7.5 (sigh)

The 7.5 was William's A1c today. The sigh was not one of contentment or satisfaction.

Today was our quarterly appointment with our endocrinologist. Dr A had a scheduling conflict, so we met with Dr. S for the first time. William was a little disappointed not to see Dr. A, because he is genuinely fond of him. And I was a little nervous meeting with another doctor, because I am comfortable with Dr. A and he knows our history. In other words, I know the he knows how hard I work at keeping William healthy, even when it is not reflected in his A1c, and how much I try to stay informed and educate myself. But Dr. S was very nice, and very supportive. Two thumbs up.

Today was also our annual blood draw, something that William truly dreads, and I can hardly blame him. I hate blood draws, too. Frankly, I kind of dread it, too. The first time we did this, it took me and two burly nurses to hold him down and he screamed the entire time. Not happy-making for either of us. The second time, last year, he was really worried about it, but he managed to get through it without screaming and being held down. This time, he was anxious and tense, but he got himself through it with minimal fuss. I was so very proud of him.

But, back to the A1c. 7.5 is a really good number, and Dr. S said so. I just could not feel really good about it, because I know that number was due in large part to all of the lows William has been suffering through. He's been suffering through highs, too. In fact his log sheet for the past few weeks has had more red (high) and purple (low) on it than white (target range). Despite my best efforts and coordinating with our endo office, he's only been in target range about 20% of the time, and that's bad for his health.

Dr. S knows how tough it is to manage D, especially in kids, and he was perfectly non-judgemental, kind, and supportive. One thing he said to me really made me feel like I have been doing everything I can, like I've been doing it right despite all the colors on the log sheet. After looking over the logs, he said to me,

"You're right. There's no pattern here."

That, right there, was perfect confirmation that I have not suddenly forgotten everything I have learned about D, that I am doing everything "right", and few people could do any more than I am doing to keep my son healthy.

So, overall, I guess it was a good checkup ;)