Cara's School Updates and P.S. I Really Don't Think They Get it....

These weeks have been moving so fast since the kids have started school that I find myself with no time to do the things that I would like to do (like blogging) So here is a little update on Cara's school progress.
We will start backwards and work our way through the week. Cara's 3rd day of school was O.K. Cara gave us a little bit of resistance but we ended up getting her to school that morning with no issues the whole morning which brought us some hope that this will all workout. However Chris did have to drive her to school but one battle at a time! Day number 4 was not as good. Cara woke up with a low of 4.4 not a good way to start your day. So she decided that she would not eat breakfast that morning because she did not want to go to school and being diabetic she kinda has us there. It's not like we could just go with the law of natural consequences and say "well if you don't eat before you go to school you will be hungry all day but that is your choice" and throw her on the bus and suffer her own consequences. She really does need to eat breakfast and have her insulin! She told us that she was not going to school because she "hates it and it smells". So she missed the bus and we felt very defeated. I was so ready to give up and pull her out of school with everything that we had and were going through it just did not seem worth the fight. So once she was sure the the bus was gone I manage to make her drink a Glucerna and give her, her insulin. However by the afternoon it was Kylie's (her 5 year old sister) turn to go to S.K. and Cara wanted to go with her, so I was happy that she had a little interest still in going to school.
I was so mad at myself that morning because the low was my fault and I felt so stupid. I completely forgot to give Cara her bedtime snack the night before. Since we made the switch to Lantus from NPH the bedtime snack does not need to be as big as before and her BG was a little high so I decided to wait a while to give her the snack. Well I waited a little to long because breakfast came and still no bedtime snack lol. Day 5,6,7 and 8 have been great. On day 5 we just thought O.K. this is it! if we are doing this we are 100% doing it. She still fights us and carries on every morning but every morning we just basically ignore her (yes dear I know that you hate school and OK dear your school smells) but she gets on the bus and she is fine all morning with no issues at least non that we know of...lol.

Now it is time for the p.s. I really don't think they get it part of the blog. O.K. so if you read this blog you know that we have been having some trouble with the school in helping us make this transition a safe and easy process for us and Cara.(Read this) So on Monday Cara gets off the bus and I go through her back pack, there is a notice inside that explains that Cara will be getting a new teacher starting on Tuesday. The first thing that went through my mind was I hope that they told the new teacher about our meeting with the diabetes association to help explain, inform and give helpful and needed tips on Cara and diabetes. This meeting was planned 2 weeks prior to receiving this notice. I made Cara her lunch and gave her, her insulin and called the school. This is my conversation:

ME: Hello Mrs Werry, I just received a noticed in Cara's back pack that said she will be getting a new teacher starting tomorrow?
Principal: Yes
Me: So I was wondering if anyone told her about the meeting tonight at the school with the diabetes association? If she is going to be Cara's teacher for the year I would think that she should be there?
Principal: UMMMMMMM, YAAAAAAAA, AAHHHHHH I don't know?
ME in my head: What do you mean you don't know you are the F*@# principal!!!
Principal: UMMMMMMMMMMMMM, I will see if she is still here and I will let her know about the meeting. I hope that she will be able to make it........?
ME: Yeah it is kinda important that she is there!

So it turns out that the teacher is not there and the principal does not even have her phone number to call her at home and tell her about the meeting. So the principal had the nerve to ask me to call the nurse and ask her to reschedule for another day so the new teacher is able to make it. It turns out that I non the principal can get a hold of anyone so the meeting is still on. Cara, myself and the nurse all get there the principal informs the nurse that Cara's teacher is not able to make it but we can still have the meeting. The nurse kinda looks at her like are you kidding me and she says "well I specifically asked all primary workers that are working with Cara throughout the day to be at this meeting and that defiantly includes her teacher". So we needed to reschedule for the 30th. The nurse told the Principal which I loved "we are dealing with a 3 year old little girl here that really is unsure of how to take care of herself and diabetes, she can not do this on her own". But the best part of the non-meeting was myself, the nurse and the Principal were talking and in walks in Cara's old teacher she says "is the diabetes workshop still on tonight?" "No" says the Principal "we needed to reschedule because the new teacher is unable to make it tonight". Ya, her old teacher says I talked to her about it today and she had something to do with her son but she told me to TAKE NOTES. WHAT? are you kidding me take notes on my daughters life.....are you kidding me???? The nurse looks are her and said it is very important that people get this information first hand and not through notes!
I just don't understand why people can't understand how important it is to understand diabetes and know what to do if Cara needs anything.... this is my daughters life! They just don't get it.

Cara's Second Day of School

Today Chris (my husband) and I woke up to get the kids ready for school. We were all ready for a new day, a fresh start and crossing our fingers for Cara. I made sure to pack her snacks, running shoes, socks and I placed the letter that I had spent an hour on two nights ago that was not read yesterday inside a communication folder. Maybe this time the teacher may take a few minutes and read it, it is only an outline of all the do's and dont's for a 3 year old T1. Sorry for the sarcasm, I'm still a little upset about our school experience yesterday. Anyways, Cara was in great spirits leaving the house and she got on the bus with no problems....all smiles. I began watching the clock just waiting for the phone to ring, I just had a feeling that today was not going to go as good as I hoped. Maybe it is because my little 3 year old loves to scream and throw tantrums when she does not get her way or maybe because the teachers and other adults in the school seem not to truly understand how very important it is that they follow everything that I have talked to them about or maybe because I have a wonderfully over protective 12 year old daughter Kailyn who just does not know when to let others take control. So whatever the reason I just knew that the phone call was coming and at 9:00am the phone rings it's my mom "have you gotten a phone call yet" no mom not YET I said. I got off the phone with her and continue with my day, making sure all the time the phone is just an ear shot away so I do not miss the dreaded phone call.... and at 10:03 it happened. The phone rings, and I wait to read the identi-call it lights up and it is the school, OH SHIT not again. As much as I was expecting this phone call I just was praying that I did not get it....oh well! The secretary informed me that Cara has been screaming and throwing a fit since she had entered the classroom today and my oldest daughter Kailyn was unable to leave the Kindergarten room all morning or Cara would get all worked up again. First of all my 12 year old knows her ABC and123 she should not be in the kindergarten room, second of all Cara is not Kailyn's responsibility during school time hours that is why we have adults running the schools not children. I'm sure however that Kailyn did not mind at all to wast the whole morning trying to calm down her little sister but that is only making the situation worse. I said to the secretary has anyone checked her BG at all this morning? but she did not know and obviously to busy to ask anyone else that my know the answer to my question. In frustration I said don't worry I'm just going to have Chris pick up Cara because it's not fair to Kailyn or the other children in the class to have a screaming crazy little girl in their class. I called the nurses agency to tell them that Cara will not be needing there services today again and Chris went over to the school. When he got there Cara was settled down and Kailyn was back in class so they checked her BG and she got on the bus.

I know that it has only been two days but at this point I just feel like giving up, it is just so much easier to have her at home and I will know that she is getting the care that she needs. So I'm thinking that a few more days and another talk with the teachers and if that does not work she will be waiting another year to start school!

Cara's First Day of School

Well it has finally come and gone, over all an O.K. day with a few minor hiccups and a bit of frustration, but Cara attended her first day of J.K. today.

Let me just start this blog by letting you know that Cara starting J.K. has been a topic of many debates lately in our house. First off she is only 3 but turning 4 this year and that is why she is eligible to start Junior Kindergarten, her blood sugar numbers have been extremely high during the mornings and I believe attributing to some of her bad behaviors. Of course J.K. at her school was only offered during the morning. The biggest reason that we were unsure of Cara attending J.K. is of course the lack of control and monitoring of her diabetes that I would have to give up and entrust someone else. So the planning for this day has been in place for a few weeks now, we have been trying to make some changes to our "normal" routine to help the transition into J.K. go smoother. We changed Cara's insulin from NPH to Lantus to lower and have more control of her BG numbers, which at this point seems as though it has worked (you can read about that here). I made arrangements for a nurse to go to the school before Cara got on the bus home to check her BG to make sure she is in a safe range before the long trip home. We met the teacher and explained in detail Cara's needs and our expectations. I stayed up all night the night before school to print out an information page for the teacher again highlighting Cara's needs and what they will need to do with her to ensure her safety. We packed her emergency pack with snacks and juices and her meter all ready for a wonderful start for her J.K. morning.

So her first day went something like this: She woke up with great BG numbers, she ate breakfast and was very excited to be riding the bus with her big sister and brother. We pack up the letter that I spent a good hour working on the night before to give the teacher a refresher course of Cara's needs, made sure that her emergency pack and meter where in her bag and she was ready to go. We took our pictures, she waved good bye with a smile on her face and that was the beginning and unfortunately the best part of the day. My husband went to the school around 9:30am to check up on Cara and see that all was O.K. When he arrived he was told that he should not let her see him because she had a screaming fit and wanted to go home a little while earlier after getting into the classroom. Even Kailyn (her older sister) could not settle her down. She did eventually settle down and all was peaceful and full of smiles for the time being. At around 11:00am I received a phone call, I did not panic, I thought that it must be the nurse because she was to take Cara's BG before she got on the bus around 10:30. If her BG number was low she was to give 15g of carbs and re-test in 15 minutes. So when the phone rang I figured it was the nurse saying all was fine and she was on the bus. Boy was I wrong, it was the secretary telling me that the nurse never came to check Cara's BG and now they do not know what to do with her. I was so pissed I spent my whole Friday afternoon the week earlier meeting with this nurse and her boss. I explained where the school was, what time they needed to be at the school and why and what the nurse need to do. But one nurse had no idea where the school was and seemed very confused about the schools location and the other nurse that was suppose to be teaching the other nurse what to do with my 3 year old diabetic was in Home Depot and confused about the time in which she was suppose to be at the school.... Not impressed what the hell was our 2 1/2 hour meeting 3 days earlier for if your not going to listen?!
So I told the Secretary to get Kailyn (Cara's older sister) have her take Cara's BG and if she is lower then 5 give her a carb. Cara's BG number was 4.4 and they gave her a carb snack and by the time she came home she was back in target at 7.2. Also the informational letter that I spent all night typing out for Cara's teacher was in the bottom of Cara's bag and unread which is the real reason for Cara's low at home time because they did not take her BG number before she had her snack. They just gave her the non carb snack when she should of had a carb snack which I explained to the teacher at our meeting the week before.....so much for planning :( I just wish that people would see that Type 1 diabetes is a very serous condition and they need to start listening when I'm explaining things to ensure my child's safety.

Well here is to fresh starts tomorrow....

The Change from NPH to Lantus

These last few weeks have been full of changes for us. The most important change is Cara has started school, J.K. (Junior Kindergarten) as we call it in Canada. And because of this I have been trying my hardest to get her BG number much lower in the mornings, when she would be at school. I think that her behavior is being greatly effected by her high BG numbers and I just wanted her to have a far and great start to her new school year. On September 3rd we (Cara and I) had an appointment with her Diabetes Clinic and we discussed changing Cara from NPH to Lantus. When Cara was diagnosed they put her on NPH because NPH and Novorapid can be mixed in the same syringe therefore Cara only needed 2 shots a day. But with that came a little less control and I found myself questioning every day what was I doing wrong to get all these high numbers. So it was time that we moved on and made the change to Lantus. Cara in now needing 4 shots a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime but it is taking a toll on her little body, every time that I give her a shot there is less and less places that I feel I can do it. However with that comes amazing numbers I never thought the day would come that she would be in target ALL day long, what a great feeling!! On a number of occasions I have taken her meter out at the end of the day and said to my husband look at these great numbers and I will read the whole day off to him...it just feels so good that she is where she needs to be. On NPH we would on a good day maybe get 2-3 numbers on target but with Lantus we get those numbers all day. It did take a little tweaking about a weeks worth of changing Cara's Novorapid and Lantus amounts but for now I think we found a great balance.

With the change to Lantus we decided that we would try the pens instead of the syringes, the jury is out on that decision at the moment.
Pros: they are very easy to load and to dial up, easier to store then the syringes, I think that the needles are smaller and thinner therefore less pain for Cara.
Cons: they are a bit heaver then the syringe and bigger so it is harder to maneuver around a kicking and screaming child, sometimes we wonder if all her insulin has been injected.
But we will see, it may just take some getting use to. So Far So GOOD :)