A Moving Target

I think when you're first given the news your child has diabetes, you don't get the whole story. I don't mean that the doctors are keeping secrets, it's just that the diagnosis itself is overwhelming. As I've mentioned here before, there's no adjustment period with Type I Diabetes. You immediately begin giving insulin shots and counting carbs. Once you get used to the new routine and can pick your head up a little bit, you start thinking about some of the more detailed aspects of this. Right now, we're learning more about how different foods affect Benny. We give Benny 1/2 unit of insulin for every 15 carbs he eats. We're treating a carb from a banana or an apple exactly the same as a carb from a peanut butter sandwich. I'm learning that may not be the best way to go. For example, a plate of pasta seems to elevate his blood sugar a few hours after he eats it. That's important, because the insulin we give him doesn't wait - it starts working right away. So last week we had two days where, after eating dinner and dosing, he was lower than we'd like and then an hour or so later he was higher than expected. I'm told the insulin pump we'll get for Benny this summer can help manage the highs and lows from slower acting foods. I'm just beginning my research there. Weeks ago I met a mom who talked about the glycemic index and how even green and red apples can effect her kids' blood sugar in different ways. Our doctor had told us not to worry about changing Benny's diet too much - we had always avoided juice and most junk food anyway - so I filed her information away and thought, I'll deal with that later. We're seeing our doctor this week, so maybe it's time to start dealing with it now.