What's on your bedside table?

Not a typical looking bedside table for most, 

but as the grandma of a Type 1 diabetic, these things are essential to keeping  Carson safe.

Saturday night Carson had his first sleep over since being diagnosed 1 year and 3 months ago.

His excitement made me want to cry as we watched him jump up and down on our driveway as his mama was getting his suitcase out of the trunk. It made me wondered why we had waited so long. 

I guess just the uncertainty of his nights, Carson has many nights that he has to be woken up and given juice to get his blood sugars back to a safe range, but with his blood glucose monitor and pump it is a little more controlled and easier to keep and eye on. So it was time!

One of the cool things is that Carson's parents can also see what his sugars are doing, as those numbers transmit to their phones. So Brianna and I were messaging each other off and on into the early morning. We are both night owls so it works for both of us...

Thanks for trusting us Brianna and Chris.

The iPhone on the far Right keeps a continuous reading of Carson's blood sugar. The reading is transmitted by a device that is attached on Carson's arm, 

it's called a CGM, continuous glucose monitor. 

The black monitor in the middle is used to control the amount of insulin that is going into Carson. There is a basal rate that is a fast acting insulin which automatically infuses every few minutes at a steady rate that is somehow determined by Carson's mom & dad.

It is also used to give larger amounts of insulin to cover the

 Carbohydrates that Carson consumes when he eats.

This is a detailed operation folks, so much to consider all the time, every minute, every day, without ceasing. My Daughter and son-in-law amaze me by the way they figure what to do next when Carson's sugar are falling at a rapid rate, or climbing at a rapid rate, they are a team, they do their best, and Carson is lucky to have these two amazing parents who are on high-alert 24/7.

just a few thoughts....

When to give the bolus, depending on where is Blood sugars are and what he's about to eat.

Should we correct the "low" or just suspend the basal rate, or put it at 50%, or give a juice and suspend the pump, or or or or.......

and why in the world is he "high", there is mostly no rhyme or reason for these high's and lows.

Here are some notes I made for myself one day while I was with Carson.

This was a day when Carson was  having a lot of "lows".

Finger poker, test strips, fruit snacks to treat this lows.... I decided to only give him 1/2 the package which equaled 1/2 carb, it was a good guess as he corrected and went a bit higher then I would have like, but that's just it.... most times it's a guessing game.

Another day, more notes for myself

counting up the carbs for dinner. 

 This beautiful little boy is so  much more that the disease that has attacked his pancreas.

He is Carson! 

Brave and strong. A little boy who is happy, enjoys life and has boundless energy. 

He loves to play with friends, loves to learn and so smart!

He is our hero!

We are looking forward to many more sleepovers with this sweet grandson of ours...

and we cant forget about our other grands, 

we had such a fun time with these three! 

Cant wait for little Lewin to join the fun, it won't be long  :)