Fun Day & Rumors of a Possible Cure!

Today we went the "Hot Shots" (diabetic support group) ice skating party. It was well attended, and lots of fun! Even Will, who usually resists any kind of skating, had a good time.

While there, I talked with a mom who is enrolled in a study considering whether some type 1 diabetes can be cured with the TB vaccine. I looked it up online when I got home. A doctor has found a way to target the T cells that destroy the insulin & has reversed the disease even after full onset in mice, horses, and another animal (I forgot. Was it dogs?). It was only successful for a third of the patients. Right now the trial for people just involved them donating blood. When it comes time to try the vaccine, they expect a severe case of pancreatitis while the pancreas swells & fights the T cells that destroy insulin. She said that they would probably end up hospitalized for a couple weeks. Once the T cells are destroyed, type 1 diabetes is gone. How cool would that be???

It's interesting that yesterday Andrew was discussing what he would consider a cure. Fancy pumps coupled with even more sensors that he has to wear all the time is not a cure. Improvement over current management, but so not a cure. Neither are surgeries & immuniosuppressant drugs that only last a little over a year. He wanted a shot cure. I admit I thought it naive, but I would love to be wrong!!!
http://www2.massgeneral.org/diabetes/laboratory_type1.htm

Sleepover- Take 2

Well, Andrew is trying the sleepover again tonight. Gene was reluctant, but it's kind of like getting back up on a horse. Andrew called a few minutes ago. He is headed to bed (at 9:30) with BG 203. This time, we didn't correct & will let him sleep through the night. Good luck, Andrew!

Press Release on Artifical Pancreas

JDRF in Groundbreaking Partnership with Animas to Develop First-Generation Artificial Pancreas System

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jdrf-forms-partnership-with-animas-to-develop-first-generation-automated-system-for-managing-type-1-diabetes-81323767.html

Sleepover Scare

Andrew has been wanting to sleepover at the neighbors house. The plan was this:
1. Check BG after the Alabama championship game around 11 pm & call home. (This step went well - BG 124.)
2. Take my cell phone with the alarm set for 2 am. Wake up, check blood sugar, & call home.
3. Set my alarm for 2:30. Call Andrew if I had not heard from him.
The neighbor said it was fine to call her if he didn't wake up. I really want to find a way that Andrew can wake & handle it on his own. There are other friends that have indicated they would like him to sleepover. If only the tired parents didn't have to also wake up at 2 a.m.

Well, Andrew slept through the alarm. I apparently never asked Gene to set ours. A little after 5 a.m., the phone rings. Slow speech greets me, "Mom, the alarm didn't go off. Silence. Do you want me to check my blood sugar?" "Go ahead." In a slow, unaffected voice he answers, "57." Forgetting that he took his diabetic bag full of supplies, including a 15g juice box, I asked, "Is there any juice or regular soda in the house?"
"Uh, I don't know. I could ask. Is there, uh"
"Andrew, is there an adult awake?"
"Uh, I think Mr. (neighbor) might be."
"Andrew, just meet me at the front door. I'm bringing you juice." He sounded out of it. "Andrew, don't hang up. I'm coming right now." I grabbed a robe & some juice & ran through the snow in my socks next door. Andrew wasn't there, & my cordless phone was out of range as soon as I hit the front porch. No one answered the knock.
I ran back to my porch & called my cell phone again. Andrew answered. "Did you get some juice?" "Yes. I went to the door & you weren't there."
He was fine. I crawled back into bed, but my adrenaline was still pumping. I ended up calling back in a few minutes to check on him. He was back up to 70 & reminded him to eat a complex carb snack. There were pb crackers in his bag. He probably ate all of them, because his BG was 360 at 8 am, but had crashed again to 42 before lunch (remember normal is 80-120). His poor body! On the other hand, he had a great time.

Happy New Year!

We wish you a very happy, healthy 2010! Andrew reflected this past week that 2008 wasn't a good year for him, but 2009 was. I agree with him. He was diagnosed in January of 2008, so everything that year was his first ....baseball season, swim party, birthday, holiday, etc. as a diabetic. He got his pump in January of 2009. It was much easier, but we still had firsts to figure out using a pump. As only a nine-year-old, there will still be many firsts in his life & there is certainly plenty of room for tweaking of what we're doing. However, it feels good to have much of the learning curve behind us. I am optimistic about 2010!