There is nothing more painful than seeing your child in pain. But sometimes painful things are what we need to survive.
(This is a continuation of the story of my daughter, Jewel.)
You can read it here: here
The Transition Period
After the Endocrinologist check-up and consultation, Jewel's blood sugar returned to normal. The fear we had in our hearts gradually disappears and is replaced by hope. But to maintain this normal range, she needs to be injected with insulin daily, has a healthy balanced meal, and engage in physical activities.
Daily Insulin Injections Painful But Needful
Insulin Injection is what she needs to survive. Without it, 1 week is long enough for her to stay alive. My heart aches every time a needle is pierced into her skin. It seems like it is broken into pieces and bleeding within. But the situation gives me no choice, even if I cry with a loud voice. I have to be strong and do it to make her life prolong.
The upper arms, belly, front thighs, and buttocks, are the body parts of my daughter where the 8mm insulin syringe is to be injected twice a day for her whole life.
The prescribed units are based on her age, weight, and height.
Before breakfast: 4 units of Humulin R (regular, clear as water, and fast acting) and 9 units of Humulin N (cloudy, slow acting) mixed in one syringe.
Before dinner: 2 units of Humulin R and 3 units of Humulin N.
The first 2 weeks were like wrestling. Her father was to hold her legs and arms, and I did the injecting. And always finding the three of us crying whenever we're doing it. But we have to get used to it for our little warrior.
Now, she won't cry anymore. She is braver than before and as parents, we are very proud of her. I am slowly training her on how to administer insulin by herself. A doctor advised us that she should know how to do it when she turns eight. I have still a year to teach her how.
Frequently Monitored Blood Glucose
In two months of living with her disease, I encountered and done scary mistakes. The first one was during dinner time. I checked her blood sugar and it was normal. So I administered her insulin shot at 6:30 pm,30 minutes before her dinner. After 30 minutes I served her meal ( a boiled egg, 1/2 cup of rice, and 1 whole banana) at 7 pm but she ate first the boiled egg slowly.
An hour after and she's not yet done eating. She told her father that she felt sleepy. I thought she was just making up and started to scold her when she suddenly fell from the couch. She could barely open her eyes. With a great panic, her dad carried her outside our house running, not knowing what to do.
I was left alone inside trying so hard not to panic and think about what to do. Her blood sugar pops up in my mind. I immediately called my husband carrying her to come inside and checked her blood sugar. Super low!! It was 27mg/dl and it's getting lower.
Terrible!! She needs more sugar or else!!
God is so good that He led me to our fridge and there I saw one bottle of Yakult. She was half unconscious but thankfully I was able to let her drink it all the way. Woahh ..in just 15 minutes and she was okay, but I and my husband were still shaking in fear.
I learned that in Type 1 Diabetes, blood sugar fluctuates at any time of the day. If it gets High, her body organs are endangered, and she is prawn to complications and DKA. If it gets low, she must be treated quickly.
From then on, I often check her blood glucose, especially at bedtime when most of her lows happened.
Even if she was fast asleep when the result was low I will always wake her up to eat high-carb snacks.
My Second Terrible Mistake
They were all asleep that night and I was just to close my eyes when suddenly I remembered that I injected Jewel with the wrong dosage of insulin. It should be 5 units of combined Humulin R and N but because I was so exhausted that night, I administered the morning dosage instead. 4 units R and 9 units N which is more than double the dosage she should receive.
Adrenaline wiped out the sleepiness in me. For countless times my heart beats faster again. I checked her blood sugar and it was below 60. I Googled what will happen and what should I do. Comatose or death! Two possible things to happen if not treated immediately. Treatments were simple sugar and complex sugar. Oh no, I am not familiar with these words!
"Help!", I shouted in my mind while tears fell from my eyes. It was past nine in the evening and time was running fast. Once again I blamed myself. Oh, what have I done!
"Lord guide me please," I prayed. And as fast as I can, I went to the kitchen, reached for the feeding bottle of her younger sister, and filled it with milk. I made her drink right away and she finished it immediately. Waited for 2 hours and rechecked her BS. It was again 60. Did the same thing until the morning came.
And yes I survived that night. Praise God, Jewel is still alive.
Hope In Us Through The Faith We Have
Jewel, our Little Warrior, is now in Grade 2. And just like other normal kids, she is active in school. Looking at her playing with her classmates gives us hope for her bright future.
She knows how to get her blood sugar on her own.
She loves to render special songs to the Lord during Sunday Services.
We are proud parents here. Despite her health conditions, she managed to get good grades in school.
Someone who is not known to us sent us financial support for her maintenance. I believe he is a God-given instrument since the expenses of all of Jewel's maintenance cost a lot.
The insulins, syringes, alcohols, cotton balls, and alcohol pads, glucose strips, and lancets, together with her food supplements and other needs, require a lot of prayers.
But the FAITH in us grows more each day. Knowing that we have Him who never leaves us nor forsakes us since the start of this battle.
And the FAITH we have gives us HOPE. That no matter what this life may bring there is always a good reason for everything.
Thank you for reading. May our life inspire you. See you around.