fold the last of the laundry watching an old classic on AMC - something with Tom Cruise. I had just put the sheets on the couch I would be sleeping on and was sitting down when I felt a breeze. It wasnt just a breeze. The doors were all closed. It was January in Michigan, the windows were not even open a crack. The breeze came across my feet first and wrapped around me, almost in a spiriling swoop, and then the curtain shifted. And then it was gone. It was a breeze that made me stop what I was doing for a second. And then moments later, my cell phone rang. It was my dad telling me the news. From that moment on, I never doubtd when someone would say they could/can feel a presence.

Ten years ago today. He left behind a family, who he would be so proud of now. His daughters are both beautiful and both with degrees in social services. He would NOT be dissapointed.

So here is to you Dave, Pops, Husband, Brother, Uncle. We are all thinking of you today and I think there are many who are having a toast of either Dewers or Jameson in your name. We love you.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Another Year

Wow. Another year has come and almost gone. So many things I have NOT kept caught up on...so I will attempt to give a short version.

Its Soph's first Christmas. Her very first one! And I feel like it was just ok. Why?? Partly b/c I barley took any pictures. The poor kid isnt going to have a memory of it except what her parents caught on film, er...digital file, and we barley have any.

She's getting too damn big. She will be 9 months in 2 days. What a big girl! Im trying to savor every moment we get to cuddle...which is ONLY when she is nursing. Its slipping away way too fast! Its hard too b/c she only nurses before naps and at bedtime, which can be pretty crazy. Sometimes I'm just hoping she will hurry it up b/c I have to get back out to Jack, or we are right in the middle of something, and the other times its in the middle of the night (YES, STILL), which Im tired and really dont want to get up for anyways. But I do. Iv'e only got 3 more months of this bonding experience with her....I wish I had more time to focus on it, and less distractions. Maybe tomorrow....and the next day, and the next....and so it goes.

Many of you dont know, but we were trying to get a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) for Jack. Its a super small device (about the size of a 9v battery) that is poked into his belly and can be there for 7 days. It would mean we could see much sooner if he was trending high, we could catch the lows before they got too low, AND it would mean less finger pokes. WAY LESS. We sent a claim to our insurance co. in October....they denied it. So we appealed it and Merry Christmas! We found out they are going to approve it! The device should be here on the 28th!! We are stoked about this.

What else?? I dont know...Life.

Stay tuned....I'm trying to update more frequently than the last couple months!

Monday, December 14, 2009

The Wait...

Wow. Nothing since August?? I must have fallen off the face of the earth! Or decided to sell our house, pack everything up, put an offer on a "short sale house" (HAHAHA if anyone is familiar with the term "short" sale), move into my in-laws house while we house hunt/wait for our dream house, have no idea where any of my stuff is b/c its in boxes somewhere at the storage unit. Yep...it was the latter.

So yes. We did decide to put our cute lil house out there on the market. We were worried about getting any offers. Well, that was just silly. One would think in the current real estate market that houses would sit for a while. Well, not ours. Nope. That was not the case.

We sporadically decided at the end of September that we would put our house on the market in a month (end of October). We were super busy with life and needed that time. I think part of it was to mentally prepare for a move. What prompted this sudden decision?? A house we saw. It is our dream house. It is a house that has a yard for the kids. It has 4 bedrooms (you know, just in case we decide to have one more). It has a cute neighborhood. It has space - 3000 sq ft of space!! It has 2 garages. It is perfect. We put our offer in at the same time we put ours on the market, in October. Alas, the problem. It is a "short sale."

Once we got our house ready to invite complete strangers to come over, walk through our house looking at our personal effects and allowing them to analyze our life from the furnishings and decorations of our taste, we had a quick ride. I was out of town with the 2 kids for a wedding and the house just exploded! Exploded with interest! I was getting call after call while I was in Chicago. To our amazement, we had a full price offer before I even left Chicago! I was having documents faxed to me and faxing them back. It was crazy.

I get back to PDX and suddenly we have to start packing. But WAIT!! It was only on the market for a few days. It wasnt suppose to go that quickly! We ended up being out of the house just before Thanksgiving. Where to?? Well...this family of four is shackin up with the in-laws! For how long?? Well, either until we get a YES from the bank (not our bank) or find a different house.

Ok...so about short sales. For those who dont know, the bank has to eat a portion of money on the loan. Basically its one step above having a foreclosed house. Once an offer is made, it sits on some pencil-pusher desk in a stack that obviously has no importance. Eventually, they go through the stack and decide if they can take that much of a loss...basically, they decide if they could get more for forclosing the house and having it go to auction.

Our recent hurdle? We were in a bidding war over this house. Why?? Because it is worth it. The good news?? The other people just recently pulled out. The bad news?? We could have sat at our original offer.

So, we are still waiting. Patiently waiting. Waiting....