Weekend

I was going to post about the wonderful weekend we had in Pittsburgh.  I have some pictures and they're pretty funny.  Maybe I'll get to that a little later.  Right now I have some  more pressing matters.  

Ruth had been having some concerning symptoms for several weeks...ok, probably months, and like a good Mom, I patted her on the head and drug my feet in taking care of things.  I was in De Nile.  Big time.  She complained of thirst that was never quenched, no matter how much she drank.  I found it frustrating, but dealt with it by being sure to have a water bottle handy.  All.the.time.  And tried not to be annoyed.  Right then, I should have taken her to the doctor, but I didn't.  Next, was the weight loss.  She'd been quite a bit over optimum weight for her age/height, so we were working on eating better and exercising.  She was losing a pound or two a week, then it jumped to 3-4 pounds.  Wow!  What dedication, I thought.  Should have taken her to the doctor.  Then, she was getting up at night to go the bathroom.  She must be constipated, I thought.  We've dealt with that issue when she was younger.  It's raising it's ugly head again.  I should have taken her in.  Finally, this weekend, I was voicing some concerns to a friend of mine who just so happens to be an RN.  She, when hearing the thirst and weight loss issues, prompted me to get Ruth's sugar checked that day.  Lori, my friend, has a mother-in-law who is diabetic and carries her monitor, so we just checked Ruthie out.  She came in at 578.  Everyone but me seemed shocked.  I had no idea what "normal" really was.  For all of you not in the know, that's high.  I know that now.  I was told to take her to the doctor asap.

Monday morning, I prepped for a visit to the doctor and called them right at 8am when they opened.  Upon giving Ruth's number to the nurse, I was given the first available appointment at 8:45.  I ran around waking kids and stuffing them into the van to drop them off with a sitter (bless my Amanda for taking them at the crack of dawn).  Since I had a heads up on what might be going on, I didn't allow Ruth to eat or drink after midnight so we could get a good fasting blood test.  She wasn't too happy with me for that.  But, a good test it was.  The pediatrician warned me that she was sure it was Type I diabetes and to go home, pack a bag for the hospital and be ready for the call from her when the labs confirmed it.  Ruth and I hit the library for some books and movies, then the grocery store to pick up some things for the kids that would be left at home, picked up said kids and headed home where I found I had missed the call from the pediatrician telling me the lab results.  Chris had left work to come get the rest of the kids and take Baby Cakes to his visit with his mom.  I took Ruth to the children's hospital where she was admitted to get her blood sugar under control and so that we, the family, could begin learning how to take care of her.

Yesterday was a long day filled with tears-mine, Ruth's and the boy across the hall.  I have no idea what was going on with him, but he was seriously unhappy, poor thing.  We started by getting Ruth an initial dose of insulin, beginning the process of bringing her sugar levels down.  This was rather traumatic for her as she really doesn't like blood or needles.  I suppose she's going to have to get over that eventually.  Throughout the day, her sugar was checked and I was gradually given over the duty of checking her sugar and administering the insulin.  Under pressure, I suppose I did fine, but I sure didn't like it.  

Ruth got a visit from Logan from the Doggie Brigade!  Here, he was waiting for his treat.  Ruth was delighted when his owner put the treat on Logan's nose and he threw it up in the air and ate it.

Flowers from Gabriel and Isaiah and their family.  An excellent choice-these flowers have made their way into every conversation since they arrived.

Ruth enjoying a little evening snack and some Webkinz before bedtime.

Bedtime was the worst.  It was late, we were both very tired and just overwhelmed.  I ended up laying in bed with Ruth while she cried herself to sleep.  I'll admit to shedding a few of my own.  Today looks to be better.  We begin our learning process and fine-tuning my mad blood letting skills.