Life as a Mom to a Type 1 Diabetic

It’s not our disease but it is….it’s not our skin the needles go into, but we feel the pain and stress and worrying-just in other ways than our kiddos. They may have received the diagnosis, but it’s an entire family fighting a disease.

My 11 yr old daughter was diagnosed in September 2020. We’ve learned how to manage blood sugar highs and lows, because we have help with diet, insulin, a continuous glucose monitor, apps for counting carbs, the Dr on speed dial, Facebook groups etc. We have a mini fridge with juice close by for those scary shaky lows that come unexpectedly in the night. Everyone in the family knows to watch out for the signs and to pitch in when something is urgent.

There are some easy days, but they are often over shadowed by the tough days. Today I cried while on the phone with our mail order pharmacy. They don’t seem to consider that when a parent orders insulin and needles, it’s because they need it for their kid to stay alive. We ordered on July 6, today is July 29th and no insulin still. 😫😢 I have been feeling the worry and stress build as the insulin is running low, and there’s nothing I can do. Well, crying is something I do lately. 🥺

The worry we carry and the stress of things going wrong, and losing sleep because the app alerts us to dangerously high or low blood sugars, and having few people to understand or talk about our worries with is a lot to carry. It is exhausting at times, and it is stressful most all of the time.

But GOD! He has to carry me cause I buckle under the weight. The stress has been wreaking havoc on my own health and there are days you just need a break. But just like this disease isn’t going away, neither is God. He knows! He catches my tears in a bottle when I’m feeling the pressure build or seeing the tears well up in my daughters eyes because she has to give herself another shot. He cares! This world is full of disease and stress and illness and worry and tears. But God has promised to help carry us through it and He will one day heal those who belong to him.