[Anonymous]

Hi Ladies. I’m just sitting here in the hospital in the middle of the night next to Clara as she sleeps and wanted to “talk” to you. She was diagnosed with diabetes this morning so it’s been a tough day. So so many needles and pricks and she’s too young to understand. Hope I’m not sharing too much, but I consider you all to be friends. I hope to post new pictures of her smiling in new O+S soon!

[Nicole]

Oh my darling girl, I am so sorry for the two of you! I will just serve up tea to my noisy crew and be straight back!

[Nicole]

You mustn’t worry Sandi, children are very resilient ,and you will be amazed , being diagnosed at a young age , how quickly she will adjust to it. As for the needles , there is a numbing wipe/spray they can put on the skin that will take care of ouches. Keep very positive with her , children read adults so well , and if you get upset she may be scared, don’t be afraid to ”need the lavatory” if it all gets too much.

These days it is not nearly the big deal that it was, and she has been diagnosed now, so the only way is up!

Thinking of you dear friend, and I will continue to check in the forums for you. I am sitting next to you in spirit! xn

[Anonymous]

thank you nicole – I think I’ll try to get some sleep.

[Aviatrix51]

*snugs* Do hang in there. It’s hard when it is some one so near and dear to us as a child or even a pet, but you can make it through this.

[claireabel]

Oh I am so sorry, just so sorry. An unwell child is just one of the hardest things to cope with. I don’t know much about diabetes, but have spent many nights in hospital with my little boy recently, so can understand (to a small degree) your fear and sadness.

Sending you and Clara lots of warm and healing thoughts.

[janimal]

Oh, there just is nothing like a mother’s feelings when her child is ill! Good for you to be diagnosed so early. Hang in there and we all hope the days to come are NOT as tough. She’s a lucky girl to have a Mommy who is clearly taking good care of her. Best wishes.

[Loralee]

Hello Sandi, I hope you don’t mind me chiming in since I’m fairly new to the O+S forums but I’ve seen pictures of cute Clara so I just wanted to offer my support to you and Clara. Hang in there! It may seem rough and scary, at first, but as Nicole mentioned things will be a lot easier now that she has been diagnosed. I’m pre-diabetic (which just means I’m ‘almost there’ and get to wait for a diagnosis. LOL) and insulin resistant so I struggle with my blood sugars quite often. My biggest tip for you is to get all the diabetic and nutrition education that they offer you. Being educated is the first step to getting diabetes under control. Once its under control, things will be very manageable. I promise. 🙂

Kids are very resilient! Give her lots of hugs and reassure her that everything will be okay. You’re a team and will work together. 🙂

[Emily]

I empathize with you, Sandi. It’s terrifying when our children are sick, and it’s hard not to feel helpless and scared. The good (great!) news is that you have a diagnosis, which means that you can deal with the problem! These days, diabetes is not the terrible thing it once was. On the current season of The Amazing Race, there’s a team with a type-1 diabetic that’s doing really well! They’re travelling around the world and she’s able to manage her diabetes. I’m not sure how old Clara is, but maybe that’s something the two of you want to watch together – very inspirational.

Managing her nutrition will be tricky, but think of the positive! You can cook together, which makes for great mother-daughter time. Even if the reason behind the time together is her diabetes, she’ll remember the time spent with you and not the reason for it when she’s older.

You’ll get through this, and so will she. Kids are a lot tougher than we give them credit for. I’m sending lots of hugs and positive thoughts your way from Seattle.

[Liesl Gibson]

Oh, I’ll be thinking about you both as you start to adjust to this news and the changes it will make in your lives. So glad you have a diagnosis and she can get treatment now. Be well and keep us posted, ok?

[Sarvi]

Big hugs to you both — it’s always so heartbreaking to see a little one hurt or afraid, but you two will get past the first rough patch together, and managing this will be old hat in no time.

[isewstuff]

I’m so sorry Sandi! I can be so rough to be a mom sometimes! Hang in there. I’ll be thinking of you both!

[Justine J]

Oh Sandi – am so so sorry – sending you love and hugs! I do think that you are the perfect mum to help her/your family adjust to this….I’m afraid I really don’t know much about diabetes but it’s good that she’s been diagnosed now and can start treatment. Wish I could do something for you….

[Anonymous]

Thank you all SO MUCH for your support and kindness! That is exactly what I was hoping for when I posted this. This is such a positive group on this forum and I really needed to hear that from you all. Clara is beginning to cheer up between needles and is beginning to understand that she must have them.

Emily, Clara is 4 – actually she’ll have you know that she is 4 AND A HALF. She’s a very sharp little girl and is listening to everything the educator is telling her and us. The nurses tell me that after about 2 weeks she’ll likely be calm for her shots and maybe even want to learn to do her own blood sugar tests. Hard to imagine, but she did take her insulin a bit better last night.

We’ve found out that there is a a place called the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes about 45 minutes away from us in Denver. They offer a lot of education there. I think we are very lucky to live so close. I hope that Clara (and we) can participate in some of the programs there and see other children who all have the same disease.

Thank you all again for your support. I wasn’t sure that this was the proper place to discuss this, but like I said I do consider you all friends.

We expect to bring Clara home today – hopefully next week you will be able to see her smiling face on Flickr again!

[Justine J]

Thanks for the update Sandi – so glad Clara’s coming home tomorrow. Have been thinking of you all afternoon 🙂