Yesterday we spent the sunny Florida day at the pool at our hotel - we have a whole 7 days here so thought we would spread out the time with some fun in the sun poolside and then some at the happiest place on earth (I mean a person can only take so much happiness right?) Anyway, of course while swimming Allison's site comes out. No big surprise, we were actually expecting it. It was the third day of this site (was going to be changed anyway) and she is a water bug so sites get water logged easily when she is swimming! We tested her and she was a whopping 51 so we didn't worry about replacing the site right away either - she would come up and then probably drop down again with all her activity in the pool anyway!
So we wait and slowly she starts to rise during the day - missing that all important basal going in her body! It finally gets to the point where we need to get her back attached to her pump. We get it prepped and primed and ready for insertion and Allison breaks down. Now, on occasion she does this, especially when her blood sugar is a little high, so we were dealing with it like always - but then she says something different - it isn't fair I want a vacation - this is my vacation too.
Hum....what?? A vacation from diabetes? Well she knows that isn't possible.
We wait for her explanation - it is possible to have a vacation from her pump - and that is what she wanted. On her vacation - this week she wants to NOT be attached to something 24/7. She wants to go back to "shots" or as in the diabetes world we call them MDI (multiple daily injections.) WOW was I surprised! She would rather have at least 4 shots a day (one which she used to hate more than anything at night in the bum) than wear her insulin pump that gives her freedom to eat at random?
Yes, she would. She wants to swim with freedom in the pool without a site on her and having to take her pump on and off. She wants to get on all the rides at Disney without having to figure out if it is one that her pump needs to be removed. She wants to sleep at night without rolling over on her pump or twisting up her chord on her arm, leg or where it lands that night. She wants to run around without something dragging down her pocket or the waist line of her clothes. She wants to wear her princess dress without a pair of shorts under it to support her pump.
Now, I get it! My idea of a vacation is a little peace and quite and watching my kids have tons of fun and smiling. Her idea of a vacation is one where she can have fun and not be "attached" to something that reminds her of her disease 24/7.
Until that moment I thought the insulin pump was the best thing in the world. But watching the tears run down her face and listening to her I now see it from her eyes. She does like it better than MDI's all the time - but vacation is a vacation - for everyone! This is her time, her moment, to live differently for a week. To let her mom and dad do all the calculations and draw up the insulin and give her a shot in the arm and then her not think about it again and forget, maybe for a moment, that there isn't this silent disease working inside her body. There won't be a constant reminder attached to her body all time.
So a vacation for everyone it is - no pump, a little peace and getting to watch all my kids have tons of fun!
Today we are headed to the most magical place on earth - unfortunately there isn't enough magic there to rid Allison of her diabetes - but maybe just enough to have her forget she has it for today!
Until there is a cure,
Jennifer
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