Diabetes Diva

As some of you already know, Allison was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on Monday. We have known that Allison wasn't feeling like herself for quite some time. For the past few months we have managed to find a reason for every one of her symptoms, none of which had anything to do with the truth.

We had an appointment for her eyes to be checked because of the blurriness; she was scheduled to have her tonsils out in a couple of weeks to take care of her overall not feeling well and always being tired; we figured she drank a lot to ease her chronic sore throats; her weight loss was just a bodily change from her latest growth spurt...we didn't realize it was 12 pounds in 6 weeks. It wasn't until Alece mentioned Diabetes that we began to put the puzzle pieces together. After checking the Mayo Clinic's website Sunday night, we realized that all these symptoms could possibly be being caused by only one thing, Diabetes.

We took her to the doctor Monday morning to confirm our suspicions were wrong, but instead we found ourselves in the hospital three hours later. From that point on things were a whirlwind. They refer to it in the hospital as Diabetes Boot Camp. A lot of information was crammed down our throats in a very short amount of time. We were scared and nervous, but everything is going better now. We're home and that can sometimes make all the difference!

Here are some pictures of the blessed event:

She wasn't a fan of giving herself a shot, something the nurses wanted her to do before she left the hospital. In the end, the nurse inserted the needle and Alli pushed the plunger to inject the insulin. It goes against all human nature to jab a sharp object into your own fleshy parts.


But, despite her downs, she still managed to keep her sense of humor about it - most of the time.





She perked right up teaching her brother and friends how to give a shot. She acted like an old pro, but in the end, the orange was much easier to try on than actual leg. Rufus was a teddy bear that one of the volunteer groups provided for her to practice shots on. He had a colorful patch on all the injection sites and an I.D. tag just like the one Alli will need to wear.



Talk about loot! We had a lot of friends and family send or bring all kinds of things for Allison to stay happy and entertained with. She had so much to to do the t.v. was hardly ever on. She made bracelets, played with paper dolls, and thoroughly enjoyed the tangram puzzle game. Thanks to everyone! It really made these hospital days bearable.



Nighttime was hard. She just wanted to go home and be in her own bed away from nurses who were constantly waking her up to prick her fingers and squeeze all the juice out of them.


She received some cute pajamas from some good friends and a teddy bear, "Fuzz Ball", from the girls at her dad's work. The little doggie was from her Aunt Barbie and Shelly. She named this little dog "Spikes" in memory of her first day full of needles. In her own words, she "wouldn't have made it through her first day without him". Every time they pricked her finger or gave her a shot she held on to that little dog with clenched fists. If it hadn't been so sad, it would have been cute. These two stuffed animals were in her arms the entire stay, especially during the hard parts.





The arsenal we were sent home with, not to mention the 7 prescriptions to be filled. Manuals on Diabetes, nutrition binder, handbooks, needles, meters, nutrtion travel books...etc., etc., etc.