About a month ago, Fred sent me an email. Our church was having a father/daughter camping trip, and he wanted to take Elise. I filed it away in "to be dealt with later" and forgot about it.
Fast forward a few weeks and the big day is here... tomorrow Fred and Elise will be driving 2+ hours away to Oklahoma from Friday until Sunday.
And I am freaking out. Just a little bit. Okay, maybe a lot.
Fred is a great psuedo-pancreas, second-in-command. He does finger pokes, shots, can carb count, knows carb factors for Elise's most commonly-consumed foods... But, he's not me.
At the risk of sounding rather egotistical, let me explain. I have been doing this for over three years now. Every. Stinking. Day. You get very good at predicting trends and understanding how certain things affect blood sugars when you've put in those kinds of hours.
I've seen that pretzels will make her BG rise about 40 minutes after she eats them.
I know that even if her BG is 250 at 3:00pm, she will still need a 15g uncovered snack to get her to dinner.
I understand that if I give her her bedtime N about 40 minutes before her snack, her Bg will sail rather smoothly, instead of slingshotting up, then down if I give the shot and snack at the same time.
But I've pretty much made peace with the fact that Elise's CGM will look like the peaks and valleys of my beautiful Canadian Rockies by Sunday night. I know Fred will do his best with all the activity/smores/excitement that is a recipe for a BG train wreck.
What really freaks me out is the nighttime stuff. I've said before that Fred does the majority of the night checks, but it's usually me kicking his butt out of bed. He is famous for getting up and turning the alarm off, and then getting back into bed without ever checking Elise.
Here is the scary part; he is completely unaware of what he's doing.
Fred has always had nighttime issues. He used to sleepwalk. He talks to me in Portuguese while he sleeps. There have been nights where he goes into Elise's room to check her, and when I go in two minutes later (because I haven't heard anything over the baby monitor), he'll be standing beside her bed, asleep.
We've talked it over, and he's certain that because his safety net (me) isn't there, his brain will step up and wake up when it needs to. And I'm holding fast to the hope that this is what will happen.
Because the memories they will make, and the fun they will have (not to mention the sleep I will hopefully get if Mattias's teeth cooperate), is so worth having to quash any fear I am feeling.
And if you have any "camping with D" tips to share, please do!
11 months ago
Oh, my lovely friend, I have been where you are. My husband definitely takes it much more easily when I am there. If it's his "turn" I am always waiting, awake in the middle of the night, to check he gets up. I do this as there have been times he has , shall we say, "done a Fred"! And yet, if I ever go away or even sleep in the other room to get some rest he is great and does it all. Take a deep breath and ask him to run Elise a little high as a security. The annoying thing will be when they get back and he acts like he's done an amazing thing and you are relieved but also left thinking "but I do this all the time!". Much love. Get some rest when they are away if you can.
ReplyDeleteLook upon this as a great opportunity for all of you! They will have so much fun! I camp a lot, and though I'm T2 without insulin, I have a few tips. Have him sleep with the meter. Sounds kinda kinky but it's a good thing. I have no idea how cold it will get where they're going, but meters are pretty sensitive to cold. I found that popping the case into my sleeping bag works like a charm. Pack appropriate sized snacks so he doesn't have to think about it. I have no brilliant ideas about smores though....tough one. I hope it turns out to be the best trip ever! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteSo totally NOT egotistical! Id be freaking out too, but ohhhh the memories of camping will be precious!
ReplyDeleteThey will have a wonderful time. Elise will not only do great but she will have a fantastic memory. You, on the other hand, may need some wine to survive. Breathe...
ReplyDeleteHe's going to do it and he's going to do it well :)
ReplyDeleteJay took our girls camping a few weeks ago -- 3 hours away without cell service....and it was awesome for all of them :)
I did freak out a little and make sure he filled her pump with 5 or 6 days worth of insulin. If she were to get lost in the woods, I had to know there was enough to last until we could find her...if you're interested, here's my recap :)
http://www.candyheartsblog.com/2011/09/he-can-do-this-and-he-did.html
Enjoy your 1 on 1 time with Mattias!!!
He will do great! And you better sleep sleep sleep!
ReplyDeleteOh! And sleeeeep!
WoHoooo! This is exciting and ef-fing SCARY Jo! Laughing a bit at the image of Fred sleepwalking and speaking Portuguese. How romantic!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy a pancreatic break girl. YOU.DESERVE.IT. xo
Fred will do great, you may get some sleep and all will be well. This is hard stuff, but so glad she is going, this is what memoires are made of!!!
ReplyDeleteI totally gets your fears! Kevin took matthew on an overnight school field trip ladt year and i nearly freaked out! BUT God is big enough to handle this. I will keep you all in my prayers!
ReplyDeleteyou've gotten some good advice already, all i can add is to do your best to relax and enjoy it, if possible. i just read a great quote:
ReplyDelete"Worrying is using your imagination to create something you don't want." - Esther Hicks
you know she's in great hands. i feel like since he won't be sleeping in his own bed, his mind and body will be more likely to wake up when necessary.
Not a single piece of advice, just a big ::HUG:: for you! I'm sure they will have a great time, and hopefully you'll get a little sleep and relaxation with your baby boy. I'm saying a prayer for all of you- the campers, YOU, and those teeth. ;)
ReplyDeleteoh wow. well im totally conflicted over this post. on the one hand, wow how fun for Elise and Fred. Then, awesome you and your bubba get some special quiet time together, maybe even some sleep and sane time away from D thoughts. Ok, but then its a worry. I have my own issues waking to alarms im so tired, that i just switch it off and keep sleeping. last night reubs hypo'd twice, so its kinda important. i think my husband just doesnt 'hear' the alarm because he knows its 'my' alarm, iykwim? try not to stress xx.
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