Diving In

Ever hear that song by Steven Curtis Chapman called "Dive"?

DIVE

It's a song explaining my life right now.

Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac all rolled into one!

My 15 yr old Farmhouse Baker was recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. We spent 3 days in the hospital wrapping our minds around the fact that our healthy daughter could have such a disease.

After countless hours of needles, insulin, poking, IV's and doctors we were able to figure out how we might live with our new lifestyle.

I knew of people with this disease, thinking that maybe it had to do with their diet. BOY WAS I WRONG! So far from the truth!

I became educated and humbled all in the same hour.

This disease is an auto-immune disease that affects the pancreas. It shuts down the body's ability to produce insulin.

It can be familial, (family passed down) or from a virus. We don't have any of this on either side of the family for as far back as we know.

They (the docs) think she contracted a virus that shut her insulin makers down.

Let me educate you a little: (it's the teacher in me!)....

Your pancreas secretes insulin to carry your carbohydrates to your cells. It's the "key" that unlocks the door for your carbs to move in and be taken to where the body needs the fuel. Carbs are fuel for our bodies.

When the "key" (insulin) isn't unlocking the door....then they bounce around and dump into your bloodstream. This produces HIGH sugar levels.

We knew something was amiss with our girl when she began complaining of being INCREDIBLY thirsty. She couldn't get enough to drink. Then as summer approached (just a week or so into her thirstiness) we noticed she was VERY thin.

Off to the scale. 10 pounds down.

Off to the pediatrician we go.

Yep, sugars were at 486.

Off to ER we go.

That was 8 weeks ago.

We have cried, shouted, hugged and sang and accepted this call.

We don't understand why God has chosen her, but we know He wastes nothing.

I am so proud of this girl! She hasn't let this stop her from ANYTHING!

She has written a touching song that the Father put on her heart. It was the words He spoke to her in the dark of the night, when she was frightened and feeling alone.  It will make you cry.

Life is definitely different. Shots, pokes and needles will be her life. Always making sure we have her medication, needles, glucometer and extra juice on hand at all times. Carb counting has become quite the "real math". And educating her friends has been fun. They all scramble to be the first to give her an injection!

But, it doesn't come without it's dangers. Uncontrolled and we could have kidney failure, coma, and a host of other problems!

So thankful she has taken ownership.

On the flip side:

For 2 weeks now she has been complaining of not being hungry and when she eats she feels horrible. She's lost 6 more pounds.

We go tomorrow for a Celiac test. Of course nothing is definitive yet, but we see a pattern.

So, we are phasing out gluten and transitioning to gluten free.

I would love to hear from all my friends that have gone gluten free, or have any gluten free recipes that you have tried and can say ...."this was great!"


Diving in!