4 months

It has been a while since I have last posted. Last time I checked in, we were 6 weeks post diagnosis and had just gotten her CGM (Dexcom). Today it is 4 months since diagnosis. It's hard to believe. It feels like a lifetime ago since she was so sick. Sara and I were talking about that day and there isn't much that she really remembers. She know she was very sick, but for the first couple of days she was so out of it. Visitors came, but she doesn't really remember. It breaks my heart, but yet I am glad the memories of being so sick are deep inside.  Someday they may surface and we will walk through the emotions they will bring.

Today, Sara is doing great. Her Dexcom has been an amazing too to have.  We have been able to see her trends and treat highs and lows more efficiently than if we had to do multiple finger sticks. She doesn't seem to mind wearing it either.  The FDA recommendation is changing it every 7 days.  There is a "hack" that allows us to stop the sensor and then reset it every 7 days until it no longer read accurately. Currently we are on day 23 of her current sensor.  As long as she stays hydrated, it is still reading very accurate.  Technology is so amazing.

Something that has been on my mind a lot lately are numbers.  In a normal household, you think of numbers in regards to budget and the cost of things.  We think a lot about those numbers, but now we also see numbers everywhere else.  Numbers are the carbs in our food, our exercise, waking in the morning, bed time, and 2 am.   It doesn't matter where we go, the numbers are there. Swimming lessons, church, library, park, and friends' houses. Sometimes those numbers are high or low and make us do more math in calculating carbs or insulin doses. Sometimes those numbers are in range and we breathe a bit easier for a short time. Those numbers also show themselves in terms of waiting. Wait X minutes after insulin to eat, or wait X minutes to see if lows respond, before giving more carbs.

What's really hard about those numbers being everywhere is seeing that Sara is a person and that those numbers don't define her. It's so easy to get caught up in the highs and lows of the day, but that is not who she is. Sara is a lovely young lady who loves her family, loves God, and strives hard to be an obedient daughter, good friend and loving to those around her. She loves playing with her siblings, reading, playing the piano, writing and math. One of her favorite things to bake is brownies. Type 1 diabetes is just a part of her. It will teach her many lessons throughout the coming years, and make her grow up faster and probably stronger than her siblings, but it is not going to define who she is.