She mentioned one day last week that her tooth hurt when she ate something cold. I didn't really pay much attention to it at the time, but after she said it felt like there was a hole in her tooth, we thought it might be a good idea to have her seen. (Because, you know, we're top notch parents who let our kiddo's blood sugars go crazy while her teeth rot out of her skull.) They couldn't get her an appointment for a few days, and she wasn't complaining, so waiting seemed okay at the time.
We had Sugar's endo visit last week.
Her A1c was up by a full half percent. At 7.5, it was still a decent, A1c...but a full half percent higher, nonetheless. I have no doubt that the past few weeks are the driving force behind the result. Instead of gaining weight, she actually lost a little. Weight loss = common side effect of high blood sugars. Blah.
I felt somewhat deflated, but (as always) our endo was quick to give positive feedback without placing blame. As if a bagpiper was in that little room with us, the "HIGH GLUCOSE" from the day before seemed to blare from the paper in her hand. All those circled numbers! It wasn't pretty...but I knew that going in. In the end, she asked for more continuous wear of Dexcom, and wants to see her in 2 months instead of the usual 3. I appreciate that she's a stickler for little details, and cares enough to follow Sugar so closely.
While we were at the office, Sugar began complaining about her tooth again. I mentioned it to Jay, and he took care of scheduling an appointment with a different dentist (LOVE THAT MAN!). We didn't want to go into the weekend if her tooth was going to cause a ruckus.
To pass some time, we decided to try out a new gluten-free pizza for lunch before her dentist appointment. OH MY! Naked Pizza did NOT disappoint! It was the best GF crust we've had yet! YUMMY!!!!! We'll be back FO SHO! We took our pizza and salad to a park and enjoyed some fresh air on a beautiful day.
And then it was time for the dentist.
They wanted to pull that baby tooth.
She was anxious.
I was anxious.
It took an hour to convince her that the Novocaine would be a good thing.
Now, Friends, I've seen a lot of stuff. I was an ER nurse and a labor nurse. I generally don't get queasy over this kind of thing...but I was NOT prepared for the experience of watching my baby having a tooth pulled. I'm not exactly sure WHAT I was expecting...but THAT wasn't it.
I've been concerned about teeth issues for awhile. I imagine you only get away with fast acting sugars to treat lows for so long, before there's a problem. It's been almost 6 years. Six years of testing and treating, including the middle of the night as needed. The dentist and I talked about my concerns, and her suggestion for nights was to use juice with a straw followed by a few sips of water. Sigh.
Elevated A1c.
Weight loss.
Pulled tooth.
My suggestion is a cure.
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Oh Wendy...that just breaks my heart! Poor Sugar...that must have been so awful to witness. Big hugs to you and your sweetie. :)
ReplyDeleteI vote YES for a cure! Sheesh. Treat lows with sugar and get cavities. We can't win for losing!
ReplyDeleteWell at least you found an amazing pizza!!!
ReplyDeleteHope you are able to figure out those numbers and get off that high roller coaster...it totally sucks!
Glad you have a supportive endo that doesn't play the blame game...D is hard enough with out that!
Hoping for a much, much better two months!
HUGS!!
The cure can not come fast enough!
ReplyDeleteWould you believe Jack is the only one of my three who hasn't had any dental problems? Makes no sense to me. Madeline has had three baby teeth pulled when they didn't fall out on their own properly. No fun!
Gregg knows the Naked Pizza owners and has been anticipating their opening for months now. So glad to hear it's that good. Can't wait to try it myself!
I like your suggestion too. I can't believe you watched her tooth get pulled! I could not have done that! Her A1C will come down, maybe help her with a routine while she isn't in school?>
ReplyDeleteIt is just NOT fair! I'm soooo jealous of the Naked Pizza. I don't think we have any of those where we live.
ReplyDeleteYou are very blessed with a supportive endo. That goes a long way in handling the beast of diabetes.
I like your suggestion!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a rough start to your summer. Hope the rest of it goes smoothly! :)
Wow, a lot of stuff to digest. It's hard when it all hits you like that, esp. when you work so hard to keep d in check. But, you did your best. And, it could have been worse if you weren't in the pic, right? Sometimes bodies just go through these tough periods...Roselady
ReplyDeleteawww. so the high point was the PIZZA!! its worth getting teeth pulled when they are bothersome to you! i was traumatised by the dentist, was totally unprepared for the pliers and the dentist knee on my chest, getting a tooth pulled.. lol.
ReplyDeletei love this post, it reassures me that D is just hard. I mean sometimes i feel so out of my depth, i really feel like a failure. To hear other D parents say its hard, sometimes confusing, sometimes chaotic with no patterns, its worth a million hugs. The a1c is still GOOD and shows you guys work at it! xx
A cure would be excellent! Hope things get better for you all!
ReplyDeleteOh Wendy, sorry for that experience. The Highs, and the tooth. On the A1c, I've been told that some higher BGs just before an A1c can artificially inflate it - so maybe it's not as high as the number reflects. Sorry she had to get that little tooth pulled, but hopefully it's not a common occurrence and high sugars play into the long-term dental picture. I've had that myself, but many do not so there is hope!
ReplyDeleteThankful you got to get that tooth out! No more toothache.. :) Hope your bg's start to come down.. Glad you found some good pizza.
ReplyDeleteThat pizza looks delish! I want some! Is it a chain that might spread? to my area? : ) Yum!
ReplyDeleteA bad tooth-sucks. Another complication-it's just not fair. And your a1c? Looks pretty good from here! : ) Holly
Oh geez! Hannah had a tooth pulled at her age, and she wasn't even sipping juice at night! It was traumatic, I hear ya!
ReplyDeleteNaked pizza! IS the best isn't it!? I thought of you guys when we ate there :)
Maddis a1c came back at 7.4 this time too and I about dropped dead! I know we went through weeks of changing everything, but by the time we went to the endo she was on a 5 week stretch of amazingness....I SO thought the a1c would reflect that, but no.........damn A1c's anyway! I'm sure when she gets home from camp we will be back to chaos!
My last comment didn't come out right when said I almost dropped dead seeing the 7.4 a1c......that is a great #....... But what I meant by this was after so many weeks chasing numbers, I expected So much lower an a1c because the last several weeks right before the test had been so glorious......it was a slap in the face to see an a1c reflected BEFORE all my hard work paid off! I wanted to see the goodness of NOW, not the chaos of THEN! KNWIM? Just had to clarify that, ya never know when a reader may be offended by a1c talk!
ReplyDeleteI think your suggestion sounds perfect!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry.... Rough day all around! We are having trouble, too. You are not alone. Hang in there. You are doing a great job at an impossible task!
Ya know that the Celiac affects their teeth too. When my daughter had her stomach biopsy done the doc took one look at her teeth and pointed them out to her student. It can affect the enamel on the teeth. These sweet little diabetic celiacs get the short stick every time. I was glad for your tip of swallowing water after the juice during the night time lows. And to think I was only worried about all the unecessary calories we cram down my daughters throat at night. I should be worried about her teeth too. Stupid diabetes and Celiac!
ReplyDeleteIm so stinkin' scared of the dentist, just reading this made me cringe! Sorry to hear about the tooth. It looks like you guys were troopers, and that pizza looked yummy! It seems like just a rough start to the summer for a lot of D peeps! Love ya friend! Take Care!
ReplyDeleteI agree...cure, cure, cure! Social Butterfly had a tooth pulled and the dental assistant had me sit down with my head between my legs and gave me juice because I nearly passed out. I'm right there with ya, mama! =) Yeah for a new GF pizza, though!
ReplyDelete