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You Might be the Parent of a CWD If...

Thursday, June 2, 2011

You might be the parent of a CWD (or be a PWD) if...

* You walk into the pharmacy to drop off a prescription (for yourself) and the person behind the counter - who you don't ever remember meeting before- calls you and your child by name!

* You have ever said, "I'm going to test your blood sugar and if you're not high or low, you're going to time out!"

* You go out to eat without your diabetic child and you panic for a split second when you start to eat because you think you forgot to check your blood sugar.

* You carry around a purse the size of a small suitcase in order to have all of your supplies on hand.

* You have numerous old syringes rolling around in your car.

* You despise the "free cookies" at the grocery store and the "free suckers" at the doctor's office. (the doctor's office of all places...)

* People look at you funny when you talk about your child being "high".

* You can recite from memory how many carbs are in a single grape and m&m (approximately .5g, in case you're wondering).

* You wonder how many carbs are in dog food..... (long story)






* You get suspicious looks from the cashier at the grocery store when you point out the "free" gum to your child.



*  You tell your child to give you the finger.

* You'd never give your child grapes or m&m's or pretzels or goldfish without counting them out first.  Each individual one.  And then you say, "NO SHARING!"

*  You know exactly what a pancreas looks like and where it's located in the body.





*  You have ever found a test strip... in the car, in a shoe, in your bra, or anywhere else you could think of.



*  You have ever apologized to another parent for their child coming home with a test strip stuck in his hair (some people have pet hair... we have medical supplies...)

* There is no butter in your butter compartment.  Just insulin.

*  You've ever worried that if the supplies in your medicine cabinet shifted and all fell out when you opened the door, you might be buried alive.

*  You've ever had your child ask if he or she could do something... to which you respond, "Sure - you can give it a shot".... to which the child responds, "I'm not eating!  I don't need a shot!"

*  When your child plays doctor, he or she does things like flick the play syringe to get rid of bubbles.

*  The bottom of your purse looks like a candy store.

* Your child's sheets and pillowcases are all covered with little polka dots... of blood.

*  You choose a comforter for your child's bed because it will hide the blood easier.  (This gets really weird looks if you talk about this out loud at Target...)

*  Older people comment on your child's cute "fanny pack".

*  Other kids think your child carries around a cell phone.

*  Halloween and Easter and Christmas mean getting candy.... and that's kind of the same thing as getting medicine.  And you specifically choose items that will be good to treat lows.

*  You ever judge your day or your child's day based on the 24 hour CGM graph.

*  You have more doctors on speed dial than your Grandmother.

*  You've ever put EMLA cream on a friend's child before she got her ears pierced.

*  You have a minor freak out if the waitress removes your child's plate before you can judge the amount he or she ate.



*  You make art out of medical waste.

  Photo courtesy of the SUPER CRAFTY LAURA @ Houston We Have a Problem

*  Your child waits to eat... even though everyone else is eating and her plate is in front of her... because she forgot that you already tested her and she knows she can't eat before testing.

*  You've ever spent half of a meal looking up carb counts on your phone.  And this is the reason you got a SmartPhone in the first place.

* You hear people talking about "pumps" and you are confused until you realize that they are talking about shoes - not medical equipment.



*  You tell your child that they MUST bounce in the bounce in the bounce house if they would like that cotton candy at the fair.

* You get to go through the "special" lane in the airport and always get a "special massage" when going through security.

*  Your carry on is full of medical supplies.

*  You can guess your child's blood sugar correctly before you test - it's all based on MOOD.

*  Your child falls asleep in the car and you worry that he or she has passed out due to hypoglycemia.

*  You hear beeping and ask your child, "Is that you?"

*  Your child hears beeping and checks his or her cgm.

*  You speak an entirely new language.



*  Your child asks to "pee on a stick" and you know it's not a stick that came from a tree.

*  Your child asks, "Am I low?"  with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

* Your cell phone is attached to you like a third arm because you get calls all day long asking what to do in certain situations.

*  Your list of books to read for pleasure consists of books like "Pumping Insulin" and "Think Like a Pancreas".

And I totally recommend this book, by the way!

*  You schedule vacations to places where other D families live - not places that traditional vacation destinations.

*  You can't remember your age but you can rattle off carb counts, blood sugars and A1c's with no hesitation.

*  Your child asks when he or she can ride in the ambulance and go to the hospital again.

*  Your child likes the hospital because of the "room service".

*  You pick a restaurant based on the quality of their nutritional information - not the quality of their food.

*  Shopping for new school clothes includes new pump pouches.

* You wonder if it's possible to die of exhaustion.

* You can live without milk, bread, or water.... but NOT JUICE BOXES.



* Your life has ever been divided into BEFORE and AFTER.

* Your child is the bravest person you know.

 * Your very best friends are people you've never met who live in your computer.  And you could not imagine life without them!

* Even though the doctor tells you it's okay to sleep through the night and you're so exhausted you can't remember your name, you still get up in the middle of the night to check your child's blood sugar because she means more to you than anything else in the world and you just have to make sure she makes it safely to morning.


Do you have one?  Can you think of more?

Add your favorite as a comment below! It's good to laugh at this crazy life we lead!

Want another good chuckle about how we're all in this craziness together???  Go check out Denise's video on her blog My Sweet Bean and Her Pod.  It is HI- LAR- I- OUS!  I am going to be singing her Type 1 D Mom's Song for a loooooong while!  It's a must see!


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42 comments:

  1. I cracked up at flicking the bubbles in the play syringe. And so true about picking a restaurant based on nutritional info! LOL

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  2. WOOT!

    Guess that makes me a PofCWD!

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  3. LOVE this!

    here's one more:

    *you wonder if you might get pulled over when bolusing your child with his Ping remote while driving because the officer thought you were texting.
    ;-)

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  4. That's one whopper of a comprehensive list! :) Made me smile, especially the one about the comforter!

    I know I'm the parent of a CWD when my child says, "I don't care if it means I need another shot. I want the _____." (fill in the blank: dessert, birthday cake, apple, etc.)

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  5. Thanks, Hallie! Here I am reading this at 1:30 AM because Joel is 62. Thanks for giving me a smile while waiting. Amazing how the DOC is here for you at ANY hour!

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  6. Love the "You speak an entirely new language"...I sometimes forget that the people around me don't regularly use the words and acronyms we use day in and day out, here in DOC land. =) A fun post, for sure! Thanks Hallie!

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  7. What an amazing list! I am not a CWD, but a PWD and I could relate to a lot of this. This seems like you would be so tired! So many of my must read books are also D related. LOL

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  8. I knew I was a mom of a CWD when my stomach flipped a little when I saw a digital 36 looking back at me... but it was my car's temperature gauge! ;) Phew!

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  9. Nice information, many thanks to the author.

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  10. If...
    You specifically bought a torch(flashlight) that you could carry/hold in your mouth, to leave your two hands free for that night check!

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  11. What a pleasure to read. It makes you laugh, cringe and cry all in one post! thanks!

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  12. These are so true! If I weren't so tired from middle of the night checks on two CWD I might be able to think of some more LOL

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  13. FUN!!! I am SO a Parent of a CWD! I was nodding my head and smiling through the whole list.

    I know that I'm a PofCWD because my 22 month old says "check suga" before she will eat - and she's not my D child!

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  14. Haha...After re-reading my comment, maybe we need a list of "you know you're a sibling of a PWD if..."

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  15. This is great!!!! Only a month in to D in our house, and I can already relate to so many. =)

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  16. * You count how many days something is by site changes..."Daddy will be home when you are due to have your next site change"
    * Your child asks in the supermarket "is this food free" and people look at you funny.

    And this one from a few days ago -
    "Mummy, can you check on me tonight to make sure I don't get to low". This one got to me.

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  17. The "pump" one was a new one on me. That was funny!!! Great post Hallie.

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  18. Great list! Sadly, SO TRUE! :)

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  19. Smiling and nodding in agreement the whole time!!
    I'm wracking my brain trying to think of one to add....
    Oh....
    You're talking to your husband while away on a little vaca and ask how the girls are doing and you get pissed when he doesn't start rattling off BG readings for the day!!

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  20. Even as a Type 2, I was nodding to many of the things on your list. Thanks for the laugh!

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  21. So many of the items on the list resonate for me and my daughter in our house. I laughed especially hard about the items having to do with the pharmacist (and staff!) knowing you by name, finding test strips absolutely everywhere, and scoping out restaurants based on the quality of the nutritional info. Really relevant and funny stuff here, thanks for posting!

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  22. When you tell your child..."Forget the chicken nuggets you can't play on the playground until you eat all your fries!"

    And I'm totally using numbing cream when Addison gets her ears pierced! :)

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  23. Great post! I can so relate! I have one to add....

    When you hit an unexpected traffic jam and immediately take a mental inventory of your "low" supplies on board. Such a scary feeling.

    Love the one about the people who live in your computer that we can't live without. So true. :)

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  24. You know your sugar is low, when you suspend your insulin pump before showering...and then realize it isn't even attached!

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  25. i totally bought my first smartphone 1 week after diagnosis, just so i would have access to calorieking. :) so true on all of them!!!

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  26. My favorite was when we were in dairy queen getting ice cream. We tested Sarah first and she was low. Her sister gives her a firm look, and in a loud voice states "you're not getting an ice cream cone until you eat that Marshmallow!" -

    And by the way, I laughed at the Emla cream comment because Sarah just asked me the other day if she can have her eats pierced, and if she can useEemla cream for it. Lol!

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  27. How in the heck could I add anything when this list is so fabulously comlpete!! ;)

    I love it. I am copying it and pasting it into a word document to add to my D-favorites folder. A keeper for certain.

    Thanks for the giggles and teh reality check of our lives as members of the T1D family

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  28. I read and said out loud the entire time, "Yep" "Uh-huh" "Don't that" and giggled some and got choked up on a few. Awesome, girl. Yes, sometimes we just have to have that chuckle. Thanks for posting!

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  29. You know your a PCWD when your child insists that they needs a cell phone at the age of 8 and list off good medical reasons all pertaining to their D care.

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  30. SAME-SAME-and DOUBLE SAME! I was out to eat and I freaked for a second thinking I didnt give insulin.

    I know you don't have this problem because you have a girl, but I have to be careful not to tell Justin to "stop yanking his tube" when were out in public :)

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  31. You watch your child give themselves an injection and you feel both pride and horror at the same time.

    Great List!

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  32. I have woken up with test strips glued to my cheek!

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  33. LOVE this one!

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  34. Yes, yes to all of those statements!! I never saw you in person, never wrote to you in private and I don't even live in the same country but you know what? You are part of my everyday life and I would'nt trade you for a nugget of gold!! Thats how precious you are to me! ;0)
    Great post!

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  35. Thank you so much for your blog...it is my site of choice late at night while waiting for BG checks...and it appears I am not alone--which as all you moms of CWD know is how we feel at 2 am. Thanks again, Hallie and all who comment here. We are only 5 months into D and the DOC has been a huge help for me!

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  36. I love this!! You always write killer posts!

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  37. Hallie, these are sooo true. I am really touched when I am reminded that there are people out there, virtual friends, who really do get it. And I hope I am able to meet some of you IRL one of these days!

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  38. Nod, Nod, Nod

    You spend time looking for new D accessories. Testing kit bags, pretty medic alert braclets, etc.

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  39. When a trip to Joann's to pick out new pump pack fabric is the highlight of your child's day.

    When your child knows that there are 13 g. of carbs in a light blueberry yogurt before she can read a nutrition label.

    When your kindergartener learns to skip count by 5s with her Animas Ping.

    When you get giddy about snagging coupons for your child's favorite bandages.

    When the checkout clerk asks why you're buying 20 boxes of bandages.

    When your non-D child is telling a friend to eat some protein with her carbohydrates.

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  40. When you count the non-D child's carbs...AND try to check their sugar before they eat. I can't tell you how many times I've caught myself trying to check his sugar! oh and same non-D child ATE a test strip...found it when I changed his (dirty) diaper. *hanging my head in shame...

    Thank you for the laugh, Hallie. It's amazing how many of those hit home and made me laugh!

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  41. I missed this post when originally written...love it!

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