I shared this recently on Facebook and because I want to start sharing and pouring more into my blog for myself and for others I thought I would add it here as well.  

I originally posted this on 01/07/16:

The 1st picture came up today in my Facebook memories. 

I remember this day 3 years ago like it was yesterday. All three of my children were sick and it was miserable. I was a single mom with no job, I had recently moved out of the only home they had ever known and moved in with my parents, and I had not worked since the birth of my oldest daughter, Emma in 2004. I had no idea how I was going to cover the copays for all three of them, not to mention the cost of the prescriptions that they would need. I vividly remember thinking “How did I get here?”.

Because blogging every 6 months or so seems to be my new pattern I'm going to go ahead and hammer one out . . . 

But really - - - I'm so super excited about something and I want to share it with everyone!  

My friend, Hallie at The Princess and the Pump and I have been following a grass roots movement for a while, we both joined the FB group, CGM in the Cloud a few months ago and stealthly read every post and looked at every photo before deciding to jump on board (FINALLY!!) and set up our own Nightscout systems.   What is Nightscout also known as CGM in the Cloud?  Well, it's probably way more technical than I can explain so I will refer you to the site and the set up instructions after I try to tell you my version . . . 

Our Dexcom G4 CGM (continuous glucose monitor) receiver is now plugged into an Android Moto G telephone.  There is an awesome and amazing and magical app on the Moto G that takes the Dexcom information and sends it to a magical cloud and that magical cloud sends the data to my very real iPhone, iMac and iPad.  I love magic!  My iPhone is connected to my Pebble SmartWatch via bluetooth.  Some really smart person that developed all of the magic listed above also created a magical app for the Pebble which gets the data from the iPhone and displays it on my watch!!  Did I already say that I love magic?  

Ok, I know it's not really magic but like I said I will leave all the techy details to the amazing parents that developed this fantastic tool.  Here is a copy and paste from the CGM in the Cloud page on Facebook:

Nightscout has given Nate just the freedom that he needs at just the right time!  He's SIX now and going into 1st grade (I know --- whaaaaat?).  He likes to roam the 'hood, hang with the neighborhood kiddos and play outside with his friends (without mom hovering like a crazy person).

I'm also loving the freedom it's given me!  These pictures below are of me out on my 1st run while leaving Nate at home with an older neighborhood friend and Emma Leigh!  It was fantastic.  They all felt like they were getting a little bit of freedom and honestly I really needed that run!  I know there are running apps for the Pebble but 1) I really like my Nike watch and B) I didn't want to have to switch between Pebble faces to see Nate's number and my running stats.  I'm perfectly aware that I looked like a big dork --- I don't care!



Photos from Nightscout/CGM in the Cloud:




I also wanted to include this video that Emma, Nate and I made yesterday about how we carry our Diabetes supplies around --- including the OmniPod PDM and the Nightscout set up.  The last time we made a video about our "D" Bag was in April of 2011 ---- you can watch that one HERE and you should watch it because it's so funny and cute and Nate and the girls were so teeny tiny and adorable!

So, here is the new video:


You have to watch the video to see how we are going to roll out Nightscout at school --- if you have any questions . . .shoot me an email at houstonwehaveaproblemblog@gmail.com or message me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PinkDrinkTexas

And as of right now this video will not load on YouTube or on Blogger so I may throw my iMac and iPhone out the window at any moment.  Hopefully, by the time this posts everything will be loaded.  If not, well I'll go with Plan B.  I don't have a Plan B yet but I'll figure it out!

It loaded!!  YIPPPPEEEEE!!!

Thanks for stopping by and please go check out Nightscout because #WeAreNotWaiting.

I started this post back in August when Nate started kindergarten.  I didn't really get further than the title and some brief research on hostage negotiations.  Why hostage negotiations?  Well, during the entire first 6 weeks Nate struggled with school, with bg checks at school, had major meltdowns and started crying every morning before we even left the house for school.  I'm not sure I can adequately describe how completely awful it was.  

I wanted to do the right thing for him, for me and for his teachers.  I asked for advice here and on FB and received so much conflicting advice that it was completely overwhelming.  Should I stay with him at school? Just go up there when it is time to check his bg? Just go up when it is time to bolus? Not go up at all and make him be a the big boy I know he can be?  

I felt like if I did or said the wrong thing this could impact him and the way he feels about school and diabetes for the rest of his life. 

 I did actually google hostage negotiations because I felt like those people have to make split second decisions that obviously impact people for the rest of their lives. 

A little dramatic?  Meh . . . maybe but I felt completely overwhelmed by Nate's behavior and really didn't want to damage him for the rest of his life (more so that I probably already have!). 

The one thing that stuck in my head from a FB friend and person with diabetes (PWD) was that some things are negotiable and some things are not.  Checking your bg is non-negotiable.  Going to school is non-negotiable. That's where I started.  I told Nate those 2 things and tried to help him by going to the school to check his bg and bolus for lunch.  That didn't work.  Nate had so many things going on in his little kindergarten noodle . . . 

Separation anxiety, diabetes anxiety, the fear of having someone he didn't know checking his bg, fear of someone besides me giving him insulin, a new school, a long day, new friends, so many unknown that were made worse by fluctuating blood sugar levels because I had no idea where to start with school basals! 

When Shay wrote the following statement to me, I don't think any of us knew just how accurate  it would be:  

Monday, Nate starts kindergarten and everything will NOT be all right. It will be a stressful, fucked up, bloody nightmare. Literally - there will be blood. There will be tears; yours and his and possibly innocent bystander's. There will be panic attacks, yelling, second guesses, sleeplessness (more so than usual), and Tommy Lee Jones may be there to announce, "we have a runner; search every out house, farm house, and locker." If, by chance, Nate makes it to his class, you may get the call that he has taught everyone a few new choice words like - oh I don't know - holy shitballs, for instance.

Nate literally would run out of class, he would kick and scream, he would cry, he clung so tightly to me that I could not get him off of me.  At one point, I had gone to the school to help with his lunch bolus and he threw such a crazy fit that I had to run and hide in the office from him and watch 2 teachers, the vice principal and school counselor carry him down the hall kicking and screaming.  I looked at that child with a blank stare, as teared were rolling down my face, I literally did not know who that boy was at that moment.  That is not the way Nate behaves and I had no idea what to do.  I told the staff that his bg levels were at a safe range and to please treat him the same as they would any other student that was behaving that way.  So, they did. I got a call about 15 minutes later from the VP to let me know that he had calmed down and he wanted her to send me a picture of him playing with play doh and behaving.  What a relief that was for me. 

• Nate had to check his sugar.  That was not negotiable.  He made the choice to do it himself and not let the nurse do it.  That worked for me and it worked for him.  I think it gave him a little bit of control that he needed to feel more comfortable with all of the changes going on.

• If he threw a tantrum and refused to go into class (sometimes this could take up to 10 minutes) then he would lose privileges.  If he couldn't act like a big boy and make big boy choices then he would lose his big boy privileges.  He lost his iPad a few times and he thought that was the end of the world!

• Ian started taking him to school.  Part of the problem was separation anxiety from me so he seemed to do a little bit better each day when Ian took him.  He still cried and had to be reminded to make big boy choices but this was the beginning of big changes for Nate.  

• We did a lot of positive reinforcement. If/when he made the choice to go into class and make good choices he was rewarded by us and by his teacher.  There were days that he refused to take his backpack off all day.  Gradually it started coming off earlier and earlier and he was rewarded for his good choice.  He now goes into class, removes his backpack and starts the day with a smile!!

• His teacher is amazing!  She is so patient!  She also kept the communication with us open with daily emails, text messages and morning updates when Ian dropped Nate off.  She was a huge part of him getting over this hump!