Juvenile Diabetes and my Family

I never spent a lot of time thinking about this disease. It never affected me before. I knew one person who had it. Now I think about it a lot and I've spent tons of time researching it and still feel like I don't know enough.

My brother was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes. His whole life changed. My Mom's whole life changed. He has to eat at exact times every day and have his insulin shots at exact times and check his blood sugar at exact times. He gets shaky if his snack or lunch is late. He eats 3 times a day and has snacks twice a day. He has a range of carbs that have to be ingested at every meal. Everything has to be read. Every label. If he goes out to eat he has to have the nutrition information for whatever he eats. One of the times he checks his blood sugar is 2 am...so my Mom wakes up and checks his sugar at 2 am every night. She worries CONSTANTLY. It was their first full day home from the hospital yesterday. He spent several days at Texas Children's Hospital getting regulated and taking classes and trying to get familiar with this disease's do and don'ts that now rule his life. He can't shower an hour after he takes his insulin and eats because that will hinder the medicines effectiveness. The medicine is hard to give. It has to BE EXACT. It's a mixture of two kinds. If they don't properly mix it then the whole syringe full gets dumped and they start over. You have to be super meticulous. He has to shoot in a fatty part of his body...his stomach or his thighs. He can give his own shots but Mom mixes his medicine because she's still very paranoid about it. The medicine, syringes, test strips, alcohol swabs...it's all expensive and he CAN'T run out. He'll probably die...or at least go into a coma if he does.

My Mom said she got in the shower yesterday and was in the bathroom for a few minutes and kept going to check on him or yelling to ask if he was ok. She's completely paranoid that he's gonna go into a coma or have shakes or pass out or ...whatever..and she's not gonna know it. She never would have done that before. She told me on the phone and I started crying. I wish I was there. I wish I could help her. It's so much and she doesn't have anyone there...at least if it happened to me I would share the burden with Foy. Overnight they have to make major changes and it's so much.

I also worry more about my kids or myself having diabetes. Obviously (well it might not be obvious unless you've read about the disease), I would not have Type 1 but Type 2 which is not quite as serious. Not to undermine the seriousness of any diabetes. My chances of having it have increased...not like it's catching, lol..but because it is a genetic disease. I guess my chances are the same as they've always been but say to someone who doesn't have a family history of diabetes compared to my family history (my Memaw also has diabetes) my chances are higher which should be obvious. There is a genetic test that I can take...it's offered free to Cash's immediate family members and they can send it here to my doc. I suppose I'll do it but I guess my worry is more for my kids being diagnosed with Type 1. If not caught in time you can die. I'm just glad my Mother was on top of her motherly instincts and got him to the doc in time. It was 600 when they checked it and he was immediately sent to the hospital. He was then transferred to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. I have read up on it and will be alert to the signs and symptoms in my children.

I just worry and I feel a little overwhelmed about it and...I think a lot about how his whole life changed. I use to think he'd be the type to enlist in the military at 18 and I thought how bad it would be but in the last couple of years I thought that might be the way to go for him. To help cut the apron strings and get him a little grown up...not like in a war or something dangerous but being in the Army seemed to help Foy. Anyways, that's not an option now. Lots of options are out. And his chances of passing it on to his children are high. And if there should be a disaster or AN APOCOLYPSE ;) he should have a supply of medicine on hand. How hard is that gonna be to get? I worry about everything. I'm sure my Mom worries more. And she can't show Cash and she won't even go into it on the phone. I guess there are some things that are too scary to say or if you voice them then you gotta deal with it. I know she's probably a lot more worried than she'll even show me and my heart aches for her. I suggested she find a Juvenile Diabetes support group. I think it would help Cash to know and hang out with kids who are dealing with the same eating schedule and poking schedule and everything. I think it would help Mom to have people who have been where she is to ask questions and share stories. I knew she'd never commit if I didn't push her so I googled it and I can't find a single one close to her...even just a diabetes one. There should be one. I think I'll call the hospital and check with them.

I just have a lot on my mind where this is concerned and I try to share with Foy but he's always gone and he's not as.....invested as I am. I mean I guess I understand. It's not his brother..or his Mother plus he's a man and they tend to not worry or show their feelings as much. I just thought I'd share with you blog. When I regurgitate it here it helps it to not be in my head anymore. I put it on "paper" and it's there to read instead of stuck in my head. I dreamed about it all night. Well, that and the sex of the baby being wrong, lol. But that's another post...Anyways, I'm letting all the negative stuff out here. I know I can be more positive about this and his future and of course I haven't pointed out to him all the stuff he CAN'T do now cuz he's already embracing enough. There are suddenly a ton of foods and drinks he can't have. I just worry to myself. In my head. I'm sure the outlook will be better tomorrow...or a month or two from now. I just hope he doesn't have the complications that can arise from this disease. Oh yes, complications with a already horrible disease but I'm tapped out for the moment and can't go into those. Blindness, loss of nerve endings, autoimmune disease, thyroid problems.......etc, etc, etc....Oh man..