Friday, November 3, 2017

Type 1 Diabetes Awareness: A Day in The Life of Sawyer


Sawyer is seven years old, is in the first grade. Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 4. In his spare time he enjoys hanging out with friends, playing baseball, basketball, and football, and playing with his Dad in the front yard. 


I want to start this post off with a huge THANK YOU for all of the love I received from my first Diabetes Awareness post. I am blown away by all of the kindness, love and support that you show me and my family. This has been the most requested blog post for Diabetes Awareness month, and that is what a typical day looks like for Sawyer and his diabetes management. I think it will leave you in aw of how much work goes into making sure his blood sugar is managed properly and that Sawyer is able to live a normal-ish and healthy childhood.

7:00 am: Sawyer wakes up for school, showers, gets dressed. Finger pricks and checks blood sugar before eating breakfast. Based on what his blood sugar is and what he is eating for breakfast, his mom doses an appropriate amount of fast acting insulin called Novolog. He receives his injection in the back of his left or right arm (whichever one does not have his CGM sensor in).

7:35 am: Sawyer looks at CGM receiver to make sure his numbers are going up at a reasonable rate before leaving for school with Dad.

7:45-8:00 am: Sawyer arrives at school. Before walking into the room where the students wait until the bell rings, he connects his phone to his receiver so his parents can see his blood sugars during the day while at school. If he feels low or sees he is dropping, he eats a pack of 20 carb gummies that his mom packs in his backpack.

8:15-10:40 am : Sawyer is in class. During this time he sometimes goes low. Mom usually sees him dropping before he reaches the low and texts teacher and nurse to inform them that he needs fast acting sugar (glucose tabs or juice) asap. Sawyer receives 4 tabs or 1 juice box to prevent or correct a low.

10:50 am: Sawyer heads to nurse's clinic to get blood sugar checked before lunch. Nurse administers finger prick, then texts mom what Sawyer's blood sugar is. Based on what his blood sugar is via meter, and what the trends are reading on the CGM, mom texts nurse the amount of insulin he needs for his lunch (mom packs lunch). Mom asks nurse to remind Sawyer that he needs to eat all of his lunch to prevent going low.

1:30 pm: Sawyer is about to head out for recess. He checks his receiver to make sure his blood sugar is good and if he is dropping or going low, he gets tabs or juice.

1:50-3:00 pm: If Sawyer is running high on cgm, mom texts nurse and asks her to check Sawyer via meter and let her know what his blood sugar is. If he is high (sometimes CGM can be off), mom tells nurse how much fast acting insulin to administer to Sawyer as a correction. If Sawyer is dropping or low, mom texts nurse and teacher to tell them and he is to get tabs or juice asap. Anytime Sawyer feels low before mom can see he is dropping (CGM has a 5-7 minute lag), he receives tabs or juice from teacher or nurse and then they text or call me to let me know that he has received it.

3:00 pm: Sawyer is preparing for dismissal. If he thinks he is low or dropping then he gets tabs or gummies before going to wait for mom in carpool line.

3:30 pm: Sawyer gets home from school and checks his blood sugar with meter. Wants a snack. Based on what blood sugar is and what CGM is reading, Sawyer may or may not get insulin with snack. He does his homework, then plays outside or rests if he has a game or practice that night.

4:45 pm: (Game or Practice Day) Sawyer checks his blood sugar via meter. Mom administers insulin for dinner. Sawyer gets dressed for game or practice. Dad puts receiver in his pocket to keep eye on blood sugar while at game or practice. Sawyer takes a gatorade with him in case his blood sugar goes low at game or practice.

5:00-8:00 pm: (Game or Practice Day) Sawyer practices or plays in his game. Dad keeps eye on receiver. Goal is to keep blood sugar around 200-250 during games to keep from going low. If Sawyer goes low he drinks a gatorade. After game, Dad or Mom checks blood sugar either with meter or receiver to make sure he isn't low or high. If he is low he gets snack. If high, he gets a small dose of fast acting insulin.

5:00-8:00 pm:  (Non-practice or game days) Sawyer checks blood sugar with meter and mom administers fast acting insulin based on what his bs is and what they are having for dinner. Sawyer usually gets a small treat or dessert after dinner and insulin is administered for that as well. Sawyer plays with his Dad and brother until time to get ready for bed.

8:30 pm: Bedtime routine- check blood sugar with meter. Check receiver to look at trend (rising or dropping or stable). Gets a 25-30 carb bedtime snack. Receives his long-acting insulin called Lantus in his upper buttock. If it is time for a new CGM sensor, his mom administers the new sensor in one of his arms. New sensor session is started on receiver and to be calibrated by parents in two hours. Sawyer brushes teeth, says prayers with mom and dad, then hops in bed.

10:00 pm- 5:00 am: If Sawyer needed a new CGM sensor, his mom or dad calibrates his receiver once it is ready. Calibrating the receiver involves two finger pricks. During the night, Sawyer can go low at any time. Mom and Dad have eyes on him via cgm and if they see his is low or dropping fast he gets a pack of gummies or gatorade. This sometimes happens 3-4 times a night. Sometimes none at all. If blood sugar is running high, he gets a small correction of fast acting insulin to help bring bs down some.

7:00 am: Day starts again.

This was so good for me. I needed to write this out. As the mother of a child with Type 1 Diabetes, I don't even truly realize how much this boy goes through just to LIVE until it is all right in front of me. Can you imagine being a seven year old having to prick your precious, delicate fingers multiple times a day and then receiving multiple shots a day just to live? It amazes me what he does everyday. All people with T1D amaze the crap out of me. I hope this post is an eye opener for a lot of people who see Diabetes as just a disease or disorder brought on by eating too much sugar or being lazy and inactive. For Type 1 Diabetes, that is simply not the case. As you can see, my son is very healthy and active. He is thriving in life, and I would wager to say that he is healthier than a lot of non- diabetic children his age.

If you or someone you love are showing signs of T1D, please do not wait. It is a matter of life or death. If you do not know the signs of T1D, PLEASE message me and ask or google it. Educate yourself about it. It could save a life.





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