Glad to know that you are well and appreciate your willingness to reach out.

Enjoy your family time together this summer!

As far as fast foods, we stick to Subway or other sandwich-type shops, Chipotle, Chick-fil-a, Zen, and the like. I discovered how easy fish is to broil and how great a steamer is for veggies. I buy less bread and cereal than I used to, and when I do buy cereal, I pay extra attention to the sugar. I try to buy high fiber (one gram of fiber cancels out a gram of carb, typically) and have taught him to do the same. I look for products like Dreamfields pasta (awesome). Luckily my boys have come to love home cooked meals more than eating out. I’ve gotten pretty good with a crockpot, too, which helps.

Since I’m a single working mom, he’s had to take more responsibility for his own care. I’d suggest the same to those of you with younger children. Try to get them to be more self sufficient (self care, tracking supplies, etc.) as soon as you feel they can handle it. We didn’t (did everything for him – reminded him, checked him, etc.) and it was really a nightmare to get him to take over his own care. Now I struggle with him keeping tabs on his supplies (we just ran out of insulin again and he had to go get his vial at his dad’s place), and to get him to check regularly. He has a love/hate relationship with his pump, but it’s given him freedom these past five years that he never knew during the first eight. It made him feel somewhat normal again.

If I could, I would take this disease for him in a heartbeat. The thought of him out driving scares me silly and then thinking about him leaving for college in two years gives me an absolute heart attack, but we’re taking the steps to get him to take over all of his care and to be better in tune with checking and what he’s eating. He’s even taking a Food and Nutrition class this semester and it seems to have helped a little. Plus, I am buying little to no junk for home, much to the chagrin of my older son. I buy organic when possible and almost always choose the healthiest options for food. Costco is a godsend too!

I’d like to encourage everyone to keep supporting diabetes research – it’s come so far since my son was dx’ed. He used to have to have a venous draw to get an A1c when he was 3 and 4, and it was a killer to pin him down so the nurse could stick him while he screamed. Thank the Lord things have gotten better. I was thrilled when he got his GGMS, but he says it hurts so much to put in that he no longer will wear it – it’s that painful. Hopefully research will step in again and give us that one-piece pump/CGMS that these kids and others need.

Hang in there, everyone, and thanks so much for posting this info. I learned so much online in those early years – things that our doctors didn’t even know – and it kept us sane. Education is the key to living a longer, healthier life. I’ll be riding in the Tour de Cure this weekend to support diabetes research, and I’ll keep praying for a cure!

Thanks for sharing your experiences of raising your children, specifically Elle, your daughter with type 1 diabetes. All of us parents with type 1 kids can relate. It saddens me that it is much more expensive to eat healthy than it is to eat poorly. We try when at all possible to prepare and eat foods from their natural state (no additives or preservatives), but in this crazy, busy lifestyle that most of us live, that is not always possible. We promote healthy food choices to both of our kids and lots of exercise, but still feel very challenged to keep our daughter Hannah’s blood sugar in a normal range on a consistent basis. Just when we think we’ve got it figured out, type 1 rears it’s ugly head with crazy highs followed by crazy lows. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all the planning and thought that goes into feeding Hannah and all that she has to learn to be responsible for at 9 years of age. Usually, she makes good choices, but today was not one of those days (Valentine’s party at school and daycare). I have to remind myself that she is still a kid and not be too hard on her.

Thanks again for sharing and being a voice for all the children and adults living with type 1 diabetes. Your efforts are appreciated!