Raising a Child with Type One Diabetes Part Two
Worry: Four Days of Sleep
An Exert from the Upcoming Book; 585, The Number That Changed Our Lives
In the first excerpt "Coping with the Diagnosis" from the Upcoming book "585, The Number That Changed Our Lives" I shared one of the few tips offered in the book that can be used to help parents process the diagnosis. Now I want to go a different direction, back up a bit and start from the beginning by sharing an excerpt from one of the "Introduction Essays" that discusses the start of it all.
Part two's excerpt: "Worry: Four Days of Sleep"
There I was standing at the check in counter of MJ’s Pediatrician’s office with a very sleep MJ on my shoulder. “Can I ask why you are bringing him back in? He was just here four days ago”. These were the words that came out of the receptionists’ mouth. These were my words: “Look at him! He is still sleep! He has been sleeping since we left here four days ago!” Looking back on this conversation years later, I felt bad for berating that poor young lady like that. Clearly it was not her fault. However, think about this for a minute: what would you have said if the receptionist asked you that question with your barely two-year-old child still sleep on your shoulder?
Your baby, the same child who had been sleep for four days. I am sure each parent’s emotional rollercoaster would have made them react in some way not normal for them, it is a scary thing to see your child sick and you do not know why. All you do know is that your child has had a “viral infection” for the past two weeks that has not gone away yet, but instead put him in a deep sleep. The only other thing you do know is that sleeping for four days straight IS NOT NORMAL! It is not normal for any child to sleep for four days, really it is not normal for anyone to sleep for four days straight. But for a toddler that is FOUR DAYS of not eating, FOUR DAYS of not drinking, FOUR DAYS of not waking because his pamper was wet, and for his parents FOUR LONG UNCOMFORTABLE DAYS of questions with no answers.
That was the day that started it all for us
As with "part one" this excerpt is just a portion of the information provided in the book. The rest of this essay and the full introduction combined gives more detail about the long day that turned into a long night which then turned into several days. A long day of discovery (the diagnosis), the long night of immediate treatment (hospital stay) and several days of education (learning how to in essence "take care of our child"). I remember the whirlwind of emotions that went along with the experience, it was like taking on a whole new language. But we managed to get through it and move forward.
Another sneak peek is on the way so stay tuned. In the meantime, please share this story with anyone you know living with type one diabetes whether it is because they have it themselves, are raising a child with it or know someone who is, there may be a little gem of information that will help make their journey a little easier and that is my goal.
Save the date: March 30, 2024
Pre-Launch Countdown: 7 more days to published!
