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Home » Our Big Day
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June 9, 2014 · 15 Comments

Our Big Day

About Me· Family

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Today’s a big day…a Big, BIG day.  Today, my 14 year old, Jared, gets an insulin pump.  An insulin pump?  Yes, an insulin pump.  I am expert on insulin pumps and  yet, the only one we’ve ever had, has been sitting in a box in my hallway for almost three weeks, waiting for today.  Like I said, today is a big day…today is insulin pump day.  I had never heard of an insulin pump 4 months ago.  I didn’t know what one was, or why one would be needed, and I certainly didn’t think we would ever own one.  But, 4 months ago TODAY, the family behind Saving4Six, changed forever.

, Saving 4 Six

It was a Sunday, February 9, 2014.  Jared came into the living room, where the rest of us were relaxing after a busy morning at church, with a big grin on his face.  His words to me, “I’ve lost 17 pounds”.  I didn’t believe him.  I thought the scale was broken.  I went and weighed myself and found the scale to be working perfectly…a little too well.  My stomach sunk.  Not because of my number on the scale (although on any other day it would have), but because of his.  We had had him at the doctor 6 weeks before for an ear infection, and knew what his weight was then.  I knew he was having a growth spurt and just thought he was thinning out like my other teenage boys did at this stage, but when I heard the number 17, I knew it was more than just a growth spurt.  We, as a family, sort of joked around about him losing this much weight and commented on who had found what Jared had lost.  During this time, my mind started thinking of other odd things that were going on lately.  Jared had a canteen.  I thought it was weird that he carried it around everywhere, but My Better Half assured me that he thought canteens were cool when he was a teenager, and had one of his own.  I wasn’t really thinking of all the times that Jared filled up the canteen each day.   Then my mind went to the night before when I was awaken by the sound of Jared passing our room, to go into the bathroom, at least a couple of times.  Then I questioned him about how many times he got up the night before.  He said he had been up to pee between 4 and 5 times.  Four and five times!!???  I didn’t even do that when I had him, an 8lb baby, jumping on my bladder.  He tried to reassure me by telling me that is was only because he was drinking about 2 gallons of water each day.  Two gallons!!??  He said it so matter-of-fact too.

At this point, I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew it wasn’t normal.  The kiddos packed up and left for youth group and I made my way to my computer to diagnose my son.  I typed three things in the search bar.

1.  Drinks a lot.

2.  Pees a lot.

3.  Rapid weight loss.

The search results were unanimous.  Type 1 Diabetes.  Diabetes?  Jared did not fit any of the criteria that I thought diabetics possessed.  The search engine must be wrong.

My sister had a blood glucose meter.  I ran over to her house and got it…surely it would prove the internet diagnosis wrong.

When Jared came home, I tested his blood glucose level.  It was 488…fasting.  Oh for Pete’s sake!!!  The scale was broke, the search engine…broke, and now the meter…broke as well!  My Better Half tested his blood glucose… 121.  The meter wasn’t broken.  My heart sunk…reality was setting in.  Nothing was wrong with any of the above things.  Something was wrong with my Jared.

We called a couple doctor friends.  One said that we could wait until morning for him to see a doctor, the other said take him in right away.  I liked the second opinion better (no offense Opinion 1 doctor…you know I love you), and so we took Jared to the ER.  At the ER, they tested his blood glucose and it was still over 400.  Several nurses attempted to insert an IV, but Jared, despite drinking 2 gallons of water a day, was extremely dehydrated and a vein was not easy to come by.  My heart ached as I watched them try 7 different times and my baby boy, while trying to be so very brave, cried out in pain.  I started quoting scripture in his ear to calm him and with 2Timothy 1:7 “He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.”, the IV was successfully inserted… Thank you Lord and talented nurse.

From our local hospital, they transported Jared by ambulance to Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, where he was officially diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  His A1c level was 15.3… This is EXTREMELY high.  No, Jared is not overweight, inactive, or old… those were my stigmas… not fact.  What I learned from the amazing nursing staff and diabetic educators is that Jared’s pancreas is dead… it is not functioning and never will… this is the cause of Type 1 Diabetes.  There is nothing we could have done to prevent this and there is nothing we can do now to reverse it.  Jared is and will be insulin dependent.

, Saving 4 Six

After two sleepless nights and hours of training, we were sent home to count carbohydrates, test blood glucose levels, and give shots.  Quite honestly, that seems like all we did for the first couple of weeks.  The new normal at our house was exhausting.  But God, (don’t you just love those words!?  I love those passages in the Bible that list all these things and then say, “But God”) who is so rich in mercy, lovingly helped us, comforted us, grew us, and blessed us over and over. Meals were brought, a dear friend came and helped me clean, another one helped me organize things, a nurse friend brought us over reading material and has offered amazing support, pharmacists gave counsel, people prayed (not just for Jared but for the whole family), sent cards, songs, and encouraging e-mails and messages, financial gifts were given to offset some of the medical expenses and prescription costs, and much more.  God was continuing to prove himself faithful through the love  of his people.

, Saving 4 Six

Four months have passed and life with Type 1 Diabetes in the house has become much easier than it was to begin with.  The unknown and scary diagnosis of a “chronic disease” isn’t as frightening as it was to begin with.  We are so very thankful that Type 1 Diabetes is treatable and although we hope someday (this side of heaven), there is a cure, we also know that for now, insulin is the cure  (A wise T1D mom shared that with me early on).

Jared is doing well and just last week said “diabetes is just something I have to do”.  Well put, my precious son.  He is however very excited about today.  Back to today… the big day.  Since February 9th, Jared has had to inject himself with insulin in the form of a needle over 600 times.  This does not include the 8 finger pricks per day to test his blood glucose levels.  600 shots… that’s a lot.  Today, we get to put the needles away.  Today, Jared will be connected to an insulin pump that will infuse him with insulin as needed.  He’ll still have to prick his finger several times per day but will only have to change his infusion site once every three days… so one shot, in place of 15-17… Sounds like a big day to me!

, Saving 4 Six

I was reminded by My precious Better Half (as he was proof reading this), that Jared slid face first while stealing home base at last week’s baseball game to score a run.  He’s going to be ok, and has the potential to live a happy, productive, and  “normal” life.

, Saving 4 Six

We are blessed on this big day.

, Saving 4 Six

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Comments

  1. Jennifer Francisco says

    June 9, 2014 at 7:39 AM

    Hello, our cousin’s daughter has one and it has saved her life. Kind of a pain but seeing her smiling face everyday is worth it. He will be fine, just don’t over think it.. Good Luck.. Jennifer

    Reply
  2. Marie says

    June 9, 2014 at 8:16 AM

    We are so thankful and excited for his big day! <3

    Reply
  3. Alison says

    June 9, 2014 at 10:46 AM

    Our daughter was diagnosed at 10 and is now 20. She doesn’t let her disease define her but respects it with the care it needs. She leads a full and normal life! Was an athlete all through high school too. She uses an animas pump. Stay strong. She now thanks diabetes for giving her some opportunities and some friends that she otherwise would never have had.

    Reply
  4. Jo-Ann says

    June 9, 2014 at 2:37 PM

    So happy for each of you. Yes you are very blessed you are conquering this Goliath and God is teaching and growing each of you and you are learning much through this. God is being glorified in your lives. I love each of you dearly and am so very thankful for the faithfulness of God. YOU ARE A TREMENDOUS BLESSING TO ME.

    Reply
  5. Dona says

    June 9, 2014 at 3:13 PM

    Such a good-looking boy! Such a wonderful family! “but God”…………….oh, I love that! Think I’ll make a sign like yours! God bless you. Dona

    Reply
  6. Vickie says

    June 9, 2014 at 11:29 PM

    Isn’t God great! My youngest son had a friend and football teammate who had an insulin pump. Football. With an insulin pump! He never had any problems and was one of the best kids on the team. His only rules were strict diet before and after the game and finger prick checks during halftime and after the game. Apparently (his mom was telling me this) there are several studies going on right now for pancreas (of course with the islets of Langerhans) transplants and/or stem cell growth of new pancreas! Your son may have been born at just the right time – you never know!

    Reply
  7. Peggy says

    June 10, 2014 at 7:20 AM

    God Bless you all. Take a breath.

    Reply
  8. AshleyAshley says

    June 10, 2014 at 4:51 PM

    I’m so glad that you were able to figure out what was going on and that your son is ok.

    Reply
  9. Judy Uhl says

    June 10, 2014 at 7:42 PM

    Our son was diagnosed at age 41/2. Got his pump his first year of high school. He will be 24 on July 7th. Your son will do great on the insulin pump! We will keep him in our prayers! Godbless

    Reply
  10. Michael @ My "Diabetic" Food says

    June 12, 2014 at 7:07 AM

    Hugs

    I know first hand of the overwhelming changes. I was diagnosed with type 2 last January, which is the reason for my blog. I hope you find some recipes on my site to make your son smile. 🙂

    Blessed be,
    Michael

    Reply
  11. Theresa says

    June 12, 2014 at 11:22 AM

    This made me cry. Your son is very courageous. So good to know that God is in control all the time.

    Reply
  12. Sharon says

    June 13, 2014 at 2:27 PM

    God sends blessings that sometimes we don’t fully understand at the time .when I was diagnosed with breast cancer I had no idea the blessings that were coming . Keep the faith. Maybe your son will be the one to cure diabetes . What ever the road ahead it will be ok. Praying for all of you Sharon

    Reply
  13. Tiffany Moulton says

    June 21, 2014 at 6:22 AM

    Oh what a wonderful day “pump day” is!!!! I remember it first hand! You know I’ve been praying for you and hope adjusting to a pump is easy peasy for you guys!

    Good luck Jared in all you do…… Don’t let this disease define you! You are stronger than you’ll ever know:)

    God bless ALL of you:)

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Welcome To Think Tank Thursday 10/22 | Saving 4 Six says:
    October 21, 2015 at 9:00 PM

    […] got his new continuous glucose monitor in the mail.  He has Type 1 Diabetes (you can see his story here) and uses some pretty amazing technology to keep him healthy.  During the summer his last monitor […]

    Reply
  2. Welcome To Think Tank Thursday 2/9 | Saving 4 Six says:
    February 8, 2017 at 9:00 PM

    […] Today is a bitter sweet day here at the Saving 4 Six house.  Three years ago today my precious son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, the horrible disease that approximately 15,000 children are diagnosed with each year and just as many adults.  I have chosen not to make Saving 4 Six a platform about Type 1 Diabetes but I would highly encourage you to know the facts.  If you think Type 1 Diabetes is caused by children eating too much sugar, being obese, inactive, or think there is anything children or their parents can do to prevent this life-long disease, I plead with you to visit JDRF and read what it looks like, what causes it, and signs and symptoms to watch out for.   If you would like to read our story about how my son was diagnosed, you can read it HERE. […]

    Reply

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Welcome to Saving 4 Six! I'm Carrie, a wife and frugal mother of four. This is my soap box, where I share money saving ideas, tips, and projects. Stick around...I hope you'll be inspired to save too.

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