Stacey's Blog

New Blog Website

2007-10-29T09:50:00.000-04:00

We're moving! You can see the new blog here As you may recall, we got a little uncomfortable with the fact that by clicking "next blog" above on the blogger toolbar, you have a pretty good chance of seeing something for mature audiences only. We're checking out the new digs - unpacking and getting used to the surroundings. The actual website address is http://blog.wbt.com/stacey/If you have any trouble getting there, please email me at staceysimms@wbt.com. Thanks!

A Bad Button

2007-10-19T05:45:00.001-04:00

We love our insulin pump. It's really changed how we treat Benny's diabetes, gives us more flexibility and allows us to let him eat almost whatever he wants. The only problem is when there's a problem. And we had a big one yesterday. Benny's "button" came out at daycare. That's what we call the inset, the way the pump is actually attached to his body. The button's come out once before and our care providers know what to do. They're just incredible people and I'm so grateful for the way they take care of our little guy. They replaced the button and went on as usual. But something was wrong. Benny's numbers started going up. When they checked him - and Slade had just arrived to pick him up - he was above 500. If your blood sugar stays that high, it can get dangerous. (here's a good explanation of how an insulin pumps works) Slade gave him a huge dose of insulin and took him home. I was at gymnastics with Lea (every Thursday!) and he called me with the update. I wanted to run home, but Slade knows what he's doing, Benny seemed in a decent mood, considering he probably felt really lousy, and he was eating a snack - which is a good sign. Sometimes when he's really high he doesn't feel like eating. On the way home, I warned Lea we might be in for a rough night. I wasn't trying to scare her, but I wanted to prepare her in case Benny was sick. I was worried about ketoacidosis. We haven't had a scare that like yet, but a friend had just told Slade her teenage son with Type I had let his blood sugar run high for two days and he was throwing up and sick. Scary stuff. I also told Lea that her brother might be just fine, and we'd have to see what we got when we got home. She wasn't phased. She had a few new books from school - High School Music the Junior Novel!! - so she was set for a while. We walked in the door at a pretty tense time. Slade had decided the new "button" wasn't working so he replaced it again. Every once in a blue moon the cannula will be inserted into a capillary and it doesn't seem to get the insulin where it needs to go. That's what happened to us the very first night we started on the pump. You can tell because when you pull the button off, the skin will bleed. That shouldn't happen. So Slade replaced the button AND gave Benny an insulin shot. His first shot since going on the pump in July. Sad about that, but it's more important that we got the insulin in him and get his blood sugar down. Then we hooked the pump back up and started checking his blood sugar every half hour. A few minutes after I walked in the door we decided to check for ketones. Benny loves this. I don't know why peeing in a cup is such fun, but that's party time at my house. Luckily, he was negative. Just after that, the insulin shot seemed to kick in and you could tell he was feeling a lot better. A good, but late, bedtime and great blood sugar numbers all night long. Whew! I was scared we'd be up all night, but both kids were asleep by 9pm and no trouble overnight. All good till next time!

Movin' Out

2007-10-11T05:23:00.000-04:00

The next time you read this blog, it may look a little different. We're working on moving it to a different sort of site. I admit, I have very little idea how this all works, but I think we need to make a change. Right now, my host is "blogger," an amazing website that lets anybody post a blog about anything. The downside of this is, anybody can post a blog about anything. Turns out, a lot of people like to write about, and post pictures of, stuff that is for mature audiences only. And you can actually get there from here. See that tab up on top of the page? It says "next blog." Click it and you'll go to a randomly generated blog page. Could be movie reviews from Spain, some kid's homework in India, or dirty pictures from right here in the USA. I don't expect a lot of kids to read this blog, but I'm not thrilled that what I write could be linked, even inadvertently, to pornography. So we're moving. Hopefully, it'll only take a few days to pack up and find a new home. There goes the neighborhood.

Under Cover

2007-10-09T04:46:00.001-04:00

For some reason, I've been thinking more lately about what I put on under my clothes. This all started for me when Keith Larson spent a whole show talking about an undergarment that enhances the size of your rear. I don't remember what it's called (please don't ask!) but it's only sold locally at one store. I found myself right near that shop on some other business and I couldn't resist going in to find out more. You see, it has perhaps the best retail name ever: I C London. Don't get the joke? Do you see France? Turns out, there is an entire universe of undergarments I knew nothing about! I'm not talking about the usual stuff here. There's a whole industry now to provide smoothing and cinching of body parts I don't usually think of as underwear friendly. Arms, for example. Your entire leg, down to the ankle. Apparently, there are women who would be horrified at the idea of wearing a 19th century corset but who think nothing of encasing their entire bodies in a stocking sausage thing. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but just a little. A few days after I went into I C London, I saw this article in the NY Times Dining Section. The Dining section! Please. It's not like you can eat comfortably while wearing this stuff. This is where I'm supposed to talk about being a strong woman and not giving in to "image," etc. Whatever. I went back to I.C. London last week and bought something called "slim cognito." Don't judge me - I have a very formal event coming up with a very clingy dress. We'll see how it works out. I know I won't look like her, but I'm afraid I'll feel like Scarlett O'Hara cinching in that 17-inch waist!!

Read the Label!!

2007-10-05T08:09:00.001-04:00

I haven't written about our daily life with diabetes in quite a while. We seemed to get the hang of using the pump and even though it's not yet a year, it's actually hard to remember what things were like before Benny's diagnosis. A reminder this week that we're still learning. We check Benny's blood sugar (also called blood glucose or bg) several times a day, sometimes as many as 8-10 times during they day and even overnight. We use a lancet to prick his finger and get a drop of blood. That goes onto a test strip inserted in a meter, which gives us his bg number. Here's more info on how it all works. The test strips come in little cylindrical containers - they look almost like what 35mm film comes in. Each little container has a number on it. When you put the test strip into the meter, the same number should come up. On our meter you have to manually reset that number each time you change containers. After that, you just press "okay" on the meter when the number comes up. We been doing this for about 10 months now (wow) and we know the drill. Or so we thought. For about two and half days we were getting crazy bg numbers. 95 one hour, 405 an hour later when Benny hadn't eaten anything. Or 250 overnight and 350 in the morning. Just didn't make sense. We didn't know if the pump was broken or if the inset was off. Finally, Slade figured it out. Seems that when I changed from the #11 canister to the #17 canister I mixed up the numbers and never reset the meter. 17 looks just like 11, right? We got lucky. The only time Benny really got low was right after Slade figured out the problem and checked him. A quick juice box and we're off and running. More frustration, one night later. We usually check Benny about an hour after he falls asleep. I go into his room, hold a small flashlight in my mouth (I need both hands!), prick his finger and get the number. Then, if we need to, we treat him using the pump he wears 24/7. Believe it or not, he usually sleeps through it. This time, though, it took me five test strips, woke him up, he's telling me to give him the flashlight, he wants to turn it off. Aarrgh!! At least the number was great when I finally got it.

The Mayor and Me

2007-10-04T05:27:00.001-04:00

Yes, that's Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory showing me some respect. We're both laughing so hard I'm surprised the picture even came out! Here's what happened:

This week Al & I played in the Charlotte Rotary Club's annual golf tournament - it's a great time, tons of people and they raise lots of money for scholarships. Instead of putting us in a foursome, they sat us out on one of the par 3 for a "beat the pro" contest. One of us would hit and if the other players got closer to the hole than we did, they'd win a prize.

The weather was great and we had a terrific time. We made a lot of people very happy, because for every good shot we hit, we shanked a lousy one nowhere near the green! They gave out a lot of prizes. You can see some more pictures at WBT's photo gallery.

But timing is everything - my best shot of the day (thisclose!) came when the Mayor's foursome came through. They couldn't beat me and you see the Mayor's reaction. It was very funny, but I was completely mortified. You see, the Mayor takes a lot of heat from WBT - our talk show hosts beat him up pretty consistently. Turns out, he can't even get a break on the golf course!

Anyway, Mayor, thanks for being such a great sport and giving me a moment of glory. I'd love to play a round with you sometime - I promise not to outdrive you. Much.

America At Home (part 2)

2007-09-25T05:28:00.001-04:00

Okay, so it wasn't a disaster, but it didn't go exactly as planned either. Friday night, photographer Gayle Shomer came to my house as part of a nationwide project called "America At Home." Her goal was to capture our family on film during the weekly Shabbat dinner. This past Friday also marked the start of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, so my parents were in town. It also meant we were racing out the door for a 6:30pm service. My daughter gets out of school at 3:30 and my husband had to be at Temple early so we had a pretty small window. As soon as Gayle started snapping pictures, we had trouble. You see, she started with Benny. So Lea decided she was being left out and would have nothing to do with any of us. You can't make a five year old get in the picture and smile, so we went on without her. After we were well into dinner, she decided to come back and Gayle got some great pictures. By that time, though, Slade had left! I don't know what she's going to wind up with. It's going to look like we either only have one kid or no dad. Oh well. I think the book comes out in November - it'll be fun to see if any of our pictures make the cut!

America At Home (at my house)

2007-09-18T05:35:00.000-04:00

If you had to create a snapshot of your family at home, what would it look like? What would you want it to look like? It's a question I have to answer this week. Remember those "A Day in the Life" books back in the 80's? Photographers fanned out around the country and took pictures all during the same 24 hour period. They're doing something similar this week called America At Home and they're coming to my house. I met the photographer a few months ago when she did a story on our congregation for the Charlotte Observer. She took some terrific photos of our service celebrating a new Torah we'd acquired. So when she called to ask if she could include us in this project, I was excited to say yes. Now, however, I'm wondering whether this is really a good idea. My idea of a perfect family picture has nothing to do with the reality of my family. I'm thinking of a beautiful Shabbat dinner, with challah and candles, my children dressed in their best and smiling as they share in a special family moment. What usually happens on Shabbat is that Benny starts grabbing food before we can say the HaMotzi prayer and then he tries to blow out the candles. That's while Lea is telling me she doesn't want to eat what we've made for dinner, she'd really prefer pasta and can she have dessert first? And unless they've spilled enough to constitute an actual change of clothes, they're still in their mucky school clothes with some leftover lunch on them. Friday also begins the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur so we'll all be going to temple right after dinner. That's probably a good thing - we won't have very long to take the pictures so I can only stress out for so long. A couple of years ago, I was profiled in Little Ones Magazine here in Charlotte. Taking the pictures was so stressful for me that Slade and I decided to set a policy on family pics in the future! Rule#1 no outside shots when the temperature is above 90. Rule #2 no sleeveless shirts Rule #3 Stacey will remember that we are not perfect. I'm not sure what the odds are of actually getting into the book. I'm probably getting all worked up for nothing!

Early Hours

2007-09-12T07:57:00.000-04:00

My alarm clock goes off at 3:20am. Sometimes I hit snooze, but I'm usually out the door by 4am. Not a lot of traffic, but it looks like that might be changing. USA Today this morning does their cover story on what they call "commuting creep." (Funny, I wrote that first as "creeping commute," which pretty much describes our rush hour traffic.) The article talks about how we're all living farther from work and leaving earlier just to get there on time. What's great about the article, at least to me, is that it goes on to talk about how this has changed other industries. Fast food places open earlier to serve drive-thru breakfast or coffee. Radio and television stations adjust their broadcast day. I experienced that first hand in Syracuse. I was hired to do the morning show at the NBC affiliate there. The broadcast started at 6am and ended at 7am, just before The Today Show. The following year, they moved the show back to 5:30 and added a co anchor (Jeff Glor, now national correspondent for The CBS Early Show). The next year, they moved us back to 5am. I got sick of getting up in the middle of the night and moved to Charlotte for better hours. We all know how that turned out! Funny story about that time in Syracuse. When we moved back to 5am they sent me and Jeff to New York City to tape a promo with Katie Couric and Matt Lauer. They do a bunch of these with local anchors from all over the country. We were pampered in their makeup room and then herded out to the set. We had our 5 minutes (it was probably less) with Matt & Katie, making small talk and then saying our lines. I wish I had some tape of that promo - I probably look scared out of my mind!

A Day At The Fair

2007-09-06T05:29:00.000-04:00

We recently took the kids to Tweetise Railroad, out in Boone. We had a terrific time - as the ads say, it's a blast from the past! A big steam engine train, carnival games, rides even my 2 year old could enjoy. I'm not sure it holds up for older kids (maybe older than 10?) but we loved it.

My parents joke that they took us to every amusement park up and down the East Coast. I do have some great memories of Story Town in NY which is now called Great Escape. We used to make my dad take us on the scrambler. My mother refused to go - now I do the same thing with my kids. Slade is the designated throw-up ride guy.

We lived pretty close to Rye Playland and I couldn't wait until I was old enough to ride the Dragon Coaster. I remember when I finally got to ride it, I was absolutely terrified. That click-click-click as your cart inches up the first incline, knowing that a huge drop is coming and then the turn into the dark as you head into the dragon! We went to Hershey Park at least once. I have never seen so much chocolate in my life. I seem to remember a ride where your boat actually floated on a chocolate stream. Is that possible? My town had two big events during the year. The Fireman's Carnival and the Grange Fair. The Fireman's Carnival was all about old fashioned rides like the tilt-a-whirl and carny games where you could win the big teddy bear. It was a big deal when you got old enough to run around the Fireman's Carnival with your friends on your own. That was usually 8th or 9th grade. The Grange Fair was more about agriculture I think. I remember muddy shoes. We had the Westchester County Fair, too, but I don't think we ever went. They had the best commercials! Rides & attractions! Nonstop action! At the Westchester County Fair! I can't believe I remember that jingle. We left Tweetsie worn out, dirty and smiling. Benny says he needs a rope and a horse to go along with his new cowboy hat. Nice try. What was your favorite amusement park or carnival as a kid?

At the Sound of the Tone...

2007-08-27T06:29:00.000-04:00

Just back from a week-long vacation. We came home to lots of mail and lots of phone messages. I won't be hearing any of them - I accidentally erased them all. Yep. 11 messages. No idea who they're from or what they were about. Just gone. I didn't even know you could do that on my machine. But you can. And I did. So if you called me while I was away, please call again. Or maybe just email.

Back to School Shopping

2007-08-16T05:27:00.001-04:00

How can summer almost be over? We're back to school around here one week from Monday. I grew up in New York, so starting school before Labor Day still seems strange to me. Then again, so does shopping for new school clothes like jeans & sweaters when it's 100+ degrees outside. I just ordered a pair of boots for my daughter. She won't be able to wear them until well into November, but if I wait there won't be anything left in her size. So she's trying on suede boots and turtleneck sweaters while it's still bathing suit weather. Benny won't get too much in the way of new clothes - he's the youngest of all the boys in our extended family so he gets loads of hand me downs. My cousin Kristin has two boys and she sends me a huge package every couple of months. She has great taste - I usually buy my kids clothes at Target & Old Navy, she shops at places like Jack & Jill and Nordstom. I am in the market for some more pump clothing for Benny. I think I've linked to this website before. As kids get older, they can clip the pump to their belts or waistband, just like a cellphone. But at 2 or 3, most of them wear little fanny packs or special clothes with pump pockets sewn in. Benny's got a couple of the pump packs and I'm thinking of getting him some pj's or boxers with the pockets. If you're new to this blog, here's a good link that explains how a pump works and why Benny would have to wear a fanny pack all the time. It's funny, he's on the lookout for other people with belts. We recently started reading a Bob the Builder book and he thinks the tool belt is a pump pack. I can't say I've corrected him. I think it's awesome that he thinks Bob the Builder has diabetes. He already thinks Mickey Mouse does. Have I mentioned that? When Benny first got the pump, our Animas rep suggested we give one of his stuffed animals a pump as well, so we rigged up Benny's Mickey Mouse with his very own pump, fanny pack and all. It's a sort of dummy pump, a sample that looks like the real thing but doesn't have any working parts. We did put a real site into Mickey, and a real tube. It's especially helpful because Benny's site is on his tush - he can't really see it. With Mickey he can see how it all comes together and can even try to take it on and off himself. We're planning a trip to Disney this April. Should I call ahead and tell them to put a pump on Mickey?

The Pump & the Potty

2007-08-08T05:18:00.000-04:00

So it's one month since we started the pump and I am so glad we did. We've adjusted nicely from about 6 shots a day to basically one every three. We're getting used to checking blood sugar more often and our doctors are helping pinpoint the incredibly precise doses of insulin Benny needs. About a week and a half into it I decided Benny was ready for another change. No more diapers. He's two and a half, his sister was potty trained right at two and frankly, I was sick of changing him. Lea was easy - she just decided she was ready and after two weeks (and a few accidents) we were pretty much done. Benny's known how to do it and wasn't afraid or unable, he would just say "no" when I asked him if he was ready to make the leap. So basically, I decided to stop asking and start telling - which is really the best way to handle a two year old.

We made the big move the day of a birthday party at Gymboree. It was for one year old twins, so I didn't think anyone would get too carried away if we had a few accidents. Benny did great! He had one accident during the party but otherwise was terrific all day. We did have a blood sugar issue during the party, though. He said he was tired and laid down on a mat. His blood sugar was 32! Hasn't been that low for a long time. One juice box and a piece of birthday cake later, he was back to his old self.

Now nearly three weeks into it, I'd say Benny is pretty much potty trained. Yay! Interesting, though, how diabetes affects this as well. When your blood sugar is high, your body is trying to get rid of the extra glucose in your body. That means lots of drinking and peeing. There's also Benny's insulin pump. He wears it 24/7 in a little fanny pack around his waist, so we have to make sure that's out of the way. The pump is attached to his body by a thin tube attached to what we call a "button" on his bottom, the infusion set. More info on that here. We've discovered a unique problem with that. When a two year old tries to take off his own pants, he can pull the button out. He's done it three times already. Because of that, he's pretty cautious. Anytime we go to the potty he tells me, "Be careful my button!" Even so, he's doing great. And we can finally get rid of the changing table and the diaper genie. Next step: no more pacifiers. That's a totally different story.

Root for the Home Team

2007-08-07T06:16:00.000-04:00

The Carolina Panthers were gracious enough to have us back to their training camp in Spartanburg. They changed their practice time this year so we were able to watch from the sidelines right after the show.

I'm a pretty casual football fan. I follow the Panthers pretty much the same way, and for the same reasons, I root for the Mets and any team from Syracuse.

My dad used to take us to see the Mets maybe once or twice a year. We always had great seats - I think the company he worked for had season tickets - and my sister and I always drove him crazy. You see, this was back in the late 70's and early 80's and Shea Stadium was the first place I ever saw Haagen Dazs. It was also the only place and my sister and I would basically eat our way through the games. Dad would try to get us to follow what was happening on the field, but I'm not sure he ever succeeded. I went to Syracuse University so for college sports, I'll always root for the Orangemen. My sports experience while in school was mostly limited to watching the Bob Costas wannabes record their play by play in the stands. Syracuse has a great sports broadcasting tradition, but it's pretty funny to see the students practicing during the games. A few years after college Slade and I moved back to Syracuse and we got football season tickets. That was fun because it was Donovan McNabb's last year and people were going crazy. We usually go to two Panthers games a season now. We've brought Lea - she likes to get her face painted - but will probably wait one more year for Benny. Actually, I may bring them both to training camp next year. They've got a great play area for the kids and it's never really crowded. If they only added Haagen Dazs I know it would be a big hit.

Panther Camp

2007-08-02T07:04:00.001-04:00

We're broadcasting live today from Panthers training camp in Spartanburg. I'm having some computer issues while we're on the road, so this is picture of us from last year. (l-r that's Jim Szoke, Al Gardner, Jake Delhomme and me) . More pictures and news from today coming later!

Bikini or Burkini?

2007-07-30T07:38:00.000-04:00

It's one of the bravest things I've ever done. I bought - and wore! - a two piece bathing suit this summer. Not a coward's two-piece like a tankini but an honest to goodness bikini. This has been my second summer at my post-LA Weight Loss weight. I started about six months after I had Benny and couldn't shake the baby weight. I lost 22 pounds and now wear a size 6. I feel great but I'm no model. I'm still pretty self conscious even in a regular bathing suit. I just decided it was now or never. I didn't want to look back in 20 years and think, I should have done it while I had the chance. I found a great suit in the Eddie Bauer catalog - definitely a bikini but with a bottom that's a little higher cut than the itsy bitsy kind no one over the age of 18 should wear. I still feel like a need a few more sit ups whenever I put it on, but the reaction of my friends has been very interesting. They all say, "I wish I could do that." These are great looking women, many of them slimmer than me. But recently the ideal for women has become a size zero. Even a new size zero/zero is coming into some stores. I think that stinks. It's unattainable and it's not healthy. How can I teach my daughter to eat right and be strong if she thinks she's supposed to have a body fueled by only diet coke and microwave popcorn? (By the way, here's an interesting option. Have you heard about the burkini? Featured in Time Magazine recently it's a full-body bathing suit that's all about modesty. Hmmm. Maybe next year.) I know my wearing a two-piece bathing suit won't change the world - but if we're going to teach our daughters that a size 6 or 8 is healthier than a zero we need to walk the walk. We may walk it carefully while sucking in our tummies a bit and not necessarily sitting down, but I say walk it none the less. There are still a few weeks of summer left. Still time to take the plunge and join me. Courage! And don't forget your sunscreen.

Hometown Hero

2007-07-30T05:27:00.000-04:00

Every Friday, WBT selects a "hometown hero." This person is an unsung hero recognized for their efforts in making our community a better place to live. Recently, I nominated Dani Angell. Here's why (this is what we read on the show): When a soldier is called to serve, his family sacrifices with him. For a National Guard family, not living on a base, without built-in support, the experience can be even more isolating. The Angell's are one such family. Michael Angell has served two tours already, in Iraq and Afghanistan and just left for a third. Mike Angell and his wife Dani, have two small children, a rising first grader and a preschooler. Even so, she finds time to volunteer at Davidson Elementary School and the Children's Community Schoolhouse. To show the kids the importance of setting and meeting a goal, Dani took part in Davidson Elementary's Tigers on the Prowl exercise program - running the equivalent of a marathon with the kids. You may have heard about Dani and her son, Zac. They founded High Five for Heroes a few years ago and people from all over the world sent cut-out pictures of hands - the high five - to Zac. The family got so many, they started a campaign to send the high five cutouts to soldiers serving overseas. Dani continues to organize the kids at Davidson Elementary to send cards, letters, candy at Halloween and even a journal, to let our troops know they are remembered. For spreading the message of patriotism, for volunteering her valuable time and for making a concrete and immediate difference in the lives of children, Dani is this week's Hometown Hero. (click here to nominate your own hometown hero)

My Harry Potter

2007-07-26T05:35:00.000-04:00

I think I'd love the Harry Potter books. I'm waiting until my kids get a little older, hoping we can read them together. In the meantime, The New York Times has a great blog going right now, asking "Who Was Your Harry Potter?" In other words, what was your favorite book as a kid? So much fun to think about this! I started reading when I was three. My sister taught me without my parents really catching on. They found at one night at a Chinese restaurant when I read the fortune cookie. One of my favorite school memories came in first grade when my teacher gave me the chance to read more than what was assigned in class. I will never forget when Mrs. Bailey opened what must have been a closet, but seemed like a cavernous library to six year old me. I got to pick bunches of books to read whenever I wanted. My favorites? When I was really young I loved Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good and Very Bad Day. My family still says, "Things are like that, even in Australia." From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler. The idea of running away to live in a museum for a week! Also, the first time I saw the word "bologna" in print. Harriet the Spy. I must have read that 20 times. I only lived 30 minutes from her New York Upper East Side neighborhood, but it seemed like a world away. And she had a nanny! As I got older, I wore out my copies of the Little House on the Prairie books and while I loved the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, I never could get through the whole Narnia series. There are so many others! I'm already having fun watching my daughter discover a love of reading. I can't wait to see her reaction to some of my old favorites. And, of course, in a few years, we can read Harry Potter together.

Off & Pumping

2007-07-18T05:27:00.000-04:00

So where were we? Been away from the computer for a while. We've been on vacation and getting used to the pump. First, we spent a day at the Carolina Diabetes Center. Benny had been wearing his pump for a week, but it was pumping saline, not insulin. We were ready for the real thing. Or so we thought. First problem cropped up a few hours into our visit, after Benny had eaten a few snacks and we'd dosed him with the pump. His blood sugar kept climbing and it turned out I hadn't correctly connected the tubing to his inset. Gotta hear that "click." (I've explained some of these terms before, but click here for more information on how an insulin pump works.) They sent us home and we felt pretty good the rest of the day. Benny doesn't mind letting us take the pump out of its pouch to press the buttons. He wears a sort of little fanny pack around his waist - he'll be able to just clip it to his belt when he gets a little bigger. But that first night, again, his blood sugar kept climbing, so something was wrong. At midnight, we decided to change the site. We actually debated going back to shots - it was a pretty bad moment. Changing the site hurts and I'm glad we won't usually have to do it more than once every 3 days. But we got through it and Benny went back to sleep. In a genius move, we decided to start on the pump just before going to New York to visit my parents for a few days. As you start on the pump, you need to check blood sugar more than usual, even overnight a few times. I thought that, with my mom around, she could watch the kids during the day, while I caught up on sleep. That seemed to make starting the pump "on the road" not such a bad idea.

Slade left for his own trip a few days later. We do this every summer. He plays in a golf tournament in Vermont and I go to my parents with the kids. So I'm the only one who can take care of Benny, but I'm not worried. I can handle this. And I do - for exactly one day. Then it happens. When I go to change out the insulin cartridge in the pump, I realize I don't have any more with me. I check everywhere. No cartridge. That means no way to put more insulin into the pump. That means no more pump. I won't tell you who packed all the diabetes supplies, but his name rhymes with played. As in, played golf while I was freaking out in New York! Actually, I think I was pretty calm. I called everyone - my doctor, Animas (the pump company), Linnet, our diabetes educator. They all called me back in minutes. I couldn't believe it! Linnet helped me figure out how to MacGyver together the stuff I had on hand and we got it done. Here's the wild part. The next day, Animas called my mom's house to tell her the New York rep was on her way over with the missing cartridges!! No questions asked, no charge, just coming by to drop off exactly what we needed. I was blown away by the customer service from these folks. I'd heard it was great, but who drives stuff to your house? Meanwhile, poor Slade had actually found a family in Vermont with kids on the same pump! They gave him a few cartridges and he was ready to drive them to NY. Luckily, he didn't need to. I can't say I'm happy he forgot to pack the stuff, but I will say it gave me new confidence in my ability to deal with all this. And I have incredible trust in Animas and in my doctors & educators. These are dedicated and special people. No excitement since then (thankfully!) and we're pumping away.

It Bounces!

2007-07-02T08:17:00.000-04:00

To say the pump transition has not gone as planned would be an understatement. I can honestly say I never thought Benny would grab his brand new pump and throw it across the room. I cringed when it landed on our kitchen floor, but it seems to be okay. First, there was a mix up with the company that orders the pump and the one who makes and delivers it. That resulted in a extra two days before we got it. I think it's an insurance issue, but I can't believe the middle-men involved in this thing. Then, they sent the right pump but the wrong infusion set. We have a few samples, so we decided to go ahead as planned and change out the set this week. Good decision? I'll let you know how it works out! So Sunday afternoon, we set up the pump. Your doctor gives you a whole bunch of numbers to program in - insulin to carb ratios, blood glucose target numbers, etc. We did that, set up the tubing and filled the pump cartridge with saline. We'll use saline instead of insulin until next Monday when we go "live" and start using it all for real. We got the inset onto Benny (we're calling it his "button") and unlike last time, he was not happy about it. After the initial outburst (okay, it was a total tantrum - and that's when he chucked the pump across the room) he calmed down until bedtime. When I changed him, he noticed the "button" on his tush and told me to "off it." Again, once we held firm, he seemed to forget about it. As of this morning, we haven't actually hooked the tubing to the inset so he's not actually pumping, not even the saline. Why go through all this? I truly believe using an insulin pump will make a dramatic difference in Benny's long term health. All the research points to better control with a pump, which means less chance of the devastating complications that can come with diabetes. Is it worth a few tantrums which he (hopefully!) won't remember in a few days? You bet. Does it rip my heart out? Every time.

Pump (and Fairy) Update

2007-06-25T06:13:00.000-04:00

First, the pump. We have a launch date. If all goes well, Benny goes "live" on the insulin pump Monday July 9th. This Wednesday Benny should start wearing the pump and all that goes with it, but he won't have any actual insulin in it. We'll see how quickly he gets used to wearing it all the time. Then on July 9th, we're supposed to start the real deal. I didn't think we'd been talking too much about the pump to Benny, but Saturday night I found out he's been picking up signals. We were talking to our babysitter about how, while she can't give insulin injections, she may be able to use the pump. When he heard that, he pulled up his shirt and told her, "my pump goes on my belly!" There's a little girl at his preschool with a pump, so he knows what it looks like. It's weird because for the first week or so on the pump, he'll still need shots, so I can't tell him the pump means no more injections. Will a two and a half year old understand the concept of next week? As in, "wear this thing in a fanny pack around your waist all the time, even when you sleep because next week it'll mean you won't need the five shots a day we're currently poking into you." I'll let you know how it works out! Now, the fairy. Lea finally lost that loose tooth. It came out as we were leaving our neighborhood pool last night. We were talking to some friends when we heard Lea yelling, "stop!" to Benny. He was stomping on something on the ground - we thought it was a bug. It was her tooth! For some reason, I started stressing about what the tooth fairy should leave. $1? That sounded right, but should I leave a note as well? Or $1 and a note that she can buy a new book? That's all she wants these days, which is great and something I want to encourage. I decided I was trying just a little bit too hard and we went with $1. She's so excited to show everyone at camp today; that seems like reward enough. Plus, she's already got another loose tooth. I don't want to start high and end up breaking the bank!

2007-06-21T06:11:00.001-04:00

We lost a friend this week. Just a terrific woman, Carol Thurm. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer recently, and it took her life so quickly. She and her husband, Joel, are about the same age as my parents. They're from the same part of New York as my family and Joel knows some of my family's doctors. They even have a daughter named Stacey. Needless to say, I'm pretty fond of them. It's hard to write about this in the past tense. Last night Slade & I paid a Shiva call to their home. In the Jewish faith, when someone passes away, the family will "sit Shiva" in their home. Shiva means seven and you are supposed to observe this mourning time for that many days. Generally, the family will gather in one home and receive visitors, but it's so much more than that. You can learn more here. During the prayer service, Joel read a beautiful speech he'd written about Carol. It was wonderful and touching and funny and made us all cry. They'd been married for more than 40 years. Last year, we had a great idea to have a Chanukah dinner in our neighborhood. Carol took charge. We thought it might be a small get together for a few families. Carol seemed to know everybody. She handled the invitations, organization, dinner planning and candle lighting at our club. We had something more than 50 people there! It was a special night and it happened thanks to Carol. I'm sure we'll have it again this year, but to me, it will always be her event. I miss her already.

In the Swim

2007-06-18T06:34:00.000-04:00

Pruney fingers are hard to use for blood sugar checks. That's one of the things we've learned after a few weeks at the pool this summer. Vigorous exercise can bring blood sugar down, so we have to check Benny pretty frequently while he's swimming. I've heard earlobes are a good place to check, but I can't bring myself to do it, yet. We haven't gotten to the point where I might actually need to - so far I can always find a spot on his little fingers that "works." We're lucky enough to live in a neighborhood with a great pool and we spend a lot of time there. Like most little kids, Benny is non-stop action as soon as we spend inside the gates. All that exercise brings his blood sugar down, so we're always snacking. For him, that's pretty cool. Like last night, when he had two (two!) sugar cookies. We're still waiting on our insulin pump and I'm interested to see how it works out at the pool. You see, even though it's supposed to be water proof, I don't know anyone who takes it in the water. You can just disconnect the tubing pretty easily (you can read more about pumps here) and reattach when you come out of the pool. Other parents have told me it's a breeze, but I'll wait and see for myself. On the subject of the pump.. we ordered a sort of holder for Benny's when he gets it. I'm not really sure how to describe it. There's a website called Pump Wear; they offer what look like fanny packs and clothes with little pockets. It seems like a great idea for an active little kid but again, we'll see.

Harris Teeter Celebrity Classic

2007-06-12T06:37:00.000-04:00

I've played in the JDRF's golf tournament for about five years now. It's always a great time. The Panthers Coach, John Fox (with me, left), is the celebrity chair and he brings out some fun players. There are a lot of kids there - the inspiration for the tournament - and it's always incredible to meet them. In years past, I've interviewed many of these children and their parents about their experience with diabetes. Of course, this year has special resonance for us. It's hard to believe we're not just participants in these fundraisers - we're now beneficiaries. I emceed the dinner after the tournament and talked about Benny's diagnosis and what our life's been like since then. I got to talk with the new backup quarterback for the Panthers, David Carr. Like us, he has a little boy with diabetes. Everyone wanted to meet Carr, of course, and he couldn't have been nicer. It was a terrific outing. Oh, except for the lighting, thunder and torrential downpours. We haven't had rain for weeks - the drought is so bad, Union County is fining people for flouting the water restrictions. So of course, when we went there to play golf, the skies opened up. We had an hour delay to start and then had to stop play twice due to lightning. Finally, around 5pm, it all cleared out and we finished the round. Hard to complain, though. Longview is a spectacular course. Slade & I got to spend the afternoon together, along with the managing partner of our restaurant, Steve. We also played with Roger & Duck Costner from Brothers Air & Heating. Duck usually plays righty but he's left handed. He bought a set of lefty clubs and played with them yesterday for the first time. It wasn't pretty - but it was lots of fun. The tournament raises quite a bit of money, about $150,000. You can see some pictures on our website; I'm the drowned rat standing next to John Fox.

Five-Second Rule

2007-06-05T06:29:00.000-04:00

We've all heard of the five-second food rule, right? Something falls on the floor and if you pick it up quickly enough, you can still eat it. Two new studies took a look at this thinking. At Clemson University, researchers looked at just how many germs can survive on food after five seconds. They used bologna sandwiches and salmonella. Yum. A second study, from Connecticut College, looked at whether you could extend the five second rule to, say, a minute, for dry foods that aren't sticky. I love this. Who funds these studies? Who fills out the paperwork to ask for the funds for these studies? I recently visited my sister in New York. I was making lunch for our kids and took out a bag of grapes. I started plopping bunches of grapes onto plates when my sister looked over my shoulder. "Did you wash those yet?" she asked. I hadn't, so I dutifully ran some water over them. I don't always wash fruits and veggies, even though I know I"m supposed to. I've even considered buying one of those little produce brushes, but it always strikes me as ridiculous. I do sometimes feel a little guilty - how much dirt do my kids ingest from the few veggies I can actually get them to eat? And then I remember - my kids love to eat off the floor. We were at the airport last week - Benny & I were waiting outside while Lea & Slade got the car. I was giving Benny a snack- I think it was Cheez-Its or something equally healthy. He dropped a few on the floor and went to pick them up. I said, "No! Gross!" and he just smiled and said, "Gross! Yum!" and put the Cheez-It in his mouth. Then he started stomping on the crackers. I liked that - at least he wouldn't eat the crumbs. Then he climbed up onto the bench we were sitting on and.. found some gum stuck to the side. He started to check it out as two year olds do. That means he started touching it. Are you kidding me?? Then he couldn't understand why I didn't want him to go anywhere near it. Eeew. My daughter is much better. She at least knows you blow on food that falls on the floor before you eat it. So those five-second rule studies? Here's the write up of the Clemson University study. That's the one that says bread and bologna dropped on tile, wood and carpet is contaminated by salmonella after just five seconds. The other study, from Connecticut College, says you actually have more time, as long as your food isn't sticky. They used Skittles candy in this study, so their definition of "food" is already suspect. Maybe that's the key to all this. Knowing what's in bologna and Skittles you have to wonder - does dropping them on the floor really make them that much worse for you?

More Famous People

2007-05-31T06:51:00.000-04:00

Just looked up at the row of TVs in our studio and saw that Jeff Glor is anchoring the CBS Early Show with Hannah Storm today. I used to work with Jeff and some other folks who are now at CBS (read that blog entry here). If you read that, you'll see I also used to work with Susan Koeppen, now the Consumer Reporter at CBS. So I look up a minute later and see Jeff & Susan doing a segment together on the Early Show. Hi guys! I promise I won't rehash this every time they're on - seems like that'll be pretty often now - but just a little more name dropping before I stop. I have to give a shout out to Matthew Berry, aka, The Talented Mr. Roto. We were friends in college and he went out to LA to write for television and movies. Turns out, he actually made more money writing about fantasy baseball. Now he's ESPN's senior director of fantasy sports. You can read his blog here. Another college friend and my roommate for our first jobs after college, she's known as B.B. Good and does middays on Radio Disney. Last time I wrote this type of blog I heard from Eric Stangel. He's the head writer for Late Show with David Letterman and we emailed back and forth after he read my entry. I heard from some other friends and I forgot to tell Eric something. Turns out one of my friends had a big crush on him in college. It was B.B! So that's it with the name dropping. Unless CBS decides to hire somebody else I used to work with. In the meantime, if you're famous and I know you, drop me a line!

The Pump Part 2

2007-05-24T07:59:00.000-04:00

Okay. We've seen it - now I'm really excited about the pump. We're still a ways from figuring out if it's the best thing for Benny, but our visit to the Carolinas Diabetes Center yesterday went really well. Our diabetes educator is Linnet and I adore her. She has two sons with Type I Diabetes - they were both diagnosed as toddlers and are now in college. She knows what we're going through. Linnet had different model pumps right there for us to touch, press the buttons, etc. Benny picked up the one we had decided on and somehow got it to make music. He loved that. Apparently, these pumps all have beeping alerts for low battery, etc and you can set this one to music, sort of like downloading a ringtone. Not surprised my two year old figured out how that worked before we did! We've decided on the Animas pump, but there are pros and cons for every model. In addition to the pump, you also have to choose an infusion set. That's the thin, flexible tubing which ends up under the skin. Basically, a needle goes in under the skin, then comes out, leaving a thin cannula behind. What's left above the skin looks like a dime-sized nicotine patch with a bump and you attach the tubing to that. The insulin goes from the pump (worn like a pager on your belt) through the tubing and under your skin. You change that set every three days or so. There are several different kinds of infusion sets, some with fancy applicators, some with longer needles. We decided on one that uses a purple applicator - it looks like a child's stamper - and tried it out on Benny. I made Slade do it - I was worried it would really hurt and I wanted to be the good guy if it did. Benny reacted just like he does to a shot - no big deal. He's such a tough little guy. I was so excited and relieved. We decided to leave the little patch on his body, to see if it bothered him at all. It's also to see if it comes off as he runs around or sweats (it shouldn't). My five year old daughter wanted to check it out and she thought it was pretty cool. Other than that, we didn't point it out at all and he did great. Took a bath, slept fine. Didn't seem to notice it at all. We'll have to take it out in three days - we're traveling to New York to see my parents tomorrow and I want my mom and dad to see the site before we remove it. Next step? We actually order the pump and the infusion sets. It will probably be about a month before we start pumping. You spend a week without real insulin in the system - they use saline just to see how well Benny tolerates wearing the thing. So maybe by July 4th we'll be on the real deal.

The Pump

2007-05-21T06:08:00.000-04:00

This week we're taking Benny to the Carolinas Diabetes Center to learn more about and try an insulin pump. It's a big step because if he takes to it, it may mean the end of shots for us. Here's how an insulin pump works, according to a wonderful website, Children With Diabetes: An insulin pump is a small mechanical device, a little larger than a pager that is worn outside the body, often on a belt or in a pocket. It delivers fast-acting insulin into the body via an infusion set -- a thin plastic tube ending in a small, flexible plastic cannula or a very thin needle. You insert the cannula beneath the skin at the infusion site, usually in your abdomen or upper buttocks. You keep the infusion set in place for two to three days (sometimes more), and then move it to a new location. All insulin is delivered through the infusion set.

An insulin pump certainly isn't a cure, and it doesn't mean we can stop checking Benny's blood sugar with those finger pricks. In fact, we may have to check him even more, especially at first. But the big advantage of the pump is that it gives you much better blood sugar control. You can use much smaller and more precise doses and instead of a shot every time Benny eats 15 carbs or more, we'll be able to just press a button.

They've only been recommending pumps for children as young as Benny for a few years. One of the biggest studies on preschoolers was published in 2006.

I'm curious about so many aspects of this. How will he wear it? Most adults I know wear their pumps like a pager, clipped onto a belt or waistband. I've seen little kids with a kind of fanny pack to hold it on. I can't imagine my very active 2 year old will tolerate that - but maybe he will. The infusion site looks sort of like a nicotine patch to me once it's in. Benny doesn't even like band-aids (Off, Mommy!) so we'll see how he takes to that.

I just feel like this would be easier if Benny could really comprehend the advantages of the pump. At two years old, I can't tell him "no more shots" because he'll still get one every three days as we change the infusion site. Our Diabetes Educator, Linnet, was very reassuring. She says there are plenty of little kids running around Charlotte with these pumps and it works out just fine. We think we've decided on which brand to use (there are six companies that make different models). We'll get to see it up close, touch it, press all the buttons and figure out if it's really the one we want to go with. (It's not why we chose them but I like their tagline.. "takes a thumpin' and keeps on pumping.) Our insurance only pays for a new pump once every four years so it's a big decision we'll live with until Benny's six. Six? Now I'm thinking about my little guy going to kindergarten with a pump. That's a whole other set of worry!

No Bubba, Mickey Mouse

2007-05-15T07:17:00.001-04:00

For about a year, Benny's favorite show has been the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on The Disney Channel. It's not the old Mousketeer show, but it's a new and pretty cute cartoon. Since it caught his eye, though, he's been calling Mickey, Bubba. I think it started as Muh-ma which actually makes sense. Not sure how it morphed into Bubba, but I have to admit, I love it. I think it's fun when little kids mess up words and names. Admit it - someone in your family has a nickname that came from a two year old. Benny has never been able to say his big sister's name. It's Lea, but he's always called her Ya-ya. Since he's at the bus stop every morning, he's decided that the big yellow thing she gets on isn't a school bus, it's a Ya-ya bus. It's to the point where half the people at the bus stop call it the Ya-ya bus. But I think it's all soon to end. Last night he saw Mickey on TV and said, "Mommy, Bubba-Mouse!" I laughed and said, "No, Mickey Mouse!" He repeated, "Mickey Mouse." I said, "Yes, Bubba." He looked at me like I was crazy. "No, Mommy. No Bubba, Mickey Mouse." I was really hoping this Bubba thing would hold out until we got a chance to take Benny to Disney World. I was dying to see him run up to Mickey yelling, "Bubba!" Oh well.

Changes..

2007-05-10T06:21:00.000-04:00

Reminders this week that my kids are getting older. Benny's blood sugar readings have been crazy the last couple of weeks. We think we've got it under control and then he gets a crazy high reading. I've been talking to his doctor and I think this is just the beginning. You see, like most toddlers, he's growing. Since his diagnosis in December, he's gained weight and gotten taller. It's great news, especially because he'd lost two pounds in the weeks before we realized he had diabetes. Two pounds are a big deal when you only weigh 30! His growth means we need to make some adjustments. Benny gets two different types of insulin during the day. One is a 24-hour type called Lantis, the other, Novolog, is short acting. Both doses are based, in part, on his size. So we've upped the Lantis by a 1/2 unit for now. It's such a teeny amount, it seems like just a few drops, and I'm still amazed at how such a little bit of medicine has such an incredible effect. Just to give you an idea of how far diabetes research has come, my understanding is that Lantis wasn't even approved for children as young as Benny until 2 or 3 years ago. Taking a 24-hour insulin means fewer shots (even though he still gets 4-6 a day) and hopefully, better control. My daughter is going through a few changes of her own. After what seems like months of waiting, Lea has her first loose tooth. She has been dying for this to happen all school year. I have been absolutely dreading it. There is something about little kids losing their teeth that I find incredibly gross. It's all the wiggling I think. But Lea is the youngest kid in her class and she's been hearing about the tooth fairy for months. What is the going rate for the tooth fairy, anyway? I'm thinking a dollar, but let me know if I'm off base. And what do you do with the teeth? Bleah.

The First Tee

2007-05-07T05:45:00.000-04:00

So I was at SouthPark the other day, hanging out with Davis Love III. Just me and a few dozen of the PGA golfer's close, personal friends.

Love was kind enough to make an appearance to benefit The First Tee of Charlotte. It's a great group that uses golf to reach out to kids. Sort of like a Big Brothers, Big Sisters with a driving range.

I know Ralph Lauren is one of Love's sponsors, but I still think it was nice of him to come to the store. He had to spend time schmoozing with people like me.

There were probably about 40 of us mingling aimlessly around the store, making small talk and nibbling whatever it was they were passing on trays.

They had a small cocktail bar set up in the back (the children's apparel section!). I stuck to water - excuse me, sparkling water - it was a work night and I had to get back up to Davidson. Even so, they must have offered me a glass of wine about five times.

About an hour into it, Davis Love showed up and he couldn't have been nicer. I talked to him for a while about the First Tee. He was enthusaistic and explained that golf is just a way to reach these kids who really need mentors and people to look up to.

Then I asked him about playing in the Wachovia Championship. That conversation went something like this. Me:"How was it out there today?" DLIII :"Windy."

I probably spent about five minutes with him.. and then he had to do that about 40 more times!

Photographer Ron Deshaies took this picture (thanks, Ron!) and you can see more from this event and other great pictures of Charlotte events at his website, Treasured Events of Charlotte.

Hey - I Know Him!

2007-05-02T05:47:00.001-04:00

You know the back of college alumni magazines? The part where they list all the accomplishments of graduates? It always seems like other people are doing great and exciting things - wonderful jobs, exciting travels, beautiful families. I was listed once, when I first started here at WBT. It was pretty cool to flip open Syracuse University Magazine, turn to alumni notes and see my name. But then my eyes drifted to the name just below mine in the class of '93. Eric Stangel. Don't know him? He and his brother are the head writers for Late Show with David Letterman. They had just won an Emmy award. So much for me. I got that same feeling this week, looking up at the TV screens that line our studio wall. On the CBS Early Show - there's consumer reporter Susan Koeppen. Hey, I worked with her in Utica, NY at WKTV! Not ten minutes later - there's newly named CBS national correspondent Jeff Glor. I worked with him at WSTM in Syracuse! We sat next to each other and anchored the morning news together for three years. It got me thinking about some other I-knew-them-whens. Jim Axelrod is CBS's Chief White House correspondent. I interned with him while I was a student at SU and he was a television reporter in town. He also started his career at the same station I did, WUTR in Utica, NY. I worked in Syracuse at the same time as David Muir, newly named anchor of ABC World News Saturday and Primetime, as well as Chris Lawrence, CNN correspondent. My point? I don't know. I'm very happy with the way things turned out. I've got an amazing job I absolutely love and hope to do forever. I've got a great family and my schedule allows me to juggle home and work in a pretty cool way for a full-time working mom. There's still that little pull, though, when you think about what might have been. If I'd taken the television anchor jobs I was offered rather than coming to Charlotte as a reporter. If I'd stayed in television instead of switching to radio. The nice part is that all the folks I mentioned are hard workers and great people who've really earned their success. Yeah, I'm definitely jealous. Oh well. I guess on my next visit to New York I can always go stand outside the CBS Early Show studios with a big sign, "Hey, I know you!"

Keith's Ride

2007-04-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

Had a blast this weekend at Keith Larson's Ride for the Kids. We showed up a little while before the motorcycles actually came in, so we spent some time nosing around Matthews Fun Machines. My daughter liked the pink scooter (it's the only pink bike here, Mommy!) while Benny preferred the big bikes. It was a great crowd - lots of fun waiting to see the motorcycles come in - great food and terrific music. My coworker Carl East was smart enough to bring earplugs for his little girls and nice enough to share them with us. So cool to see all the motorcycles come in. I'll have to ask Keith how many people were actually there.. it had to be close to 200 bikes. You can see a video of the event at Keith's website. The Ride helped raise money for Juvenile Diabetes, so I'll give you an idea of what we did to keep Benny under control during the event. In the car ride down from Davidson to Matthews (about a 45 minute drive) we checked his blood sugar. It was 59 - that's too low. It was lunch time anyway and we didn't want to push it. Gave Benny 8 carbs in sugar (a gummy fruit snack he loves. Lea had to have some too of course). Had lunch in the car. Debated whether to give Benny any insulin when we got to the ride. Exercise and excitement can lower blood sugar and we didn't want to worry about him going too low. Of course, too high isn't any good either! Since we'd already had lunch, Benny didn't eat much at the Ride. This a poor guy inside Matthews Fun Machines tried to give me change so Benny could have a big gumball out of the little machine they have. He thought that's why I was saying no. Actually, not much to do with diabetes, more with being two years old and not knowing you're not supposed to swallow gum. We did let Benny have a cookie. Took him to the car to check his blood sugar. 430!! Ouch. Way too high, but not too surprising after lunch and a treat. Quick insulin shot and back out to dance to the music & watch the bikes. We left a little while later, just as Keith was starting to speak to the crowd. It was funny, I got the kids into their seats and I was checking Benny's blood sugar again just as Keith announced we'd been there. I thought about waving to the crowd, but I had a lancet in one hand and a meter in the other. We got a good number and we hit the road. Thanks to the Ride sponsors, Matthews Fun Machines, Killingsworth Environmental and Showmars. Thanks again, Keith, for a great fun day and a lot of help in fighting diabetes. Maybe when Benny's old enough to ride, we'll have a cure.

$45.22

2007-04-23T05:02:00.003-04:00

For all of the wonderful moments we had this weekend, and there were a lot, the best had to be my daughter and her piggy bank. This was our first Walk to Cure Diabetes, the big fundraiser for JDRF. We decided to be part of another team instead of forming our own, so we signed on with the McFeeley Marchers and set a modest fundraising goal. I basically just hit up close friends and family. How do you explain raising money for this kind of cause to a five year old? We told Lea that we'd give the money to the doctors so they could try to cure diabetes, so Benny won't need shots anymore. Or maybe they could find a medicine that would mean no more shots and finger pricks. After that conversation, Lea went right to her room and got her piggy bank. Actually, it's her tzedakah box. Tzedakah is Hebrew for charity. (that's a transliteration - I don't know how to blog in Hebrew letters). A tzedakah box is usually the first project kids complete in Jewish religious school. Lea's is a tennis ball can covered over in purple tissue paper and decorated with Jewish stars, glitter and stickers. She's been filling it with loose change she's earned for little chores and extras. Plus, I think Grandpa pads it when he comes to visit. The night before the walk we dumped it out and counted it. Quarters, pennies, nickels, Canadian coins(?) and a twenty dollar bill (thanks, Grandpa!). Forty four dollars and twenty two cents. We were pretty surprised and excited. Slade gave Lea a dollar, to start a new collection for something else, maybe a toy or something for herself. She said, "No way!" and stuck it in the Tzedaka box. New total: $45.22. At walk registration on Saturday, Lea was bursting to hand it all over. The wonderful woman who checked us in completely understood how much this all meant to us. She had Lea write her name on the envelope and then we poured all the money in. Lea kept her box to fill up for next year. Quick note on the walk itself.. we brought our wagon, figured we'd schlep the kids for about a mile or so. I didn't realize the walk route goes right into Carowinds! As soon as Lea & Benny saw the park, I knew we were done. We spent the morning going on the rides and goofing around at the Nick Jr section, then met back up with the walkers for lunch. I still can't get over how many people were there - six thousand! - and how much was going on. You can read more in a great article published in the Charlotte Observer. We left totally exhausted and very happy. If you missed the JDRF walk and you'd still like to help, you can this weekend. Keith Larson's Ride for the Kids is Saturday, April 28th. Click here for more information and how to sign up. Even if you don't own a motorcycle you can come out and join us. My family will be there for after the ride, for the food and the music. Hope to see you there!

Melissa Greer

2007-04-23T05:02:00.001-04:00

I got quite a bit of email asking me to write something about Melissa Greer's untimely death from cancer this past Friday. I wrote here back in February about running into her husband, Roger, while Slade and I were out one night. To be honest, I didn't know Melissa very well. WBT is in the same building as WBTV, but since Melissa usually worked on the weekend our paths rarely crossed. The last time I saw her was a few weeks before her moved-up due date. She was still pregnant with Connor and optimistic about a healthy delivery. That was in January, and she was still very hopeful that the chemotherapy had worked. Just a few days later, a scan showed otherwise and they moved up her already-early scheduled delivery date. WBTV tells her story better than I ever could; they have a wonderful memorial page set up. So what can be said about the death of a 27 year old new mom, successful in the career she'd always dreamed about with a wonderful husband (who didn't even realize she was on tv when they first met!)? If you can find the words, credit to you. All I can do is wish Melissa's family some hope and comfort in her incredible strength and their miracle of little Connor.

A1c - Not A New Steak Sauce

2007-04-17T07:35:00.000-04:00

Since learning my son has Type I Diabetes, I feel like we're learning a whole language. The latest term is A1c. When you have diabetes, doctors keep track of your overall blood sugar levels with an A1c blood test. It's an important measure that tells you how well you've managed your blood sugar over the past three months. (By the way, A-1 Steak Sauce? 3 carbs per Tbsp. Just in case you're counting.) Here's how the American Diabetes Association explains it: Hemoglobin is found inside red blood cells. Its job is to carry oxygen from the lungs to all the cells of the body. Hemoglobin, like all proteins, links up with sugars such as glucose. When you have uncontrolled diabetes you have too much sugar in your bloodstream. This extra glucose enters your red blood cells and links up (or glycates) with molecules of hemoglobin. The more excess glucose in your blood, the more hemoglobin gets glycated. It is possible to measure the percentage of hemoglobin, or A1c, in the blood. If you don't have diabetes, your A1c range should be between 4-6%. The goal for adults with diabetes is less than 7% - that's what you need to avoid complications. The goal for children is often higher, but a lot depends on the doctor and family treatment plan. Too low a percentage may mean the child is experiencing too many lows and that can lead to a whole other set of complications. When Benny was first diagnosed in December, his A1c was over 11%. Pretty bad. By late January, we had it down to 8.9%. At this most recent visit, we got the great news it was down to 7.1%. That means we're doing a good job of controlling Benny's blood sugar. What it really does is give me some comfort when we get a really high reading or Benny has a scary low. That A1c helps me keep the moment in perspective; I can look at it as just a moment in his overall care.

My Glamorous Life

2007-04-11T05:33:00.000-04:00

So I'm driving down the road, drinking the leftovers of a Diet Coke and three quarters of peanut butter & jelly sandwich when I realize I forgot to shave my legs. That's me on my way to WBT's 85th anniversary party. Every working mom knows that going out on a weekday takes a special effort. Tuesday, I got home from work, took a quick nap, made dinner and jumped into mom mode. I kept trying to drag the kids into the house - I still had to change out of playclothes and try to make myself look presentable - but it was a wonderful sunny afternoon and nobody really wanted to come in. When my sitter arrived, I had about ten minutes to get ready. Makeup on, get dressed, ignore the ringing phone (turns out to be my dad, I'll call him back from the car). My sitter caught the dry cleaning tag on the back of my shirt - thanks! Then I was out the door - no time for dinner, which explains why I was eating the leftover pbj. A drive down 77 thankfully free of traffic. But when I arrive at One Julian Price Place, I realize I still have the dry cleaning tag on my skirt. The skirt which has suddenly become static clinged (clung?) to my legs. But, you see, I work in a building with a television station and we have a makeup room! A room where I keep not just makeup but hair stuff and... static cling spray. Also a lint brush and lots of stuff left over from my three years here as a TV reporter. My plan to sneak in there and spray myself down on the sly is foiled, though, when I round the corner and see the cocktail reception is happening right outside the makeup room. There are dozens of people eating and chatting and blocking my path. Then, Jamie Boll from Channel 3 sees me lurking and asks, "Miss, are you looking for the bathroom?" I guess I look a little different from my usual morning appearance. I assure Jamie I'm not a stalker and follow him into the makeup room. A quick spritz and I'm all set. It really was a great night for WBT. You can click here to see some pictures and to learn more about the incredible history of this radio station. I'm so proud to be a small part of it. Maybe by the 90th anniversary I'll get my act together. Somehow I doubt it!

A Moving Target

2007-04-09T06:05:00.000-04:00

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.

My Heroes

2007-03-30T06:09:00.000-04:00

When we found out our not-yet-two year old son had Type I Diabetes, I thought of one family. I had profiled the McFeeleys on Health Headlines: The Show here at NewsTalk 1110. Patrick & Shauna talked about their twin daughters who have Type I. The girls are 11 now, diagnosed at ages 1 and 2. As you can imagine, they are incredibly passionate about this issue. Pat headed up the local chapter of JDRF for several years, Shauna is still on the board of directors. When we got home from the hospital, I immediately got in touch with Pat. He and Shauna met with us to commiserate and to look ahead. They let me cry and made us laugh. Our family has a lot to learn about diabetes, but the McFeeleys started us on our path with hope, resolve and their incredible energy. They're still very active with JDRF and so, here's the point. The Walk to Cure Diabetes is JDRF's biggest fundraiser. It happens April 21st. We'll likely have a family team next year, but we wanted to sort of just dip a toe in the water this time around. The McFeeley family has been kind enough to invite us to join their crew. Please consider clicking here to see their webpage. You can contribute to the walk or just learn more about the local JDRF. To see where the money goes, and JDRF has an excellent reputation, check out the International Foundation's 2006 Annual Report. Notice the good looking family on the left side of the front page. Pat, Shauna, Ashley, Amanda & Maddie McFeeley. Thanks for all that you've done. It's already made a big difference for families like mine.

Tee It Up

2007-03-27T07:29:00.000-04:00

I love golf. Yes, it takes too much time and it's ridiculously expensive. But it's the best. I will always regret not taking my dad up on his repeated offers to take me out to play when I was a kid. I didn't pick up a club until the summer after I graduated from college. Good thing, because I met my future husband three years later and Slade's passion (besides me!) is golf. As a member of the media, I get invited to play in some fun tournaments. This week, Al, Jim & I played in the Wachovia Championship Media Day. The PGA event Wachovia is held at Quail Hollow Golf Club - a beautiful private course we normally couldn't play. But once a year they invite members of the media to come out and hack around. The Wachovia is a relatively new event on the PGA Tour, so they're very welcoming of the media. In fact, the first year, they gave us pretty much full access to Quail Hollow Club. That meant I got to see the men's locker room. Don't get too excited - it was empty. But men's locker rooms at these clubs are funny. They're huge, first of all, and most have a place to play cards or have a cocktail. The older ones especially have sort of an escape for the guys. Sometimes they call it a men's grill. Quail Hollow is no exception. The locker room is beautiful. It has a full bar with an attendant and a great place to play cards or just hang out and watch TV. The women's locker room is very nice, but of course, not the same. And that's the crummy part of golf. It is still very sexist. A few clubs still have limits on when women can play and some men cringe when a girl walks up to be part of the group. The best way I can think of to handle that, though, is to smack my drive past the guys. Very satisfying. So what's it like to play with Al & Jim? Al Gardner is the most affirming player you'll ever meet. I'm a 24 handicap (long off the tee, inconsistent everywhere else!) and he makes me feel like Annika Sorenstam. That can backfire, though. I played in a women's tournament last year and I won my flight. Another women cornered me and basically accused me of cheating! The way we talk about my game, she thought I was a much better player and should have been in a different flight. Oops. Jim Szoke makes you laugh so hard you can't swing a club. I can't repeat most of what he says, though. This is a family blog. We played with another women who works here, behind the scenes. Nancy was our best player by far. She volunteers at the tournament every year and gave us a running commentary of golfer and fan behavior. Last year was the first I played regularly again since having children. This year, I'm going to try to get my handicap down below 20. I play that women's tournament again in August. Maybe this year I can live up to my billing!

You can help

2007-03-22T06:33:00.000-04:00

Want to take a quick minute to mention a few events coming up. These are ways you can help the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The Walk to Cure Diabetes happens April 21st with three locations in the Charlotte area. My family will participate in the one at Carowinds. We don't have our own "walk team" this year, we're just planning to go and see what it's all about. I'm already thinking about what to call our team next time around, though. A friend suggested Benny's Brigade. Also coming up, Keith Larson's Ride for the Kids. That's April 28th. This centers around a motorcycle ride, of course, but you don't have to ride to take part. You can show up at Matthew's Fun Machines around 1pm for the music & food. Keith is splitting the proceeds between JDRF and the Ross Minor Fund. Keith, of course, is my co-worker here at WBT and he's a mensch. Despite what you've heard. We're going... Slade wants to ride - he owned a motorcycle years before we met. We'll see. I'll definitely bring Lea & Benny to the lunch and after stuff. One more - just to mark your calendar. June 11th is the JDRF golf tournament at the Club at Longview. I've played in this for the past 4 years and it's always a great time. Longview is a beautiful course and Panther's Coach John Fox is the celebrity chair again this year. He's a lot of fun and usually brings some players along with him. You can sign up now as a sponsor or a player. Hope to see you at one or all of these!

Dreaming of Sleep

2007-03-19T07:50:00.000-04:00

I've been talking about sleep quite a bit recently, and it seems I've touched a nerve. Two sets of numbers came out that got my attention. First, the National Sleep Foundation reported that more than half of women between the ages of 18 and 64 sleep well only a few nights a week. Then, The National Association of Home Builders said that by 2015 60% of all custom homes will have his-and-hers master bedrooms. I have crazy sleep habits, but I work crazy hours. My alarm goes off at 3:30am. I usually hit snooze and then my back up alarm goes off. I keep it next to my bathroom sink - that way I have to get out of bed to turn it off. I've spent most of my adult life working mornings, in television and now radio. I don't think you ever truly adjust - the human body is not made to get up before 6am. I don't get a lot of sleep, but I usually sleep well once my head hits the pillow. As for that story about sleeping separately.. my husband and I often work opposite shifts and with small children, you never know who's going to be up and about. So, yes, we sometimes sleep apart. But I can't imagine making it a formal setup. (I like the idea of separate bathrooms, though!) I spoke recently to the Charlotte Newcomers Club. During the lunch one woman mentioned she'd heard one of my health reports on sleep drugs. The one where the FDA will put stronger warnings on sleep medicines like Ambien and Lunesta. I was at a table with 7 other women - 5 of them had tried one of the medicines and all of them had some type of sleep problem. What's going on here? Is it stress? One woman talked about how men can just turn off the worry at bedtime, but that women never stop. I think that makes some sense. The Sleep Foundation survey talked about how stay at home moms actually sleep worse than working moms. I wonder about the pressure those moms feel to make everything perfect. When you work, you sort of have to let go of that pursuit of perfection. The laundry can pile up a little, you eat mac and cheese for dinner once in a while, the mail sits around for a bit and you realize the world won't end. I think my friends who stay home feel a lot more pressure to make the beds and white-glove the dust. So what to do? I can't say I have answers. I did find this - a $50,000 mattress! No joke. The Swedish manufacturer says the "ultra luxe" Vividus mattress is worth the cost. If you have 50 thousand dollars to spend on a mattress, call me. I'm sure we can figure something out!

"He came in with the thumb"

2007-03-14T05:37:00.000-04:00

Well, we had our first emergency room visit with one of kids yesterday. Benny got his thumb smashed in a door and we were pretty sure he needed stitches. I was at work when it happened - Slade took Benny to Presbyterian Hospital in Huntersville and I met them there. Luckily, it was a short drive (about 15 minutes) and Slade was able to reassure me it wasn't that bad before I got there. In fact, Benny ate lunch in the car on the way to the ER. So I thought I was pretty calm, but when I walked into the ER waiting room, I said to the women behind the counter, "I'm looking for my husband and my son. He came in with the thumb." Then, my nervous sense of humor kicked in and I added, "I assume he'll be leaving with it." Hysterical. When I got there, Benny was lying in a hospital bed watching Teletubbies. He had a big bandage on his thumb, but otherwise looked just fine. He did look very, very small to me. Slade had checked his blood sugar and we decided not to give him any insulin even though he'd eaten lunch. In our (brief) experience with diabetes, stress can cause blood sugar to drop and I thought seeing a doctor sew up his thumb would be pretty stressful for our little guy. A big, big thank you to John Murphy, the physician's assistant who did the deed, and to nurses Tracey and Shellie who had the unpleasant task of making sure Benny stayed still during. They kept telling me he was doing great, even though he looked to me like he was about to freak out (me too!). After the stitches were in, Shelli showed me the "papoose" they sometimes have to use to hold little kids still. I'm glad he didn't have to be restricted like that, but I can see how it happens. His blood sugar was pretty steady - it turned out to be a good idea to skip his insulin dose just then. They sent us home with some antibiotics and Benny's thumb wrapped up in a huge green bandage. It's like a Hulk thumb on this little 2-year old hand. They gave us the left-over roll of green bandage; I think they knew Benny would like playing with it. It came in handy later when Lea told us she needed a bandage too (of course!). So we're doing okay - the stitches will come out in about a week. Slade said he could do it himself. I'm sure he could. My husband is the youngest of five boys and his parents thought duct tape made a pretty good bandage. Even so, I'll be calling our pediatrician today to make that appointment.

Benny's big sister

2007-03-08T07:26:00.000-05:00

My daughter has started playing "hospital." Lea is 5 and at bedtime lately, she wants to pretend she's been treated for a mysterious illness. It's always something that requires an overnight stay (but never a shot!). It's easy to see much of this comes from the 3 days back in December when our son, Benny, was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. Slade and I took turns spending nights with him at Carolinas Medical Center. I've been so impressed with how well Lea has handled our new routines, but I'm sort of waiting for the backlash. We've always monitored out kids' diets pretty closely - I never kept chips or juice around. Now, though, we've gone from eating almost whatever we want, whenever we want, to measuring and counting every single thing Benny eats and restricting even more when we have "treaty" snacks like fruit roll ups and cookies. Since we count carbs for Benny, for a while were even afraid to give him fruit. We've come to our senses, thank goodness. How can you teach a 2-year old that an apple or a banana is a treat to be restricted along with chocolate or sweets? Benny has decided that cantaloupe is his favorite right now (only 2 carbs per ounce! whoo-hoo!). I'm trying to get him to call it "lope." He calls it "soup." But, see, even here when I started out talking about Lea, I came right back to Benny. And that's what worries me. I think we have to acknowledge and accept that he will get more of our attention, but also convey to her that she has our undivided support and of, course, our unconditional love. The New York Times has an interesting article this week about children affected by their sibling's experience with illness. I'm struck by the support these kids, including mine, give their brothers and sisters. Lea loves to help out. She helps us take Benny's blood sugar and draw up his insulin. She doesn't understand why I won't let her give her brother the actual shot, though. And she's very good at letting us know if Benny eats something when we're not looking! I know it's important to reinforce the idea that our family is a team in dealing with this. So I was excited to hear about Charlotte Parent's Art Contest. They're asking kids to submit a piece of artwork to be considered for the art collection at the new Levine Children's Hospital. It's open to kids ages 5 through 18 and there are a few rules you have to follow. Click here for more information. I'm going to tell Lea about it this weekend. She loves to draw and I think it'll be a fun way for her to express her feelings about the hospital. It also seems like a nice way to send sort of a thank you to the wonderful people who gave Benny such great care.

Ketones

2007-02-28T10:19:00.000-05:00

Now that we're sort of comfortable in our diabetes routine, life threw us a curve. It was a small, but messy one: a stomach bug that's going around. It was the first time since Benny's diagnosis of Type I Diabetes that we had to deal with a "regular" illness. I'll spare you the details; let's just say we were very worried about Benny becoming dehydrated and since he wasn't eating much, also about giving him insulin. When a diabetic kid has a sick day, you have to check for something called "ketones." Ketones occur when you don't have enough insulin; your body starts to break down fat for energy and acids build up in your blood. If you don't catch it it can lead to Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) which, if not treated quickly, can lead to coma or even death. Pretty scary stuff, but that's why you have to keep on top of it and check for the ketones early, before they build up. The test is simple (but be warned, I'm going to talk pretty frankly about some bathroom stuff here and throughout the rest of this post). You have your child pee on a test strip or you can collect the child's urine and dip the end of the stick into the "sample." Then you check the colors in the end of the test strip to a color chart to determine how severe or "large" the ketones are. Here's a great link for a more complete explaination, including one of blood testing for ketones: http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/d_0n_030.htm Once again, though, we find a simple test is anything but when you're dealing with a two year old. Benny is close to potty-trained, but still in diapers. So how do you get him to pee on a stick? When we were in the hospital, during his diagnosis, they checked him for ketones by putting cotton balls in his diaper and then squeezing the cotton balls out(!) onto the test strips. He thought that was very funny. I probably shouldn't write this, but after three days of that, he started pointing to his diaper when we changed him, saying "balls!" So I tried it at home. First time around, he pooped. So much for those cotton balls. That's when I realized I was out. Who runs out of cotton balls? I checked every bathroom, every closet - nothing. So what to do? Diapers are way too absorbent now to release any fluid (gross, but I tried). I asked Benny every half an hour if he wanted to go. No, no, no. Finally, at bath time, success! And even better - no ketones! The test was negative. The problem? Benny thought peeing in a cup was so much fun, he wants to do it all the time!

The Envelope, Please

2007-02-23T07:48:00.000-05:00

I love the Oscars. I go to fewer movies these days than ever before; having two little kids will do that to you. I think I saw three movies last year and none of them were close to being academy award nominees. (X-Men, The Prestige and something else. Seriously. That's what I saw.) I haven't watched the Oscars in years, but, like you, I can probably guess who will win Sunday night, just based on buzz. Here are my picks: Best actor: Forest Whitaker Best actress: Helen Mirren Best picture: Babel Best director: Martin Scorsese Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson My one upset pick is Babel. The buzz on Little Miss Sunshine is great, but I think the Academy voters like to be seen as too, too sophisticated. LMS may be endearing, but Babel seems darker and that's why I'm going with it. I don't really care about the nominated movies, but I do love to see the fashions. I know, I'm pathetic. I'm embarrassed to tell you how well I did on this Oscar dress quiz from the Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/features/award-show-central/academy-awards/2007/oscar_dress_quiz.html I got 11 out of 12 right. (and I was cheated on #12 - Cate Blanchett in yellow? Please.) I do have a soft spot in my heart for the Oscar broadcast, though. Because it goes so late, local newscasts will often put a sub in so their A-team newscasters can get the night off. 13 years ago at WUTR in Utica, NY, that sub was me. I did everything, including weather and sports. I've destroyed all tapes of that broadcast though, so don't ask.

My Saturday Night

2007-02-19T07:57:00.000-05:00

There are times when you're sort of forced to put things in perspective. Saturday night was one of those times for me and my husband, Slade.

Our plans were for dinner and a show. I love musicals and Slade bought tickets a while back for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. We decided to eat uptown at Harry & Jean's - I'd sampled their food during Taste of Charlotte last year and have been meaning to go back since then.

Great meal, nice atmosphere and I asked our waiter to have a manager stop by our table. I wanted to complement him and talk about the Taste of Charlotte. But when the manager came over, I was surprised to find it was Roger Polsky.

Name doesn't ring a bell? Roger is married to Melissa Greer, the meteorologist at WBTV who's been fighting an extremely rare form of cancer, found only because she was having symptoms during pregnancy. The baby was born in an Iowa hospital, one of the few in this country that's treated Melissa's type of cancer. The baby is doing well, even after the chemotherapy Melissa had while pregnant. Melissa had 12 hours of surgery; she's been released from the hospital but will stay in Iowa until the baby can come home too. There's a lot more to the story and you can read about it at http://www.wbtv.com/.

Roger sat down with us for a while. We'd never met before, but I used to work at WBTV and I work just down the hall now. I found out he didn't even realize Melissa was on TV until after they started dating. He's not a spotlight-seeking kind of guy, but he couldn't have been more appreciative of the prayers, good wishes and donations that have come in.

There's still a long road ahead for Roger & Melissa. Getting everyone back home together. Then they'll probably go to Europe for more treatment.

We had talked for so long that we were late for the show. It didn't really matter. As we walked along the few blocks of Tryon Street to the Belk Theatre we didn't have much to say. Slade held out his hand and I took it.

Join Us For Lunch - An Invitation

2007-02-14T07:50:00.000-05:00

NewsTalk 1110 WBT is hosting a lunch later this month at The Palm. It's going to be a great event, to benefit the USO. You can get all the information and sign up at http://www.wbt.com/custom/lunch.cfm. What do you get for your $50? Well, you help the USO - an amazing organization. From their website: The USO is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide morale, welfare and recreation-type services to our men and women in uniform. The original intent of Congress — and enduring style of USO delivery — is to represent the American people by extending a touch of home to the military. You'll also have an awesome lunch at The Palm. I don't yet know what's on the menu, but of course the steaks, the lobsters are all unreal. My favorite appetizer: the Monday Night Salad. Seriously, order it next time and tell me I'm wrong. And, of course, you get to meet us. All of us from WBT. I'll be there, Al Gardner and Jim Szoke. Keith Larson & John Hancock. Jeff Katz, Tara Servatius, Charles Jenkin, Don Russell. We've each got our own table and we'll play host to you. So come join us February 24th for a great time. You know the food will be incredible and if you sit at my table I'll make sure we get to the buffet before Al!

Highs and Lows

2007-02-08T06:20:00.000-05:00

One of the keys to managing diabetes is checking blood sugar levels. As I've explained before here, it's usually done by pricking a finger then using a test strip and a meter to get a number. There's usually a range of blood sugar levels your doctor gives that's right for you. Too high and you need more insulin. Too low and you need more glucose, or sugar. Very simple explanation of a fairly complicated matter. You can see what a meter looks like and how you check glucose levels in a pretty good presentation at Medline Plus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/presentations/100220_1.htm In the short term, it's much more dangerous to be low than to be high. Low blood sugar means your brain is deprived of glucose. Symptoms start out with trembling and sweating and at dangerous levels can result in seizures or coma or even death. High blood sugar is more dangerous over a long period of time; it can lead to eye, kidney, nerve and blood vessel damage. Our job, as parents of a two year old with diabetes, is to keep Benny as close to a blood sugar level of 80 to 150 as we can. We check about 6 times a day. My five year old, Lea, treats the meter like it's part of game show. Once you put the test strip in, it counts down from five and she's always rooting for a good number (no whammies!!). So far, I think we've done pretty well, but there have been two instances that stand out. The very first came less than a month after Benny's diagnosis. We were on a long-planned vacation, at my parents' house in Florida. Along with my sister and her kids, we went to a sort of indoor amusement park. Benny had eaten a relatively normal lunch and it was already past nap time. We were thinking about hitting the road, when Slade noticed Benny, while still running around and having fun, seemed slightly uncoordinated. He was getting sort of clumsy. We scooped him up and took him to a quiet place to check his blood sugar. As I was holding him, he kept falling asleep. Since it was way past nap time, I wasn't that worried. Well, after we checked him, you bet I was scared. His blood sugar was at 32. He wasn't trying to sleep - he was about to pass out! Luckily, he was lucid enough to suck down a quick juice box, which we always carry. Slade ran to a nearby snack stand and threw a 10-dollar bill at the guy for another bottle of juice. (He gave us the change later. Thanks!). Meantime, I had coaxed Benny into eating a fruit snack, which we also always carry, and he was coming around. By the time we got into the parking lot he was back up to a safe 95 and half an hour later he was chatting away, eating chicken nuggets and happy as could be. It took me two days and several conversations with our doctor to calm down! The second incident was yesterday. Benny woke up for his afternoon nap sweaty and pale. He was happy to see me but put his head right down on my shoulder when I picked him up. We always check him after a nap and the magic number was.... 54. He's been that low before, but usually 4 ounces of apple juice (15 carbs) is enough to bring him right back up, in about 5 minutes (we follow that with another 15 carb/protein snack, like peanut butter crackers). This time, it took a longer and it was pretty scary. That pale, shaky appearance lasted almost half an hour. In fact, I gave him some more sugar (sweet-tarts, a favorite) just in case. Of course, then a while later, his sugar was through the roof with one of the highest readings we've had in a while. We gave him a reasonable amount of insulin, a good dinner and lots of water (that helps). His next set of numbers were great. What amazes me is how good he seems to feel after just a little bit of sugar or a little bit of insulin. 15 grams of carbohydrate isn't really that much and you should see the teeny units of insulin, it's really just a couple of drops (granted, Benny only weighs 30 pounds). We're also in what's called the honeymoon period of diabetes, when Benny's pancreas still has 15-20% function. We don't know how long that will last; it could be weeks or maybe even a year or two. We're told the end of the "honeymoon" won't really mean a change in how we check or treat Benny, though. We'll still be watching that little countdown, cheering for a winning number.

Dude, Where's My Coffee?

2007-02-05T06:11:00.000-05:00

I've held my tongue so far, but this is an outrage! For the second time in two weeks, WBT - in fact, all of One Julian Price Place - is out of Morning Blend. Oh sure, I could settle for Colombian or Mocha French, but the smooth, familiar Morning Blend is nowhere to be found. Yes, we've got a coffee situation. But let me back up and explain how it works around here. We've got a little kitchen sort of room like a lot of offices have. There's a nifty coffee pod brewer, which makes a fresh cup each time. You just pop in the pod, press the button and enjoy a tasty cup of coffee. There are boxes and boxes of these pods stacked on shelves. Lots of decaf (why?) but no Morning Blend today. Again. I've worked a lot of TV & radio stations where people seem to drink coffee by the gallon. I've always felt lucky that I never started smoking, but I did develop a pretty serious coffee habit. Just milk, no sugar. I'll settle for that fake powdered creamer when I have to. And no, I don't want to know what's in that, thanks. Usually, radio station coffee is the burnt kind that's been sitting around all day. We definitely have a good thing here. Except when we don't. If you drink coffee (real coffee.. not frappa-venti-chocolate-milk), you know it must be taken seriously. Make fun if you like, but a quick poll of my co-workers speaks volumes. Al Gardner likes Douwe Egbert coffee made in a Senseo coffee maker. He says only the Senseo gets the water hot enough to bring out the full flavor of the Douwe. Keith has the Crossroads coffee house in Waxhaw which, along with giving him a place to go on Saturday mornings, also apparently gives him his own supply of paper coffee cups (how many germs are on the lid after a morning?). Hancock get exotic and votes for Ethiopian or Jamaican Blue Mountain and points me to Dilworth Coffee Company. Jeff Katz prefers Gevalia cinnamon hazelnut (half regular and half decaf) preferably with a french press (are you kidding?). Charles Jenkin likes the Starbucks Colombian made at home. Jim Szoke & I both vote for 8 O'Clock Bean. Here at work, I admit, I have no idea who takes care of ordering the coffee. But I will track that person down and beg and plead today. I'm just not the same without my MoBlend. Feb 6 update: A quick investigation reveals the coffee suppy guy comes on Wednesdays. I am assured he will restock the Morning Blend, no forms or signatures required.

Snow Day!

2007-02-01T08:05:00.000-05:00

First snow of the year around here! Actually, first snow in three years. No wonder my daughter got up at 5:45am and wanted to head outside. My husband, who's home in the mornings while I'm at work, convinced her reconsider. At least for a little while. This was the kind of snow you had to get out in quick, though, because it stopped around 9am and then the rain came. The kids didn't care. I got home about 10:30 and they'd already been out and come back in. After lunch, more time out in the snow. By then, though, it was slush. And it was raining. But after two winters with no snow, you couldn't tell kids in my neighborhood no. They were sledding and making snow men and jumping up and down. I grew up not far from New York City. Moved to Syracuse to go to college and stayed up that way for ten years. After all those winters of lake effect snow (115" average a year!) I'm happy about a snow-free winter. But I remember those days as a kid when you'd wake up and listen to the radio, cheering when your school was called off. These days, we don't own a sled or a snow shovel. My kids only have thin wool mittens and low, pretty boots - nothing that's going to hold up in the wet. Lea changed her clothes about four times. But none of that matters when the snow is flying and the hot chocolate is flowing.

Body Piercings

2007-01-26T05:58:00.000-05:00

Two year old Benny has started checking his own blood sugar. Every parent is proud of their kids' milestones, I just didn't expect my son's to include piercing his own skin. At least not before he became a teenager. Blood sugar testing is one of the main tools in treating Juvenile Diabetes. Briefly, you use a automatic lancing device - it looks like a pen and has a small needle inside - to poke a hole in the skin. Usually, you'll stick the finger tip, but some newer models can test the palm, arms or other areas. Touch the drop of blood to a test strip and the monitor gives you the blood sugar number. The number tells you what you need to do next - too low and the child needs some form of sugar, fast. Too high and more insulin is needed (this is a very rough explanation). We do this test at least six times a day. Benny has decided he can do this himself. He unzips the case, loads the test strip, puts the pen next to his finger and presses the button. Of course, since he's two it doesn't go very smoothly but we do get it done and I like that he's enthusiastically involved in something so important to his care. The insulin injections? Not so much. Benny gets 4 to 5 shots every day. It's a small needle but it's still no fun. You don't need to any special medical training to give these shots - they just go right under the skin and you usually give them in the back of the arm, the back upper thigh or in the tush. We were pleasantly surprised how agreeable Benny was to the shots for the first few weeks, but that's over now. The books tell you to give the child a choice of sites, to give him some control. Yeah right. Benny's choice is always, "No." Or he lets me rub the alcohol wipe on the site then says, "all done!" and runs away. For the past week or so I've had to actually hold him down to give him the shots. Luckily, I've gotten good enough at it that it doesn't take very long. It doesn't seem to hurt much; he doesn't cry or act upset after the shots. In fact, he usually jumps up and laughs, gives me a kiss and goes back to whatever he's been doing. It's the moments before the shots that are giving us fits. Listen, I know this could be a lot worse. I'm not looking for pity. I just want to find ways to keep a sense of humor and bring Benny up with one as well. I don't think I'm going to have to work very hard on him for that - he immediately realized he could gross out his big sister by showing her the blood on his finger after the sugar check. Then, he learned that if he kept squeezing his finger, he could "finger-paint" on my walls!

Lunch with Al

2007-01-24T05:24:00.000-05:00

When you work with Al Gardner, you get asked two questions again and again. Is he really that optimistic? Yep. Does he really eat that much? Yes, again and it is truly something to behold. The Charlotte's Morning News crew had lunch together yesterday, at 131 Main in Huntersville. I love eating with Al because they give him a menu and he says, "Why, yes, thanks." We had something like four appetizers and three desserts. Al was eating light so he only had a club sandwich. Only. It just about draped over the plate it was so big. And fries. And half my lunch. I kid you not. (I had the flounder and Jim, Charles, Chris and Larry all got the ribs. They polished theirs off before Al could take a bite.) A while back we all went to the Palm and had these huge, five pound lobsters. We've all given up when Al starts asking about the parts you just don't eat. (Quite educational, actually. I never knew the green stuff is called the tomalley and it's the lobster's digestive system. It's still gross). Jim Szoke got a picture of Al in his lobster bib, but we can't get it out of his phone. Took Al to Rotelli, the restaurant my husband and I own. He ate almost an entire pizza, and garlic rolls and soup and, I think, a philly steak sandwich. He's found the perfect producer in our Charles Jenkin. Charles has his weekend cooking show on WBT and the two of them linger over food news and gaze longingly at restaurant feature spreads. When the network morning shows do their cooking segments at 8:45 each morning, you'd think our studio tv's were turned to the Playboy channel. Here's the rub - with all that eating you'd think Al was a prime candidate for LA Weight Loss. Not so.. he does work out quite a bit, but I think he's just one of those guys with a gift of a good metabolism. He says his two brothers are the same way. One day we'll find they hold the key to some scientific weight loss breakthrough. In the mean time, we stand in awe (and out of the way!) of Al's appetite.

Carbs R Us

2007-01-19T05:39:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Dr. Atkins. Yeah, I know most of you aren't eating heaps of bacon anymore, but the popularity of the Atkins diet has changed the way the big food companies think about carbs. Knowing about carbohydrates is crucial for people with diabetes; it's the food group that has the biggest impact on blood sugar. Simply put, we base our son's insulin dose on how many carbohydrates he's eaten. It's much easier to figure that out now that every packaged food out there has a clear FDA approved label with the carb count right on it. Yes, we try to eat lots of fruits, veggies and proteins (and thankfully my kids will) but if we want a packaged snack, like goldfish crackers or pretzels, at least we know what we're getting. Our doctor also gave us a great book - The Calorie King Fat & Carbohydrate Counter - that lists just about every food you can think of, including restaurant food. When we first got Benny's diagnosis, we made what I imagine is a common mistake. We tried to feed him only low-carb foods. You see, every time he has more than 15 carbs, we have to give him a shot. Who wants to stick their kid more than they absolutely have to? So we switched from his normal waffle or cereal breakfast to eggs & sausage. We tried teeny portions of pasta and served big slabs of protein. My husband, Slade, spent two hours in Harris Teeter looking for low-carb snacks (olives? pork rind?). Only one problem: Benny's two. He's not exactly into the whole low-carb thing. And we didn't like the idea of turning our family's diet upside down. My daughter, Lea, is 5 and both kids enjoy pretty good diets for their ages. Couscous is a favorite, they both love chicken, beef and fish, they'll eat loads of Italian food (I'll tell you about our restaurant, Rotelli, another time!). I'd love for my daughter to eat more veggies, but Benny will munch on broccoli, peas or even cauliflower. I won't lie - they also love sweet-tarts, fruit roll ups (what is that? colored plastic?), and my daughter could eat pounds of chocolate. But we try. Anyway, we decided to keep to our regular way of eating and just try to keep snacks to less than 15 carbs - that way he doesn't need an extra shot. Sure, there are exceptions. On his birthday, he had a nice big piece of cake in the middle of the afternoon and sometimes he just wants to eat more than usual. The last thing I want is a hungry toddler; kids need calories and healthy fats to grow. (In fact, a new study shows diabetic toddlers may not be getting enough carbs & calories to keep up with their growth. More in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association) Considering one of Benny's first words was "fruit snack," I think we're doing okay.

The Webcam Never Blinks

2007-01-17T07:12:00.000-05:00

I came back from a four day weekend to find someone new in our studio. New guy doesn't say much, but he won't stop looking at us. It's a webcam hanging from the ceiling in our studio. I have mixed feelings - I got out of television more than four years ago and I love radio. Don't have to pile on the makeup or breathe in the hairspray fumes. Will that change with the webcam there? Check it out at http://www.wbt.com/.

Thank You!

2007-01-12T08:39:00.000-05:00

Where do I start? It must be with thanks.

Thank you to everyone who emailed or called after I shared the news last month that my son's been diagnosed with Type I Diabetes. They used to call it Juvenile Diabetes and it doesn't get more juvenile than Benny. The doctors gave us the news December 2nd, just one month shy of his second birthday. It means his pancreas doesn't work and never will. His body doesn't make insulin and he needs injections to stay alive.

Thank you to the incredible doctors and nurses at Carolinas Medical Center - especially our overnight nurse who is a Type I diabetic herself. I can't tell you how much it meant to me that first night just to meet a successful, healthy, adult living with Type I (and she's a mom! and she's expecting!).

Thanks to our pediatric endocrinologist, Dr. Mark Vanderwel, who made me feel perfectly normal every time I called him with another question. When you've never, ever given a shot and suddenly your two year old needs 4 or 5 a day, trust me there's a lot to ask. He moved! Did he get all the insulin? I pricked my finger (again)! I may have mixed up the long-acting and short acting insulin vials! No wait, I didn't. Will Tylenol make his blood sugar go up? Does running around and falling down laughing, as only a two year old can, bring his blood sugar down? I love Dr. Vanderwel. He's got patience and a sense of humor (he needs both to deal with me) and he's a great doctor.

Thanks to my amazing husband, Slade. When we got home from the hospital, he threw open the cupboards and sprang into action. He set up "diabetes central" with all our supplies, everything organized, in our kitchen. We have a chart now that shows the carb count of all our kids' favorite foods. Pizza goldfish? 15 carbs per 40 fishes. Three cheese tortellini? 33 grams in 19. String cheese? Less than one carb per. Slade's set up a whole system to keep track of Benny's food, blood sugar, his shots. My Excel hero.

Thanks to my friends at WBT who didn't blink when I needed some time off. To Al Gardner who came over to play with Lea & Benny. And only Jim Szoke could make me laugh about the challenge of holiday parties by making it sound as if I threw myself onto the cupcakes like they were grenades.

Thank you to every parent of a child with diabetes who emailed me to tell me that while things will never be the same, we will be okay. Thank you to all the grown-ups, diagnosed with Type I as kids, who shared stories of how far treatment has come.

This blog will be a place to talk about my family's experience with diabetes, but also, I hope, a chance to share a little bit more about myself and about Charlotte’s Morning News. Let me know what you think.