What do you see? What do you feel? The sensation of needle pricking you?
This is her normal. This clear fluid keeps her alive. It allows sugar to be transported to her muscles allowing her heart to function and her lungs to work. Its hard to comprehend that the food she eats can potentially kill her. For those of you who don’t have Type 1 Diabetes, your pancreas makes this clear fluid. You do not have to think about what you eat, your pancreas creates the exact amount of insulin needed. For Chloe, and for everyone else with Type 1 Diabetes, she has to think about every single thing that she puts in her mouth. Whether it be “sugary” or not. Think about that for a moment, in a strange way, food has become her poison – a necessary poison to keep her alive. Counting carbs and making sure that her insulin to carb ratio is correct is crucial in keeping her going. Human error – My Error – can put her in a coma. Imagine that stress, knowing that one mistake can have such devasting results. Not enough insulin and she can develop an acid builup (Ketoacidosis) in her blood – this is a potentially deadly condition. Too much insulin can casue hypoglycemia which can result in seizures and loss of consciousness. Double checking, triping checking – the feeling of thinking you made a mistake – and then staying by her side and monitoring her to see how she reacts. So far, no mistakes – Thank God, but my mind plays tricks on me.