It's Christmas !!

I love Christmas!! As far back as I can remember I have always found it magical !

I love the whole of Christmas from the Biblical Stories to the glitz of the decorations and the wild nights out in my teens and twenties!! Oh yes, high heels, party dress and a night with your best friends.

Then I had the girls and Christmas became even more special, if that was possible. Of course I had to trade the wild nights out for the unforgettable Nativity Plays and visiting Father Christmas.

The highlights this Christmas:

Felicity sang a solo and Darcy had to read out aloud.

Purdey bounced with Father Christmas on a barge, floating along the canal.

Isabella aged 13, kept the Spirit of Father Christmas alive for her 4 younger sisters, priceless! Especially when she sat and told Santa what she wanted for Christmas.(Yes I have it on film te he)

Claudia aged 10, still believes just magical.

So in theory it's a typical Christmas that many families experience. Not when you add Type 1 Diabetes and Coeliac Disease.

If you saw a mad woman running round all the supermarkets collecting gluten free treats, yes it was me! Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco's, Marks & Spencers too name a few. Christmas is the one time of year that if the girls want chocolate or cake for breakfast they can. It is a day of complete indulgence. Oh yessssssssssss!!!

Sadly finding yummy gluten free treats can be a challenge.(especially in bulk)

Ah, the lovely unpredictable Mr Type 1 D, mmmmmmmmmm well he decided to give Claudia a few extra weeks this year, phew! Then around the 15th December, yes you guessed it, welcome to hypo city!!

Action Plan

Reduced the basal,
Adjusted the carb ratio,
Suspended the pump
Gave free carbs

A combination of the above or all of the above at some points.
I did come close to removing the CGM and jumping on it, as it was vibrating constantly through the night. Yes, you guessed she was in bed with me. Bless her she snorted through most of the vibrating. Yes, that was the night I hit the jackpot and her levels began to climb.

Not forgetting to order:

Test strips
Lancets
Cannula's
Sensors
etc, etc, etc buy the bulk, just in case .....................

All of the above, whilst participating in the melee of Christmas. Eventually after a week that can only be described as pure h............ I found a winning combination. No idea how I got there but it is working, for now anyway. That is the most challenging part Of Type 1, what works one minute, doesn't the next. What works for one child doesn't for the next. Sometimes I feel it would be easier putting all the options in a hat, closing my eyes and picking one out.

What people also don't see are the tears, upset, drama, fear, frustration, anger and sheer disbelief that Type 1 Diabetes can bring to your life. Due to lack of sleep and constant lows, when it came to a cannula change. Claudia hit a new level. It took 40 minutes for me to change a cannula, through tears, screams and rants we eventually succeeded. Sadly although not often, it happens in our house. It leaves everyone distressed and exhausted and very angry that Claudia has Type 1 Diabetes.

Christmas day was fab, sad that I didn't get my perfect Christmas Gift a Cure for Type. Instead I had to settle for a posh kettle (latte maker).

It is of course top of my Christmas list for 2012 yet again.


Thank you Anna Coppola Klambatsen for posting this on my wall. I love the fact that Type 1 Diabetes is uniting people all over the world.

If the cure is not found next year, I hope to have raised the profile of Type 1 Diabetes, enough for people to

understand that whilst our children look "normal". Keeping them healthy is exceptionally challenging 24/7. Adding to that, the majority of parents have no medical training or medical background.