It was 9:30 PM in the evening, and we decided that we would leave the next morning about 9:00 AM. Was I crazy? There was so much to think about and do before we left:
*grade papers (we homeschool)
* prepare the next week's lesson plans
* plan and take school lessons for the kids to do in the car
* run the dishwasher
* take care of the animals (food,water,litter box,dog sitting)
* pack clothes, swimsuits, towels etc...
* pack diabetes bag
* pack a lunch for everyone since we can't stop at fast food anymore
I know that diabetes will consume our lives in the near future, but for now, my hardship is the celiac disease. It frustrates me to no end that we just cannot go somewhere and get something to eat anymore.
I can't help but think, "Am I in this alone?".
OK, I'm standing in my kitchen wondering, "What in the world do I take for him to eat? Since there was absolutely not 1 single gluten free food item offered at this waterpark, I needed to make sure that he had enough food for the day, including lunch.
When we checked in, I explained to the receptionist that our son had diabetes/celiac disease and that we needed to take our cooler in with us. She asked me to open up the cooler and then put a bright yellow sticker on the cooler that said "APPROVED!". Phew, at least we didn't have to down our food in the car before we went in.
As for his blood sugars, he came in at a beautiful 101 at lunch. I held my breath because we just took him back off of all his insulin a couple days prior. When snack time came around, he was literally shaking. I immediately had visions of him passing out on the stairs or almost drowning at the bottom of the slides. What made matters worse is that he FORGOT to put on his diabetes bracelet before we left. I just gave everything to the Lord and prayed that he would keep Andrew safe during our day trip. Give praise to the Lord that he did!
Luckily, his blood sugar reading was at 71. He has been having a lot of lows which is what allowed us to discontinue his insulin temporarily again. I just cannot understand how he can have the shakes at 71 and absolutely NOTHING at 49. If someone can clarify this for me, please do so!
Stay Tuned for Part 2 - Eating
Isnt it weird how you want your life to go on like normal..and it is in some respects, but a bustling place like a water park and you have time spend time *thinking* abt things like special foods and blood sugars and that extra safety requirement your child has...
ReplyDeleteahhh. just the new normal, right? hope you had a great time.
Hi Jules, We did have an awesome time despite the bumps along the road. You'll see what I mean as you read parts 2 and 3 that follow.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to minimize the diabetes challenges, because they are plentiful -- but CELIAC REALLY MESSES EVERYTHING UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFWIW, we do McD's without any issues. We don't have trouble with the fries -- Sugar usually gets 2 beef patties, fries, and her choice of drink. I get a salad. Chick Fil A has been great too -- they'll give you a freshly grilled chicken breast instead of nuggets and the waffle fries are GF.
Keep your chin up...it's never easy -- but it does become more routine!!!