Before I start this post I want to make something very clear. I am not planning on not being around, as far as I know I am 100% healthy, I run several times a week and my diet is ok (ish). I'm not planning on 'checking out' anytime soon. That said with the best will in the world very few people know when their time is up and this got me thinking.....
I will often joke with people that if I was no longer around that my husband would not know what do with regard to his own diagnosis as he doesn't know how to even order his repeat prescription!!! I do it for him. As a mum I never want to think about not being around or any of my four children but what would happen to them if something happened to me? Especially the two with type 1 diabetes. I do all of the ordering of supplies from the pharmacy and the pump supplies from Medtronic. I do most of the set changes on both children (although Victoria can do her own, Samuel is too lazy), I sort out the hospital appointments with The Prof, and in fact go to all of the appointments with the children. I know how to set the pumps up, carb count the meals and work out the insulin doses if needed. Part of this is a control thing for me, I want, no need to feel needed. In reality though, surely I am setting them up to fail. If something were to happen to me tomorrow, what would they do? I know that my dad worries about this all of the time and has spoken to me about it in the past. Obviously he doesn't want anything to happen to me, but he worries constantly about the children ad their health.
How many of you parents have things in place? I keep all of their hospital letters in individual folders, but I really should put all of their information, phone numbers, prescriptions etc together in a folder so that they know what to do.
Its a sobering thought really.
I think when we have a chronic disease, we are especially proactive at maintaining as best we can for our families. It is one of the good parts of chronic disease.
ReplyDelete