THE STORY OF ONE FAMILY'S JOURNEY WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES AND CELIAC DISEASE.
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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Diabetes Camp? It's Time.

A little over six years ago, I sat with my 2 year old on my lap at dinner.  My shorts were drenched with her urine for the second time in as many hours, and she ate ferociously while the pit in my stomach grew heavier and heavier.  I knew.  I wasn't sure how to face it.  I wasn't sure how much longer I could sit in the respite of denial.  I wasn't sure how such a thing could happen, but I knew a diabetes diagnosis was looming.  I knew her insatiable thirst, excessive urination, and ravenous hunger wasn't normal.

Her diagnosis was confirmed within the week.

Back then, if you uttered the word "camp" to me, it might have been enough to make me slide to the floor, grabbing my chest with palpitations.  CAMP?  *ME* send *MY* daughter off to C-A-M-P???

Liiiike WITHOUT me, right?

It was so far away.  Nowhere on my radar.  Perhaps a long term goal, but certainly not something I'd need to worry about anytime soon.

Where has the time gone?

Fast forward 6 years, and, sooner than I can wrap my brain around, I'll be packing up some extra infusion sets for a weekend away at diabetes camp.  How did this happen?

Wasn't she JUST toddling around with a sippy cup?  Entering preschool?  Learning to read?

October, 2005 - 3 months after her T1 dx.

Truth be told, I'm not worried about diabetes.  I know she can handle it with a little help from the camp staff.  Speaking of which, I also know there's going to be plenty of staff on hand to make sure her first camp experience is a memorable one.  She's going to do things she's never done before...like horseback riding, and archery, and ...well... BE AT CAMP!  With 19 other kids around her age who also have diabetes (a few of whom who have celiac as well).

I'm actually NOT worried about camp.

I'm worried that the time is going too fast.  I'm worried that I'll blink, and another 6 years will have passed...this time bringing eyeliner, teen mood swings, and - gulp - boys.  I worry that time will pass as quickly with the other 2.  I'm worried that my mind will be so caught up in blood sugars and numbers, that I'll miss too many tender moments before they're grown. Sometimes I want to stop the hands of time, just to hold them a little longer.

Yes, my friends, she's going to camp.

WithOUT me.

But FIRST....

She'll be doing the Big Blue Test.
Meeting with a Congressman for the Promise to Remember Me Campaign.
Preparing to be the Student of the Week in her class.
And she MIGHT even make a quick "appearance" tomorrow night, when I'm the guest on BlogTalk Radio's DSMA Live.  (11/10/11, 9 PM EST -- BE THERE!)

She's growing up whether I'm ready or not.

That's all there is to it.
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7 comments:

  1. Hooray Sugar is going to have so much fun at camp!

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  2. And she is pretty stinkin amazing, too! Can't wait to hear about her camp experience one day :)

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  3. She will have a great time! I let my daughter go to diabetes camp the first summer after she was diagnosed. She was 10 years old. I am still kind of surprised I let her go that soon after diagnosis but it was the best thing I could have ever done. Because she was older when she was diagnosed, going to camp was a way to show her that her life could be normal and diabetes was not going to stop her from doing things. It was also nice to surround her with so many other kids that were just like her. It definitely built up her confidence and she learned a lot from the other kids.

    It was also good for me to see that she could leave my protection, be under the care of others and be OK. There were doctors and nurses everywhere at camp and all the counselors were also diabetic. We also had just found out the results from her biopsy that she did have celiac the week before she went. She desperately needed something positive to happen to her. I had the days she was gone to give myself a crash course on celiac and to grieve yet again over another diagnosis.

    I hope your daughter has a wonderful time but you are right, time is moving WAY TOO FAST!

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  4. Yep, surprising how they all grow up so very fast, isn't it?! She will LOVE camp, and she will meet some of her bestest D friends there. It's a whole new level to caring for herself. I so enjoyed watching my gal go out and venture into her world at camp. It brought a new level of joy to our relationship and I hope that it brings that to yours too.

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  5. The day is going to come where I let go of my little guy and I hope he lives his life just like you have taught Sugar too! xoxo

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  6. thankyou this was beautiful and encouraging to me, I mean so so encouraging. 18 months weve been at this, Reuben is now 2 years old... like your sweet girl in that photos. knowing that theres a light at the end of that tunnel, one day I will trust others to care for my son...or better that he understands and can do some of his own care too. OMG! BIG BIG HUGS. hope she has a wonderful time. xx

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While I'm happy to share our experiences with what works, and what doesn't work, for the management of Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease in our house, please do not mistake anything you read here for medical advice. Decisions regarding your/your child's health care should be made only with the assistance of your medical care team. Use any information from this blog at your own risk.