She began voicing that she really doesn't want mom or dad hovering. So, I'd sit in the car. Maybe I'd go fill the car up with gas or get a car wash, but for the most part, I'd be just outside if they needed me.
We are becoming braver and she is becoming more responsible. So we have begun making new plans for these activities.
Ally is a Brownie Girl Scout. They meet twice a month for an hour and a half. The plan for her Brownie meeting was simple. Her awesome Girl Scout leader sends me a message letting me know if/what the snack will be each time. This week, the snack was going to be a pre-packaged Rice Krispy Treat, 17 carbs and a Roarin' Water drink pouch, 8 carbs. Ally had checked her sugar before the meeting and her CGM was dead on. So, she would not need to re-check her blood sugar at snack time. I told her to look at her CGM to make sure that she was above 115 and that she wasn't headed down. Then, enter 25 carbs just before eating the snack. We wrote >115 and 25 carbs on a small index card as a reminder.
Great plan.
Only there was a snag. She may be responsible, but she is only 8!
The girls were cleaning up as I arrived an hour and a half later to pick her up. I asked her if she remembered to enter the carbs. She looked at me with a panicked look..."MOM! I entered the carbs, but we never had the snack."
They never had the snack! I checked her pump's bolus history. Sure enough, she had bolused (1 unit of insulin) for the 25 carb snack - 30 minutes earlier! She thought that it was snack time and was trying to be responsible and entered her carbs. The troop got sidetracked and jumped to something else rather than having snack at that time.
I quickly gave her a snack and looked at her CGM. It read 100, no arrows. That could have been a lot worse!
I realize that I was a bit complacent. With her recent independence, and amazing maturity, I had no doubt that she could handle this. And she ALMOST did! For a minute, I forgot that she is still a child. She made a mistake.
Hopefully, we both learned a lesson from this. I know that I did.
I appreciate this post so much. Natalie is 6 right now and reading how much your daughter is doing with her own diabetes care helps me to know what to expect from my daughter as she gets older and takes on more of her care. I don't think you were complacent at all! You caught it within 30 minutes and thankfully all was okay. You and your daughter are doing great!
ReplyDeleteShe's trying to be so responsible. The thing I hate most about diabetes is that it forces our kids to be responsible for things that they shouldn't even have to worry about. Misty, you did fine. Maybe next time you can go over things with the troop leader so she can hover a bit without Ally knowing. That way Ally can still feel responsible, but there's an extra pair of eyes just in case.
ReplyDeletetotally loved this post. My Emma will be 8 in a couple of weeks and is definitely looking for more independance too. :o)
ReplyDeleteShe is awesome! I'm so glad you are letting her fly. She will learn from every experience, even at the ripe old age of 8!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're doing great! I've occasionally done the same when friends are around and there's a lot going on (luckily the Dex has reminded me). Hard to keep track of things - she sounds incredibly responsible!
ReplyDeleteSo much responsibility for such an innocent, young age~ but what a mature, young adult she has to become! She did so well, and unfortunately they probably talked about snack, she put it in, then never got to it, and she was helpless... She is such an amazing child, so beautiful... you've done well, Misty! Don't doubt yourself! :)
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