DR. MOM

Every mom has to be doctor sometimes. For us with a child who has a chronic illness, it's part of the job description.

My child has Type 1 Diabetes. He woke up this morning with stomach pains. I didn't rush to the ER or even call a doctor. I didn't have to. My house is stocked like a clinic. I did what any doctor or nurse would have done, I tested his urine. I wish I could have gone Mary Poppins with "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." Instead, I hope this syringe full of insulin will bring the ketones down.

Mommy always makes it better. D-Mommies just have to do it with needles and test strips. Mommies comfort their little ones when they feel sick. D-Mommies do, too, but we have to hurt them to accomplish it. We hurt them physically with the needles. We hurt them emotionally because we have to force them to participate in their recovery. They rest about as well as they would in a hospital. ppfft. We have to pull their hands from under their favorite blanket to check blood sugar at least every hour. We have to keep reminding them to drink. We have to ask them 100 times if they can pee so we can test for ketones. We have to force them to decide what, if anything, they will eat. They can only eat what we offer and if they ask for something else the answer is no. The reward for their effort to keep the food down is another needle. We work hard to hear "I feel better" before a trip to the ER is needed.