Some quick details

I must admit (as most of you know!) I'm NOT a detail girl, so I apologize for the lack of information about Claire's T1 Diabetes diagnosis. Here is a glimpse of our new reality:

Claire started having major thirst and going to the bathroom all the time this past month, especially while on vacation in So Cali. Those are classic signs of diabetes. Lon knew that, but denied it and just kept praying it was a phase and nothing else. Unfortunately it continued so we had her checked last Wed (Dec 29.) It was a simple pee test and we had the results within minutes. Her blood sugar was 518 (5x more than normal) and her Hemoglobin A1c was 11.9 which means that she has had this for awhile. We were also surprised to learn she'd lost 2 pounds in the last 6 months. We are lucky she was not hospitalized. Typically T1 Diabetics are hospitalized for three days to get the blood sugar under control and educate the families. Lon's medical education and background came in handy and they felt comfortable not hospitalizing her because of this.

Type 1 Diabetes is the most common in kids (Type 2 Diabetes is the kind in overweight adults). They are both severe, but Type 1 means that her body is not producing insulin (so that is why she needs insulin shots) where Type 2 is often that the body can still produce some insulin but the body's cells just do not take it (and can be treated more with pills). It's a life-long journey for us all!

Claire says she feels the same as before the insulin shots and diagnosis. She's always been a healthy, happy, active & social thang. We'll see what we all think in a few weeks when her blood sugars are stable.

Claire is now her own science/math project! She does finger pokes before every meal to test blood sugar levels and then takes the proper amount of insulin in a shot with her food. She's learning how to count her carbs and make the healthiest food choices. We are simply amazed at how we she is owning her new responsibilities! (The girl has more self control than I do! :))

She can eat ANYTHING as long as it's at meal time and paired with insulin. Cupcakes, cookies, jerky, pasta...you name it. :) She's learning how to save treats from school to eat with dinner.

We've yet to eat out and try carb counting/shots/blood tests in public, but know it's in our near future!

Claire's school has been incredibly supportive and helpful. Our doctor and nurses have also gone above and beyond to help us with this steep learning curve.

Thanks for all your prayers and support, too! Wish we could respond to each one personally, but can't. Know how much it means to us, though! :)