Thursday, June 30, 2011

Adventures in Vacationing

Whew!

We are home! 

We spent the last two weeks in Florida!  We were at Disney for one week and then at the beach for the second week!  And oh boy.... what a trip!



Today I'm going to channel Meri from Our Diabetic Life.  She went to Disneyland with her family not long ago.  And they had QUITE the trip

So did we.  At one point I even asked Meri if she had sent her vacation mojo our way!  Of course, sweet Meri would NEVER do that!  It must have just been in the air...

I have a whole post of little tricks and tips I picked up at Disneyworld.  But I'm not going to tell you about that - yet.



I'm also not going to tell you about how the days before our trip Sweetpea's numbers were running high.

Or about how we did a site change the night before we left. (Note to self...  DO NOT EVER DO THIS AGAIN.)

Or about how after the site change her bg just kept going up.

Or about how in the wee hours - after the second correction did nothing - we decided it must be a bad site.  And sure enough - there was a bent cannula.

Not going to mention how at this point she was HI and her ketones were 2.4.

Also not going to talk about how I just had a feeling something else was going on - and sure enough - her throat was red and swollen.

Certainly not going to rehash the site change and sub q correction we did around 5 am.

Or how we packed the car and were at the pediatrician's office at 8 am sharp.

Or how we had to hold her down so they could do throat swab.

Or how we had to hold her down again because we had to do the antibiotic injection for strep.

Or how I was channeling Reyna at this point - complete with the eye rolling and the muttering of "FFS" under my breath.  (Actually, my choice phrase was Unf*&@!ing Believable)

Or how we did all this and still managed to get to the airport in time for our flight.

Not going to talk about how we had a service pick us up at the airport and take us to the hotel - with one 15 minute stop for groceries. And how we would have made it in 15 minutes if it had not been for the lady in front of us who went all "extreme couponing" once we were stuck in line.

Won't mention how we took a cab to Magic Kingdom on day 1 for our breakfast with Cinderella at the castle (before the park opened - J thought this was our best bet).  And how the cab driver was CLUELESS and dropped us off WAY FAR AWAY.  And by the time we got there, we had to make a mad dash down Main Street USA in order to get there on time.



Won't discuss how we were denied a medical pass.

Or how it was in the upper 90's with heat indexes in the 100's.

Also won't mention how Sweets spiked a fever a few days in.

Or how, even though I packed an entire suitcase of D supplies, I somehow managed to forget the thermometer.

Won't talk about how the ONLY thermometer available in the gift shop of our hotel was some piece of crap strip you stuck to your forehead.





Or how it was reading at least a temp of 102. 

Or how I started to panic that she had heatstroke.

Or how we paid close to $20 to have a thermometer sent over from a local pharmacy.

Or how by the time it arrived, she was fine.

Won't mention the blisters - the many, many blisters I had that made every step painful.  Even though I packed not one, not two, but THREE pairs of tennis shoes.

Or how Sweets was afraid of the characters and practically hid under the table when Donald Duck came by.



Also won't talk about after my parents picked us up and took us to the condo, I started feeling sick.

Won't discuss how even though Sweet's doctor had told us to call them and they would send us a script for meds if either J or I came down with classic strep symptoms, she was not there that day and the nurse refused.

Not going to even go into how this landed me at the local clinic - which my insurance considers a $75 copay.

Won't talk about how this kicked my RUMP and I felt horrid for days.

Not going to tell you about the bad sites.  Yes, plural. 

Not going to mention the wonky numbers.

Or the fact that swimming (and taking off the pump) makes her go HI. 



Unless she was low.  Like she was when she was out with my parents and had a 39.

Not going to go into the discussion with the TSA agent who insisted that it was fine for an insulin pump to go thru the scanners and he knew this because he had people go through with them "all the time and there is never a problem".  Because he should know, right?

Not going to mention how we always hold up the security line.

Or how TSA agents have no idea what an insulin pump is.  And how you can't just "take it off" or "hold it up".

Or how Sweets ever so sweetly told the agent doing her pat down, "It's ok.  I'm used to this."

Or the look on my face when the agent asked me about our D supply bag, "Is there anything in here that might hurt me?"  Uh.... just needles?

Or how our flight out of Atlanta changed gates THREE TIMES. 

Or how the last time, we were already on the plane and seated.

Or how the lady across the aisle kept moving her heavy luggage back and forth between the overhead bins - almost dropping it on our heads.

Or how her seat mate insisted that when he went to the bathroom, someone stole his headphones.  And made the flight attendant make an announcement.  (Apparently, he dropped them on his way to said bathroom.)

Not going to talk about how Dex was reading LOW during the flight.

And then errored.

Nope.  Not going to tell you about any of that insanity!

Instead, I'm going to tell you that IN SPITE of all that insanity, we had a wonderful time!



Disney was SO. MUCH. FUN.
The condo was so relaxing!
Spending time with my parents is always nice.
And we even got to hang out with LORA and her wonderful kiddos!



What more can you ask for?!?


PS - A BIG THANK YOU to the ladies who blog sat for me while we were gone!  I hope it behaved for you! :)

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15 comments:

  1. Wow! I'm so glad you were able to have a great time in spite of it all! Hope you all are feeling better now and you're able to get a vacation from that vacation...I always feel that way after a Disney trip, but imagine you probably feel even more that way after all the chaos too!

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  2. Don't go sending your vacation my way, please!!! ;)

    In all seriousness, I'm glad you still had a terrific vacation despite all that you endured and you sure endured a lot!

    How awesome that Lora and her kids were a part of your trip!

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  3. Wow! After your's and Meri's Disney adventures, I'm not sure I'd even want to attempt it. =) I am so glad you had fun IN SPITE of it all!

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  4. HOLY COW!! Now I need a vacation! What an ordeal... That trip was UNREAL!!
    But, then I look at your little sweetheart's beautiful smile, and I see that in spite of all the crap D constantly throws in our path, we are fighters who work through it, and have a MAGICAL time anyway! Glad you're back. :)

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  5. Oh noooooooo! I am so sorry you had all those issues! However, I am happy that I see some smiles on her face in the pics! Some day, I hope there will be a cure so all D parents can finally go on a family vacation WITHOUT D! But for now, at least you know you always have someone there who just plain gets it. XOXO

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  6. yeah for vacations! (PS we call them "trips" now as they haven't felt like much of a vacation lately!) Glad it was wonderful despite it all :)

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  7. Good grief woman. I need aie down in a dark room after hearing about that! BUT you are so right about it being a wonderfu trip anyway. That cheeky grin. She had a ball. You did so well to do this and she will remember all the good stuff.

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  8. Sounds like a regular family vacation with D in tow. UG! I'm happy for you guys that you were able to outweigh the bad with the good!

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  9. I'm glad you had a good time despite all that happened!

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  10. Man, what is it with D and vacations? We had a lot of crazy stuff happen on ours too.

    In time, you'll just look back and remember the good stuff. Glad you guys got to make some great memories.

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  11. We just came back from Disney too. There is a certain wording I use each time we go to get a medical pass and it works like a charm. They can not give you a pass based on condition, it is based on need. I tell them directly "I need a guest assistance card for my son due to his medical reaction to long term time in the heat. He may also have to step out of line to treat his condition and I need to be assured that he can step back into his same spot" Also, have your stroller tagged with a wheelchair tag, that way it can go into the ride line with you and will be waiting for you after the ride. If it is tagged, you typically use an alternate line anyways. Good luck.

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  12. What a trip!!! It sounds like you had some struggles, but as I always find, life is worth fighting for. I am sure you created memories for her that will last a lifetime.

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  13. Wow, now that is why I camp. There are no lines to use the bathroom in the woods and all that other mess. I am glad all went well but sometimes maybe just get outdoors on a horse, bike, or trail can be alot more fun. www.thediabeticcamper.blogspot.com

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  14. OMGoodness...it sounds like you all had QUITE an adventure Hallie!!!

    So glad I could help give you a "visual" during the "channel-cursing".

    I am happy that you had a GREAT time. Love to you and the family. The pix are priceless.

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  15. What? No pics of the pool hair?? lol

    I am sorry you had so many "challenges" during your trip, but I am glad you had fun in spite of them.

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