Tuesday 28 December 2010

Christmas....... It's meant to be relaxing!!!

When you think of christmas, what springs to mind? The season of good will, spending quality time with the family, over indulging with chocolate and yummy food. Eating big breakfasts, a huge Christmas dinner followed by cheese and crackers, and apparently according to some study it has been shown that we eat on average every 23 minutes over the Christmas period!!! That's a lot of eating!
So, let me stop there, if I am honest I thought that this Christmas would be easier. Last year Samuel was on Novo mix 30/70 insulin. We struggled with this for over a year, and it just wasn't working for us, there is not much room for adjustments. However, since changing to MDI using Novo rapid and Lantus things have been much calmer.
So, imagine how we felt when Samuel woke full of excitement on Christmas morning, opening all of his presents that Santa brought, only to discover on testing that his blood sugar level was 25.6!!!!! Not the level that we wanted to start the day with, but sometimes these things just happen and you have to roll with it. So, we gave a correction dose, and because he was so high he didn't feel that he wanted any breakfast. The day carried on without any drama, that was until dinner time.
On any normal day we are quite regimented in the times which the children eat. Breakfast is at 7:30, lunch is at 12:00 and dinner at 5:00. However, during the school holidays and especially Christmas, routine goes out of the window. He didn't want breakfast, and we missed lunch because we were having an early dinner at 3:00. So by the time we arrived at dinner time his blood sugar was 3.9 as I hadn't given him a snack to compensate the missed lunch. We treated, he had his dinner, then I gave him his injection, taking into account that he had dessert. After his dinner no more food passed his lips, yet at bedtime his sugar level was 23.5!!! Once again, we corrected and off to bed he went, only to come down two hours later complaining of feeling unwell.......2.1!!!!!!

Christmas should be a time of not worrying about how much we eat. Who cares if we eat our bodyweight in chocolate, sweets, nuts and cake. Christmas is a time to relax, let our hair down, and not worry if we gain a few pounds, we can join the gym in January and work it off.
But..... That's not the case for us or for Samuel, or for all the other families that have diabetes in their lives. We still have the carb counting, and the insulin ratios.
So, while others are relaxing and taking Christmas off, please spare a thought for us.....diabetes doesn't play by the rules, and it never takes a break, not even for Christmas.

4 comments:

  1. This is so true, I watched my eldest son graze all day and drink full sugar pop without a care in the world..and Emma thought she was having a treat because she had a chocolate off the Christmas tree as a snack!!!

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  2. This was our 1st Christmas dealing with the diabetes. We have really cut down on all the treats. Gone were the kids usual Terry's Chocolate Orange in their stockings, and the tins and tins of Christmas sweets. No selection boxes. Just a few treats here and there, well timed. Plenty of sugar free pop...
    We've found that my daughter has had better levels over Christmas as we have compensated using Novo rapid along with her usual Novomix30. That and playing on the new dancing games on the wii! We're looking to go to a new regime in the New Year though. Then starts the carb counting. No idea how it works, so off to read up on the internet.

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  3. Hi I don't know you, but it feels much like me, suffering from anorexia, it doesn't take a break for xmas, so u find yourself overwhelmed with food, scared you r eating too much and then trying to make sure u eat enough to maintain ur weight. I know they are very different illnesses but the idea of a constant struggle struck a chord with me xx

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  4. Your blog has really struck a chord with me. My dad is 58 and has been diabetic since he was 16 (type 1). My sister was diagnosed when she was 8; my brother when he was 12; and my other brother at 28 (all type 1). My mum is type 2 diabetic. I am the only one in the family who does not have diabetes.

    I can really relate to the grief you talked about in an earlier post as I was living a distance away from home when my sister was diagnosed. My mum talked of the sadness she felt when the first lot of insulin was administered through a drip. The family has had to go through this another two times.

    My dad has felt a tremendous amount of guilt thinking that he has passed the diabetes on genetically, but I don't think this is evidence-based entirely yet.

    I am pleased to say that my siblings and parents manage their diabetes well. There are times when it is beyond their control, and my brother has suffered quite a few hypos where an ambulance has had to be called. All-in-all though I am so proud of them all for getting on with their lifes. They are all so different and don't let their diabetes control their lives.

    It sounds like you and your family are doing a wonderful job. I look forward to following this frank and honest blog.

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