Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Water and Sand

Three weeks ago, we were in Florida.

And I can't think of a time in the last two and a half years when my son had a greater sense of pure freedom.

It was the ocean, really.

He spent hours each day playing in the surf-- and trying to "skim" board along its edge.



Absolutely determined to learn how to do this thing...



... the whole time, no pump, no infusion site (they didn't like the salt water).

No need.

Just injections for food during the day; a new infusion site (so he could wear his pump while he slept) at night.



And my God, each and every glorious day that Joseph was on the water, he never once went high or low...

My boy was in heaven.

We all were.

Oh, and there was this one afternoon-- when I got a taste of my own kind of freedom...




... by just playing in the sand.


12 comments:

Paige said...

That's wonderful...thanks for sharing the pictures of Joseph enjoying the sun, surf, and freedom!

Shannon said...

Ahh....sweet freedom. I'm happy you had a great vacation and that you and the family were able to unwind.

George said...

There is nothing better then an uneventful vacation! I am glad you all had a great time.

Scott S said...

Sometimes a vacation from the pump is a good thing, too!

Penny Ratzlaff said...

Sandra,

I'm glad things went so well for you guys.

And, nice sand lady.

Vivian said...

Sandra, how awesome that you guys had a few days of peace. It is wonderful that Joseph caught a break from it all and that maybe you got to refresh too. Woo Hoo for wonderful vacations.

Jamie said...

Your trip sounds wonderful. It's nice to go somewhere and relax for a few days - looks like Joseph had a great time too and his diabetes stayed in the background :)

I like your sand lady too ... very nice.

Scott K. Johnson said...

Awesome.bu

Elvis McNeely said...

Hi, I was wondering how many hours your son spent on the beach, in a single visit? Can you tell me also if he took an injection before going to the beach, like two hours before? That would be great. Thanks and I love the pics.

Nicole P said...

Another amazing sculpture, Sandra. I am in awe. Again.

I'm so glad you had a wonderful vacation - say hey to Joseph for me.

Sandra Miller said...

Elvis,

Hey, thanks for the comment-- and the excellent questions.

Joseph spent 4-5 hours disconnected while on the beach.

He'd start the day with a bolus for breakfast, disconnect-- and inevitibly, his set would come out within an hour or so of him playing in the surf.

Around mid-afternoon, we'd give him lunch and an injection to cover his food.

Our first day there, we also gave him Lantus-- but soon realized that (at least during the day) he didn't need any basal insulin. All the extra physical activity made him so insulin sensitive that his meal boluses were enough to keep his sugars stable until the next meal/insulin dose.

Though, keep in mind that Joseph's basal rates are on the low side-- his afternoon basal rate is .225 per hour.

So, during those five hours he was disconnected he missed just over one unit of insulin.

If you have any more questions, just ask...

Anonymous said...

Ah vacation! He looks so happy! :-)