End of School...Start of School...Repeat...

It's the end of the school year here...which always means it's time to gear up for the next school year. I just sent off this email, and thought I'd post it, just in case it makes life easier for you to copy, paste, and tweak it to fit your needs.

Hey...I'm always interested in finding ways to makes life easier.

(For more helpful tips and information about how we manage Sugar at school, click HERE.)

Hello!

It's that time of year again.  The end of one school year means it's time to begin preparing for the task of sending {Sugar} to school with both diabetes and celiac again next year.  {Sugar} has matured quite a bit over the years, and is now able to be more of an active participant in her self-care.  She still doesn't possess the critical-thinking and decision-making skills that are necessary to insure her safety and well-being, but this past school year we've definitely seen her confidence soar in both areas of medical management. 

Prior to the 1st day of school next year, we will need to sit down to discuss her 504 accommodations, develop a routine for visits to the Health Office, and clarify any concerns/questions.  In order to meet these goals, there are a few bits of information I'll need when we meet:

• Lunch Time
• Recess Time(s)
• P.E. Time(s)
• Routine for classroom parties (time of day, types of foods typically offered, frequency of parties.)

I've compiled some resources that may be helpful for school staff to better understand both Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.  Please feel free to share these resources with anyone who will be interacting with {Sugar} throughout the school day:

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes in School - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
Safe at School - American Diabetes Association (ADA)
Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed -- National Diabetes Education Program via the CDC


Celiac

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA)
Letter to Educators from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign via the NIH

I hope these resources will be helpful in better understanding the medical issues {Sugar} lives with.  As her parents, it is our goal to help her succeed, despite the challenges.  We believe we have a responsibility to educate school personnel, and advocate for her throughout her education experiences.  We are always available to answer questions or address concerns, and want to maintain an open dialog at all times. 

I'd also like to mention that Nurse {C} and {Sugar} have a solid history of working together to effectively manage both diabetes and celiac in the school setting.  Nurse {C} is an outstanding resource to {Name of School}, and I am confident in her ability to troubleshoot, problem solve, and address any issues that may arise.  Nurse {B} is also very knowledgeable and capable of helping however necessary to insure {Sugar's} well-being.  I consider this amazing team of school nurses to be one of the most consistent attributes to {Sugar's}success at school thus far. 

Please let me know how I can be of assistance in getting her 504 meeting scheduled.

We are looking forward to a healthy, happy 4th Grade year, and hope everyone has a wonderful summer!

DBlog Week 2013: Day 2 -- We The Undersigned

Click for the We, The Undersigned - Tuesday 5/14 Link List.

Recently various petitions have been circulating the Diabetes Online Community, so today let’s pretend to write our own. Tell us who you would write the petition to – a person, an organization, even an object (animate or inanimate) - get creative!! What are you trying to change and what have you experienced that makes you want this change? 

_____________________________________

Attention: Voices In My Head

SHUT. UP.

We the undersigned to hereby request the voices which offer nothing but critical, discouraging, and negative noise to be quiet.

When laying in bed at night, we should not be kept awake because you cannot find anything positive to say.

When trying something new, we should not feel discouraged, just because you tell us we won't be successful.

When trying to concentrate, we should not be distracted by your clamoring.

When a high or low number appears on the blood sugar meter, we should not take it personally just because you tell us we should.

When life takes an unexpected turn, we should not blame ourselves just because you do.

When looking in the mirror, we should not hate our reflection, just because you don't have anything nice to say.

When things don't go as planned, we should not assume we did something wrong just because you think we did.

When a challenge presents itself, we should not avoid it just because you don't think we can rise to the occasion.

Last week, I attended a Mother's Day celebration in my daughter's classroom.  She made me a beautiful card, and answered a few questions.

The topic:  "What ingredients are mothers made of?"

When I saw the title, I froze.

I was sure her words would look something like this...

But I was wrong...

So I've decided not to listen to you anymore, Stupid Voices.

And I would encourage anyone out there who may struggle with the same pointless chatter to sign this petition, and do the same.

DBlog Week 2013: Day 1 -- Share and Don't Share

Click for the Share and Don’t Share - Monday 5/13 Link List.

Often our health care team only sees us for about 15 minutes several times a year, and they might not have a sense of what our lives are really like. Today, let’s pretend our medical team is reading our blogs. What do you wish they could see about your and/or your loved one's daily life with diabetes? On the other hand, what do you hope they don't see?

__________________________________________________

We see Sugar's Pediatric Endocrinologist 4 times a year. For seven years, she's watched my daughter grow up. She knew her when her hair was scrunched up into curls all over her little head...and now...with her hair a tangled mess as she tries to style it herself.

I had a brand new baby, and had just moved across country with my diabetic toddler in tow when we first stepped foot through her door. Eventually, my third baby arrived (and she's had two herself along the way). Sugar transitioned to a pump, started school, and was diagnosed with celiac under her care. She's signed off on packets of camp papers and 504 stuff and insurance stuff. I can't tell you how many times she has put her arms around me when the defeat was suffocating...or how many times she's done the same while savoring victory.

There's not much I can write about here that she doesn't already know. And it's not like I can fake anything with her either. At the end of the day, she will download the numbers and see the averages for herself. She's a smart cookie, and knows how to read between the lines.

If there was one thing I'd want her to see, it's that we're doing the best we can.

Sometimes a rogue high or low blood sugar throws us for a loop, but we've refined our ability to catch those fly balls and keep our head in the game. Sometimes emotions run high...and, lately, there are subtle hints that hormones could be running higher (EEK!). Sometimes it's hard to make sense of anything, and other days everything just falls into place. We've managed to keep Sugar's A1c in a great range, consistently for the past 5-6 years, but it hasn't always been easy -- and puberty has yet to crash our party. The fun has just begun.   

I would hate to ruin her glowing impression of life here, at the old Candy Hearts homestead. So, I won't mention the "HI" BG we saw a few days ago, after a pool party. Or the two juice boxes in the middle of the night that followed. I won't mention the day we forgot all her diabetes supplies when I was rushing to get to a kickboxing class, and then I didn't have anything except a stick of sugar-free gum to offer when she felt low. (Also: Special thanks to the new grad M.D. who did her endocrine rotation with our doctor for sprinting across the street like an Olympic athlete to find us some juice. Pretty sure you saved her life.) It's probably better to forget about what a bowl of cereal is capable of...or the fact that I still offer it for breakfast. And, seriously, I *KNOW* when I'm supposed to check for ketones, but... well...nevermind. 

Hey, sometimes I get it right.  

As Sugar's mom, she's seen me at some pretty low points, but she has always believed in me and my ability to get things back on track.  For that, I just want to thank her from the bottom of my heart.

And, crap.

It's time to change the lancet AGAIN?