Week in Review, Diabetes Day Camp (365:9)

What a week Dylan had at diabetes day camp at West Van Community Centre. He attended Monday-Thursday and experienced four days loaded with fun activities, great friends, and lots of diabetes education.

Day 1, Dylan arrived, thrilled to discover that he knew a bunch of the kids already from Camp Kakhamela! The group headed to Lighthouse Park for a hike and geocaching lesson, then back to the rec centre for lunch, board games and some diabetes ed.

Lighthouse Park, Day 1

Day 2 they went pitch & putt golfing, where Dylan experienced one of his lowest blood sugars ever. 1.7 mmol/l (30.6 mg/dl)! A full 10-pack of dex later and he was back into normal range, but then a few hours later, at snack, he had dropped to 3.0 mmol/l (54 mg/dl). Honestly, I never would have thought to temp basal for golf, and neither did he. Lesson learned.

Day 3 the group went up Cypress Mountain for an exploratory nature hike and to pick wild blueberries. This time Dylan set a 50% temp basal and ran a little high for the rest of the day, but not too bad. After picking, they returned to the rec centre and made blueberry pancakes with their pickings, practicing carb counting and how to count carbs for an entire recipe, then adjust it to a per serving amount.

Thursday was a food day. They spent the morning at Lonsdale Quay market, exploring the food vendors and talking about healthy food choices. For lunch they selected a food stall for their meal (making sure it was a healthy, balanced lunch) and estimated the carbs in their meal.

Dylan missed today to go camping for the weekend with his dad, but the group ferried to Bowen Island to go kayaking and visit a working bee farm!

Throughout the week, they created a video for newly diagnosed kids, too. Touching on ideas including injection fear, navigating the quarterly clinic and A1c test, and when to start pumping, the video will be shown to newly diagnosed kids to show them they are not alone. Very cool idea.

Breakfast of Champions (365:2)

One of the breakfasts offered at d-camp this year was a do-it-yourself breakfast wrap and it was a huge hit with Dyl. So much so, that he recreated this camp favorite his first morning back at home. Filled with yummy carb-less foods he loves, the only carbs found in this high-protein meal are those in the tortilla itself (33g of carbs in the flour tortilla he used). And if that's not awesome enough, he made this ALL BY HIMSELF!

His fillings included scrambled eggs, ham, greek yogurt (a healthy alternative to sour cream), salsa verde, and a little cheddar cheese. Definitely bolus-worthy! 

Diabetes Camp Rocks! (365:1)

Diabetes camp can be one of THE most amazing experience for a child with type 1 diabetes. Fully supervised by medical professionals, with trained and knowledgeable staff, it provides an opportunity for d-kids to experience all the activities and fun of residential summer camp in a diabetes-safe environment. Plus it offers the added bonus of introducing kids to other boys and girls with type 1, so they can swap stories, compare histories, voice complaints about d, whatever they want, all to someone else who actually GETS it. Empowerment is the goal here, and camp staff teach and encourage kids to self-manage their diabetes,while fostering a growing sense of independence.

At camp pick up, holding his bag of d-supplies and sporting his new camp toque

This year was Dyl's 5th time at Camp Kakhamela on BC's Sunshine Coast, and his best camp yet. They had flawless weather, he made tons of new friends, and he even learned to sail! Can't wait for next year!

Kakhamela is one of 12 Canadian Diabetes Association overnight camps. For full info, visit www.dcamps.ca/.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Camp Kakhamela 50 Year Celebration!

Camp Kakhamela is celebrating it's 50 year anniversary this year, with a party at Richmond's Olympic Oval on Saturday, Sept 15th, from 11:30am to 4:00pm. Anyone who has attended this diabetes camp, or is family or friends with a past attendee, staff member, counselor, or member of the medical team is welcome to attend! To preregister, visit www.diabetes.ca/campk50.

Local Diabetes Day Camp Just Announced!

The DEC clinic at Lions Gate Hospital (operating out of the West Vancouver Community Center) is offering a week long day camp August 20-24. The camp is fully supervised by LGH staff and will include some diabetes education, with a focus on having fun. Participants will go different exciting adventures everyday - including going up Grouse Mountain for a day, and pitch & putt golfing at Ambleside Park! Cost for the week is only $50. For more information, call 604-984-5752.

D-Camp is here

Ahh the joy of diabetes camp. It is the highlight of Dylan's summer and one of my favorite times of year. While I miss him terribly every year while he's at camp, I can honestly say that it's the only time I don't worry about his diabetes. He left yesterday for a week of outdoor fun, new friendships, and exciting adventures.

This is year four of diabetes camp and each year seems better and better. Dyl always comes back having learned so much, both from the staff and his fellow campers. One year he returned home excited to show me how he could do his infusion set change entirely his own. And last year he came home having mastered the dual wave bolus.

But it's so more than just that. It's the only place where diabetes is so common that it almost doesn't exist. It doesn't stand out, or set him apart from other kids, because everyone has diabetes. So when he needs to test his bg, no one cares, or even looks up. Why? Because they're all testing their bg too. Feeling low? Look to anyone, juice is never more than a stones throw away. It's like a special club with exclusive membership; a club where diabetes is the norm.

I also love d-camp because he is so well taken care of by staff. In fact, when we upload his pump data from camp week, it's usually better than when he's at home. I know he's safe there, and while that may not seem like much, to the parent of a child with diabetes, safety is one the most elusive things we know. We hope and pray for it, but we know that until a cure is found, safety is an illusion. We can never let our guard down. Knowing that Dylan is safe at camp is the most incredible feeling ever for this d-mama.

The only questions left is what do I do with myself all week?

Wordless Wednesday ~ D-Camp is Almost Here!

4 Days and Counting....

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday ~ Diabetes Camp Time

It's almost that time of year already: diabetes camp!! This will be Dylan's third year at Camp Kakhamela, a beautiful camp located on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast.

For anyone interested in attending Camp Kakhamela, I believe there are still a few spaces available for the first session, running in early July. Visit the Canadian Diabetes Association website for more info.

In the Blink of An Eye

And just like that, they're all grown up. It seems like only yesterday that my eldest was an infant and I was cherishing being a new mom. And yet my babies are babies no more. With a 15, 11, and 8 year old, now I race to slow down the clock and enjoy every single little moment.

This week has been tough on me. Dylan has been away at "Outdoor School" with his class for 4 days now. That's 4 full days and 3 nights of him monitoring his diabetes entirely on his own. He's testing, SWAG'ing, bolusing, carb counting, treating his own lows, and even setting up his own temp basals. My little guy is growing up, and is taking ownership of his disease in a way he has never done before. And he's doing it well!

Today I drove up to the site to change his infusion set. Technically, he can do it himself, and has before, but he really doesn't like inserting the new needle by himself. I can't say I blame him, those things are HUGE. I arrived at ten to 1:00pm, quickly found him in the auditorium, and we headed over to the first aid cabin where all of his D-supplies are being kept. The entire time we were in there (all of 6 minutes) he was looking at the clock, antsy to get it done so that he could get back to his buddies in time for the next field study at 1:00pm. That's my guy - never letting D get in the way.

So how he has done this week? Monday's numbers can be found here. As for Tuesday, Wednesday, and today, check these out...

Tuesday, Jan 24th
8:30 am: 7.1 mmol/l (127.8 mg/dl)
12:13 pm: 5.2 mmol/l (93.6 mg/dl)
3:10 pm: 7.4 mmol/l (133.2 mg/dl)
5:49 pm: 3.6 mmol/l (64.8 mg/dl
9:20 pm: 4.6 mmol/l (82.8 mg/dl)
9:58 pm: 4.7 mmol/l (84.6 mg/dl)

Wednesday, Jan 25th
8:29 am: 10.1 mmol/l (181.8 mg/dl)
12:09 pm: 5.3 mmol/ (95.4 mg/dl)
3:06 pm: 5.1 mmol/l (91.8 mg/dl)
5:51 pm: 6.2 mmol/l (111.6 mg/dl)
9:05 pm: 4.8 mmol/l (86.4 mg/dl)
9:55 pm: 4.1 mmol/l (73.8 mg/dl)

Thursday, Jan 26th
8:20 pm: 10.4 mmol/l (187.2 mg/dl)
12:09 pm: 9.2 mmol/l (165.6 mg/dl)
3:10 pm: he forgot to test and input to pump, but did have a snack
5:52 pm: 12.6 mmol/l (226.8 mg/dl, not surprising after no afternoon test)
9:02 pm: 5.1 mmol/l (91.8 mg/dl)
10:00 pm: unknown

Pretty darn good if you ask me. I am so proud of Dylan!

Independence - 24 hour update

Well, the first 24 hours of Dylan's trip to Outdoor School have been relatively uneventful. They arrived at the 200 acre site around 10:30am yesterday morning, and quickly met their counsellors and claimed their bunks, before jumping head first into a full afternoon of activities. As mentioned in yesterday's post, One Small Step for Dylan, One Giant Leap for Mom, Outdoor School is a high activity week involving a lot of exercise and outdoor learning. Exciting, but rough on the blood sugar.

A lunch time test indicated a 4.2 mmol/l (75.6mg/dl) blood glucose level. At afternoon snack he was 4.1 mmol/l (73.8 mg/dl) and at dinner he was down to 3.3 mmol/l (59.4 mg/dl). All 3 numbers are too low for my liking, so I was very worried when I spoke to Dylan at 7:15pm last night.

Dylan has had nighttime hypoglycemic seizures in the past. He hasn't had one in a few years now, but all of the ones in the past were after days in which his sugar levels ran low for at least a few hours of the day. I didn't want to risk him having a seizure (or worse, an undetected low) in a cabin with his friends, not to mention without me there to treat it, so together we decided we would err on the side of caution and program a temp basal overnight. 12 hours at 75% was the final decision, in part because that's what he did at diabetes camp the past 3 years. We also agreed that if his bedtime snack reading was under 5.0 mmol/l (90 mg/dl) he would call me again. As a final precaution, I told him to test one last time right before going to bed and if the reading was under 8.0 mmol/l (144mg/dl), he was to have a juice box.

Though my experience with diabetes was telling me these precautions should be enough, I was still frantic most of the night and barely slept. I finally dozen off around 1:30am, with both the house phone and my cell phone right beside me. I woke up frequently through the night, but never due to a ringing telephone. At 7:30am when my alarm went off, I was happy to discover that there had been no calls, and therefore no problems.

Only 3 more nights to go...

One Small Step for Dylan, One Giant Leap for Mom

This week marks perhaps the single biggest step towards independence that we have taken since Dylan was diagnosed with diabetes over 6 years ago. And while it's not a huge deal for him, it is a colossal step for me, as I am trusting him explicitly to monitor his own diabetes care for 5 full days!

We are very fortunate to live in and attend a school district that owns a 200 acre outdoor learning facility, known as "Outdoor School." All students in the district visit Outdoor School twice in their elementary years: for 3 days/2 nights in grade 3 and for 5 days/4 nights in grade 6. Classroom teachers accompany the students, and are assisted by high school students who volunteer as camp counsellors.

The experience itself is incredible. Students sleep in cabins and eat all meals in a common room, and then go out on "field studies" twice each day; once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Field study topics include a working farm, a pond study, salmon hatchery, and forest study, among others, and students also play cooperative games, sing campfire songs, and perform skits. It is an experience that stays with them for years, not only because it is such an amazing learning opportunity, but because of the bonds it strengthens between friends and the memories it creates.

For most parents it is an opportunity for children to grow and gain some independence. But for the parent of a child with type 1 diabetes, it is much more complicated than that. It means 5 days and 4 nights of Dylan being responsible for his own testing and bolusing. The first aid attendant will remind him to test at every meal and snack, and help him with carb counting, but otherwise he's pretty much on his own. Outdoor School involves a LOT of activity and excitement, so the pockets of his coat are loaded with a tester, a juice box, a 50 bottle of dex tabs, and a granola bar. He then has another 1/2 dozen juice boxes and granola bars in his suitcase to refill his pockets as needed, and treat nighttime lows and the first aid attendant had a big bag of extra supplies.

Dylan has been pumping for over 4 years now and is very confident and capable with bolusing. He's also become quite good at recognizing lows as they first start, and treating them accordingly. He has his 2 closest friends with him all the time for extra help, too, as they know what his low symptoms are and can tell the nearest adult if necessary. There is a first aid attendant there during the day and evening and another one on call at night. They are trained in administering glucagon and have my cell number handy should they need to speak with me. Finally, there is a clinic 10 minutes from the site and a hospital 20 minutes away.

Each night after his evening snack, Dylan will call me and read me all the day's data from his pump. Then depending on the numbers we will adjust basals for night time. If the day's blood sugar numbers are good, we will leave his overnight basals as usual; if he has been running low through the day, we will do a temp basal overnight. Then on Wednesday I will drive up to the site (about 90 minutes from my house) and change his infusion set.

All in all, this is a big step for us. Not only does it allow Dylan to demonstrate his maturity and independence, but it forces me to step back and let go of the reigns a little bit.

Whether I make it through the week without going crazy with worry is another story...

Diabetes Camp - A Mother's Take

Prelude: I actually started this post last Friday, just before Dylan returned from diabetes camp, but encountered computer problems. After taking our home computer in for what we thought would be a simple repair, it turns out we have blown something on the motherboard and need either a new motherboard, or a new computer altogether. Seeing as everything else on the computer is quite new, we opted for a new motherboard. So while we wait for it to be shipped from who knows where, I will be blogging from my iPhone, hence the delay...

Original post, Friday, July 15th, 2011:

Day 5 of diabetes camp, the final day, Dylan is coming home. He is spending the weekend with his dad, so I won't actually see him until Monday, but I can't wait to hear all about his week!

Dylan is at Camp Kakahmela, a diabetes camp organized by the Canadian Diabetes Association, and located in Gibsons, British Columbia, Canada, about a 10 minute drive and 40 minute ferry ride from our house. This is year 3 for Dyl and he absolutely loves it. Type 1 kids, and type 1 counsellors, travel from all over the world to attend this camp, so we are very fortunate to have it in our backyard! A team of diabetic nurses is there, of course, as well as 1 pediatric endocrinologist, who this year happens to be Dylan's endo, who has overseen his diabetes care since diagnosis in 2005.

What does all this mean to me, as a d-parent? It means some peace of mind, which any type 1 parent will tell you, doesn't come often. Yes, he is away from home, and participating in activities that pose a potential risk, but that has nothing to do with D, that is typical of any camp.

I get peace of mind because I trust the staff. I trust Dylan's endo explicitly; she knows him well and knows his diabetes patterns and history. She knows that he needs to run on an 80% temp basal for the week to avoid nighttime lows. She knows he can count his own carbs and enter all of his own data. This year she'll be thrilled to learn that he can change his own infusion sets - entirely by himself (not just the insulin, priming and tubing change, but he can insert the new cannula too, and we don't use a quick set, so he actually sticks that big long needle into his own tummy without help)!

I know that they will stay on top of his testing, including twice at night, and I know that when he gets home and we upload his pump data the numbers will be more stable than when he's at home. How do I know this? Because it happened last year and the year before.

This week i get a little break from being a d-mom. I get to sleep through the night and show my other 2 children that the world doesn't always revolve around diabetes. Of course I'll miss him, and I'll worry, even though I know he's safe. But that is really the best thing about diabetes camp, and the thing that a d-parent, and every parent, prays for each and every day - to know that your child is safe.

For more information about Camp Kakhamela visit: http://www.diabetes.ca/get-involved/helping-you/camps/british-columbia/kakhamela/