As you can see in this video, Christopher is doing very well. He looks healthy (he’s gained close to 10 pounds since starting insulin – putting him back in normal weight range) and he is in this kind of happy, goofy mood most of the time.
(the video was taken at a local park using my MacBook Pro)
Well, we are settling into our new reality, and it’s surprising how quickly our definition of “normal” seems to be changing.
The biggest challenge – managing our fear – seems to be in hand. What’s behind that is having a few days experience doing the monitoring, injections, and meal planning. It was overwhelming only a few days ago, but now it’s becoming much easier. The key is being extremely well organized.
Lori took the kids for their first big outing on Thursday – a trip to the water park. Not being present (I was at work), I was more nervous than she was, and drove her pretty much crazy with my coaching (read: paranoid nagging) around how to prepare for the outing. Sidenote: Mark has always been the most easy-going guy on the planet, but not any more – he has become something of a control freak this past 10 days.
We also went to a movie last night (Journey to the Center of the Earth), and had to monitor (a finger-prick blood test) right in the theater.
And we went out for supper (Boston Pizza – Christopher’s favorite) this evening. We had to test and give Christopher’s insulin injection right at our table – we refuse to do these things hidden from public view because we don’t ever want Chris to feel it should be hidden.
All these things really add up to confidence. We’re getting better at it. Of course, it would be nice if Christopher were used to the injections (he still cries a bit), but that will come with time – my guess is it will take another week or two.
Thanks everyone for your support. It means a lot to us.
Where have I been? Why have I not been posting? Those are two fully loaded questions.
As I mentioned in previous posts, I was trying to solve some health problems. I thought I’d figured things out but, it turns out, I didn’t have all the answers – even though I’m closer now.
Frankly, alternating between , “I’m back!” and “I’m not back” became frustrating, tiresome and overly dramatic. Add the fact that the health problems I was having were physically tiring meant that I had little energy for blogging (or much else for that matter).
But, as I would soon find out, my health problems would be the least of what I would have to face. That’s because last Thursday, July 17th, I learned that my six year old son Christopher, has Type 1 Diabetes. Folks, this is as serious as it gets. Christopher was extremely ill and had lost a frightening amount of weight. To clear up any confusion, type 1 diabetes is not lifestyle related – it is the outcome of the body rejecting the cells that create insulin and help the body absorb fuel (sugar).
Christopher is doing well now, but he has a lifetime of insulin injections, and meticulous diet management ahead of him. We’re relieved, but we also have a lot of angst over the road ahead. I’m tired and eagerly anticipating my second wind. I know some people – like Nancy – will relate to my angst.
I’d like to apologize to a lot of people. First, to all the people who help out at CRN. I’ve abandoned you, and I’m truly sorry. Second, I’d like to apologize to those comments I have not responded to. I hope you will understand. Third, I’d like to apologize for all the unanswered emails. My inbox is now at over 1200 unread emails (completerunning is quite demanding). If you’re in there, I’m working on getting to you.
I’d especially like to apologize to my coach and friend Andrew, from Downeast Running. Andrew, I feel I have let you down. I have not responded to two of your emails. I hope you can now understand why, and that I have thought of you often.
I’d like to thank two bloggers for holding things together. Jeanne and Nora, I love you guys. I don’t know what I’d have done without you. Thank you. There are other bloggers I should also mention and thank, but I’ve got little time to write this post. Please know that I appreciate your support. Thank you for hanging in there with me.
I’m not a spammer! Your WONDERFUL, AWESOME Akismet plugin has saved me from thousands of spam comments and untold hours of grief. But now Akismet seems to think I am one of the bad guys and I cannot seem to change its mind.
I’ve tried the other option – I’ve had people mark me as “not spam” but I’m still getting thrown into the spam pit on WordPress.com blogs and even blogs on my own domain!
Thank you. 
