An Unwelcome Guest: Part 2

Zac spoke the words which I had feared. " I don't feel good." When I found him hanging over the toilet, I knew we were in for an interesting day. If you are the parent of a diabetic, you understand. The outside world and all the small worries or joys of the day cease to exist. Here it comes...... a possible diabetic emergency. My mind and emotions quickly turned to crisis mode, although I remained much calmer this time around than in the past. I guess I am learning.

Even though I knew for sure we would be visiting the hospital, it just seemed prudent to wait until he really needed to go. The only thing that worried me was his blood sugars seemed to be dropping. I had no idea what I would do if they dropped below 100. Zac decided to suspend his pump, thereby temporarily raising his blood sugars.

Our Pediatric Endocrinologist recently left town and we have been seeing an adult Endo. I miss Dr. Simpson. She was awesome. And she told me what to do. She returned my phone calls. This time we were on our own. After some very evasive responses from the nurse and some apparent confusion on the proper process for getting the doctor to call the hospital, I just decided to go on my own. I was able to remember from our last episode with the flu, when Dr. Simpson deemed it necessary for him to go to the E.R. (Moderate keytones and still throwing up small amounts of liquid.)

Memorial Hospital is the best. The nurses in the triage room brought him in right away. I could tell that they knew his case was important. One of the nurses saw my entire brood and asked...."Do you homeschool?" I was a bit stressed out about Zac and also the need to keep the other children quiet, so I answered tentatively..."yes."

She said.... "Oh, that is so wonderful." Then she looked at Gigi and asked...." Is she adopted?"

" Yes. She is from China." Normally, I am more attentive to questions such as these. I either anticipate that I will be criticized for the homeschooling, or I enjoy answering questions about adoption. But I was a little preoccupied.

Then she said...." Are you Catholic?"

"Christian", I replied. Later, I realized that even under stress, God can always use us to witness the difference he has made in our lives to others. Our lives will speak when we cannot. And believe me. I do not feel like I ever bring Him the glory He deserves.

The Doctor on staff decided to keep Zachary overnight because he was still vomiting. I really wanted to stay with him, but felt torn because of the other children at home. It is a good thing I decided to go home. With Matt being at college, and Zac at the hospital, we needed an adult to watch the other children. This is a new experience for us. A dear friend of mine had watched the kids for a few hours so Rob and I could visit with Zac in the hospital. That evening, Gigi had a crying episode. She has sleep disturbances nightly, but she has only had about 10 really distressing episodes. I think maybe having a babysitter triggered some of her attachment fears. Anyway, she woke up crying at 2:00 and it took me a good hour to calm her down.

It was a good thing Zac spent the night in the hospital, because he had large keytones, even with his I.V. that night. I was able to spend the next day with him until he was released at dinnertime. We were very happy to arrive home.

Good Friday

I am grateful for a new friendship in my life. Amy lives down the street from me and she homeschools her sweet, young family. Unfortunate circumstances have strengthened our bond. Her three year old son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in November. There is just something special in having a friend who understands you because of "walking in your shoes."

She recently started a blog and I have discovered a whole new community of Diabetes families through her links. While I have enjoyed reading these blogs, I will say that I prefer to read the blogposts of adoptive families. The love, hope and symbolism of redemption that adoption provides is just so much more uplifting. But I also realize that "All things work together for good to those who love God." Zac's diabetes has a greater purpose in his life and in the life of our family. And there is a special fondness I have for moms and children in diabetic families.

Amy decided to start a "Good Friday" post. The idea is to share three experiences for which you are thankful each week. The only "rule" is that the three cannot include any Diabetes events. I like that. As Amy pointed out, moms of diabetics can get a little bit consumed with "Da Betes", as Zac calls it (you have to say it like.."Da Bears" to be ligit.)

My three from the week:

Zac, Tyler and Abigail played Uno together every free moment this week. There is just something about my kids playing games together that warms my heart.

I had an "aha" moment with God this week. I am a slow learner. Really. I am pathetically slow to apply scripture to my experiences. I struggle and wrestle and complain until I finally assimilate lessons emotionally. It would be difficult to explain it well, but here is what I have learned: " Women who do the will of God (no matter how difficult), will enter into a plane of blessedness known only to the obedient."

My oldest son called with the news that he received a 3.8 GPA for his first semester in college. It isn't so much the achievement that thrills me, as it is a confirmation that I didn't fail him by choosing to homeschool. If you homeschool, you understand the burden the decision carries, especially if you choose to do so through highschool. I'll probably blog about this later.