I don't have the right cord with me to post a picture to the blog (you'll get them, don't worry!) right now, so this is just a note to describe to you what I can see as the sun is coming up here in Salt Lake.
Out the window are swallows eating bugs. (Buddy thinks they're hilarious.) They live on the wall of the parking garage opposite my window, which actually has quite a nice view because the garage has been covered in trees, vines, and grass.
On the wall is a picture of two cheetahs snuggling.
On the bed is one giant box of Star Wars Legos (that we haven't opened yet, we are just looking at it and sort of HAVING it) and a boy who slept all night near the giant box of Star Wars Legos. He's still sleeping, rosy-cheeked, happy, and perfectly healthy except for a pancreas that, as he puts it, broke.
So Daddy and I are going to be Bud's pancreas until he can do it himself. He's already surprisingly cool with everything--chooses which finger to "snap" to check his blood sugar (they have such a teeny, tiny lancet that I don't think he can hardly feel it). Injections are still hard, but he decided last night that if we call them an "insulin pinch" that will help him remember that they don't hurt so much. (They really don't--the needles are as fine as a hair--but after getting a blood draw and an IV, I wouldn't trust needles either.) Buddy is brave, enjoying his new stuff, and eating like a trucker. Or, as he put it last night: "Mama, I had so much shots and so much fun today."
Mama and Daddy are trying to learn more than we did for college finals, acquiring a stack of books and a Team of experts, and a list of followup appointments to keep.
Here are some things to thank God for:
1. All His provision. This has been amazing over and over. From things like my background as a nurse, to the Husband's background in chemical engineering (the math is not a challenge for him), to the nurse at the ER in Nevada (she happened to have a child who was treated at the hospital we were sent to in Salt Lake, and kept telling us how great it was and that there was a big Spiderman statue, which was thrilling for the little man), to the awesome flight nurses, to the endocrinologist here, even down to the design of our fridge at home (perfect for insulin bottles) and the kitchen scale I got months ago to make soap (accurate enough to measure his food with). God is so, so, so good.
2. All His care. We caught it fast. Bud was close to being at the point where he would have slipped into a coma, but he never did. He was always able to answer me (although sometimes he didn't make a lot more sense than eye of the sparrow). The nurse was able to get an IV with only two pokes (the first one blew because Buddy was so, so dehydrated). The flight to Salt Lake was faster than the pilot thought it would be. Bud's acid/base balance was messed up (I'll explain type 1 diabetes in a later post, this will make sense), but came into line so quickly that our Team was impressed. Nobody can believe how great he's doing, considering that he was on an insulin drip when he came in to the hospital. There's a letter by C.S. Lewis that signs off, "Under the Omnipotence", and that was exactly where I felt like we were.
3. The faithfulness of His saints. I had time for two quick phone calls before I was in one ER, one ambulance, one airplane, another ambulance, and then another ER. One was to the Husband to tell him what was happening, and one was to Grammy to tell her what was happening and to activate the family prayer chain. But of course she did more than that--as near as I can tell we had thousands of people praying for us, from family, to the church(es!) in Montana, and churches all over the country. We had 24-hour coverage and I could tell exactly when it started. (I was in Utah, flying over the salt flats, looking down at them and thinking, "It seems like I should be more upset. But Bud's smiling at me, I'm smiling at him, and I guess this is what they mean by peace that passes understanding.")
4. The trustworthiness of His word. In my head two things kept rotating: the Lord's Prayer and Romans 8:37. Thank You, Lord, for Scripture memory songs!
Here are somethings to keep praying for:
1. The Husband hates needles. He's working on getting over it for the sake of his boy, but it's a real thing for him and it's hard. Pray that it gets easier.
2. The other two kids have been troopers, but pray that they understand, and that the Husband and I can be wise, so they don't feel left out or marginalized. Parenting is tricky--especially since this is a lifetime thing, so it's not like we can do the standard tactic of just spoiling the sick one while they're sick. Because Buddy won't be sick, per se--just math-intensive.
3.There's a ton of things to learn. Even though I'm a nurse, I wasn't a diabetic educator (yes, there's whole specialties you can do in this stuff). There are machines to master, numbers to track, notebooks to buy and lists to type. Pray that we will keep it all straight.
4. We have to get things straight with the insurance company. So far there's not a lot of problems anticipated, but I'm going to have to get cozy with the patient rep and discuss scintillating topics like, is it cheaper to buy insulin in vials or pens? do you have a preferred pharmacy for us to go to? do you cover strips for the glucometer? which ones? And so forth. Pray the answers are favorable (I like the glucometer they gave us here at the hospital, and I don't want to switch to the giant clunky one).
5. And of course, pray that the little man keeps getting better (I know you are already). This is something he will live with for the rest of his life, but it could be worse than living with the constant reminder that God is your Provider.
News for today:
It's looking like we will probably get to go home. The endocrinologist was optimistic, given how good Buddy's doing and how (apparently) on the ball the Husband and I are. (I think we are only *comparatively* on the ball, considering most parents who don't happen to have complimentary degrees in the chemical and biological aspects of their child's illness.) We have another class with the dietician this morning, and then the typical rigmarole of hospital discharge and a 3+ hour drive home. In two weeks we will have a followup appointment back in SLC at the diabetes clinic. I'm going to get to know the (very easy, very straight-shot) drive from Elko to SLC very, very well.
I'll keep you posted, everyone. We love you, and we love our great Savior.
Cheers,
Breanna
Out the window are swallows eating bugs. (Buddy thinks they're hilarious.) They live on the wall of the parking garage opposite my window, which actually has quite a nice view because the garage has been covered in trees, vines, and grass.
On the wall is a picture of two cheetahs snuggling.
On the bed is one giant box of Star Wars Legos (that we haven't opened yet, we are just looking at it and sort of HAVING it) and a boy who slept all night near the giant box of Star Wars Legos. He's still sleeping, rosy-cheeked, happy, and perfectly healthy except for a pancreas that, as he puts it, broke.
So Daddy and I are going to be Bud's pancreas until he can do it himself. He's already surprisingly cool with everything--chooses which finger to "snap" to check his blood sugar (they have such a teeny, tiny lancet that I don't think he can hardly feel it). Injections are still hard, but he decided last night that if we call them an "insulin pinch" that will help him remember that they don't hurt so much. (They really don't--the needles are as fine as a hair--but after getting a blood draw and an IV, I wouldn't trust needles either.) Buddy is brave, enjoying his new stuff, and eating like a trucker. Or, as he put it last night: "Mama, I had so much shots and so much fun today."
Mama and Daddy are trying to learn more than we did for college finals, acquiring a stack of books and a Team of experts, and a list of followup appointments to keep.
Here are some things to thank God for:
1. All His provision. This has been amazing over and over. From things like my background as a nurse, to the Husband's background in chemical engineering (the math is not a challenge for him), to the nurse at the ER in Nevada (she happened to have a child who was treated at the hospital we were sent to in Salt Lake, and kept telling us how great it was and that there was a big Spiderman statue, which was thrilling for the little man), to the awesome flight nurses, to the endocrinologist here, even down to the design of our fridge at home (perfect for insulin bottles) and the kitchen scale I got months ago to make soap (accurate enough to measure his food with). God is so, so, so good.
2. All His care. We caught it fast. Bud was close to being at the point where he would have slipped into a coma, but he never did. He was always able to answer me (although sometimes he didn't make a lot more sense than eye of the sparrow). The nurse was able to get an IV with only two pokes (the first one blew because Buddy was so, so dehydrated). The flight to Salt Lake was faster than the pilot thought it would be. Bud's acid/base balance was messed up (I'll explain type 1 diabetes in a later post, this will make sense), but came into line so quickly that our Team was impressed. Nobody can believe how great he's doing, considering that he was on an insulin drip when he came in to the hospital. There's a letter by C.S. Lewis that signs off, "Under the Omnipotence", and that was exactly where I felt like we were.
3. The faithfulness of His saints. I had time for two quick phone calls before I was in one ER, one ambulance, one airplane, another ambulance, and then another ER. One was to the Husband to tell him what was happening, and one was to Grammy to tell her what was happening and to activate the family prayer chain. But of course she did more than that--as near as I can tell we had thousands of people praying for us, from family, to the church(es!) in Montana, and churches all over the country. We had 24-hour coverage and I could tell exactly when it started. (I was in Utah, flying over the salt flats, looking down at them and thinking, "It seems like I should be more upset. But Bud's smiling at me, I'm smiling at him, and I guess this is what they mean by peace that passes understanding.")
4. The trustworthiness of His word. In my head two things kept rotating: the Lord's Prayer and Romans 8:37. Thank You, Lord, for Scripture memory songs!
Here are somethings to keep praying for:
1. The Husband hates needles. He's working on getting over it for the sake of his boy, but it's a real thing for him and it's hard. Pray that it gets easier.
2. The other two kids have been troopers, but pray that they understand, and that the Husband and I can be wise, so they don't feel left out or marginalized. Parenting is tricky--especially since this is a lifetime thing, so it's not like we can do the standard tactic of just spoiling the sick one while they're sick. Because Buddy won't be sick, per se--just math-intensive.
3.There's a ton of things to learn. Even though I'm a nurse, I wasn't a diabetic educator (yes, there's whole specialties you can do in this stuff). There are machines to master, numbers to track, notebooks to buy and lists to type. Pray that we will keep it all straight.
4. We have to get things straight with the insurance company. So far there's not a lot of problems anticipated, but I'm going to have to get cozy with the patient rep and discuss scintillating topics like, is it cheaper to buy insulin in vials or pens? do you have a preferred pharmacy for us to go to? do you cover strips for the glucometer? which ones? And so forth. Pray the answers are favorable (I like the glucometer they gave us here at the hospital, and I don't want to switch to the giant clunky one).
5. And of course, pray that the little man keeps getting better (I know you are already). This is something he will live with for the rest of his life, but it could be worse than living with the constant reminder that God is your Provider.
News for today:
It's looking like we will probably get to go home. The endocrinologist was optimistic, given how good Buddy's doing and how (apparently) on the ball the Husband and I are. (I think we are only *comparatively* on the ball, considering most parents who don't happen to have complimentary degrees in the chemical and biological aspects of their child's illness.) We have another class with the dietician this morning, and then the typical rigmarole of hospital discharge and a 3+ hour drive home. In two weeks we will have a followup appointment back in SLC at the diabetes clinic. I'm going to get to know the (very easy, very straight-shot) drive from Elko to SLC very, very well.
I'll keep you posted, everyone. We love you, and we love our great Savior.
Cheers,
Breanna
2 comments:
I am very sorry for you and your family; but I am glad that there are many things to still be thankful for in spit of the diagnosis.
My niece was dx'd with T1d when she was 3. Something your insurance company may not tell you: have the doctor write a prescription for the strips you need, they are covered and you will only pay a co-pay. Pharamcies will not run your insurance if you just try to purchase them w/o the script.
Depending on your future plans, homeschooling etc, you may want to discuss an insulin pump with your endo, (is there an endo in your hometown or will you be commuting to a larger city?)--when my niece entered elementary school they decided to go with an insulin pump which automatically supplies insulin throughout the day as well as supplying additional amounts at mealtimes at the prompt of the parent/user...The nurse called my sister daily because her bg levels were too high...
Will pray for you and your family and keep you in my thoughts.
Oh, how this auntie cried! But God is great. We're praying and rejoicing with you.
Kindra
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