Fundraising for Gales Creek Camp! Part 2

Thanks to everyone who has donated to Gales Creek Camp so far! Look at the Six Degrees badge to the right to see how many donations we have and how much we have raised! This is great and exciting news! The only bummer is I have no idea who donated...if you want to be anyomous, thats cool, if not, please leave a comment in the comment box for this post.

Also, when you make a donation, you have an option to send an e-card to me. Please consider doing this so I can thank you!

If you are interested in learning more about Gales Creek Camp visit their website

www.galescreekcamp.org

Fundraising for Gales Creek Camp!

Check out my new charity badge at the top of my blog! I recently discovered this cool fundraising contest from another D-mom and decided to check it out for myself. I was excited to see that I could fundraise for Gales Creek Camp - which I hope to send L to this summer.

So, if you are feeling generous, please make a donation by clicking on the link on the badge. The six badges that have the most number of donations between January 18th and March 31st at 11:59pm ET will get a matching grant from Kevin Bacon of up to $10,000.

Not Content Just to Survive With Diabetes

Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Oregonian

T he day his 2-year-old daughter, Becca, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, was the worst day -- and the best day -- of Ralph Yates' life.

The fact that he was a successful doctor and an Iron Man triathlete didn't mean diddly. He couldn't cajole Becca's body to produce insulin.

He was just as angry, sad and worried as the rest of the parents in the pediatric intensive care unit, hovering helplessly over their offspring, wishing they could turn back time.

"The things that were so important to you before," Ralph Yates says, "lose all significance."

The family's goal: Keep Becca healthy. Maintain normalcy.

So, Laurie Yates baked birthday cakes with artificial sweeteners. She bought art supplies so her neighbors could give a trick-or-treating Becca something besides candy. And she attended every field trip, class party and swim meet, ever ready to give Becca an insulin shot or a snack if her blood sugar got low.

To keep it fair, the Yateses were as intensely involved in their other child's life, too.

"They're amazing people," says son Trevor Yates. "And the fact that Becca is such a complete and successful person is in a large part due to how they raised us."

For more than a decade, Ralph and Laurie Yates coped with being on edge. The couple slept with their bedroom door open. They regularly checked to make sure Becca was breathing. And when she stayed overnight somewhere, Laurie Yates showed up every few hours to check her daughter's blood sugar.

And yet, the Yateses couldn't always stop a sleeping Becca from slipping into a diabetic seizure. Becca even wrote a school essay about what it felt like to almost die.

"It broke our hearts," Laurie Yates says. "Every now and then, the disease kicks you in the teeth to let you know it's still there."

Eventually, the couple had enough of feeling helpless. In 1995, they organized a bike-riding fundraiser. The first year, Summit To Surf (www.summittosurf.org ) had 187 riders and raised $21,000. Last year, the 11th annual event had 1,300 riders and raised $317,000.

Ralph Yates is on the board of the American Diabetes Association's National Research Foundation, which is meeting in Portland this weekend. He is also the region's campaign fundraising vice chairman.

For three years, Laurie Yates has been chairwoman of the Portland Diabetes Expo, which will be Saturday at the Oregon Convention Center. (See www.diabetes.org/oregonexpo ) She also co-chaired last year's American Diabetes Association auction, the national organization's largest single-night money raiser.

Over 12 years, the couple has brought in $3 million for diabetes research. They regularly solicit large donors, speak at conventions and encourage researchers around the country to keep looking for a cure.

And though Becca is a 25-year-old college grad who has lived on the East Coast for seven plus years, they still worry daily about her health.

"When you deal with a chronic illness, you need to know there is hope out there," Laurie Yates says. "And you, sometimes, have to make that hope happen."

Becca Yates considers her parents unsung heroes. But they say the same about her and other diabetics, who are chased by death every day.

Notes Laurie Yates: "There is no 'time out' when they are exhausted, overwhelmed, or need a break."

A hero, then, is all a matter of perspective. Whether you make lemonade or curse the bitter taste. Whether you merely survive with diabetes or fight to find a cure.

"If bad stuff has happened to you, make it mean something," Ralph Yates advises. "Then there's some value to what you've been through. Otherwise, it's just a bunch of sad stories."

S. Renee Mitchell: 503-221-8142; rmitch@news.oregonian.com

The Sharps Hath Overflow-ith

Well, we have reached the "full" line on our first 2 gallon sharps container, the cute pink one they gave L at the hospital.
I estimate it contains 420 hypodermic needles.
Not counting mistakes, of which there have been many tossed in the bin...
420 plus mistakes.
420 injections my kid has barely complained about.
420 shots in her arms, thighs, and tush.
420 times one of us has said, "L, it is time for your shot."

Four hundred and twenty.

Well, off to metro tomorrow to dispose of it properly.

Pancreas Sandwich

I have a history of Diabetes in my family. My dad has type two, his sister had type one (she was diagnosed when she was 11), and my husband's father also has type 2.

On December 25th, my dad, who is 70 was hospitalized for renal failure (kidney failure). We were told he had less than 24 hours to live. While my youngest sister flew out from Maine, my other sister and I juggled hospital visits, finding a place for our dad's dog, looking for missing keys and phones, and keeping our wits about us.

My dad has had type 2 diabetes for 25 years. He has a rare condition called Charcots foot which is a complication of diabetic neropathy, has heart disease (and has had several heart attacks), and he has an HMO.

He was treated sucessfully while he was hospitalized with a "slurry" which meant he didn't have to have dialasis. That was good news. The frustrating news, however was that his A1C was 14 and we couldn't get his blood sugars in the target.

It is now the end of January. We are still trying to manage this. He hit a 170 once, that was encouraging, but still has numbers in the high 2-300s. He has no stamina and therefor cannot exercise. He has told me that he gets winded just walking to his mail box.

I have been taking him to doctors appointments, running errands, and doing a bit of stuff around his house. I urged his physician's assistant (whom he sees regulary) to get him a case worker who could help me navigate what help was available for him and get more help in place as I plan to return to a contract job in 3 weeks. One of the hope I had was to get him on a meal plan that works with his insulin dose, as a nutritionist did with my daughter when she was diagnosed.

This seemed like a reasonable request, however, I recieved a call last night at 7:30 PM from the PA reprimanding me for asking for an appointment to see a nutritionist.

"Your father has seen the nutritionist many times over the years, what are your expecting to accomplish from this appointment?"

(Is this professional? Do doctor's assistants call their patients children after hours on Friday nights to yell at them?)

"Well, I was hoping to work out a carb count to get his meals working with his insulin doses and get his numbers in the target," I answered.

"Type two is not type one," she patronised, know ing I care for a type 1 child. "He knows all this stuff and can take care of himself."

Whaaatttt?

This advice from a PA who didn't think to give my dad an insulin pen until I asked (his hands shake so much he couldn't hold a syringe) and who missed the fact that my dad's kidney's were failing several days before he was hospitalized and sent him home with a diagnosis of a fast heart rate...

Will someone please explain to me the best way to get my dad's blood sugars in the target without exercise and shed some light on this for me?

Gluc-a-GONE...

Yesterday my husband left for a weeklong trip to Asia for work. We were both nervous about me handling L's diabetes round the clock without any breaks. We wrote lists, reviewed our notes, made more lists, hung them on the refrigerator, checked our supplies, checked again, and tried to to be nervous or stressed out infront of L.

When he left we both felt okay that things would be okay. "I promise the week will go fast and we will be too busy to worry" I assured him. But in the back of both of our minds I know we both know I don't get up on time, tend to get stressed out, and am not as good about keeping on a schedule as he is.

So I made a promise to myself to not worry. It is only one week, and the main thing for me is to not beat myself up if I get off schedule, or if L's numbers are out of wack.

Day one was going to be FUN. L & I had a great afternoon. We went shopping on Hawthorne Blvd, went to the books store, toystore, record store, card shop...We planned for a trip to Ben & Jerry's for afternoon snack, and ran into some friends along the way. No worries.

Then came dinner time, time to test, time for insulin.
"Mom, where is my emergency kit?"
(Gee, L, I don't know. Maybe one of the 15 places we have gone to today?)
ARRGH...what??? Out comes the phone book.
I call everyplace I could remember we had gone...
Nothing.
I called the doctor and had her call in a perscription for a glucagon shot so I'd have one in my house.
(Don't loose you mind, I kept telling myself...)
We have dinner, I try not to get angry - I know L is stressed and feels bad, but I am not going to start out my week as a single D-parent with us both feeling bad.

We have dinner and go get the shot, which is ready about 8:30PM. I invite L to spend the night with me in my room so we can both get a good night sleep and continue our search in the morning.

At breakfast L tells me she had a dream that she found her kit.
"Maybe it is at your studio, Mom"
I didn't think of that, I had stopped there to get something before we came home for dinner.

Okay, we'll check there.
Its there
IT IS THERE
OMG
sigh...

we can handle this...

Flash Carbs

This has been one of our favorite tools to learn about diabetes over the last 6 months. We have these in the car and in magnet form on the fridge. They are designed to help figure out carb counts for foods. The design is great (although a live "chicken" on the poulty card is a bit more disturbing than say, a fried chicken leg...)

they have other terrific prouducts on their website
check them out!

http://www.type1tools.com

Diabetes Art Therapy Support Group for Kids

This group will run one time per month (the third Thursday) and is lead by Beth Ann Short ATR. This art therapy group is for participants 18 and younger. This group furnishes older kids with the opportunity to be role-models/mentors to younger children newly diagnosed. Younger participants will see hope in their stories. The Diabetes support groups are led by a Master's Level Art Therapist.Groups will be structured with a check-in time, a short art directive and time for members to process and discuss art created. Each week the group will be led using an art therapy experiential to explore feelings and struggles using a specific directive that will serve as a vehicle for group conversation. Some topics addressed in this group include when participants first were diagnosed, needles, family support and tips for managing in our busy world. A healthy snack will be available.

It is recommended that participants call or email within 24 hours of the group to RSVP

1/18, 2/15 & 3/15 from 6:30-7:45pm

This group is paid weekly with a drop-in rate.

Members: $10.00 per session Non-members: $15.00 per session

Scholarships available, please ask a monkey for qualifications.All materials included.

http://www.the100thmonkeystudio.com

URGENT STEM CELL ACTION

URGENT STEM CELL ACTION

ALERTU.S. House of Representatives to Vote on H.R. 3 TOMORROW!Contact Your Representative by TOMORROW!
As a result of all of your hard work over the past few years, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made expanding federal support for embryonic stem cell research a top priority for the new Congress. Continuing the momentum that we’ve worked so hard to build by securing another victory in the House on stem cell is extremely important. We need to generate as many different communications as possible to the House in order to pass it.
We need you to complete the following 3 steps:
Click on the link below to our Take Action page. Review the letter supplied and enter your personal story in the paragraph provided. Including your unique and personal story is the key to getting your Representative’s attention. Your letters will be faxed automatically to your Representative’s offices upon completion.
http://www.capitolconnect.com/jdrf/
Once you have completed your letters, dial the toll free number below to connect to your Representative’s office. When prompted, enter your Zip Code, and you will hear a brief message reminding you what we would like you to say.
1-800-730-7074Your federal Representative is: Rep. Earl Blumenauer
Forward this Action Alert to as many people as you can and urge them to participate in contacting their Representatives in support of H.R. 3.
Thank you for taking the time to help JDRF. Your efforts are what have made this vote possible. Thank you again for helping us get one step closer to finding a cure!

Gretchin's Necklaces!

I had these necklaces made for holiday gifts by an amazing local artist Gretchin Lair. The "Imagine a cure" tag hands in front of the "type 1 diabetes". You can custom order these and other designs from her. Check out her website:

http://scarletstarstudios.com/wordwear/

Mom, I want to say the F-word to diabetes

Last day of Winter break. I wanted to do something fun with L so I planned to meet some friends for lunch and then go to a matinee. I asked her to test in the car on the way to the restraunt and she was over 433.

433? What? That is really high. Her target is 80-180. We had started the morning with a mid 200s, but 433? I didn't know what to do. Do I give her the regular amount of carbs for lunch? Do I give her a correction dose of insulin?

I had her call T - I couldn't find my phone, so we used her emergency phone and I read him back her numbers so he could call the doctor and see what to do. By the time our friends walked into the restraunt I was in tears and knew I was going to have to cancel lunch. How was I going to explain that to L?

She was not happy with my decision and in the car ride on the way back home she said, "Mom, I want to say the F-word to diabetes." "Me too," I assured her. Me too...

I called two D-mom's I know while I was waiting for T to call back with the Doctor's instructions and they both knew what I was going through. It was so helpful to talk to them. I hadn't had a freak-out like this in ages. It was certainly magnified by the other chaotic events over the last week. They both explained how they do correction doses, and when I heard back from T, that is what Dr. B suggested we do.

I gave her an extra unit of Humalog at lunch, and another at dinner plus one of Lantus. The happy ending is that her bedtime number was 118. Good night!

007

We rang in the new year watching L scale a 41 foot rock climbing wall like spider woman. She is proud of the bruises on her knees and can't wait to do it again. I didn't panic once during her climb (compared to the rock climbing camp she took this summer when I sat outside waiting to breathe for four hours a day) and was truely excited when she made it to the top of the wall - not because she over came her condition, but because she has been working on this goal for 6 months!

There was a cranky woman (it was kids climb, first come first serve) who thought L was getting more instruction then her kids, so I had L test right next to her. It was more for the shock factor than anything and also to get L to come off the wall and give her kids a chance to climb. Okay - it was mainly for the shock factor. She left shortly after, so it must have worked!

We havn't been on much of a schedule this holiday, and L's numbers have been less than stable. Bounce-a-rama...We ranged from 62 to 278 today. Go figure. She told me she had a dream that her number was over 1,000 and she was forced to go on a pump. She said it was really scary and old and she didn't want to do it. I didn't realise how afraid she is of the pending end to her honeymoon.

not even a mouse...

Researchers reverse diabetes in mice
By Randall Palmer
Fri Dec 15, 5:57 PM ET

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nerve cells in the pancreas may be a cause of type-1 diabetes in mice -- a finding that could provide new ways to treat the disease in humans, Canadian and U.S. scientists said on Friday.

Defective nerve endings may attract immune system proteins that mistakenly attack the pancreas, destroying its ability to make insulin, the researchers said. This destruction is what causes diabetes.Injecting a piece of protein, or peptide, to repair the defect cured diabetic mice "overnight," Dr. Hans Michael Dosch of the University of Toronto said in a telephone interview. "It is very effective in reversing diabetes," said Dosch, principal investigator for the study.

Writing in the journal Cell, Dosch and colleagues said the faulty nerve endings did not secrete enough of the peptides to keep enough insulin flowing. Type-1 diabetes, once called juvenile diabetes, affects two million Americans and 200,000 Canadians. There has been no known way of preventing it.

The team will soon begin clinical studies on people whose family history suggests they are at risk of developing type-1 diabetes to see if their sensory nerves work well. If they do not, Dosch said, that would suggest the bad nerve endings were a cause of diabetes, not only an effect as has been widely assumed. Trials could then begin injecting peptides into patients with diabetes or those at high risk. It could take a number of years, Dosch said.

He said the findings might also hold promise for type-2 diabetes -- which affects about 10 times as many people as type-1 -- though the results were not as strong. The researchers found that the peptide injections lowered resistance to insulin, which is used to move blood glucose to the body's cells. People with type-2 diabetes often are obese. By lowering insulin resistance, it might be possible to prevent further obesity and damage from diabetes. "Whether we can reverse the process, I don't know. But I think we can certainly impact on the major physiological problem, and that's insulin sensitivity," Dosch said. "So if these people then have normal insulin, then a little activity, then a little walking would actually help lose weight, and then you stop the vicious circle."

in the target...

L has been in the target for two days in a row. She has been complaining about headaches, however, so we are keeping a eye on that.

She describes them as painful and they feel "like her eyes are looking at her brain." Curious...

hi lo...

I mentioned L was at 38 a few nights ago, but I didn't really talk about it. I have been feeling really awful about it and it took this long to feel okay to write a post.

L is a picky eater. I can't blame her - I was worse. My family still makes fun of me and my plate of cherry tomatos that was at my place for every family dinner. I didn't eat salad until I was on a date in highschool and was too embarassed to say I didn't like it, and thought Garlic was a spice until college.

L was the baby who ate everything. She was even the toddler who ate everthing. Then came preschool and something happened. Something like other kids complaining about the food, and so my little parrot thought she could do that too.

The night of the low (NOL...)L refused to eat her dinner. I had it all ready and on the table before I gave her her injection - actually she gave herself her injection that night. The she refused to eat.

The insulin was in and starting to take effect. What do you do? I knew she was just being bratty, and I was tired of it so I told her to eat what she was served. The stand-off went on for an hour when I finally broke down and gave her a poptart. I ate her chicken nuggetts (which were only something like 10 carbs worth) and her cold peas.

I sent her to her room. I needed a break. I invited her to join me about 20 minutes later to work on an art project. We were sitting together and working quietly when she mentioned she felt low. Honestly I thought she was still being bratty so I told her to test. She complained that her test kit was in the kitchen (literally 4 feet from where we were sittin) and that she didn't want to go alone. I was frustrated and told her to bring it to where we were sitting and she could test there.

I really had had enough up to that point that night. I didn't notice any signs of her being low - the other time she was in the mid fortys she was super silly and sweaty. It was quite a shock when her number was 38. That is really low - scary low...I am so happy that she recognised it, because I sure didn't.

The next several days have been the battle of the highs. Her number at bedtime tonight was the first in her target. She had a trace of keytones and I had to go to the movies just to chill out. (T stayed with her at home)

SO much to learn. The symposium yesterday was helpful. More about that soon.

Honeymoon Bouncing

L is in her honeymoon period and according to everything I've read and have been told it can last from two weeks to four years. One of our questions at clinic last week was how we would know when the honeymoon was over.

"Oh, you'll know..." was our answer. Great. Thats crystal clear...not.

I found out another clue today when I frantically called Dr. B. L had two lows at school today and tested over 400 when I picked her up. This must be it, I thought.

When Dr. B answered the phone I greeted him with, "The honeymoon is over." I read him her numbers over the last two days (while I was driving and clicking through her meter and talking on my cell...) He didn't think it was the honeymoon ending because if it was, he said, her numbers would be high consistently and we wouldn't see any lows.

Oh. I missed that memo. Well, he explained she was "bouncing." A very unpleasant variation in highs and lows that he couldn't explain, but assured me was typical. He also mentioned that we "had it easy." If that was meant to help me relax it only made me angry. This disease makes me angry, so basically anything he said other than there was a cure discoverd today would have made me angry.

L had her first scary low last night. 38. The amazing thing was that she knew. I had no idea. We were sitting quietly working on an art project and she said she wanted to test. She tested, treated, and then went back to doing her project.

We could all learn from her how to deal. And she does it gracefully with low blood sugar.

Flu Shots

Another D parent recently pointed out to us that it is imperative that L get a flu shot. When you have the flu (if I have my facts straight) your liver releases stored glucose as well as a hormone that keeps insulin from processing it. This is well and good if you are not diabetic, have the flu and no appetite. Your body is built to take care of itself. However, a diabetic is balancing their insulin based on their carb intake, so if their body is saying not to respond to the insulin, then trouble in Kansas city...

We got a flu shot for her at Clinic the other day. She hated it - tensed up and the nurse had to stick her 3 or 4 times before she complete the injection. I was ready to do it myself. But we felt better knowing we were protecting L from the possibility of the flu and the nasty side effects diabetics suffer from.

Hmmm
L has had numbers in the high 200 - 300s over the last two days. No key tones, no rhyme or reason.

My theory is that her numbers are hight because the flu shot has her body responding to well, the FLU. It would have been nice to have been forwarned that this might happen. It is either that or the honeymoon period is over. As Dr. B said, "Oh, you'll know when its over..."

I feel a bit depressed about all this tonight...

Lucky 7

Oh Joy!
Lili's A1C was 7.0. Right smack in the target. Yay for L.

We had our 2nd clinic appointment today since diagnosis. We came armed with a million questions, frazzled nerves, and fear of being reprimanded for not doing middle-of-the-night tests for the last three months.

The best comment from Dr. B was to make sure to give L "diabetes vacations" and do all her shots for her so she won't get burnt out. She has been doing her shots by herself for over a week and was so excited to tell the Dr. He told her that she was ahead of the game and that usually kids don't start doing that until they are in the 5th or 6th grade. For the record, I think she was inspired to do her shots because my hands are cold in the AM...

Had a good discussion about GAD proteins, pancreas transplants, and closed loop insulin pumps. Told the doc to put us on the list.

World Diabetes Day

Here is a note my friend Allison sent via email today:


Happy World Diabetes Day!

Okay, so that doesn't quite sound as sincere as "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Thanksgiving, because there really isn't a lot to be happy about when it comes to the global diabetes epidemic. You and I both know how important it is to find a cure for diabetes, but it's also important that diabetes is recognized as a serious problem by more than just our community. Luckily, there is something "happy" going on right now. You may have heard about the new Unite for Diabetes Campaign, which is organizing efforts to pass a new UN Resolution on diabetes, which would recognized the epidemic, encourage and support countries in research and education, and give us the opportunity to speak at the UN in New York City each year on November 14. Right now they have posted a petition to encourage our UN ambassador and other key opinion leaders to support passing the Resolution. It's a great opportunity to be a part of a global diabetes initiative. I'm doing my civic duty and signing the petition and telling you all about it, and if you haven't signed the petition yet (and forgive me for being redundant if you have), you can sign the petition by visiting this website
http:http://petition.unitefordiabetes.org/form.php

You can find out more about diabetes on a global level and the Campaign by visiting
http://www.unitedfordiabetes.com

Once you sign the petition, please send this link to all your friends and family. Diabetes doesn't just affect the people who take the shots and test their blood sugar. It affects the whole world. Thanks!

Allison

Diabetes Writer and Consultant
http://www.lemonlemonade.com

Ice Princess

This weekend I watched my daughter compete in her 2nd ice skating competition --first since her diagnosis. I couldn't believe how strong she looked. She has gained her muscles back and looks like she did a year ago, only taller and stronger. I kept staring at her in amazement - it was only 6 months ago that we were wondering why she was so thin, after looking strong and athletic her entire young life.

The first day was intense. Right before her first program I left the coaches area and went to the outside of the rink where I could see her waiting to take her turn. I kept wondering how she was feeling - not wondering if she was nervous, but if she felt low, and if she knew where I was in case she was low, and hoping I would be able to get to her in time and not have any drama to ruin this experience for her.

Much to my suprise she was crazy high all weekend - in the high 200 and 300's. No keytones, fortunatly. Thank goodness another D-mom called me and assured me that this was typical - that adrenaline from excitement and nervousness can raise your BG levels.

Nothing about this condition phases her. She skated the best I have ever seen her skate. What a kid. Focused, determined, strong.