When Life Gives you....

Lemons....make lemonade.  Right.  But what if you can't use sugar?  You just have bitter lemon-flavored water. Sometimes life gives you bitter lemon flavored water and you have to drink it because you have no choice; you're dehydrated, in the desert and you are not going to make it otherwise.

Okay, that may seem a bit dramatic, but honestly, that is what my life has felt like this last month:  A steady stream of bitter, lemon-flavored water.

A few weeks ago we found out that our 14-year-old daughter  (#3) had Type 1 Diabetes. Lemons. Oh, yeah, this is our second kiddo diagnosed with Type 1. The first was our oldest son 4 years ago.  Lemons.

I remember that day with our son ( #1) 4 years ago in vivid detail.  I remembered how I sobbed while trying to tell him everything is going to be okay. I remember mourning for his childhood cut short, he was 16, and gone was the oblivious care-free life of a teenage boy, replaced by a carb-counting, finger-pricking, multiple daily shot giving life.

Four years later, that son is in college, doing well with his T1D, still feeling frustration with inconvenient highs and life interrupting lows.  Type 1 is expensive, aggravating and potentially life-threatening,  but we have got it down (pretty much).

Enter June 11:  The week prior, child #3 had been complaining about thirst.  By Sunday she said, "Mom, can you check my blood sugar, I think I have Diabetes."  Oh, my goodness child, you do not, 14 is such a dramatic age"  (is what I said in my head).  "We will get your brother to bring his glucometer to check sometime today"  (is what came out of my mouth).  But, here's the deal. It was child #2's graduation open house.   We had things to do, we were busy.  Oldest child is working at an overnight camp for the summer nearby so when he showed up for the party, I asked to him to check his sister, but he hadn't brought it with him.  No worries, I told him, no big deal.

The next day off to Child #2's college orientation for two days.  On that Tuesday when we returned, I looked at #3, really looked at her, and said let's go check your number.  We texted #1, headed down the street to the camp where he met us in the parking lot.  She handed over her finger to her brother
and I thought "Ok, now we can be done with this silly notion"  At which point I looked down at his meter which had just read HIGH.  Her brother demanded her other hand, poked her again, second reading: HIGH.

Skip ahead, skip ahead....Thanks pedi ER docs for confirming what we already knew:  Type 1, off to the endocrinologist for all the stuff that makes up her new lifestyle: Insulin pens, needles, lancets, test strips, blood sugar logs...

Oh, one brag on myself, I skipped the sobbing in front of my daughter part this time, I just did my crying in private.  I told #1 about how at least I was a more supportive mom who held it together this time and he told me "Good job Mom"  (you have to celebrate the little wins sometimes)

Update:  We are now 4 weeks out from diagnosis, and she is doing great.  A lot of adjustments and more struggles to face I am sure, but at the moment we are hanging in.