Stop talking, start eating!

The frustrating thing about managing dia betes is that it isn't really manageable at all. It's not like a schedule, which you plan according to what works best for you. No, dia betes is more like a naughty child; you can ignore it for only so long before you must address its behavior.

With each new season -- summer, school, soccer -- Mark's in sulin needs change. He's growing, and during growth spurts, he needs more in sulin. He's playing sports, so he needs less in sulin. Or he's sitting still in class all morning, and needs more in sulin, but then he's really active all afternoon, so he needs less in sulin. It's a slippery slope.

It's Day 7 of school, and I've been constantly fine-tuning Mark's in sulin pump. He's had a lot of lows, so I'm troubleshooting a lot -- is he low because he didn't eat all his lunch? Does he need less in sulin for his meals, or a lowered basal rate (the amount of in sulin he receives continually)? Or both?

Yesterday Mark was low almost all day long. I don't have dia betes, but here's how I describe lows (based on what Mark's told me): You know when you've waited too long to eat, and you're so hungry you can't think any more? You're emotional, you're cranky, you're dizzy and you can't think straight? You're so low energy you feel like you just want to lie down and sleep? That's what lows are like, and they usually subside after eating something.

But poor Mark felt like that all day yesterday. He was low at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and during soccer practice after dinner. The nurse called me each time, and though the answer was obvious (program Mark's pump to give less in sulin), I couldn't fix it until we got home.

So instead, we treated the lows by feeding Mark. He ate breakfast at home, then two snacks before lunch. After lunch, he had three more snacks, then came home for dinner. Which still wasn't enough, because all the running during soccer sent him low again.

I was troubled that my little boy felt so bad all day long. I finally unhooked the pump for an hour just to let his blood sugar come back up.

But Mark saw the silver lining. Where I was bothered by the lows, he was thrilled by the endless buffett.

"Were you bummed you had to eat so much?" I asked him. He loves to eat, but sometimes the forced feedings push him over the edge.

"No!" he answered happily. "It was awesome! I ate all day long!" He smacked his lips, and smiled at the thought.

So I guess that's the silver lining, the thumbing our nose at dia betes. Mark may not have felt his best, but he spent the day doing what he loves best -- eating.

I guess the naughty child didn't win after all. At least, not today.