Did you ever see the movie Meatballs? That about sums up my summer camp experience. I spent 8 summers away from home and I have great memories of that time. Got more independent, took on more responsibility and (ahem) may have learned just a little bit about boys. I'm hoping my children have almost as much fun now that…
School started today and, sure enough, my phone started ringing just after 12 noon. I answered, "Oh no, not already!" goofing around, thinking the staff just had a blood sugar or carb question. No such luck: Benny's inset had come out and I needed to go to school. Didn't we have enough excitement the first…
One of the most inspiring stories from this summer's Olympics is, of course, Oscar Pistorius. I'm sure I don't have to explain that he's the first double amputee to compete on the track and make an Olympic final. When you have a child with a disability or a chronic condition, I think you keep a…
Looks like I'll be out a bit longer than I last thought. Saw my doctor this week, spoke with WBT management and we've all agreed that I'll come back to Charlotte's Morning News on August 27th. If all goes well. My checkup was good, but right now it's about adjusting medication and getting back my strength.…
June was going so well. My children were having fun at camp, my husband and I had a bit of time to ourselves and we had the whole summer stretching ahead. My prescription-medicine-induced- liver problems seemed to be in the past and I was feeling good. I even cleaned out closets! But the very last…
Benny is at a "regular" day camp now; it's our first time trying this sort of thing. We did a basic diabetes education for the staff and set up a schedule for blood sugar checks, eating and giving insulin. The counselors are just supervising – Benny is doing all work. Remember, he's 7! We're so proud of…
"At camp, there was a zip line and your butt hit the water when you went over the lake!" That's our 7-year-old just home from one week at diabetes camp. It was Benny's first extended time away from us. I wasn't concerned about his safety, this is an American Diabetes Association program with docs, nurses and trained staff. I was worried…
One of our end of the school year traditions involves ice cream. Lots of ice cream. A few years ago I got into the habit of picking my daughter up at school once a week and swinging by the ice cream shop before grabbing Benny from preschool. It was our fun Tuesday girl time, but Lea was always disappointed that…
So great to go back to work today. I almost didn't mind the 3am alarm clock. Almost. I'm hoping this will be my last health update for a while; it'll mean things just keep getting better. At this point, I'm just going in for tests every 2 weeks or so, to make sure my liver…
I have never been known as a very patient person. I'm also not one to get a lot of sleep. So the last three weeks could be some sort of cosmic payback or even life's way of teaching me a lesson. I'm recovering after a big scare involving a prescription drug's serious effect on my…