"Joe's curled up in a ball under the table...should I try to get to him to do another blood sugar check?" This is the call that I received yesterday from the school nurse.
Me: "Is he Low?"
School Nurse: "Yes, he was 51 and he has had a juice..."
Me: "Please get another finger stick...it was a nice day, I am sure he burned through a lot of sugar at recess."
School Nurse: "OK...I'll call back if he won't let me check his number" (Hangs Up)
4 minutes or so later...the phone rings.
School Nurse: "Reyna he has now barricaded himself in the bathroom...he won't let me check his number."
Me: "OK...give him a couple of minutes if he doesn't come out call me and I'll come in and drag him out by the ear..." (she and I chuckle)
I then just decide to go to the school. This has NEVER happened. Joe is known for being very responsible with his care. He checks his number at a minimum of 3 times a day while at school. He gives himself insulin via his Insulin Pump using math skills that most 6 year olds do not possess. He works in tenths and hundredths of units. He is simply AMAZING.
So why do you ask would Joe be hiding and refusing a blood sugar check after a low? Well I have a few ideas. First off...He was low, when you are low your brain is not functioning properly. From what I understand it can feel like being inebriated. When Joe is low he is not necessarily in his right mind, he is not thinking straight. The ONLY FUEL the brain can use for energy is SUGAR. A LOW BLOOD SUGAR = JELLO-Y, FOGGY, FLOUNDERING BRAIN.
On top of the low, Joe was missing PE. When a child with type 1 has a low blood sugar they need to treat it immediately with fast acting carbs. They are to then sit quietly (they should not be active as that would cause them to burn through more sugar and could make them go lower) and wait 15 minutes while supervised. Then they recheck their blood sugar to make sure it is in a safe range. Joe's low was caught right before PE, his absolute FAVORITE "subject". So one can only imagine a six year old with a "non-functioning" low brain and the disappointment of missing his favorite class and the tailspin his emotions fell into.
My heart broke a little yesterday for him. He is tough. He is amazing. He is my hero. He is human. He bears so much on his little shoulders. The psycho-social toll of this disease is enormous.
9 comments:
Everyone has to have their day...heck even I need to hide under a desk once in awhile. :)
I hope Joe has a better day today. These things that throw us, usually are fogetten more easily by our kids. The just have a knack for picking themselves back up, and moving forward. I wish I was as reselient as our children.
Oh, that made me smile and then cry a little. It is so sad when they have to miss things they love because of the cussed D!
I took Emma to a play therapist for a couple of months because she would come out with the most sad little statements about diabetes (Mom! I don't want to be a mommy with diabetes!). And since then, she doesn't say them anymore. Like magic! =) If only it were that easy.
I just want to hug your little Joe. He is darling.
Isn't it amazing that our kids dont have MORE reactions of this sort? They are so tough, so strong, so BRAVE! I hope that Joe has a better day today...
((((HUGS)))) and love to you both!
It's tough to be a kid with D! The psycho-social toll our kids pay IS enormous. My guess is that if Joe is anything like Jack, then today he's doing much better. I sure hope so. xoxo
It sounds like he needed a hug from mom too. Our kids amaze me and so do D families. Love to you and Joe.
April
Makes me think of my little guy and get all choked up. He loves PE. He's had to faces a lot of disappointments and last minute schedule changes and he takes it in stride (most of the time) but we try to keep everything as normal as possible. These kids, all of them, are amazing; I couldn't fathom dealing with what they do. And the skills they pick up to help them manage are astounding. You're quite right to be so proud of him!
I don't blame him. I often want to barricade myself in the bathroom...but it's so good to know that there's a hug waiting when it's over.
Hugs to your sweet boy. And mom too.
Oh man! Poor Joe! I can just imagine what their little bodies go through when they are low.
I hope that everything worked out!
Oh those lows can be heartbreaking. Caleb was home the last couple of days after throwing up (sorry to be blunt), and was having some lows particularly in the morning. Well he had been doing well and we decided to home school one of the days he was home - not something we do as a rule, but it seemed like a good idea. During some math, he just was not making the least bit of sense. I didn't even clue into him being low. I asked him what was the matter, why wasn't he listening and he replied, "I just can't think because I'm low!" Well alrighty then. We went back to math a little later and he whizzed right through it. Boo to the low blood sugars! But yay for Joe. He sounds like a champ. Caleb was also dx'd at age 3 and is in first grade. All the best.
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