(click on the photo collage to see a large image)
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Fall
It's been a fall chalk full of soccer, trips, beaches, pumpkins, geocaching, and wonderful time with family. Too many sights, sounds, and events to list each one...
Halloween
At the North Falmouth Elementary Halloween Parade...
And later, before trick-or-treating with our good friends Sarah and Abigail Lott.
The kids each came home with a respectable 2.5 pounds of candy, give or take the weight of a plastic orange pumpkin, and each happily pulled out a few favorite pieces and then traded the bulk of their loot for cash. As it turns out, candy is just about as bad for braces as it is for diabetes. Now the challenge is for us not to eat it all!
Monday, October 20, 2008
How...
Did I ever live without picassa? Suddenly the thousands of digital photos I have on my computer have a purpose.
Cropping, adding effects and text, removing red eye, making collages, and uploading online albums all in the matter of seconds? Seriously.
Is there anything better than Google? I think not.
Cropping, adding effects and text, removing red eye, making collages, and uploading online albums all in the matter of seconds? Seriously.
Is there anything better than Google? I think not.
Less
Over the past six months, diabetes has been as present as ever in our lives. Thomas started on an insulin pump, but the daily in and out of diabetes is the same. Testing. Bolusing. Site changes. Rinse and repeat.
Somehow, though, diabetes has receded; become less. While the daily chores are the same, the emotional toll is so greatly diminished.
The day school started in Bourne, TJ's pump broke. TJ was supposed to be sleeping over his grandmother's, and we needed his pump to be working. But while the whole thing was a huge pain - I had to order another pump, rush home the next day to program it and do a site change before rushing him to Grandma's - it was just a pain - nothing more.
A woman at work asked about Thomas the other day, wondering if he was "all set and under control now." As I was briefly explaining that while he was doing well, we have to monitor him each and every day to keep him that way. It dawned on me, though, that diabetes care had become less like a terrible, sad imposition, and more like changing a diaper - not the best part of the day, but something that needs to be done.
In the meantime, my blogging has suffered. Carey wrote once that he was always waiting for his son to "do something diabetes-ish" to be blogged about. And while there have been things to write about, I just don't care to, or haven't had the time to, or a little of both. So, the tales of by the numbers may change - to the stories of regular life. Which is, after all, life with diabetes.
Somehow, though, diabetes has receded; become less. While the daily chores are the same, the emotional toll is so greatly diminished.
The day school started in Bourne, TJ's pump broke. TJ was supposed to be sleeping over his grandmother's, and we needed his pump to be working. But while the whole thing was a huge pain - I had to order another pump, rush home the next day to program it and do a site change before rushing him to Grandma's - it was just a pain - nothing more.
A woman at work asked about Thomas the other day, wondering if he was "all set and under control now." As I was briefly explaining that while he was doing well, we have to monitor him each and every day to keep him that way. It dawned on me, though, that diabetes care had become less like a terrible, sad imposition, and more like changing a diaper - not the best part of the day, but something that needs to be done.
In the meantime, my blogging has suffered. Carey wrote once that he was always waiting for his son to "do something diabetes-ish" to be blogged about. And while there have been things to write about, I just don't care to, or haven't had the time to, or a little of both. So, the tales of by the numbers may change - to the stories of regular life. Which is, after all, life with diabetes.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Walk on the Wild Side
"Team TJ" came out of retirement to strut it's stuff on October 4th in Boston, and strut we did. The day was fantastic, falling into place amazingly. We took the T in from Cambridge, met up with the other team members easily, and walked at the front of the pack in beautiful weather.
This year our team grew. All of the Kerrigans came out to support us. We were especially happy to have Warnick family members Cassie (also Type 1), Dave, and Christine join us. Grandma came along as well, and Grampee came as an honorary member (anyone who rides a motorcycle all the way from Indiana and still wants to walk 3 miles can join our team anytime!).
Unlike last year, this year's walk was much more fun and far less stress. Suzanne helped with the t-shirts and logistics, and for the most part I was able to keep myself in check, remembering that just being at the walk is enough. We did raise a more than respectable $4200, but even if we had not, the walk was a success in my book. As beautiful day, a reminder that we are not alone in this journey, a fantastic lunch at Boarder Cafe. And really cool t-shirts from customink.com...a great day all around.
Many, many thanks to Sally and Kevin, Mike and Suzanne, the Kerrigans, Warnicks, and Bornings, and TJ's amazing friends! As I have many times, we are so lucky.
See more pics of the day here:
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| JDRF 2008 |
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
50 Years?
Today on facebook, Joslin shared a list of all of their recent research finds. These are obviously meant to be positive - possible hopes for a future cure.
This piece, however, struck an unintended nerve:
Study Finds Individuals with Long-Term Type 1 Diabetes Still Capable of Producing Insulin: Surprising Finding Gives Hope to All With Disease
June 8, 2008 – Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston have discovered that a significant portion of people who have had type 1 diabetes for 50 or more years still have the capacity to produce insulin, a finding that has potential implications for improved treatment for all with the disease. To read more, click here: http://www.joslin.org/1083_4367.asp
It is definitely an interesting piece. After diagnosis, you spend a decent amount of time wondering when the "honeymoon" will end. When will the pancreas finally stop producing insulin all together? To be honest, in some ways I was eager for the honeymoon to end, because I thought that things would be more predictable. No more would TJ's pancreas somehow sputter to a start again, kick in a little insulin, and send him low. Or let us down when we were counting on it, if even for a small bit of insulin production.
But this study suggests that even after 50 years of living with diabetes, some people are still capable of producing insulin. The lead doctor goes on to say that this finding could lead to a possible change in treatment, if they find ways for people who have had diabetes for less time to produce insulin...BECAUSE, he says..."it's very rare for someone to live with Type-1 diabetes for 50 years."
Well, then.
I've posted before about my concerns for TJ's long-term health. But I can't say I've been viewing diabetes as a death sentence. TJ was diagnosed at 6. Does that mean that it will be unusual for him to live to 56?? Obviously so much could, and most likely will, happen in science and diabetes treatments over the next 50 years. There is no way to predict what Thomas' diabetes life will be like. I'm sure people who are in their 50's now and using an insulin pump never imagined they would be - especially when they were measuring their BG with urine strips and taking insulin only once a day.
But still, I generally defer all diabetes opinions to Joslin. So far they have proved to be nothing but amazing in their understanding of diabetes and their commitment to a cure. Hearing right from that particular source that it would be "very rare" for Thomas to live longer than 50 years. Too tough to take.
This piece, however, struck an unintended nerve:
Study Finds Individuals with Long-Term Type 1 Diabetes Still Capable of Producing Insulin: Surprising Finding Gives Hope to All With Disease
June 8, 2008 – Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston have discovered that a significant portion of people who have had type 1 diabetes for 50 or more years still have the capacity to produce insulin, a finding that has potential implications for improved treatment for all with the disease. To read more, click here: http://www.joslin.org/1083
It is definitely an interesting piece. After diagnosis, you spend a decent amount of time wondering when the "honeymoon" will end. When will the pancreas finally stop producing insulin all together? To be honest, in some ways I was eager for the honeymoon to end, because I thought that things would be more predictable. No more would TJ's pancreas somehow sputter to a start again, kick in a little insulin, and send him low. Or let us down when we were counting on it, if even for a small bit of insulin production.
But this study suggests that even after 50 years of living with diabetes, some people are still capable of producing insulin. The lead doctor goes on to say that this finding could lead to a possible change in treatment, if they find ways for people who have had diabetes for less time to produce insulin...BECAUSE, he says..."it's very rare for someone to live with Type-1 diabetes for 50 years."
Well, then.
I've posted before about my concerns for TJ's long-term health. But I can't say I've been viewing diabetes as a death sentence. TJ was diagnosed at 6. Does that mean that it will be unusual for him to live to 56?? Obviously so much could, and most likely will, happen in science and diabetes treatments over the next 50 years. There is no way to predict what Thomas' diabetes life will be like. I'm sure people who are in their 50's now and using an insulin pump never imagined they would be - especially when they were measuring their BG with urine strips and taking insulin only once a day.
But still, I generally defer all diabetes opinions to Joslin. So far they have proved to be nothing but amazing in their understanding of diabetes and their commitment to a cure. Hearing right from that particular source that it would be "very rare" for Thomas to live longer than 50 years. Too tough to take.
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