The New Life

During our two night stay at the hospital we learned so much about type 1 diabetes. It was extremely overwhelming. At night when she was sleeping I would cry. The quiet of the night (well, as quiet as it could be in a hospital) would just make everything come to the forefront of my mind. I did not want her to see me upset and was so strong during the day. At night I would crumble.


Having a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes means that four times a day Taylar has to do finger pricks to obtain a number relating to the amount of sugar/glucose in her blood. (I may use the words sugar or glucose interchangeably) Her normal range is between 70-180. (Remember she was 550 at the doctor's office?) Depending on what the number and what she is going to eat she gets a certain amount of insulin injected under her skin with a syringe or insulin pen. Four shots a day. NO person should have to live like that. I have to mention here that I have a very strong dislike for needles and have actually fainted twice from shots I received! Can you imagine how I felt learning to give a needle to my own daughter?? It was horrible.


The carbohydrate counting was a learning curve too and still is. She is allowed a certain amount of carbohydrates for her three meals and three snacks per day. We have discovered, however, that not all carbs are created equally. It makes it hard with meal planning, that's for sure. If she has a picky night and doesn't want to eat some of the dinner I made but she already had her insulin shot, there is a chance she may have a reaction to having too much insulin and not enough food, a low blood sugar. She calls it a "low". Fortunately, she has become aware of how she feels when she is low so we can treat it right away by giving her juice, skittles, or glucose tabs.

So seven months in and things don't exactly seem "normal" yet but as I' ve read in a few books it could take up to a year for things to seem "normal". I know inside things will never be the same again however.