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September 5th, 2008
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There was a time when I went around promoting my son's diabetes like a ring announcer for a boxing match.

And now, wearing a green Old Navy tee-shirt with white trim and a blue Minimed 522 insulin pump; weighing in at 44 pounds and holding the record for 17 low blood sugars in a single day; pumping out of Philadelphia, PA , The Type 1 Machine Gun ,

Charlie "The Kid with Diabetes" Potash!!!!!!!!!


But I've gotten better. I don't do that so much anymore. I tried my best to restrain myself when I took the kids to the dentist yesterday. For his teeth cleaning, Charlie selected a banana flavored paste that looked and apparently tasted like crab butter, the yellow digestive goop you find when cracking open a crustacean. Charlie responded by gagging uncontrollably and fending off the dental assistant as if she came at him with an ice pick. She wasn't thrilled by his struggle.

So I held my fire, but I was tempted. Without saying that he had diabetes, I did ask if the awful tropical chum-flavored paste contained any sugar in it. I never did get a straight answer, but I'm pretty sure I got a healthy roll of the eyes from the young woman trying desperately to pin Charlie's shoulders down to the chair.

Exhausted from wrestling with the alligator, the dental assistant let out a noticeable sigh when completing the cleaning and told me that Charlie couldn't eat for the next 30 minutes.

"But what if he has to," I said, still not revealing why. I guess at that point I should have said something. That was just cruel.

"Well, the fluoride will rub off," she said, seemingly annoyed at the idea of a father who needs to know the nutritional value of toothpaste yet can't keep his ravenous Cookie Monster of a child away from food for just 30 minutes.

"Me want cookie! Omm nom nom nom!"



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We just took Brendon to the dentist for a filling (yay for cavities in a diabetic mouth!) and I checked him before he was examined, saw he was in a good range, but who knew if he'd drop at some point, so I juiced him up. Nice coating of sugar for the teeth right before the cavity was filled. The dentist was awesome about letting me do my thing. BTW, is Charlie's T1 noted in his dental record? I would've told her he had T1 just to wipe the annoyance from her face, LOL. Make her feel guilty.


The dentist knows he's T1. I had noted it again on the paperwork when checking in. Just not so sure this girl cleaning his teeth had that knowledge. Sorry about the cavity. I can't begin to imagine how Charlie will handle drilling as he freaked out over the saliva sucker thing in his mouth


Is anyone dealing with a child between 10-13 with type 1 and celiac?


The dentist is a tough time for diabetics - the last time I have Novocaine, I had this big discussion (cheeks full of cotton during our chat) about how I needed to test before he gave me the injections to make sure I didn't need to eat.

"I neef to test my brodshuga."

"What's that?"

"Brodshuga. Diabetef. I neef to test in case I need a shnack."

Sometimes they just don't listen. Maybe I wasn't being clear enough? ;)


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Carey Potash
Carey is a full-time hater of diabetes. The benefits stink. His 6-year-old son, Charlie, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 22 months old. Carey's parenting humor has appeared in various websites and print magazines. He resides in the suburbs of Philadelphia with his wife and three children. (Read More)

Latest Posts: Blood Sugar Buffet | Tag Team - First Day of School | Playing with Fire

Michelle Kowalski
Michelle Kowalski, a writer, editor and photography hobbiest living in Phoenix, has had type 2 diabetes since February 2005. In January 2008, as part of her quest to start on an insulin pump, Michelle learned that she actually has type 1 diabetes. (Read More)

Latest Posts: Censored for the Non-D People in My Life | Keeping It To Myself -- Sort Of | My Kidneys Are Screaming

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