DAD: Diabetes Awareness Day

Today is Diabetes Awareness Day (DAD)...I had some great plans and true to form, D has decided it needs to take a starring role this week, swimming and wrestling are kicking my butt numbers wise.  Sleep, whats that?  So just know, I had some GREAT plans.  :(

I planned ahead.  I ordered DAD t-shirts for my whole family to wear today.  They got held up with the storm on the east coast and then the company mailed them this really weird way which insures it will take the absolute longest way possible to Alaska...I have no idea when they will actually arrive.  But they were ordered over 3 weeks ago.  I guess this just means I am UBER prepared for next years DAD day.  :)

Seth was officially Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and admitted to the hospital in Diabetic Ketoacidosis earlier this year on January 4, 2012.

It has been:

• 27, 302, 400 Seconds or
• 455,040 Minutes or
• 316 Days or
• 45.143 Weeks

that we have lived with Diabetes.  What does this mean?  It means that since diagnosis:

• 2528= the number of times Seth has pricked his fingers to test his blood (averaging 8x a day)
• 11,060= the number of units of Insulin Seth has used to keep himself alive (11 bottles)
• 57%= the number of times Seth's BG is high when we test
• 316=the number of night checks we have done at 3 am
• $57,659.00= the cost of Seth's Diabetic care this year.  Hospital x 5 days, Insulin Pump and CGMS shoot this figure right up there.
• $800.00= the cost of Seth's monthly prescriptions before insurance.
• 316= the number of days I have found a used BG strip somewhere other than the trash.  The weirdest place so far was in the dishwasher, no idea how that got there.
• 6= the number of BG monitors we have gone through this year.  We now have 2 main ones (Telcare) and 3 back up ones.  A backup in the nurses office, Seth's wrestling bag and my purse.
• 2= average number of daily phone calls I get from Seth or someone at his school to confer with me on D care.

What I want to represent with these numbers is how consuming D is.  There really is no break.  It is always there, if it's not in the forefront, it is in the back of our minds at all times.

My sister took the T1D challenge for a day and she received 14 texts before opting out for the night.  She said it was very eye opening to realize how often she was reminded of decision she needed to make related to D and it made her sad to think of a 13 year old always having to think about it.

And lastly...I want to thank everyone who supports us in this journey and our battle.  Your support and encouragement mean the world to us and make it easier for us to fight the fight each day.

We are wearing our plain (wah) blue t-shirts today, did anyone else join us?

Love,

Becky