2 months today

Hard to believe it's been 2 months as of today because it feels like so much longer.  Diabetes has been so tiring and so darn relentless.  It never gives us a break and if we relax with it at all, it strikes back with a vengeance.  Damn diabetes.  I don't hate many things in my life but I can say with total confidence that I hate diabetes.

Paula Deen is not helping our cause.  Everyone is criticizing her for the way she cooks and with her recent annoucetment of having diabetes, it just doesn't help.  It's already bad enough that everyone thinks that diabetes is a lifestyle disease.  Diabetes 2 is.  But Levi DOESN'T HAVE DIABETES 2.  He has Diabetes 1.  Juvenile Diabetes.  No, I didn't feed him juice/coke from birth.  Nope, he's not overweight and I didn't stuff him full of sugar.  No, I didn't do this to him and No, he didn't have this from birth.  I didn't overlook it.  We did not cause this.

I went out to lunch with a childhood friend, someone who does care, and I realized how little information there is on diabetes 1.  It is an autoimmune disease.  They don't know how one gets it and there is no cure.  He will have this his entire life unless a cure is found.  He has to manage this always and we don't get a break from it.  As much as we will try and minimize diabetes, it will always be lurking in the background.  I've had a few postings on facebook and I realized that most people don't have a clue what I'm talking about.  If I was in their shoes, I totally understand that I wouldn't know either.  I don't blame them but I realize that we are alone in this.  Of course there are other families dealing with it, and maybe dealing with it better than we are, but in reality it's just our family.

I went to a MOPS mom's group and the subject was patience.  I need to have patience with others.  I need to have patience with myself as I am still learning.  We head back to Lucille Packard children's hospital tomorrow and I have quite the list of questions.

But today is also a day of celebration.  We have come so far and we will not let diabetes define Levi.  We have continued to do fun family things and more importantly, he is not only alive, but he is thriving.