By now most of you have heard about Ethan. A little over a week ago he was drinking a ton of water and going to the bathroom a lot. By the second day of him doing this it really concerned us. So, we began to do a little searching around on the internet and just as we had suspected he had symptoms of diabetes. So, after many visits to the hospital, trips to labs to draw blood, and talking to several doctors it was confirmed that Ethan has type 1 diabetes. This came as a huge surprise and really bad timing given it was a week before christmas and everyone is eating treats and offering treats and suddenly we are told he can't have any sugar at all. Not to mention we felt we had a lot to learn about diabetes and not enough time given a baby could be coming any day now. Anyway, it has just been a crazy week. Ethan has been such a good sport though. We have to prick him and test his blood at least 4 times but usually 6 times a day. We also have to give at least 2 shots but sometimes 4 shots of insulin a day. For the most part he has been very willing to let us poke at him all day long. It's so hard to try to explain to a 2 year old why he can't have treats or drink soda etc. and yet he has been pretty accepting of the fact that he can't. At first we felt a bit sorry for ourselves given our lives have suddenly changed and we will be dealing with this for the rest of our lives. However, it hasn't taken long to realize that Ethan is so blessed and so are we. He can still continue to live a normal life. It's not like he has a terminal illness as is the case with many other families who have children with other health issues.
Here is a picture of Ethan holding his equipment - shots and the device that reads his blood sugar level. He is funny - he often sets up the stuff for us an then will say "mommy be sure to get a lot of blood" (he knows we have to do it again if we don't get enough the first time)
PS- Just thought I'd mention I'd make a horrible diabetic. I like sweets too much! One day Andy told me I should keep some treats in my purse just to have on hand on the chance that his blood sugar level went too low. I told him I had already thought of that but had a problem with it. I bought some candy - it came in a package with 3 rolls of candy and it was already gone - and not because Ethan's blood sugar level had ever dropped too low!!
2 comments:
he IS a trooper. i don't know how we'd ever be able to keep our ethan or grace away from sugar. and like you, i'd be a horrible diabetic as well. my sweet tooth is quite pronounced! he sure does look cute in that picture, though!
that's hilarious that the candy was gone! You're a Christensen!! (or I should say a Tibbitts)
Post a Comment