To say this last week and a bit was tough is an understatement. February 28 will be a day we will never forget as a family, as it's the day our youngest boy (14 months old) was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, a horrible autoimmune disease.
It was definitely a tough pill to swallow for us as we learn to navigate this and learn all there is to know about this topic. The hardest part of it all is the fact that he is so young, but it's also almost a benefit in a way, as he won't know any better in terms of a change in diet.
What many people don't know is that the initial Type 1 diagnosis doesn't have to do with diet, it's all just dumb luck unfortunately, which helps this mama's heart. I'm glad it was nothing we could have done, as we are generally pretty healthy people.
It's been a tough time with the longer-than-usual hospital stay, lack of sleep and huge learning curve in carb counting and constant pokes, but it's a time we will take together to do the absolute best we can for our little man.
He's been one of the youngest Type 1 diabetics the nurses and doctors have seen, but also one of the happiest, bringing such light into the pediatrics unit of the hospital. His constant smiles and claps when the needle is finished have pulled on everyone's heartstrings and brought a sense of positivity. I could not believe he didn't cry for his first few glucose checks! It definitely has made it easier on my heart to see how tough he's been.
There are going to be highs and lows (literally) through this journey, but we will take it each day at a time. For us, even though it's, of course, a big deal, we don't want to make it a big deal for our little guy, as we want to have him live as normal a life as possible.
It's also been an adjustment for his older brothers to see all of this, but in the end, they too will be stronger for it, learning all about their little brother's new condition.
We will not let this diagnosis define him or make him sad or left out ever, as we are all in this together for him. It's not about drastic changes in our diet, just little changes to be healthier for the better. It's one day at a time.
The support already through his diagnosis has been incredible. There's so many resources out there and a whole team of people following along, making sure he gets the best care necessary. It's a club we didn't want to ever be a part of, but one we will learn to live with and become experts at for our sweet, strong little boy.
