We followed up with the pediatric neurosurgeon yesterday. He's sending Jimmy for an MRI, and on the prescription for it, it actually says "needs anesthesia because he cannot lie still." (Jim and I are so proud, lol!)
The mri is so that they can get a baseline image of the cyst. They'll compare each yearly scan to this original one. He doesn't suspect that it is causing or will cause any problems, but it's there, so it needs to be monitored. He described it as being "rather not large." So in English, that means it's not small. I'll settle for medium I guess. There is slight compression on his brain - but nothing significant at all.
Basically, we wait and see. These cysts can shrink, grow, or stay the same. If it were to grow, and cause problems, then they would consider shunting or draining it. In the meantime, it's not life threatening.
Then on to yesterday - Jim took the kids to see Toy Story 3. On the way in, the escalator wasn't working, so they had to walk up the escalator. Jimmy took one step, and it was a mis-step, and ended up with a decent cut on his shin. Security came, cleaned him up and suggested that perhaps it needed a butterfly or so, but Jimmy wanted to see the movie, so they bandaged him up and headed into in to see it...
When they got home and I got to see it, I thought perhaps that I should throw him in the car and take him to the ER for stitches. I checked with my neighbor (mother of 2 boys) to see what she thought - she agreed with me. When I got the othe ER, I really thought they were going to call Child Protective Services or something - This made 3 ER trips in the last 3 months (2 of which were yesterday and last week!) Thank goodness for witnesses -lol!
Anyway, 5 stitches is what it came down to... Never a dull moment. He's in good spirits - but exhausted since we didn't get home until after 1 a.m.
This morning, it was off to the Endocrinologist for his Juvenile Diabetes 3 month appointment. Everything looks good - The Doctor was pleased with his progress and that he tests his own blood and knows what to do when he feels "low." They feel that we're doing everything right and he's on track. So that's at least some positive news - things are looking up!!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Believe it or not...
Believe it or not, Juvenile Diabetes is on hold at the moment -- no, we can't ever forget about it, but we just found out something else...
Jimmy stopped an aluminum bat in motion with his head today. Blood, ambulance, the whole 9 yards. He never passed out or got sick, but since he has JD, they whisked us away in the ambulance to our home away from home - Hackensack University Medical Center.
After the wound was cleaned up, and stiches were not out of the question, the ER doctor felt that a CAT scan was necessary because of a "divot" where the laceration was. "Dr. Alex" wanted to rule out a skull fracture - can we say, take a deep breath??????
So, after 5 hours in the ER, they were able to rule out any obvious neurological signs, the CAT scan determined no fracture, and stitches were not needed. Good news, right?
Well, maybe the blow to the head happened for a reason - They found an "arachnoid cyst" on Jimmy's brain that is about 6 cm by 2cm long. Usually, these cysts go undetected until symptoms occur (dizziness, loss of balance, headaches, and possibly seizures). Now we know.
Are you kidding me ? This beautiful little boy did not need this. Hasn't he got enough to deal with?
So, it's off to the Pediatric Neuro-surgeon as soon as we can get an appointment.
It's not life threatening. Hopefully something that simply has to be monitored and treated when and if symptoms arise.
On the JD front... Jimmy had his lowest low on Father's day - He came out of my sister's pool and was hungry. So, as usual, he tested himself while I was getting his snack ready. "Hey Mom! I'm a 40." I think the pool makes him low and he can't feel it - I have to check that out, too.
It's after midnight on Tuesday, but actually this all happened on Monday. Because of the blow to the head, they want me to wake him up every few hours. I'm going to go kiss both of my precious children good night.
Thanks to those of you who helped me out today!
Peace,
June
Jimmy stopped an aluminum bat in motion with his head today. Blood, ambulance, the whole 9 yards. He never passed out or got sick, but since he has JD, they whisked us away in the ambulance to our home away from home - Hackensack University Medical Center.
After the wound was cleaned up, and stiches were not out of the question, the ER doctor felt that a CAT scan was necessary because of a "divot" where the laceration was. "Dr. Alex" wanted to rule out a skull fracture - can we say, take a deep breath??????
So, after 5 hours in the ER, they were able to rule out any obvious neurological signs, the CAT scan determined no fracture, and stitches were not needed. Good news, right?
Well, maybe the blow to the head happened for a reason - They found an "arachnoid cyst" on Jimmy's brain that is about 6 cm by 2cm long. Usually, these cysts go undetected until symptoms occur (dizziness, loss of balance, headaches, and possibly seizures). Now we know.
Are you kidding me ? This beautiful little boy did not need this. Hasn't he got enough to deal with?
So, it's off to the Pediatric Neuro-surgeon as soon as we can get an appointment.
It's not life threatening. Hopefully something that simply has to be monitored and treated when and if symptoms arise.
On the JD front... Jimmy had his lowest low on Father's day - He came out of my sister's pool and was hungry. So, as usual, he tested himself while I was getting his snack ready. "Hey Mom! I'm a 40." I think the pool makes him low and he can't feel it - I have to check that out, too.
It's after midnight on Tuesday, but actually this all happened on Monday. Because of the blow to the head, they want me to wake him up every few hours. I'm going to go kiss both of my precious children good night.
Thanks to those of you who helped me out today!
Peace,
June
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Tonight's support group meeting was good.
Learned a lot - and there's a blood glucose meter that has a light on it - which is a huge deal for us since we have no flash lights in the house (Jimmy successfully dismantles all of them - even if they are hidden he finds them, or we forgot where they are...) and we have to turn on the light in the upstairs hallway - which can disturb Jenna, Shortstop, and whichever one of us (me or Jim) is still sleeping - and even with that light on, we still might not be able to see the blood droplet coming from his finger, or read the meter, so we'll have to turn his night stand light on - which will make him cringe in his sleep since he's so light sensitive - so, pray that my insurance will cover this new meter & test strips...
Turns out that Blue Cross Blue Sheild didn't get the "freestyle" meter contract - which is why we have the accu-check (which was perfectly fine honestly until we found out that the "freestyle" has a light - and uses less blood, and can check on more than just the fingertips!!!)
So anyway, we have 3 new math problems to do out of our minimum of 6 in our day since Jimmy has entered this "honeymoon phase." I only had to give him 4 insulin shots out of the last 2 days - since his pancreas has woken up and kicked into sputtering mode. Wish me luck with the guess work. I'm less afraid of the highs than I am of the lows!!! The lows are pretty scary.
We met a 5 year old girl at the suport group today who was diagnosed in May - just about the same age and diagnosis date as Jimmy - who is actually A WHOLE INCH TALLER THAN JIMMY!!!!! Woohoo!! Someone else who is "short for a fourth grader" as we say about Jimmy!!!! She, too, starts Kindergarten in September. She actually started the pump yesterday - so say a prayer that we can have success with the pump when we begin, too. We go on the 30th - but not sure if it's waterproof in which case we wait until September - but I'd really like to start asap so we can be on top of it for a couple of months before he enters Kindergarten!!!
On a lighter note, we had a fundraiser at school today - it was one school vs. the other in a softball game in the hopes to raise money for a student who lost a battle with a disease a few years ago. Jimmy was invited to sit on a blanket to watch the game with a friend, so he took off his shoes... Well, everyone wanted to know where his shoes were. He evidently was running around visiting other kids, the "jungle gym", the bathrooms, the water fountain, the give-away table, the food table, the sidelines, etc... WITHOUT SHOES!!! Hope colleagues don't think I'm a bad mom!!! Good luck to his kindergarten teacher!!!
In addition to Sunday's low (a 47...), we had one low today - I had to cut the line to ask for a soda (and I had to buy now-pay later- luckily, they let me!!!) He wasn't too low, but luckily,I got it, and he perked right up in his filthy socks!!! lol!!!
Ok, enough for now - I'm going to read a bit (thanks for the JD book, Julie - it's riviting), and go to sleep (maybe)...
Peace,
June
Learned a lot - and there's a blood glucose meter that has a light on it - which is a huge deal for us since we have no flash lights in the house (Jimmy successfully dismantles all of them - even if they are hidden he finds them, or we forgot where they are...) and we have to turn on the light in the upstairs hallway - which can disturb Jenna, Shortstop, and whichever one of us (me or Jim) is still sleeping - and even with that light on, we still might not be able to see the blood droplet coming from his finger, or read the meter, so we'll have to turn his night stand light on - which will make him cringe in his sleep since he's so light sensitive - so, pray that my insurance will cover this new meter & test strips...
Turns out that Blue Cross Blue Sheild didn't get the "freestyle" meter contract - which is why we have the accu-check (which was perfectly fine honestly until we found out that the "freestyle" has a light - and uses less blood, and can check on more than just the fingertips!!!)
So anyway, we have 3 new math problems to do out of our minimum of 6 in our day since Jimmy has entered this "honeymoon phase." I only had to give him 4 insulin shots out of the last 2 days - since his pancreas has woken up and kicked into sputtering mode. Wish me luck with the guess work. I'm less afraid of the highs than I am of the lows!!! The lows are pretty scary.
We met a 5 year old girl at the suport group today who was diagnosed in May - just about the same age and diagnosis date as Jimmy - who is actually A WHOLE INCH TALLER THAN JIMMY!!!!! Woohoo!! Someone else who is "short for a fourth grader" as we say about Jimmy!!!! She, too, starts Kindergarten in September. She actually started the pump yesterday - so say a prayer that we can have success with the pump when we begin, too. We go on the 30th - but not sure if it's waterproof in which case we wait until September - but I'd really like to start asap so we can be on top of it for a couple of months before he enters Kindergarten!!!
On a lighter note, we had a fundraiser at school today - it was one school vs. the other in a softball game in the hopes to raise money for a student who lost a battle with a disease a few years ago. Jimmy was invited to sit on a blanket to watch the game with a friend, so he took off his shoes... Well, everyone wanted to know where his shoes were. He evidently was running around visiting other kids, the "jungle gym", the bathrooms, the water fountain, the give-away table, the food table, the sidelines, etc... WITHOUT SHOES!!! Hope colleagues don't think I'm a bad mom!!! Good luck to his kindergarten teacher!!!
In addition to Sunday's low (a 47...), we had one low today - I had to cut the line to ask for a soda (and I had to buy now-pay later- luckily, they let me!!!) He wasn't too low, but luckily,I got it, and he perked right up in his filthy socks!!! lol!!!
Ok, enough for now - I'm going to read a bit (thanks for the JD book, Julie - it's riviting), and go to sleep (maybe)...
Peace,
June
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
"Hey Mom, I think I'm low!"
So he tells me he wants an ice pop, so I told him to get his "tester" to test himself. (So proud of him that he takes charge and tests himself now!!!) Then he decides to play a little more first. "Not a problem," I told him, "Just test yourself when you're ready to eat one." "K mom!" he yells as his voice trails off while running to play outside.
So, there I am 20 minutes or so later outside chatting with neighbors when I guess Jimmy wanted the ice pop, tested himself and said quite casually, "Hey Mom, I think I'm low." Just like that!!!!! - just as if he was tellig me that the sky was blue or the grass was green - - I've got sirens and alarms going off in my head, and he's not got a care in the world... Maybe he was wrong - I was certain he read the meter upside down. He told me that he was a 61. I was sure that he meant a 91 - he couldn't be a 61!!! Right???
Well, he was!!! Yikes!!! Quick - get the juice!!! All he was concerned about was that he still be able to eat the ice pop (which are only 5 carbs each - not enough to bring his blood glucose number up...) Poor kid.
He has been so good about it all lately, but he seems to be getting "tired" of the shots and gives me such a hard in the mornings now... I might look into a "numbing" lotion to see if that could be a solution. I'll keep you posted.
Peace,
June
So, there I am 20 minutes or so later outside chatting with neighbors when I guess Jimmy wanted the ice pop, tested himself and said quite casually, "Hey Mom, I think I'm low." Just like that!!!!! - just as if he was tellig me that the sky was blue or the grass was green - - I've got sirens and alarms going off in my head, and he's not got a care in the world... Maybe he was wrong - I was certain he read the meter upside down. He told me that he was a 61. I was sure that he meant a 91 - he couldn't be a 61!!! Right???
Well, he was!!! Yikes!!! Quick - get the juice!!! All he was concerned about was that he still be able to eat the ice pop (which are only 5 carbs each - not enough to bring his blood glucose number up...) Poor kid.
He has been so good about it all lately, but he seems to be getting "tired" of the shots and gives me such a hard in the mornings now... I might look into a "numbing" lotion to see if that could be a solution. I'll keep you posted.
Peace,
June
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Skittles at 4 a.m.
We had skittles at 4a.m. this morning... Evidently the cvs emergency glucose gel is gross!!! We tried it and he cried that it made his mouth itchy (code for he won't eat it) He was too lethargic to drink juice, so we ran to get our emergency bag of skittles...
Let me back up to midnight -- he was at a 200, so I was confident he'd be fine for the night... I found out he was low when a car drove by my house (we live on a dead end, so rarely does a car come down in the middle of the night). It woke me up when everyone's sensor light went on, so I had to get up and check that all was good on the block...Thank goodness I got up! That's when I heard him do a strange snore type sound... I went in to check, and his eyes were a sliver open - quite eerie. I checked his blood and thought I had the meter upside down when it read 60.
So, he refused the gel, wouldn't drink the juice, but somehow got up enough energy to munch on some skittles. Nothing better than candy in the middle of the night when you're too tired to brush your teeth!!!!!
It's 9a.m. now and he's at a 144 still sound asleep!
Still wondering why that car drove down my block... It wasn't the newspaper delivery person, since no one had their papers when I looked out. Was it Jimmy's guardian angel trying to wake me up to tend to him? My kids do have a few of them up there, I'm sure!
Peace,
June
Let me back up to midnight -- he was at a 200, so I was confident he'd be fine for the night... I found out he was low when a car drove by my house (we live on a dead end, so rarely does a car come down in the middle of the night). It woke me up when everyone's sensor light went on, so I had to get up and check that all was good on the block...Thank goodness I got up! That's when I heard him do a strange snore type sound... I went in to check, and his eyes were a sliver open - quite eerie. I checked his blood and thought I had the meter upside down when it read 60.
So, he refused the gel, wouldn't drink the juice, but somehow got up enough energy to munch on some skittles. Nothing better than candy in the middle of the night when you're too tired to brush your teeth!!!!!
It's 9a.m. now and he's at a 144 still sound asleep!
Still wondering why that car drove down my block... It wasn't the newspaper delivery person, since no one had their papers when I looked out. Was it Jimmy's guardian angel trying to wake me up to tend to him? My kids do have a few of them up there, I'm sure!
Peace,
June
Friday, May 7, 2010
A Poem
Found the most beautiful poem from "Doug" on a website called Diabetes Poetry Room. I just think of Jimmy in place of the little girl... It's called:
My Angel
I tucked her in bed asking "How could this be?"
My beautiful daughter has come down with 'D'.
I kept asking myself "Why, what did she do?"
My sweet little girl had just turned age 2.
As she lay there asleep in her little soft bed,
I offered all that I could to have her 'D' instead.
So young and so small, and so full of life,
It's not fair that this happened to my little one's life.
At night I'm alone, my thoughts are on her,
Since 'D' came to stay, our life's been a blur.
I do all that I can to help her understand why,
When I poke her small body, we both start to cry.
Her numbers go low, her numbers go high,
We do everything right, and still I ask "Why?"
Some days it's so hard to just rest for awhile,
Then I realize the gift in my little girl's smile.
I think towards the future, and how she will be,
Will she be happy, will she marry, will she have a baby?
I try not to worry; I give her my best,
When my baby grows up, she will handle the rest.
I do all that I can to relieve all her strife,
She's my baby, my angel; I would give up my life.
I know I have done everything I could try,
But always I wonder "My baby, why?"
It's 20 years later; I stand by the rail,
Tears stream from my eyes as strong hands lift her veil.
My baby is grown, this small one I carried,
I cry deep inside as my baby gets married.
My daughter is grown; she's happy and smart,
She lives life to the fullest, despite the 'D' part.
As they both leave the church, she whispers to me,
I love you so much, we both beat my 'D'.
Gary2000
My Angel
I tucked her in bed asking "How could this be?"
My beautiful daughter has come down with 'D'.
I kept asking myself "Why, what did she do?"
My sweet little girl had just turned age 2.
As she lay there asleep in her little soft bed,
I offered all that I could to have her 'D' instead.
So young and so small, and so full of life,
It's not fair that this happened to my little one's life.
At night I'm alone, my thoughts are on her,
Since 'D' came to stay, our life's been a blur.
I do all that I can to help her understand why,
When I poke her small body, we both start to cry.
Her numbers go low, her numbers go high,
We do everything right, and still I ask "Why?"
Some days it's so hard to just rest for awhile,
Then I realize the gift in my little girl's smile.
I think towards the future, and how she will be,
Will she be happy, will she marry, will she have a baby?
I try not to worry; I give her my best,
When my baby grows up, she will handle the rest.
I do all that I can to relieve all her strife,
She's my baby, my angel; I would give up my life.
I know I have done everything I could try,
But always I wonder "My baby, why?"
It's 20 years later; I stand by the rail,
Tears stream from my eyes as strong hands lift her veil.
My baby is grown, this small one I carried,
I cry deep inside as my baby gets married.
My daughter is grown; she's happy and smart,
She lives life to the fullest, despite the 'D' part.
As they both leave the church, she whispers to me,
I love you so much, we both beat my 'D'.
Gary2000
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Day 29: April 29, 2010
So, I'm putting together a 90th birthday dvd for my mother-in-law, and I got caught up in pictures of my kids as little ones! Boy were they simply adorable and perfect!
They are both still perfect.
Jenna is my beautiful 10 year old, who is bright, funny, conscientious, polite, hard working and has become quite skilled in the art of rolling her eyes at me (LOL!!) She had a spectacular concert tonight at school - both in the band and chorus! Jim and I are so proud!
Jimmy learned how to ride a friend's "spark" scooter yesterday! He got his helmet on without having to be asked!! He loves school, playing outside, and making messes!!
I felt so bad yesterday when he confessed to me that he ate a banana without asking first. I wondered outloud why his blood glucose level was high, and that's when he confessed by showing me the banana peel that he forgot to throw away. Poor kid. Who can give a kid a hard time for eating a piece of fruit for heavens sake??? He felt so badly that he had done something wrong. I felt like such a bad parent for having to tell my kid that he has to ask before having a piece of fruit.
He's been SO great about telling us he's hungry and SO great about testing himself before he eats! But before April 1st, a piece of fruit was NEVER even a question!!!!!
We'll get there. Only one other night have I found him in the closet. It wasn't nearly as bad as the 1st night. I just think he needed some breathing room... Don't we all???...
He fell asleep in my arms tonight. Jim carried him up. He's a good boy. Keep on praying for a cure.
Peace, June
They are both still perfect.
Jenna is my beautiful 10 year old, who is bright, funny, conscientious, polite, hard working and has become quite skilled in the art of rolling her eyes at me (LOL!!) She had a spectacular concert tonight at school - both in the band and chorus! Jim and I are so proud!
Jimmy learned how to ride a friend's "spark" scooter yesterday! He got his helmet on without having to be asked!! He loves school, playing outside, and making messes!!
I felt so bad yesterday when he confessed to me that he ate a banana without asking first. I wondered outloud why his blood glucose level was high, and that's when he confessed by showing me the banana peel that he forgot to throw away. Poor kid. Who can give a kid a hard time for eating a piece of fruit for heavens sake??? He felt so badly that he had done something wrong. I felt like such a bad parent for having to tell my kid that he has to ask before having a piece of fruit.
He's been SO great about telling us he's hungry and SO great about testing himself before he eats! But before April 1st, a piece of fruit was NEVER even a question!!!!!
We'll get there. Only one other night have I found him in the closet. It wasn't nearly as bad as the 1st night. I just think he needed some breathing room... Don't we all???...
He fell asleep in my arms tonight. Jim carried him up. He's a good boy. Keep on praying for a cure.
Peace, June
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