A New Doc

Yesterday (Monday) was a pretty good day. I managed to get our meals done and served on a more reasonable schedule. T-Bear was feeling good, and his numbers were mostly all good. It was a nice, sunny day, so the boys all spent time outside. It was great to see T-Bear and Brother Bear dueling on the front lawn in the sunshine.

I was up at 6:30 am (early for me), wrangled T-Bear out of bed by 7:00 am (very early for him), dressed, fed and out the door by 7:30 am to meet his new endocrinologist, Dr. A. It was an hour drive, half-hour check-in procedure, and an hour meeting with Dr. A, who I liked very much. He put T-Bear on a new insulin and a slightly different routine, which I’m working on mastering. We’re still eating three meals and three snacks, and we’re still testing four times a day. But, instead of mixing insulin, we’re doing one “basal” dose in the evening which keeps his glucose steady for 24 hours, and then doing a rapid insulin before each meal and bedtime. It’s giving us more flexibility in eating times and amounts, which is great; we don’t have to worry so much about sticking to “the schedule”, and snacks won’t be as critical. But, it takes more than a little kitchen math to figure out dosing. One unit for every 20 carbs consumed, plus if his glucose tested over 150 give additional rapid insulin based on the formula (BG-100)/50. Except at bedtime it’s one unit for every 40 carbs, plus (BG-100)/100. Once we get used to it, it should be great.


After the visit with Dr. A, the boys and I headed for the park to meet up with our local homeschool group. Our little group, which was just about five families for the longest time, has been growing here and there, and suddenly it seems we've got eight or nine families gathering each week. It's been great to see the rapidly expanding gaggle fo kids running around. (Thanks, S, for playing chauffeur for us).


Dr. A is being more agressive about getting T-Bear's numbers down where they should be, and the new dosing should do that. The transition was a little screwy; T-Bear was very hungry after lunch, and his glucose spiked in the later afternoon which made him even more hungry. We managed to get him a heafty dose of insulin and a nice plate of pasta a little earlier than our planned dinner time, and he felt much better. It's odd how much glucose affects his mood and stress level. But, we started the new basal insulin this evening, so hopefully things will level out for him.

Papa Bear was it hit with a nasty respiratory bug on Sunday, but was feeling a bit better today. Hopefully he’ll be back on his feet in another day or so, and I’ll be able to teach him the routine. In the mean time, the boys and I are on “vacation” for at least a couple of weeks more, setting aside studies in favor of free time. I’ve even bowed out of my on-line book discussion group for a while. I feel like focusing on relationships will be very important right now for everyone. Simplify and de-stress, and try to enjoy one another as much as possible. Not a bad way to spend a few weeks with family.