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A Life Changing Event, Part 1

Yesterday not only marked the birth of my brother, but also the anniversary of another significant event in my life. It was as significant as my marriage and the births of my children, but not in such a joyful way. The event has changed me and my family in so many ways, many of them for the better, even though it is something I would not necessarily have chosen. It was something that I could have neither prepared for nor expected. 

Five years ago this month Taylor had been acting a little off for two or three weeks. He would come in the house and lie down on the couch when other kids were outside playing. He was not only tired, but lethargic. One night during family home evening he quietly cried on the couch because of abdominal pain. He is not one to be dramatic or winy so I knew something was wrong. I took him to the after hours clinic and they sent us home with instructions to give him an antacid. It didn't really work, but the pain seemed to go away.

He had turned nine in December and I had not taken him in for a well child visit. Feeling like something was wrong, but not really being able to describe many symptoms that made sense to me I schedule an appointment. It was two weeks away. He got more and more tired and also thirsty and needing to use the bathroom a lot. Now, my kids always need to relieve themselves when I ask them to do something. At the time we were homeschooling the children and I wasn't sure if his bathroom breaks were a stalling tactic. 

I called my friend who has a child with diabetes and asked her about the symptoms. They matched. She offered to check his blood, but if figured that whether he had high blood sugar or not he needed to be seen by a doctor. I could hope for a UTI, right?

The next day I called our pediatrician and got in. After the nurse requested a urine sample then pricked his finger for a blood sample the doctor came in with a grave look on his face. After a minimal pleasantries and an, "I regret to inform you that your son has diabetes..." conversation, he walked out the door to the telephone and called Primary Children's Hospital. He said to go home and pack some things for a few days and get there as soon as possible. As I write this I still want to cry. I remember that moment vividly. 

I can't remember why Destry and Emma were out and about together on a weekday morning, but they were. I called him and told him the shocking yet not so shocking news and asked him to go home. At 11 1/2, Spencer could not be left in charge for very long. Taylor gathered a couple of outfits and our toothbrushes and headed out.

Emma has later reported what a scary day that was for her. Destry immediately headed for home quickly and stressfully. He told her that Taylor had diabetes. She didn't know what that was, but understood that it was not good. Destry stayed home with the kids that day, but arranged for Renee to stay with them the next day so he could join Taylor and I at the hospital for training. We spent several hours each day with a nurse learning how to take care of someone with diabetes.

It was around noon, lunch time, when Taylor and I were in Salt Lake City. I should have stopped and gotten him something to eat, but I was too afraid to. I didn't want to give him too many carbohydrates, besides, the doctor said to get to the hospital as soon as we could. Not getting him lunch proved to be a big mistake, that I would regret.

We arrived at Primary Children's Hospital and went to the area where they check you in. After we did that we were directed to his room. They knew we were coming, but were not quite ready for us. The room was empty, but it needed bed linens and a few other things. I told them that he had not eaten lunch and that he was hungry. They said that most parents stop and get lunch before they got there. Well, I guess I'm not like most parents. It was about 4:00 before he got lunch. I think that was the worst part of the day for him. They wouldn't let him eat until they had the doctor's orders for insulin to carb. ratios and I think it took that long to get them from the doctor. Because he was not in DKA apparently there was no rush.

A group of newly diagnosed children with diabetes and their parents met with Dr. Lindsay at around 7:00 that night. Taylor was eating his dinner then because he had has his lunch so late. I'm not exactly sure when I ate that day, but I'm pretty sure I did. 

I got to sleep on a couch in Taylor's room with bedding. There were, of course, routine blood and vital checks throughout the night. Destry got there sometime the next day to be a part of the training. In addition to the nurse's training and meeting with the doctor, we spoke with a social worker, a parent of a child with diabetes, a nutritionist, and a pharmacist. 

We learned how to check blood, count carbohydrates, determine how much insulin was needed, measure insulin, and administer insulin. In the hospital we did things the "old fashioned way," by drawing out the insulin into a syringe and sticking him in the arm or thigh, or bum. He was not too keen on abdominal administrations, so we didn't use that site. We learned that he needed two kinds of insulin, a long acting basal, that he would receive once a day at bed time and another one, a shorter acting bolus, to cover his carbs. or to correct for high blood sugar. We learned what symptoms to watch for with hypo and hyperglycemia and how to mix and administer glucagon. We learned about what the pancreas does and why his isn't working as it should. We learned that while there is a genetic link, the large majority of people who have it, like 99.75% have no prior history of it every being in their family. We are in good company. 

I have more to say, but I will share it tomorrow. 







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