A Week of Check Ups

We had a week of check-ups. First the pediatric opthamologist. Her eyes are checked once a year for diabetic retinopathy. She still has beautiful blue eyes and no retinopathy.

Here she is using her time wisely and knitting. That's my girl!

This is our very favorite opthamologist, Dr. Pandya. She has taken care of all my kids for many years.
Then, we had an endocrinologist appointment. She has to go every three months for a check-up. Once a year she has to do blood work. This sweet lady has been drawing her blood since she was diagnosed in 2003.
And, this is our wonderful endocrinologist, Dr. Ana Karabel. She was sweet enough to talk to us about Lindsi's untimely death. She gave comfort and warning and challenged Amanda to be an ambassador for diabetes. She was thankful that Amanda has Time to give warning and wished all kids could have an alert dog.

JDRF Walk 2010

We didn't really make plans for the walk this year. We didn't raise money or form a team. My girls and niece and I just went.

It was a very sobering year. Just days before the walk, we got news that one of Amanda's camp friends had died as a result of her diabetes. It was devastating news. Amanda had roomed with her at camp for 2 years.

What we understand is that her blood sugars had been quite erratic all week. She was checked during the night twice. Once her blood sugar was low and the second time it was normal. But the next morning she was in a diabetic coma. She was already brain dead. They are suspecting that her blood sugar had spiked and her ketones went very high and she went into a coma.

This is frightening news for a parent. I went to the pharmacy to stock up on ketone strips. It is a simple urine test that can be done if your blood sugars are over 240 or if you are sick to measure the ketones in the body. Ketones are a result of your body using its own fat for energy. I had always assumed that if the blood sugar came down so would the ketones. I've learned it is not necessarily true. So, Amanda will always check her ketones along with her blood sugar.

I want Amanda to learn that she is to be responsible in caring for herself and at the same time trust in the Sovereignty of God. I feel like God must have been ready for sweet Lindsi to come home. I know she was well cared for. This walk was dedicated to her.

Time with her favorite toy

I just haven't posted anything in a while. So, I thought I would show you what Time's favorite toy is. She loves a 2 ltr bottle with the cap on. She has figured out how to unscrew the cap and collapse the bottle so she can carry it around.

Home from Camp

Amanda is home from camp. We got 3 letters from her this year. A new record. She had a great time. The first 2 years she was spoiled by the "Overlook" cabin. It was bigger and newer with a nice room in between the bedrooms. This year her cabin was a bit smaller. But, hey, I think if you have a bathroom in your cabin at camp, you are doing pretty well. She said that she knew all but 2 of the people in her cabin and she knows them now.

She took me on a tour when I picked her up.


They swam and canoed. They had a low challenge and a high challenge. They had to complete the high challenge in order to do the zip line. She really wanted to do the zip line, but couldn't get up the nerve to do the high challenge. She said she would do it next year.

She said that she didn't get homesick, but really missed her bed. On Friday night, right before the dance, she was playing around on the bunk and hit her pinky toe. She said it hurt, but laughed it off. When she got home it was pretty swollen. I really think she broke it. Either way, she hobbled on it for about 3 days. It was pretty bruised. I guess that is her camp story. But, it didn't keep her from dancing at the dance.

Camp Hopewell

Tony and I took Amanda to Camp Hopewell in Oxford yesterday. This is her third year to go. I just can't brag enough about this camp. It is a time for her to go and be a kid and do all the activities that you would expect at a camp. It is staffed with a doctor and nurses.

When we check her in, we go to different stations that address different issues. One, of course, is the camp nurse. She checks her temperature and asks about any other illnesses, checks weight and height. Amanda not only has Type 1 Diabetes, but she has a blood disorder called Von Willebrands. Some of her platelets are inactive, so it may take a little more time to stop any bleeding. It is generally not a very big issue. It would generally take surgery or a very big injury for it to become an issue.

Another station is her cabin nurse. I think Amanda was quite relieved to see that she was her nurse from last year. The nurse could not believe how much Amanda had grown. She put her at ease right away. One of the issues that Amanda was nervous about was the fact that she has still not changed her own site. She knew that most kids her age were doing this. I'm hoping that she will get over that fear this week at camp and have that accomplishment to bring home with her. The camp encourages you to do something that you haven't done before. They never make you do something that you are not ready for. I talked to the camp doctor last year about when I should make her change her own site. She wisely told me that peer pressure will do that. And, sure enough, this year it has been a concern for her and she truly has tried to do it herself without me pushing for it. So, I know she WANTS to.

Another station that we visited had different vendors for different diabetic needs. But the one we visited that we were excited about was a Run for Hope. This is a 5K and Half Marathon Run that will be February 26. The money will be raised so that Camp Hopewell can offer full scholarships for every child with Type 1 Diabetes to go to camp. I'm tearing up as I write this. It is truly an experience I wouldn't want any child to miss. And currently the cost for camp is $390 per child for the week.

Well at the end she could go and join her cabin group and she hugged us said "goodbye" before we got too close to the group. I guess she didn't want us to walk her over there. Haha. She has friends that she has made from the first two years and I know she will come home with new friends this year.

The Latest Happenings

A few weeks ago Aaron, Austin and Adrienne were away for the week. Amanda got to experience being an only child. We ate out a few times and spent one day in Oxford. We had lunch, shopped in the antique stores and ......

got to spend some time in the Candy Store. Every little girl's dream (diabetic or not). We had ice cream and yes, she picked out a bag full of candy. You really can have sugar when you are diabetic. But, you have to count carbs carefully and give yourself enough insulin to cover those carbs. It is, of course, not the ideal food, but it is nice to have a treat every now and then.

My Artist

Amanda has loved drawing from the time she could pick up a pencil. She drew Time yesterday and I really wanted to share it. Also, a scene from Narnia's Prince Caspian. We have the movie and some one gave her a set of the books on CD's. She hasn't felt very good for the last couple of days. She stayed in bed listening and drawing. Just wanted to share some of her art work.

I thought I would also include the picture she drew when she was first diagnosed at the age of 6 sitting in the doctor's office waiting. We were sent immediately to the endocrinologist from the pediatrician's office the day she was diagnosed. Then we spent the next few days back in the office for training. The picture she drew was the day after she was diagnosed while we were waiting. Even though there are tears, I was glad to see a smile as well. She has been an incredible little girl and now young lady.

Confuscius says...

We got take-out Chinese the other night for supper. So there have been a few fortune cookies laying around. Amanda opened one today and it says.......

Time is the wisest counselor

Snow Day

Time loves the snow. We woke up to 7" of snow this morning to the surprise of the weathermen.

Lazy Day

Time didn't alert at all last night. It is unusual for her not to alert at least once during the night. This morning she was limping. I can't really tell why her back left paw is tender. She has literally been lying around all day. On the other hand, Amanda woke up with a good blood sugar and it has been great so far today. So, maybe she has had no reason to alert.