6.7%

Today was Betsey's clinic appointment. Being there you're surrounded with evidence of diabetes. There are bulletin boards with information about it, paperwork everywhere, advertisements for meters and strips. I'd imagine it's like walking into Betsey's mind.

The appointment consists of the basics: height and weight and blood pressure check. They have Betsey leave a small sample of her sugary blood for the HbA1C to shake up in a special machine. We don't get that number right away, though. It takes a few minutes. Then we get called into a room where we sit with a CDE (Certified Diabetes Educator) or an APRN or an RN, or the Nutritionist all trained with specifics to sweet kids.

The A1c is the first thing they share with us....IF the machine is done shaking it up. I feel like I can't breathe until they tell me what it is. Sometimes, when it's not done before we get called into a room for the appointment, someone will come knock on the door, and hand over a piece of paper with the results written down. I follow the paper from the delivery person's hands, into the air, down to the clinician's hands and practically undress the folds with my eye.... inching closer to them until they say it.

6.7%. That was Betsey's A1C today. Very, very good. She was happy, I was happy. We both looked at each other and smiled. Her numbers have been all over the place lately, with no rhyme or reason, no evidence of certain basals needing to be adjusted, no patterns. I was anxious for them to look things over and see about adjustments, because I was completely at a loss. She is 11½ and the changes are starting, so this could be the reason for the quirky numbers.

She has to take her pump off and whomever we meet with goes through it for Daily Totals of insulin and her insulin boluses to insulin basal ratios, and a couple other checks. While she had it off, I heard a beeping near me, next to Betsey and immediately, without hesitation, I looked over at her and said, "What's that?" It made a beep like her sensor was bad or needed attention for a metered blood glucose... It is habitual for me when I hear a beep call to her wherever she is, to ask what it is, what her pump is saying, and figure out what to do next. Always 'on.' She looked at me, face turning red... She didn't have her pump on, the nurse had it, what the heck was that noise? The nurse laughed - there was a box of pumps on the desk right beside me and they were beeping every so often. It happened 2 more times, and even though I had the explanation, and I knew it wasn't her, I still shot a quick look at Bets each time before catching myself and remembering... it wasn't her beeping.

Every time we have her appointment, I leave with at least one tid bit that I didn't have before. Today, it wasn't a good one. My heart sunk a little. Well, more than a little. She is due for blood work, it has been 2 years. They do a cholesterol screening and thyroid levels, all that regular stuff. I delved a little deeper about it and why the necessity for it so often, she's so young. With diabetes, the risk of cardiovascular problems is greater than those of non diabetics. This I knew. What I didn't know was that it could be, can be, inevitable. Despite good, tight control. Despite good eating. Despite low A1C's.

Is Betsey going to have problems with this? Who knows. But the fact that she has such a greater chance, and problems can start developing in her late teens.... that made me sad. This is a kid who loves rainy days, of all things. She finds humor and something good in everything. She'd rather tromp through puddles on a cold rainy day when the rest of us would rather be in front of the fire, dry and cozy. She knows what life is all about. What really matters. She enjoys every day, makes the most of everything and looks for sunshine everywhere. And if she doesn't find it, rain is even better.

I asked them to hang my posters with the link to here and for the fundraising page. I am more than half way to my $3000 goal. And someday, I think and hope, someday I know it will be worth every cent!!!

So another good appointment. Betsey is healthy, despite being extra sweet :) and she's doing well, all things considered. That's my girl! ♥