Happy St. Patricks Day

So, today is a Happy St. Patricks Day, but just a few years ago we had not such a happy one. This is Oakley's story:

March 16, 2006 Oakley brought home from school the class pictures that had been taken about 2 weeks earlier. The class picture was perfect, but she also brought home one of those individuals that our photographer always takes as extras that they send home hoping you will buy. In her individual picture I could see that her skirt was wet and questioned my then 5 year old kindergartener about it. She responded after alot of questioning and a few tears that she had peed her pants. I asked why she just didn't ask to go to the bathroom - not only was she terrified of her teacher, but she HAD gone to the bathroom just before they lined up to take the pictures and still - while standing in line peed her pants. So, I start thinking back on the past couple weeks and realize that she has been going to the bathroom an excessive amount. Sometimes 4 times a night - at Wal-Mart we usually went when we arrived, half way through shopping, and on our way out the door. I decided that she had to have a bladder infection.

So, March 17, 2006 (St. Patricks Day) Oakley heads out the door in her cute green shirt for school because she didn't want to miss the party her teacher had planned for the day. I picked her up early from school to take her to the doctor. When I told her teacher I was taking her in for what I thought was a bladder infection her crusty teacher said, "ya, she has been going to the bathroom alot lately." I was like - WELL WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME!! Anyway, in my head I thought that we would run to the doctors and since I left the boys at home with Ryan we would go get some ice cream. The day didn't go at all like I had planned.

I explained to the doctor what I thought she had and they had her pee in a cup. He came back and told me there was sugar in her urine and that we are not suppose to have any sugar in our urine, so he wanted to poke her finger to check her blood sugar level. So after the finger poke he came in and told me that her blood sugar was high enough that their machine wouldn't even read it. So, he wanted to draw blood out of her arm to confirm, but was 100% positive that my sweet little girl had Type 1 diabetes. He told me that he was sending us to the diabetic specalist in town and that they would most likely admit her to the hospital because her blood sugar was so high. At this point I was thinking...okay, we will go to the specialist and he will get her blood sugar under control and we will be back to normal. I had no idea that life would never be the "normal" like we had known ever again.

So, Oakley and I load into the suburban and I call Ryan trying to hold back the tears thinking all along that diabetes is something that OLD people get and that they have to test for weeks for not something they can know in 15 minutes, and wondering what in the world we were going to be dealing with. After arranging to pick up Ryan I call my mom, and of course reality had set in and I can't hold the tears in any longer.

Ryan, Oakley and I arrive at the diabetic specialists and they rush her back to one of their rooms and instantly get an IV started. They start explaining things to us - which was like a brain overload...it is like I heard them but it all went in one ear and out the other. They were talking about this disease that my little girl was going to have for the REST OF HER LIFE and I couldn't handle thinking of that. They continue to pump her full of 2 bags of IV fluid to re-hydrate her and they also draw blood out of the same arm the doctors office drew out of. They then go on to teach us how to give our daughter insulin shots (because it is a friday and we are going to be alone all weekend with this new disease we know nothing about). They ask Ryan if he has ever given a shot. He tells them that he is a rancher and has given lots of shots to his cows. The nurse said, "Oh, you are a pro then." Ryan tells her with tears in his eyes, "But I have never given one to my baby." So Ryan gets to give her a shot first and then they make me give her a shot. Talk about breaking a mom's heart. So, after 6 hours of sitting in the doctors office, 2 blood draws, one IV and multiple finger pricks and shots (Oakley never once crying) we finally load into the car to go home. As we drive away I tell Oakley - "Oh, honey I am sorry this has been such a long day." She responds with, "But not a bad day mom!" In my mind I am wondering what my 5 year old considers a bad day if this wasn't it.

(This is Oakley sporting her new insulin pump at 5 years old. You can see it about pulls her pants down. This was taken just a few days after we got her pump.)

So, it has been 3 years now and after alot of nights crying myself to sleep and alot of education classes we are what I would consider - pretty much professionals - on Type 1 diabetes. Oakley got her insulin pump just 1 1/2 weeks after she was diagnosed and it is similar to an IV in that it has a straw type insertion that goes into her skin and it pumps insulin into her body the way that a healthy pancreas would. We have to change her pump every three days - so one shot every three days is so much better than the 5 or 6 a day we were giving her. It is a long needle though and she still cries sometimes if we accidentally hit a muscle. We count her carbs with her meals and she checks her blood about 6 times a day and is getting to where she knows how many carbs are in some food without my help. We visit her specialist every 3 months to make sure she is growing like she is suppose to. She does very well in school, she takes piano and clogging lessons. If you looked at her lined up with her friends you would never know that she has Type 1 diabetes. She is as happy about life as if she didn't have it. Oakley has asked me many times if there is a chance she will be alive when the Savior comes because she knows that he could heal her from her diabetes. She knows that one day she will not have to have this disease anymore - if not during this life, during the next.

So, today we can say that we are finally getting back to where we think St. Patricks Day is a happy day. We are blessed to live in a time where we have so many ways to keep our beautiful girl strong and healthy. So - HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY everyone!