D-Day

I wanted to write about when Liam was diagnosed, so I would be able to tell him about it when he is older.  Since this blog is my journal, I thought I'd write it here.

A couple of weeks before he was diagnosed, I noticed that Liam would want to use the bathroom wherever we went.  We had just potty trained him, so I just figured he wanted to try out his new skill in different places.  About a week later I started to notice he would have to pee a lot more often than normal.  He also started wetting the bed.  At first I didn't think much of it.  It was summer and he was drinking a lot.  By the end of the week, I wouldn't ignore it any more.  I knew something was wrong.  I knew that extreme thirst and urination are symptoms of diabetes, but I didn't want to say anything to anyone.  I wasn't ready yet to admit that it could be something serious.  I told myself I would take him to the Dr. on Monday.  Sunday we went to church and Liam had to use the restroom 7 times in 3 hours.  His primary teacher is a nurse practitioner and mentioned to Kyle that he should go to the Dr. first thing Monday morning.  She mentioned that it could be diabetes.  That is when I would finally admit to Kyle that I thought it might be diabetes.  That night Liam had a really hard time sleeping.  He was so thirsty and hungry and was constantly going to the bathroom.  We let him sleep with us and I held him and cried all night.  I knew it was type 1 diabetes and that things were about to change forever for us.

Monday morning came and I got the girls off to school and then called Liam's pediatrician.  One of the nurse practitioners had an appointment open that morning, so within an hour of my call we were sitting in the exam room.  They did a urine test and the nurse practitioner came in and showed me his results.  His keytones were at 50 (they should be 0) and his glucose was 1000 (in urine it should also be 0).  She told us that it was most likely type 1 diabetes.  She told me I needed to take him immediately to the ER at Primary's. She would call ahead and let them know we were coming.  As a side note, at this point Liam was doing great.  He was a little tired, but still looked great and was running around.  Through all this I was able to stay calm. I got into the car and called Kyle.  I told him what was going on and that I would pick him up on our way to the hospital.  I didn't want to cry, because I didn't want to scare Liam.  I did great until we got to Kyle's work.  Kyle came out and I had to use the restroom so I went in and my Dad was standing in the lobby.  That's when I lost it.  He hugged me and let me cry for a minute.  I went into the bathroom and was able to compose myself before I went back to the car.  On the way to the hospital I called my mom.  She started crying and I had a really hard time again, but again, I didn't want to scare Liam.

An hour after leaving the pediatrician's we were sitting in the waiting room of the ER.  They got us in pretty quickly, but had to wait forever to see anyone.  They took a blood glucose test immediately, but no one told us anything.  Several people came in and talked to us.  They told us Liam would have to be admitted and stay for education for a couple of days.  They also told us Liam could not eat or drink anything until the endocrinologist saw him.  The poor kid was so thirsty, but he couldn't have anything.  As the hours passed, Liam was starting to look bad. He was getting dehydrated.  They decided not to put an IV in because they figured he would be able to drink soon and he didn't need an insulin drip.  After several hours they gave him his first dose of insulin and sent us up to his room.  We got there and got settled, but he still hadn't gotten some water.  Liam was looking super bad and this point.  His eyes were sunken, he was pale, and he was lethargic.  The nurse got the okay for him to drink and brought him some water.  We talked to the Endo fellow, and then the Endo came in.  She explained what was happening to his body and what we could expect for the next couple of days.  They decided that because it was already afternoon, the education would start the next day.  At around 3, Liam was finally settled so Kyle and I took turns going to get something to eat.  We also took this time to make some phone calls to family members to let them know what was going on. Around 4 we got the okay to order Liam some dinner.  The food came and we checked Liam's blood glucose (BG).  He was shaking so we figured he was low.  He was low, so he had to have some juice before he could eat. He then got some more insulin. He screamed and cried with this shot.  He ate so much and so fast.  The nurse told us this was normal because his body hadn't been processing food normally for quite a while so he was starving. After he ate he was feeling and looking so much better, so I took him to the playroom while Kyle went home to get us some stuff.  When we got back to the room, the nurse brought Liam a Darth Tater toy and the activities person stopped by and brought some toys for Liam to play with while he was in his room. A social worker came in and talked to us about the realities of living with T1D.  It was a little overwhelming and I had a hard time controlling my emotions.  The thing that she said that stuck with me was that it was okay and normal to be emotional.  It was a huge change and we would be mourning our old way of life.  She also said that through the years things would get easier, but that there would still be time where it was hard.  We also had a visit from a family who was with JDRF.  They just talked to us about what it is like having a child with type 1 and the 15 year old girl showed Liam her pump and talked about how she played soccer.  It was really nice to be able to talk to someone who has gone through what we were going through.  After they left it was getting late, so Kyle said goodnight and went home to be with the girls.  I gave Liam a bath and got him ready for bed.  Before he went to bed he had his BG checked again.  Liam slept really well until they had to give him more insulin at 2.  I however did not sleep at all.  I could not shut my mind off. I was worried about how I would learn all I needed to in just 2 days.

Tuesday morning Liam woke up early and was ready for the day.  We ordered him breakfast. When it came, his nurse showed me how to test his blood, figure out the carbs and his dose, and she also had me give him his shot.  Liam did great.  He did not cry at all.   Kyle got the girls off to school and came up to the hospital.  We met with the endo and fellow again and then our education began.  Our nurse that day was awesome with the practical stuff.  She came in and showed us how to use his meter.  She also showed us how to draw and administer his insulin.  We practiced with saline on each other and on an orange.  We learned about long lasting insulin and short lasting insulin.  Liam also got another toy.  Liam spent a lot of time that day in the playroom with us or with a volunteer. Liam had lunch and so did we.  In the afternoon we took Liam to the playroom and decided to post on facebook about what was going on.  We decided this was the quickest and easiest way to let friends and family know.  

In the afternoon we met with a dietitian and had to go through about 10 tutorials and take several quizzes.  The tutorials went through what T1D is and how it happens, how to count carbs and figure out how much insulin to give.  It was a lot of info, but I felt so much better about everything afterwards. During Liam's dinner, My sister Allie came by.  It was so great to see her.  She took him to the playroom while Kyle and I went to the Ronald McDonald room for a home cooked dinner of spaghetti.  While we were there my parents showed up with the girls.  We all headed to the playroom to visit and let the kids play together.  The volunteers got all the kids going on some craft projects and the adults were able to talk.  Allie had to leave and the rest of us went back to Liam's room.  My Dad and Kyle gave Liam a blessing and my mom gave Liam a new Transformer.  He was getting spoiled.  Maya really struggled at the hospital.  Being there made her very anxious and she was close to tears the entire time.  Kyle left at the same time as everyone else and Liam and I were left to watch TV and get ready for bed.  Liam decided a milkshake was worth the shot he would have to get so he got to have a chocolate milkshake before bed.  Liam got so many treats.  If anyone ever thinks people with T1D can't have sugar they should see what they feed them in the hospital.  He had cupcakes, brownies, a rice crispie treat and even a root beer float.  Liam slept great again and I slept a little better.

Wednesday was our day for learning out of books since we had had a lot of the practical stuff already. In the morning while we were waiting for Kyle to come Liam and I walked around the hospital and went to a small park just outside of the hospital.  When Kyle came it was time to start learning again.  A volunteer came and took Liam to the playroom so we could focus. The dietitian came back and corrected out tests and just reviewed all the info.  She also talked about bedtime snacks and how different food works in his body.  After that the nurse went over a bunch of other info we had to learn.  We also had a visit from a pharmacist who showed us how to administer glucagon and also how our new insulin pen worked.   After lunch we were ready to go home.  After talking the nurse and Endo one last time we were sent to the pharmacy to get our supplies.  They weren't quite ready so we walked around outside.  Once we had all our stuff we got in the car and headed home.  Liam came home with 4 new toys and a new book and we came home with our heads full of info.  It was super scary.  I didn't feel ready to be able to take care of him.  We came home just in time to get the girls from school.  I tried to get Liam's supplies organized the best I could.  I also made a trip to the drug store to pick up a couple things we would need.  Some friends from the ward brought us dinner which was super nice, but also stressful.  We had the food in front of us and now had to count carbs.   I had no idea what was in the food since I didn't make it, so we had to use an app and just guess.  We checked his BG and gave him his insulin for the first time all on our own.  It took a long time and the food was cold, but we did it.  That night I had to go to back-to-school night at the elementary school. I was so tired that I was in a haze, but it was nice to get out and talk to some of my friends and meet the girls' teachers. I have a friend in our ward whose 12 year old daughter was diagnosed with T1D when she was 6.  I saw her at the school and she asked if her and her daughter could stop by and talk.  They brought Liam a basket full of "free" foods and some coloring stuff.  It was so great to talk to them and ask them questions.  She has become the person I talk to when I have questions and she helps us out in primary with treats because she is in the presidency.  That night putting Liam to bed was a little scary.  We woke up at 2 to check him. We still do that sometimes.  We just never know what his BG is going to do in the night.  The first couple of days home we didn't leave much and it took me a long time to count carbs.  I was also super emotional and would cry at the drop of a hat.  After 3 months we are getting the hang of things.  I even gave him a shot in the car while we were in the drive through lane at McDonalds.  I still cry sometimes, especially when Liam is having a hard day.  It breaks my heart when he comes up to me with tears in his eyes and tells me that he hates diabetes and wishes he didn't have it.  He is an amazing kid though and is so strong.  For the most part he takes his shots like a champ and doesn't complain about getting his finger pricked.  He can even check his blood all by himself.  I feel so lucky that he is doing so well.  I am also so grateful for family that lives close and have been so supportive and have learned how to take care of Liam so that we can have a break once in a while.  We are getting used to things and it just feels normal now.