My diabetes diagnosis story continued- the worst part

 Just about 2 months after I was diagnosed my youngest brother, Steven, got sick. My mom was worried about him cause he was throwing up and couldn't hold anything down, just like I was when I was diagnosed with diabetes. So my mom took him to the ER. They kept him overnight. My other 2 brothers and I stayed with a friend that night. In the morning we went to see my mom and steven in the hospital and waited for Steven to be discharged. We waited and waited. Then a police officer appeared in the doorway with a lady. I didn't know what was going on. But my mom was holding Steven tighter. He was only a year and a half old and still nursing. After the lady talked to my mom for a few minutes, my mom handed Steven to our older brother, Tim. Then the police officer stepped into the room and took Tim, carrying Steven, and my other brother, Daniel, and me. We were taken out to a police car in the parking lot. I didn't know what was happening but I didn't want to go. 

They took us to this place called a "Receiving Home." I called it "The Bad Place." We were there for nine very long days. I still didn't know what was going on.

While we were there, we were forced to eat meat that we were not supposed to eat like pork. We didn't eat pork due to our religious beliefs. My brother, Tim, was forced to eat certain dairy products even though he was lactose intolerant. They would make us sit at the table till our plates were clean. Steven would be put in a crib during "quiet time" and left to just scream and cry the whole time. I wasn't allowed to pick him up and hold him, even when he was sick and throwing up. They put him in a high chair and let him scream and cry and throw up on himself, and I couldn't do anything to comfort him. I can still hear those screams even to this day.

One time when they were trying to give Steven a bath he refused to let them wash his hair, they had me come in to wash him. That was the only time I got to act like his big sister while we were there. One of the others boys that was there tried to push my brother, Daniel, down some stairs into the basement. Another boy there threw a toy car and hit me in the head with it. That same boy bit Steven on his bottom, through a cloth diaper, left bite marks on him that lasted at least a year.

At one point when I was refusing to take my insulin, they decided to send me to spend some time with a friend from my moms church. I think I was there for only a day or two. But I remember when I was leaving "The Bad Place" I didn't know when I would see my brothers again. I cried and Daniel cried. But I did return to them. 

When I continued refusing to take my insulin they decided to send us back home to our mom. I remember them giving me a cloth bag of some kind to put my thing into and they told me we're going home. I got so excited. We pulled up in front of our house and my mom came out the front door and came to hug us. She said Steven gave her look like he was asking where she had been. I was just happy we were back home with her. 

A few months after all this, my mom decided to move us to Florida, where her parents lived.

Stay tuned for more.

  

Meet Midnight

 This is Midnight. She is one of Dusty's kittens from her first litter. She has 2 sisters from her litter, They both went to new homes once they were old enough. We kept Midnight cause she turned out to be one of the most calm and chill kittens out of everyone. She is also the smallest of all our kitties but she is definitely the feistiest. Big attitude in a small package. She very much likes to cuddle and be held, as long as it's on her terms. She has very deep purr, kinda sounds like the bass of car speakers or something. She is such a sweetheart.

My diabetes diagnosis story continued

 I can remember my brothers coming to visit me in the hospital. I don't really remember much else about it though. But apparently I didn't really like being in the hospital except that I enjoyed the food and I was able to watch whatever I wanted on Animal Planet. 

I was released from the hospital after 5 days.

I don't think I realized how difficult it would be. All the finger pricks, insulin injections, carb counting (I think my mom did most of that though), not being able to really eat what I wanted, like ice cream or cake.  Having to get blood drawn for doctor appointments. Those really long needles. I hated it.

I remember one time my stomach started hurting and I wanted some apple juice (we used to use those cans of frozen juice you had to mix with water to make), I asked my mom if I could make some. While I was mixing the water into it I felt like I was about to pass out. The next thing I knew I was being carried to the couch by my mom. She started shoveling sugar into my mouth. My blood sugar had dropped, it was like 30 or something like that. I was supposed to be going swimming with a friend that night but my mom didn't let me go after what happened. I wasn't too happy about that. 

There was another time, when I went to stay the night at that friends house. I think we were watching a movie. The next thing I knew I was being shaken awake by my friend and her mom. They said my eyes were like darting around or something. I'm pretty sure it was a diabetic seizure. I didn't know that at the time though. I only learned that it's possible that's what it was years later when I saw someone else's post on a diabetes support group on Facebook.

My older brother and I used to be able to go skiing with our class from when we were in church school. I guess he was able to a few times still but I was not able to. But about 3 months after I was diagnosed we all got to go skiing, my mom even went with us, I don't think she skied though. I remember being up on one of the slopes when a snowmobile came, they told me my mom wanted me to come back to the lodge and check my blood sugar. I think I was able to go back out but I'm not sure. 

These are just a few memories that I can actually somewhat remember.

Stayed tuned for more...

Meet Calico

 This is Calico. She's Dusty's sister. Dusty brought her around a few days after she showed up. Calico was a lot more skittish than Dusty was, but it didn't take long for her to warm up to me. She is also one of the sweetest cats I've ever met. Like Dusty, Calico also had 2 litters of kittens. Out of her first litter we actually have all 4 of them. Unfortunately, her second litter, 4 kittens, all died at about 2 weeks old. That was really devastating for me. Calico and I are doing better now though. I'm not sure she even remembers what happened. It was over a year ago. She is sometimes a feisty kitty, especially when she is waiting for food. She will swat and hiss at the others  Even though they are all basically her family.    

Meet Dusty

 

This is Dusty. On Christmas eve 2023 she showed up at my house. I had tossed out some popcorn that I couldn't finish and when I came back out of the house, she was there eating the popcorn. She got a little scared when she saw me. I started talking to her and she came back to the popcorn and started eating more. I sat on the ground and just talked gently and quietly to her. Eventually she came over to me, rubbing on anything she got close to, and then she got close enough for me to pet her. Soon she decided to get on my lap and just purred while I pet her. After a few minutes she decided that was enough and left. But she came back and brought her sister with her and now here we are almost 2 and a half years later. She is one of the sweetest kitties I have ever met. She's had 2 litters of kittens, 1 litter of 3 and 1 litter of 4. Out of her first litter we kept 1 kitten. Out of her second litter we have 2 of them still. We gave the other kittens away to good homes. 

My diabetes diagnosis story

 This is a little bit about me and how I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I was diagnosed on January 10 2004. I was 10 and a half years old. 

I actually don't really remember much about it all. Most of what I know now is from what my mom has told me or what I have read that she has posted. But I'll do my best. 

For a few days I was really sick. Throwing up, not able even to hold down water. My mom was worried about me. She thought I might be dehydrated, so we went to the ER in the tiny town we lived in. A very small town in Montana. They did some tests, including a blood sugar test, and it was 500. They sent me by ambulance to a bigger hospital in a bigger town 60 miles away. According to my mom I had a look on my face like I didn't know who she was, or where I was, or even who I was. 

We learned that night that I had type 1 diabetes. And I don't really remember how I was feeling, but I must have been very scared and very confused. I probably was thinking "What's going on?" "What is diabetes?" "Is it serious?" "What happens now?"

For five days I was in the hospital. My mom stayed with me the whole time. She had to learn how to take care of me and my diabetes. 

That was the beginning of my life long roller coaster. And my mom has been there for me through it all.

Stay tuned for more...