One very long month...

This week was our month point from the time little E had been diagnosed with diabetes. We have seen (and felt) some real ups and downs in this very overwhelming month.

Some of the downs have been:
* Having to give him around five shots and 8 finger pokes a day.
* Realizing this is not going to go away (Like the dream we feel it is).
* Last week we got some of his blood work back and he checked positive for the Celiacs Disease gene. Which means he has the potential of someday getting it, but luckily doesn't have it now. The Dr. told us to continue to watch for symptoms and he will also need to be rechecked a couple times a year. We pray and PRAY that he doesn't develop this!!! It turns out that a third of the population actually carries the gene and the majority of diabetics do too, since they are both autoimmune diseases. There was another immune test that they did that showed a little lower then it should which puts him at a higher risk for developing Celiacs, but we are hoping the next time they test that number will go up putting us out of the clear for now.

Some of the ups have been:
* How well he is adjusting. He doesn't like it by any means but isn't fighting us as much anymore.
* We have been referred to a new Dr. who specializes in children with diabetes. (She is actually diabetic herself and has a daughter who is also diabetic. Her daughter was diagnosed at 18 months old.) We can't tell you enough how excited we are about our new Dr!!! We left our appointment last week with lots of great resources, numbers to call at all hours when we have questions, and for the first time in a long time we felt HOPE!
* We also found out at our last appointment that we may be able to get the pump for him in as little as 6 months. Our Dr. told us that he would be a great candidate since his insulin needs are so little, the pens and syringes are not able to meet his needs adequately. We are meeting with the diabetic educator over the Christmas break so she can teach us about the different options in pumps and we can move forward from there.
* My school gave an extra two weeks after he was diagnosed to be home with him. I am SO thankful for this! I spent the two weeks educating myself, trying to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, going to several Dr. appointments, and training in his daycare provider on the ins and outs of diabetes.
* We have a great daycare lady that has been SO good at counting carbs and giving shots. We are lucky to have her! You can tell she is a fast learner! :-) Only if I could get that organized with all my recipe cards written out with portions and carbs written right on there for easy reference like she has! Maybe someday?!?! She sure has made going back to work, leaving a son who is diabetic and a brand new baby a "little" easier! :-)
* Another up has been all the people that have showed us so much love and support through this whole ordeal. We have received so many phone calls, e-mails, texts, visits, letters etc. that we are truly overwhelmed with how much people care! We know that we aren't alone!

I know there have been hundreds of other ups and downs but I don't have time to journal them all. :-) We know that there is always someone who has it worse, but sometimes it is hard to think like that when you see your child having to deal with a disease that will affect the rest of their life. Thankfully we live in an era that we are seeing hundreds of medical advances, maybe someday there will be a cure!