With the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes comes an overwhelming new daily routine. I had to start checking Serenity's blood sugar several times a day and throughout the night. (She quickly learned how to do this and we began taking turns during the day.) I had to start carefully counting her carbohydrates for every meal and snack, and we soon learned that Serenity needed to be on a fairly strict eating schedule in order to keep her blood sugar levels out of the danger zones. I had to draw up and inject Serenity with shots of insulin at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It took some time for Serenity to learn how to recognize when her blood sugar was too low, so I had to learn the warning signs myself; when she was instantly fatigued or suddenly begging for food with claims of starvation, I learned to check her sugar.
Two weeks after diagnosis, Serenity went back to school. This was after I set up and attended a 504 Plan meeting at the school, which was less of an official meeting than it was an opportunity for me me train the nurse, teachers, and office personnel how to care for Serenity and what warning signs to watch out for, as she was the only diabetic in her school. (I was very thankful at this point that I had grown up with a T1D brother and had the knowledge from years past.) That first week was torture for me; I was a nervous wreck! But the nurse called me any time she had a question or was unsure about how to treat Serenity's blood sugars and we started sending a daily journal back and forth for us to share blood sugar numbers and insulin changes. I learned to trust the staff, if not to know exactly what to do, then to at least call me when they didn't. Our family slowly settled into our new routine, which became second nature to us.
I immediately became an advocate for my daughter. I asked Serenity's teacher to let me know in advance of any extra snacks that would be served or class parties that would include food. I attended every party. Prepared for every extra snack. I spent all day on Field Day at the school to keep a closer eye on Serenity, as her blood sugar is affected by exercise. (To be fair, I also attended every party & spent Field Day with my other 2 children.) I was (am) determined that Serenity be included in everything her class did to the best of my ability. After all, she was singled out enough with the frequent trips to the nurses office for blood sugar checks and shots.
Last summer we moved and the kids went to a different school. Serenity was no longer the only type 1 diabetic in her school; now she was one of 3. The new nurse was better informed, so there was no need to turn into Personal Medical Trainer again. But I am still an advocate for her in many ways. I still attended every class party & Field Day (for all of my kids). And Serenity's teacher would text me whenever her normal schedule was going to change or include food. I also signed us up for the JDRF 2011 Houston/Gulf Coast Walk to Cure Diabetes. We raised over $500, which I guess isn't bad for our first walk; we will be back this year. And as summer comes to a end, I will again become Serenity's advocate. I will attend her 3rd 504 Plan meeting, with her new school packet and the additional note from her doctor (that I have found the need to acquire) stating that she may require additional absences directly related to her T1D. I will meet with her new teacher and provide her with a "cheat sheet" of warning signs to look for and the scheduled times when Serenity will need to go to the nurse. And I will ask her to save my number in her phone in case of emergencies, class parties, and unplanned snacks. And on the 1st day of school, I will walk all 3 of my daughters to their classrooms and drop them off with the security that they will be well cared for.
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