Freak Show

"If he is unconscious or has a seizure - Glucagon is in his camo bag OR call me and I'll run over and give it..  AND call 911". ~  Yeah, so writing that part seems a little over-the-top..but what am I to do?  It could happen.  I like how I added in the part of just calling me so I could "run over" and whack him with the Glucagon.  It is so very difficult to not appear like a freak show.  To top it off I am sending Joe over with a jar of pickles and salami-wraps for "free" snacking into the evening hours.  Freak Show...

 

My Head On Village Person Body...Don't Ask...

 

10:56pm last evening, Joe's blood sugar was 25.  Haven't seen a number that low since he was 3 years old.

 

Tonight is the sleepover.  I am a little nervous, due to Joe's low trend through the night over the past week.  I cannot back out of this though.  I know it.  Joe is thrilled and I need to make this happen AND keep my composure to give the illusion of "normalcy".  So,  I analyzed his numbers this morning and backed off his basal rates. 

 

I then proceeded to type out "instructions" to accompany my 10 year old child. 

 

Here is what I came up with (I added the red just for my readers here on Beta Buddies.  No red was added to the actual document for "normalcy-appearing-purposes"):

 

Joe should check his blood sugar: every 2-3 hours and/or before he eats and/or if he feels "LOW".

 *Joe is going to call me with blood sugar numbers and carb counts and he/I will bolus over the phone.

 * I did talk to him about not "over-carbing".  I told him a couple of pieces of pizza were OK, but no more.  One carb snack in the evening would be OK, but he should not graze (unless he is running low, then it is OK).  It is OK for him to snack on the non-carb foods (the pickles and salami-wraps that I sent are for this purpose).

 LOWS - A low blood sugar for Joe is a number less than 70:  If Joe's number is less than 70 he needs sugar.  Sugar is in his camo-bag.  He needs either 3 Starbursts OR 3 Glucose Tablets.  He then needs to wait 15 minutes and then he should do a re-check of his blood sugar to make sure the number has come up to 70 or higher.

 If he is unconscious or has a seizure - Glucagon is in his camo bag OR call me and I'll run over AND call 911.

 NIGHT TIME CHECKS - Please check Joe before you go to bed and call me with the number.  Then at 2 am (sorry...ugh).  For the 2 am number, if Joe is < 70 please give him 3 Glucose Tablets (he will chew them while he sleeps) and then re-check his blood sugar in 15 minutes to make sure his number came up (double sorry).  If Joe is 70 - 100, please give him 2 Glucose Tabs.  If Joe's blood sugar is 100-249, do nothing.  If Joe's blood sugar is 250 or greater, then he needs a "correction" dose of insulin.

 Using the Glucometer/PUMP remote for "correction": (NOTE: You should be within 5 feet or so of Joe to deliver the insulin from the remote) Once the blood glucose number appears on the glucometer screen, you can select "bolus" (at bottom of screen) by using the down arrow to highlight "bolus" and then pressing the "OK" button.  The glucometer will then give you a menu of "types of boluses" , you will select "EZBG" using the arrows to highlight "EZBG" and then pushing the OK button.  The screen will then display the current BG/where we want his BG "120"/and a correction factor...the math so-to-speak.  Push "OK" (Joe's current BG will be highlighted).  The cursor will then be highlighting "show result", press the OK button.  There will then be a screen suggesting how much insulin to give (the amount will be next to the word "TOTAL=").  You will need to push the up arrow until the suggested amount is reached.  Once the amount entered is the same as what the Total suggested you will press the "OK" button.  The cursor then moves to "Go".  You will press the OK button again to deliver the insulin.

A day-in-the-life of authoring an "Instruction Manual" (of sorts) for Joe, my ten year old son who has type 1 diabetes.