7 Tips for T1D Cold and Flu

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The Sound of Mucus

Tissues on tables and temperatures rising.

Cold, flu, I don’t know. My wits are capsizing.

Blood sugar battles and ketones they bring.

These are a few of my least favorite things.

By Erin and Alese

Sniff. Cough. Suddenly my kids are velcroed to my side and their foreheads could fry eggs. Sigh. Here we go again. Dealing with sickness and type 1 diabetes at the same time is tricky. From our experiences with T1D since 2013, here are a few of our favorite things that help us when the flu bites, when a cold strikes. Please note that this is not to be taken as medical advice. If you or your child have type 1 diabetes and you are dealing with sickness of any kind, follow your doctor’s guidance.

7 Tips : What To Do When… Your Child Says, “Mama, Look At THAT Kid!”

 

In the foreground a child’s finger points to a young boy, blurred, in the background. The boy crouches on the grass next to a large flowerpot. His posture is slouching and pouty. His arms rest on the flowerpot rim. A toy yellow tractor rests on the grass.

By Erin Schovel Turnham

Nothing quite strikes fear in my heart like my child pointing at another person and saying loudly, “Look, Mama!” Children are naturally curious, and without the social filters we acquire as we age.

A neighbor asked me how to broach the subject with M, her 3 year old daughter. Grasshopper and Sunshine were out playing with M, and Grasshopper had to stop to check his blood sugar. Their friend was obviously curious and while she didn’t ask any questions, her mom wondered how to address it. I was grateful my neighbor reached out.

Summer Camp 2019 Part 1 : Saturday

By Erin Schovel Turnham

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Wild & Free : Part 1 of 7

I’m trying not to hyperventilate. Tomorrow we drop Grasshopper off at a week long summer camp for the first time away from both of us. Ever.

Life Speed

By Kay Jacoby

By Erin

Both Alese and I have been busy and we haven’t written much. There have been lots of changes for both of us and it feels like life is moving at light speed. The speed of life. Life speed, full ahead.

I had a moment to slow down a bit after one of Grasshopper’s routine appointments at Children’s Hospital of Alabama. We loved getting to see Heather Jordan to talk about how to better tackle some of the issues we face like helping Grasshopper through the annual blood draws he has to have. The last one was… intense.

After our appointment we were waiting for traffic to ease so we spent some time in Children’s Harbor. I have heard various reactions when we share that we are headed back to Children’s. Fairly often others react with sadness or say some form of, “Oh, that is such a sad place.” Granted, my view of it is due to Grasshopper’s successful diagnosis and treatment there. There certainly are many possible outcomes. For our family Children’s has been and continues to be a place of hope.

I thought I would take some photos to share why Grasshopper is always so excited to go to Children’s Hospital.