To say we hit it out of the park with Charlie's new health aide would be an understatement. I was totally wrong. She does have experience testing blood sugar and she has seen a pump. Turns out she has type 2 diabetes! Go diabetes!
We hit a hole in one. We knocked the cover off the ball. We laid down a full house. Scored a touchdown. Sorry. Been watching too much coverage of the National Conventions. I can't stop with the sports analogies. But seriously, folks, we really slogged a dibbly dobbly (a little somethin' for the cricket lovers).
What perfect timing. The aide is calling us as I sit here writing this. Let's listen in ...
(hushed chanting while Susanne talks to the aide) "We're number 1! We're number 1! We're numb ..."
Wait what? Can we rewind that?
"Eilrahc si gnivah a kcans won. On I t'ndid tset mih erofeb eh eta. I t'nod wonk tahw sih doolb ragus si."
OK, play it back.
"Charlie is having a snack now. No I didn't test him before he ate. I don't know what his blood sugar is."
Uh oh.
With the phone at her ear, Susanne looked at me and shook her head as the wind swiftly left our sails.
He was also eating at 11 o'clock rather than 10 o'clock, which wasn't the plan we had all discussed. In regards to Charlie's blood sugar numbers, it was a pretty disastrous day. But in terms of teaching the nurse and Charlie's aides what to expect, the day may have been so bad that it was good. They got to see a little of everything. It was a blood sugar buffet.
He left for school at 390 and stayed up there for a while before falling into range at 124 by 11:20 am. At noon, Charlie was borderline low at 71 and the rest of the afternoon he stayed in the mid-200s. When we picked him up at 3:45 pm he looked wiped out. He's not used to being at school for so many hours.
Walking home from school I asked Charlie where his diabetes bag was. He shrugged his shoulders. I wasn't thrilled with the fact that no one made sure he left the classroom with it, but it's a reminder that Charlie needs to be more responsible. That we need to teach him to be more responsible. After Charlie went in the classroom to get his bag, he said that he thought he was low. While dozens of kids came streaming out of the school, darting toward their moms or dads, we plopped ourselves down on the grass and tested Charlie.
440.
There were definitely first-day jitters for both the morning and afternoon health aide. In their defense, they've been given a very tall order on very short notice. Today was a crash course in diabetes care.
Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. I'll be in the classroom reading the book "Taking Diabetes to School."
Charlie is excited for me to come.
"I think if you announce to the class that I have diabetes, they're going to want to be my friend. They'll think it's interesting and they'll want to know more about me and be my friend."
