Diabetes

This is a post that I hoped I'd never have to write. :/  Something that I knew could be a possibility, but always tried to put it out of my mind.  I can no longer do that.  It is in my face.

Father's Day 2012 turned out to be completely different than we'd expected.  We'd plan to celebrate Steve and just enjoy the day as a family.  However, yesterday morning, Nate woke up and said he was hungry.  Got some food, but then said he felt like he was going to throw up.  So, off he went to the bathroom, but sat there with just dry heaves.  At first, I didn't think too much about it, but then, I began to get a 'red flag' and think about blood sugar issues.

You see, last weekend, we traveled to Missouri, for Steve's family.  The trip there is about 4 1/2 - 5 hours.  During that trip, Nate asked to go to the bathroom about 4x, both on the way there and on the way home.  Plus, he said he was thirsty a lot and was always wanting something to drink.  By the time we got home, I was having my suspicions that something was 'wrong'.  Steve and I talked about it and mentioned it to Nate and just decided to 'watch' this past week and see how things were going.

He seemed to get 'better', so we let it go.  But, then by yesterday morning, we knew we had to check his blood sugar.

For those who don't know, Steve has Type 1 diabetes.  Has had it since he was 12, so diabetes is definitely a part of our family.  Not fun, at all, but we have learned how to live with it.  So, we knew there was a greater risk of our kids developing it; however, you always want to hope that things will be different.  When our boys both passed the age of 12, I breathed a sigh of relief...knowing they could still get it, but at least grateful we'd passed the mark of when Steve had gotten it.

But, yesterday we decided to check it, when he wasn't feeling well and it was 300.  Definitely too high.  We knew we had to take him in to the doctor.  So, we talked to him about it all and the three of us sat and just cried together, we held him, and we prayed.  One of the most gut-wrenching things I've had to do.  Pretty sure it was diabetes, but we needed a doctor to see him for sure.

Steve ended up taking him to the nearest Urgent Care and to our shock, relief, and great thankfulness, our family practice doctor just so happened to be on duty in the clinic...on Father's Day!  SO GRATEFUL to God for that 'kiss from heaven' and giving us the best care for our son.  He took two vials of blood, did a pee test, and in the end determined that Nate did indeed have diabetes. :/

He called down to Blank Children's Hospital and set up for Nate to see the Pediatric Endocrinologist down there.  Steve took him down there, and I got things together at home, pretty sure he'd be admitted to hospital.  When Steve was diagnosed way back when, he had to be in the hospital for 1 week, so we were thinking nowadays maybe 2-3 days.

However, to our shock, the Endo saw him, talked to him, and sent him home with needles, a blood glucose meter, and insulin!!!  I guess she thought Steve obviously knew enough to steer him in the right direction. ha ha

While we are grateful that he's not hospitalized, it was kinda freaky to have him at home, starting this new regimin, and have to teach him everything ourselves.  No parent necessarily wants to teach their child how to put a needle in their skin, or how to count carbs, or how to figure out how much insulin to take.  Not fun.

But, I am so incredibly proud of both my husband and my son.  Nate has completley taken this is stride so far.  I'm sure there will come a day, where he'll hate the whole disease and the fact that he has to do this.  But, these first 24 hours, he's just simply accepted it and is embracing the reality of a 'new normal'.  I've been amazed by his positive attitude and just his accepting it and moving forward.

Steve has been amazing at walking him through each step and teaching him how to do everything!  He got up with him in the night to make sure he checked his blood sugars.  He got him up this morning.  We've called him a few time today to ask about amounts of insulin to take.  He's been so gracious, so helpful, and my Rock in this!!!

He's also been reliving so much about when he was diagnosed, which is hard.  Such a tough thing.

So, here we are.  Trying to wrap our brains about this new reality.  My heart is breaking for my son, knowing that this isn't a 10 day 'antibiotic' that will fix everything, but rather this is his new life, new lifestyle, and the reality that he has to bear.  I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't a mad, or frustrated, or scared.  I have been all those things the past 24 hours.  But, I know with each day, there will come more and more peace, as I learn to yield and trust yet again.

Ultimately my hope and trust is in the Lord.  That He cares more for our son than we ever could.  He can be trusted.  This doesn't take Him by surprise.  Somehow, He will use this for His glory.  We are leaning into His love, His faithfulness, and His grace as we walk out our new normal.

Please keep our family in prayer as we transition.