Tuesday, July 19, 2011

King of the House

*photo courtesy of wii.ign.com*

Sawyer has been coping with juvenile diabetes pretty well; especially for a seven-year-old with ADHD. He's dealing better than a lot of adults would in a similar situation, myself included. 

In fact, just last week, Sawyer learned to give himself his own shot. There is a process involved, which includes counting his carbs, figuring out his carb-to-insulin ratio, then adding in a correction for his blood glucose if needed. I did all of that. He hasn't learned multiplication and division yet in the first grade -  a skill needed to figure his ratio and correction.

After the dose was calculated, I taught him to prime his needle and made sure the medicine was ready to go. He then dialed up his dose, uncapped his needle, and gave himself a shot in the thigh. 

Did I mention he is only seven-years-old? 

I found that pretty impressive. The little guy has to have four shots a day. Yikes! That's a lot of pokes. Think of your trip to the pediatrician for one of your children's vaccines. If you've had the same experience as I, you probably witnessed tears...lots of tears. I think Sawyer is pretty amazing and brave to give himself a poke with a needle.
*photo courtesy of 123rf.com*

Sawyer will have to manage his condition for the rest of his life. It's important that he gets involved in his regimen. What if nobody is there to help him? Life happens and he should be prepared and in charge of his treatment. This gives him some sense of control and empowerment over a disease that tries to control him. 

*photo courtesy of www2.nestle.com.my*
The site of injection determines the speed in which the insulin begins working. A shot in the abdomen will begin working the fastest. The arm is the second quickest site, then the thighs, and finally the rear. It is also important to rotate where an injection is given to prevent hardening under the skins surface. 

*photo courtesy of best-motivations-articles.com*


So, I guess this makes Sawyer the self-proclaimed "king of the house." 

He was crowned about a month in to his diagnosis. Everything revolved around Sawyer and his treatment. We were watching everything he ate, counting all the carbs - and I can tell you, some of them were not easy to locate - checking his blood sugars four to six times a day, (including a three a.m. check), and constant monitoring for hypoglycemic reactions. This must have made him feel pretty special because one day, while eating his lunch, he said rather indignantly, "Where is my fork?" 

I said, "Did I forget your fork? I'm sorry."

Sawyer said, "You have to give me a fork. I am the king of the house. I do have diabetes, you know."

I told him, "You are capable of getting your own fork. You know where we keep them."

*photo courtesy of yourfunnypics.com*

I imagine all that special treatment would make anybody feel like a king. While Sawyer is not the king of the house, he is the king of his diabetes. 




4 comments:

  1. Awww....very well put, and nice analogy :)
    He's SO strong. I can't even begin to say how proud I am of him!

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  2. He is handling it well and being very mature. Never once has he cried or had a pity party for himself. I'm proud of him too.

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  3. I am amazed he is dealing with that so easily....I am trying to think how my 7 year old grand daughter would react...I don't think it would be pretty.
    Hats off and kudos to Sawyer. He is indeed the "King of Emotions" for sure.
    Bill S. from Texas

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  4. It's amazing what a child can do when facing adversity. Thank you for stopping by, Bill. :)

    ReplyDelete

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