Diabetes

On Tuesday Ty had his 1st follow-up with the Endocrinologist (AKA his diabetes doctor). From now until forever he'll have to go once every three months. I was nervous about this day for one reason, I wanted to get the doctors permission to put Ty on the pump. We had heard over and over again that we would have to wait 6-12 months before we would get approved for the pump. The waiting is mainly so that the family can learn how to give shots and get confident at figuring out his insulin amount (which is different each time..it's basically a math formula based on how many carbs he is going to eat as well his is blood sugar reading). The back knowledge is so we will now how to react in case the pump breaks. He was diagnosed almost 2 months and it didn't take long for me to get confident..day 2 or 3. I was ready to get OFF injections 3 times a day and put him on a pump. Using a diabetic pump makes life so much easier and closer to normal because the pump is built to mimic a pancreas. I started looking at pumps and looking forward to the day we could get one the week we got home from the hospital, so the idea of having to wait 6-12 months was just annoying. My goal was to have him on one before the summer. So for the past several weeks I told myself that I had to come across as and intelligent mom (which I believe I am) then maybe the doctor would wave the waiting period. I figured that if they were going to stick to their protocol then maybe we get approved when we went again in June (and squeeze in at 5months).

Ty did great at the appointment and his A1C test came back at 7.5 alot better then his 10.6 he had while in the hospital. The A1C is basically the average of his blood sugars over the past 3 months based on a method I won't explain here. A score of 7.5 is a blood sugar average of 190 which is high but good considering he was only on insulin for 2 of the 3 months the test calculated. I was hoping for something in the 7s so I was pleased at our results. Ty just shocked the nurse that he did his own blood sugar, that he was totally cooperative, and the fact that he likes to give his own injections...he is a diabetes stud! Jeff and I have said on multiple occasions, had this happen to Ava or Ali (at this point) the transition would NOT have been as smooth. We've had our share of bumps and raw emotions, but that kid is awesome, and he handles it ALL better then I would had it be me.
Back to our doctor day...when we finally met up with the doctor I was very defensive as she was drilling me about questions and scenarios. Apparently she was from Hungary and had a VERY thick accent which made it hard for me to understand what she was saying. I was afraid I was failing at my mission and not coming off as knowledge because when you can't understand the "words that are coming out of her mouth" it's hard to give a right answer. I answered all her questions and what seemed like a "pop quiz" then she let her guard down and asked if she could continue to follow Ty as his doctor. She said he was the ideal patient because he was so co-operative, had good numbers, and as the mother I was very knowledgeable. The tension left the room and then we talked more freely and I told her we wanted to get on a pump ASAP. She said yes, we were the perfect candidate and had I not brought it up she would have suggested it. I almost started to cry..I did later in the car. I prayed and hoped we could get on a pump this early (not even 2 months in) but never really thought it would happen. I was so relived and excited and READY to move on. She walked with us to the check-out saying the reason she had asked so many questions and quizzed me, was to see if we were ready for a pump. Then she continues to tell the other nurses and staff what an "excellent, excellent, excellent" patient Ty was. We both got an ego boost that day! The next step is to sign-up for an infusion class which the Children's Hospital which only offers the class once a month (and apparently they are booked until August). I was told there are always cancellations the week before so I just needed to call back. At the class we will be presented will the different types of pumps and learn about each of them so we can make the choice on which we want. Then its talking to our insurance and ordering Ty's pump. Looks like we are going to make our summer deadline after all. I am so ready and excited. Praise GOD. I couldn't help but to belt out in song and smiles to God as we drove home that day.