Fathers Discuss Diabetes
Sanofi Aventis put together a thoughtful diabetes blog some months ago and since then I’ve had the opportunity to speak with and get to know Laura Kolodjeski quite a bit - she helps run the blog, ‘Discuss Diabetes’ and she’s good people!
Laura contacted a few of the Dads in the diabetes community and asked them to write a blog for her Father’s Day series... the first blog went up today and I hope that you get the chance to check it out. Come back here each day this week and I’ll post a link to the next blog - I hear that the week ends with a little something from yours truly.
Okay, get going!
Friday
Wrapping up the week with Laura
Thursday
My favorite memory with Arden - by me
Wednesday
Time moves quickly - George Simmons
Tuesday
Bennet Dunlap really likes being a dad!
Monday
Up first, Manny Hernandez
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Apidra Blog ptII
Back in February I wrote about my experience with changing from Novolog to Apidra. This post is a continuation of that writing...
This part of the story begins in March. Arden had her endo appointment in March and though I knew we hadn’t been using Apidra long enough to see any improvement in her A1C, I was stunned when her test came back 0.8 higher then the previous quarter. Shocked is actually too polite of a word, I was devastated. Arden’s A1C had always been within .3 of her original test (after diagnosis). It’s not as low as I’d like but it is in the lower portion of the range for her age. Always room for improvement but not bad to say the least.
I promised our NP three months ago that the Apidra was working much better for Arden then the Novolog and I said that we would definitely see a better number at her next test.
Which brings us to yesterday...
Arden’s A1C dropped .9 to 8.0, which is .1 lower then the test from six months ago and the lowest number that she has had since mid 2009, in fact, it ties her lowest number ever. and here is, in my opinion, why...
(For Arden) the Apidra has a shorter action time then Novolg but more importantly it doesn’t have a tail like the Nov did and it doesn’t cause accelerated declines. Here’s something that the CGM users will gasp at... Arden has only seen three, that’s 3, double arrow down readings on her DexCom since we switched to Apidra. For my money that’s a huge improvement because it allows me to be more aggressive with borderline BGs. I wouldn’t have had the nerve to bolus those numbers with Novolog.
Some more reasons why Apidra helped me bring Arden’s A1C down.
Shorter action time allows for quicker readjustments of poorly calculated meal boluses.
No significant BG declines allow for less overnight bolus stress.
Slower acting time allows for very aggressive pre-meal bolusing.
As mentioned above, adjusting borderline BGs is less frightening.
Fasting BGs are beautifully steady.
Our NP told us yesterday that even though the literature she refers to doesn’t show a statistical reason to suggest Apidra over Novolog, she just switch another patient based on Arden’s results. In the future if you are interested, I think I’d like to take each of the above bullet points and expand on them one post at a time. Thoughts?
The stuff at the end - I’m not nearly a medical person. I’m just a guy that takes care of a little girl with type I... I just happen to have an opinion, a keyboard and an idea about how to post a website. Please do your research, speak to others and then go over everything that you’ve learned with your healthcare professional. Please also know that this site is not supported by any ads, hand outs or pressure from any pharmaceutical company or device maker. I’m just trying to spread good information to the people that need it the most, as best as I can.
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Hi! Just popped over from D-Mom's Type 1 Tuesdays. So glad I did!
Bean (my 7yr old) has been using OmniPod for 9 months and we're on week two with the DexCom. I always 'knew' that she would spike after a meal, but to SEE those mountainous graphs are just plain yucky! I was figuring it might be that her basals are off or her ratios needed to be tweaked, but now I'm thinking it could just be the NovoLog. Her averages are pretty good, but those mealtime spikes are wreaking havoc on her, her A1c and me!! ;)
Thanks for sharing your experience. Apidra is definitely on the list for our next appointment!!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 - 06:17 PM
We are indeed needed to change every 2 days now and it is decidedly because of the insulin change. I was very resistent to draw this conclusion as I know there are others, like Arden, who do not have this issue.
Caleb never did gets alarms though. Just unrelenting highs at the magical 48 hour mark.
It's definitely made everything "softer" though, like your point about calmer overnight corrections. I don't think Caleb ever had a lot, if any, double arrows down before, and I can't remember seeing double arrows in any direction in a while for that matter. :)
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 - 04:54 PM
Scott
How are things for Caleb since to 48 hour pod changes or did you switch back?
Friday, July 29, 2011 - 01:13 PM
My Favorite memory with Arden
from 2011
The following is a Father’s Day blog that I wrote for Discuss Diabetes. I’m posting it here in it’s entirety for those that missed it. I hope you enjoy!
Today, we’re featuring Scott Benner, a.k.a. @ardensday, as part of our Father’s Day Tribute series. Scott has been a stay-at-home father since 2000. He’s been blogging about what it’s like to be the parent of a child with type 1 for the last four years. Thanks Scott for being part of our Father’s Day Tribute series and for sharing this beautifully written, sincere post that literally left me with an empty tissue box.
Q. What’s your favorite memory with your daughter?
When I received the topic I knew immediately what I’d write about, that is, I do have a favorite memory with my daughter, Arden, but writing about it in an interesting and meaningful way, well, it took me a number of days to understand how to do that.
My wife, Kelly, and I were married in the summer of 1996, we have two children. Our son, Cole, is 11 and our daughter, Arden, is 6. Arden was diagnosed with type I diabetes a few weeks after her second birthday.
We are a family that takes a lot of pictures and the last time that I looked we had nearly 45,000 images in iPhoto. Most every one of them has been filed in my mind as pre and post diagnosis. I don’t know why and I certainly don’t have this thought purposely but I do find that it happens quite often — I’ll see a photo and I think, “Arden wasn’t diabetic in that picture”.
It happens with most every photo except this one…
This photo was taken on Cole’s first day of kindergarten by Kelly. We were waiting in our front yard for Cole to arrive home from school. Kelly had taken the day off to be there when Cole got on the bus and she stayed home to welcome him as he got off.
This seemingly innocuous moment is my favorite with Arden in part because this day was a perfect day. This moment, these 20 or so minutes that we spent waiting for the bus to arrive and playing in the grass, was the apex of the day. I remember now, just as clearly as if it were yesterday that I felt perfect inside. I think that even if you don’t know me, you can see on my face the sheer joy and pure love that I have for Arden, Cole and Kelly. It was all but pouring from me as I looked into her big eyes. I should stop for a second, I just realized that I’ve never thanked Kelly for taking what has been, is and may well forever be my favorite photo of Arden and me. Thank you so much Kelly!
Before. I bet that every parent of a child with type I just read that word and knew what I meant. Anyway, before Arden was diagnosed I didn’t understand life. I thought that I did but circumstances have leant me a unique perspective and that perspective has clarified what it is that I’m to take from and give to a day. Thanks to this clarity, I see the beauty in things that may well to most, be unworthy of a second glance.
So that’s my favorite moment with my daughter, Arden. It happened at the end of a perfect day, a day that I spent with Arden and my wife just feeling good about life, excited at the world of possibilities that existed for our family. It culminated in that patch of grass somewhere between watching Arden holding on to my wife’s leg as she learned to walk and the exact second that that photo was taken. In that moment my heart was as full and as happy as any of us could ever hope for – and I am lucky enough to have a picture of it so that I can never forget what perfect feels like and who makes me feel that way.
I hope that your child’s life with type I opens your heart to what really matters and that you are able from time to time to forget that there was a before and just take in the wonderment of now. I know all too well that much of your lives are filled with stress, worry and a constant and nagging sense that something bad is waiting around the bend. I know the failure that a high BG makes you feel and that the guilt of that reading lasts too long. I know that with diabetes comes arguments, extra costs and a prioritization that is often unfair to you, your spouse and others in your family. I know all of that and still I choose to believe that there are more perfect days ahead for my family and for yours.
My heartfelt best to you and yours. You are not alone.
Scott – I cannot thank you enough for sharing this incredibly personal moment between you and Arden (and Kelly). I wish you and yours a very Happy Father’s Day!
All the best, Laura K.
Disclosure: This blogger received no compensation for this post. All opinions contained in this post reflect those of the blogger, and not of sanofi-aventis U.S., its employees, agencies or affiliates.
This entry was posted on Thursday, June 16th, 2011 at 5:00 am and is filed under General, Lifestyle. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
I want a better A1C
In two months Arden will have diabetes for five years. Today, for the first time I’m finding myself very vested in seeing an A1C decrease at our visit. I think that I may take it very personally if we don’t. Ninety minutes from now we’ll enter the exam room for the (I’m guessing) twentieth time and I don’t think (with the exception of one time) I’ve ever felt this anxious before an appointment. I don’t like feeling like this.
I just really want this to go well...
EDIT
We’re back from the endo and since I don’t want to bury the lead... A1C was terrific!
Here’s a little background. For the past two years Arden’s A1C is always in range and it fluctuates only a tiny bit. At her last appointment it jumped almost a full point but three months later it was back to the lowest that it’s ever been!!!
I think I know why too but you’ll have to wait until I get a chance to write about it to find out. Thank you so much for all the well wishes here, on Twitter and FaceBook, you guys rock!
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We have a new FaceBook page
I've started a companion FaceBook page to this blog. If you are a FaceBook user we would really appreciate it if you could take a moment to visit our new page athttp://www.facebook.com/ArdensDay and press the "like" button.
FaceBook will only give a fan page like ours it's own username if you have a minimum number of "likes". You'll know that you're on the correct page when you see this photo of Arden complete with her diabetes support circle. Thank you in advance for your continued support, hope to see you on FaceBook!
