Saturdays

Things are progessing. We're learning more and more about diet, how to balance things, complex carbohydrates as opposed to simple sugars, how to properly administer shots and have somewhat developed a routine of blood sugar testing, eating, and trying to read signs that Mia gives us.

Somehow I had not given an insulin shot to Mia until this morning (granted, today is only the third day since we found out). I was terrified. In fact when I stuck the needle in the first time and she flinched, I pulled it out quickly without injecting. So my poor daughter got stuck twice this morning for what should have been one injection because her Dad was scared of hurting her. I'll be doing the shots for the next few days so I can get used to it and get over my fear of hurting her, but it's absolutely dreadfull business, even knowing it doesn't hurt much.

The glucose tests are actually going much better - she'll squirm mainly because she can't believe someone would have the audicity to think that she could possibly be contained by ANYONE. She's got places to go, people to see, toys to pull around, books to reorganize. While she's very patient with the process, it just better not take too long. She's got a busy schedule.

The diet is very interesting - there's a lot of information out there, and our doctor/nurse team seem intent on dumming it down for us. "Just count carbs!" Okay, so is that simple or complex carbohydrates? How many calories do we need to get in her to help get that weight back that she lost? I have to say that my initial impression of the resources provided to you by your standard health care provider type scenario has been not just lacking, but absurdly limitted. We've turned to books and websites that seem reputable, and figure we'll call our doctor with any questions.

Some very good news today - Mia has balanced out somewhat. The first two nights we had lows reaching into the 60's - last night at 3:00 Am we had a reading of 280 (too high, but not as dangerous as a low). This morning - 190! Before lunch today, 135. We want her somewhere between 100 and 200 (from our research anyway - the initial appointment had NONE of this information).

You'll probably notice that I have not many nice things to say about the health care system and how it's functioning for us. Perhaps this will change, but my initial impression from my first few days of navigating the doctors who won't talk to you on the phone, the nurses who say they're going to call back and don't, the insurance companies that tell you what you can and cannot use to keep your daughter alive, regardless of the $500 a month premium paid to them.

I will say this: If you think the healthcare system in the USofA is not broken, you've never had a loved one with a chronic disease.