Challenges (Type 1 Diabetes)

 I keep trying to blog but I think I have to come to terms that it is just going to be sporadic right now. I miss it, but sometimes life smacks you down and that's where I've been, smacked down and scrambling to get back up. I love blogging so I'm keeping it up but only as much as is fun and not stressful.


 There have been many factors that have contributed to my currant exhausted state, but one of the main ones is that my daughter was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes in February. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Type 1, it is not the same as Type 2. It is an unpreventable and incurable autoimmune disease. Basically my daughter's pancreas no longer produces insulin so her body can not process carbs. Without insulin my daughter would die.

  It took me awhile to catch what was going on. My lively, dancer girl started to spend more and more time reading and drawing at the table. I wasn't worried, maybe she was growing up and enjoyed those things more than riding her bike or running outside with her brothers. Then she started having to go to the bath room ALL THE TIME. A new stage? She's only seven and seven year olds try out different things, right? She began sneaking into the bathroom for water late at night and then she started dropping weight. I took her to the doctor. He didn't seem to concerned as there was no family history but he sent us for blood work just to make sure. The results came in and we were sent straight to ER. We spent the rest of the week in the hospital. Her blood sugar was close to 700. The doctors were amazed that she was acting as healthy as she was. Of course I was kicking myself for not realizing what was going on sooner (despite praise from the doctor on how quickly I caught that something was wrong).

 My daughter is doing well now. She has gained weight and is on the move all the time. The thing with Type 1 diabetes is that it is sneaky. She will seem fine and then she will be in tears and wanting to lie down. I'll check her blood sugar and it will be scarily low. Other times we will be eating the same healthy diet (every carb counted and mostly low glycemic) and she will just be off, sort of flushed and irritable. So I check her blood sugar and find it only a few numbers from call the doctor high. I've been learning to rely on God in a way so much deeper than I did before. It is scary to put your daughter to bed and not know what her blood sugar will do while she is asleep. Will she drop and I won't know? Will I find her passed out? I can feed her the best I know how, I can document every thing she eats, I can make sure she has snacks at the right times and insulin at the right times and check on her throughout the night, but none of that guarantees anything, so I pray.

 I've been learning to not judge others. We don't know what they are going through.

I hoover over my daughter. Helicopter mom? Or just a mom who knows how fragile the balance of her daughter's health is?

I stay home more. Recluse? Or just a mom who is trying to balance one thing to many?

My house is never all the way clean. Slob? Lazy? Or a mom that's trying to cook healthy food that her entire family can eat while balancing homeschooling and the rest of life's craziness?

I crave understanding from others so I'm trying to make sure I offer the same thing.

Type 1 is wildly misunderstood. I have to put up with people who think it's because I didn't feed my daughter well or that think I just have to feed her less sugar and she will be fine. That's ok. I can't expect everyone to know. I didn't before all this started. It makes me wonder about all the unseen burdens of those around me, all those who are misunderstood.

Book Review- A Daring Sacrifice by Jody Hedlund

  I grew up on a steady diet of Robin Hood stories. I loved every one I found and I spent many happy afternoons pretending I was wearing Lincoln green. My own children have seen the Disney movie version and have sat for many hours while I read them tales of Robin and his merry men. They even have a love for archery! That makes my heart happy. Anyway, I was thrilled to find out that Jody Hedlund's latest YA novel is very Robin Hood-esque!

Gorgeous! 

  A Daring Sacrifice is an inspirational YA set in 1390. It is the second in the series but could work as a stand alone. The first line drew me straight into a world of villains, thieves, noble deeds and horrific torture. 

  The Cloaked Bandit is on the prowl. If you are a poor citizen of Wessex you need not fear, but if you are a nobleman you had better watch your back, or more accurately, your purse. What the people of Wessex don't know is that famed Cloaked Bandit is Juliana Wessex, the rightful ruler of their land. They believe that she is dead, just like her father. 

  Living in the woods, stealing from the rich to provide for the poor, is Juliana's life. It is the only way she knows of to stay alive and help her people. She wants nothing to do with nobility or the life that she lost but then she steals from a young knight, Collin Goodrich, and he sees through her disguise. He isn't about to let her just disappear back into the forest.

 

 Juliana isn't open to a relationship, friendship or otherwise with Collin, but he stubbornly sets out to show her that just because he is rich doesn't mean he is evil. Tensions are rising, both in Wessex and in Juliana's heart. She must find a way to help her people without being killed by her uncle and she has to figure out how Collin fits into it all. 

 This was a very sweet story, the kind I hope my daughter will enjoy in a few years. It had all the elements of a beloved fairy tale and the sort of morals I feel good about recommending. I'm happy that I was able to be an influencer for this uplifting book.

It can be purchased at Amazon or your favorite book seller.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review.