January 8th will be a year since my son’s T1 diagnosis. The strength in this boy amazes me. He hates diabetes but he has adjusted to this life and never complains. He doesn’t feel sorry for himself and he is never ashamed. He looks at the bright side of everything. It truly is amazing. When he was diagnosed, I heard from more than one person “at least it’s not cancer” At the time, I wanted to throat punch them. I hated them downplaying something that will affect every day of my son’s life. Something that made my 10 year old boy afraid that he wouldn’t wake up in the morning. I was exhausted and scared. Scared for the night and the future. We have come a long way since then. I am still scared. I still worry. A while back we were watching television and the St Judes commercial came on. My son turned around with tears in his eyes and said “Mommy, at least I don’t have cancer. I can still live my life and do anything I want to do.” He is right. I want a cure but I am so thankful for all of the things that make his life easier. Insulin, Dexcom…the pump. He says since he has gotten the pump, sometimes he forgets he has diabetes. His A1C is 6 and he is a happy healthy 11 year old. Diabetes sucks. It is so hard sometimes…but we have so many things to be thankful for. 1 year down.
I’m happy to read about your son’s and your adjustment to his living with diabetes. One year is a good milestone to reflect a little bit. You both have learned an enormous amount. Diabetes does yield to curiosity, knowledge, and persistence.
Congrats on your one-year success; may you both have many more together!
Have you listened to the Juicebox Podcast yet?
Woah, awesome testimony!
St.Jude doesn’t charge for their services.
I have visited the St Jude Children’s Hospital here in Memphis and I’ve seen the little kids swaddled in hospital blankets sitting in the little red wagons the nurses use to move them around. They are generally bald from the radiation and they look blue from the chemo. I saw a seven year old child with one leg. Cancer is rough.
The little patients all seem really brave. What was truly heartbreaking was the massively stressed care-givers who were at the end of their ropes, just trying to manage.
Great to hear how well your son is doing! You get some of the credit too !
It will be 53 years for me in a couple months, and looking at the bright side has always been my motto. I remember several times thinking the same thing (at least I don’t have xxx).
How encouraging to hear where you are now compared to a year ago. The one year mark is a big one - lots and lots of “firsts” are under your belt. Bravo to you and your son.
I was never a huge Danny Thomas fan, but he deserves to be immortal for founding St. Jude’s. For my money (figuratively speaking), it’s one of the best ideas anybody ever had. Not only is the care free, they commonly provide free lodging for the caregivers, and even free transportation when needed. They attract some of the best doctors and health care staff anywhere and their entire focus is on getting the patient well while eliminating every possible source of stress for the family so they can concentrate on supporting the patient.
If I were a member of the Bill Gates/Warren Buffet club, they would be my #1 charitable giving recipient. It’s not possible to say enough good things about what they do.
My 7 year old daughter had her 1 year back in November. It’s hard to believe it has been 1 year. The transformation I have seen in her is astonishing. From the tears of wanting to be rid of diabetes and the questions of when her diabetes would be gone and when she would be done with needles and insulin were very difficult for her and my wife and I. Last August we were fortunate to start her on the dexcom g5. Yowsers that was tough with all the false highs and the second guessing. I will never forget the time she said it felt like she didn’t have diabetes when she didn’t have to prick her finger before dinner.
Today is her 1 week anniversary for her pump. After only 1 week we think we have her basal and carb : insulin ratios where they need to be. IOB is incredible. Knowing how much insulin is still left in her system is incredible. Every night for the last week she has reminded us of her nighttime needle (lantus), and every night we tell her she no longer needs it. The smile that comes to her face is priceless. I praise all of you and more importantly our children who have to live with this terrible disease. It could 've worse. They are here with us everyday and will live a full, healthy, active and normal life. Cheers folks
@Josh101
Which pump did you end up going with?
I think last post said you were leaning towards the Omnipod ?
We went with omnipod. My daughter didn’t want any tubes or hookups. We were seriously considering medtronic because they have a cgm that communicates with the pump. However, because we have the g5 already, my daughter is a huge swimmer and she didn’t want the bulky pump on her at all times, we decided to go with omnipod. So far so good. She loves it and it is working really well for her.
@Josh101
Awesome!!!
We use the Tandem t:slim X2 pump (which of course is not yet approved for Canada but likely will happen in 2018).
Lots of people here with Omnipod experience if you run into any questions.
Dexcom has spoken publicly about the integration work going on between Dexcom and Omnipod so I would assume the next major PDM release from Omnipod would incorporate integration with Dexcom at some level.
Yes. Our rep mentioned that as well. We have an app on our phones that lets us track her blood sugars in real time. So that’s another reason why we went this route. Thanks Tim. Much appreciated😎
I am happy that you are having success with Dexcom and the pump. For us, it is so much better than MDI!
We didn’t really consider Medtronic when selecting a pump because I am not willing to give up Dexcom for the Medtronic cgm. The main way I use Dexcom is for the alerts on my phone while he is at school or sleeping. I’m so used to it now that I don’t want to be without it. His Dexcom numbers are also displayed on his Tslim pump.
He thinks the touchscreen is cool. It is so easy to use which is a big factor for us because we are aiming for him to take complete control of diabetes at school by next year. Less time in the nurses office cuts down on missed instruction.
My son went to Camp John Warvel last year…which is a diabetes camp. I was so scared for him to go but it was a really good experience. They teach them to be independent. I didn’t sleep the entire week he was there but he had a blast.
He was just like every other kid there. Everyone has to test BG and everyone needs insulin so it’s not a spectacle. The entire staff either has diabetes or is a medical professional. He has been counting down the months until he can go again. If you guys have access to a diabetes camp, I really recommend it.
We considered Omnipod because it is tubeless but since we can’t even keep Dexcom attached while he wrestles, it didn’t seem like a good option for us. When he wrestles, we can detach the pump and reattach it afterward without having to change his pump site. The tubing hasn’t bothered him yet.
I’m glad you guys are happy with your Omnipod! There seems to be something for everyone. Hopefully our kids have many more successful years. AND…Hopefully we make it through puberty and college with our sanity intact. Good Luck!
Hahaha. Puberty… Oh boy!!! Emma will be going to diabetes camp this year. She was a year too young last year to go. Plus we thought it might be too soon. It is amazing how much she has grown up this year. Super proud dad here.
Unfortunately we don’t have TSlim in Canada. Only omnipod and medtronic. Omnipod will be coming out with a unit that will sync up to Dexcom this year they said. So another reason we stayed with omnipod. My wife and I just started watching her sugars from our phones while at work this past week. So amazing. I actually beat the school to the punch and contacted then ti warn them of a low. They were able to get Dex into Emma before she could get too low. Love it . So much less stress while at work. Thanks for getting in touch T1Mom