We have a bedtime routine ---- it's probably similar to bedtime routines all over the world.  Lots of hugs, kisses, bedtime stories, blood sugar checks (Oh wait --- that one might be a little different) and then the never ending battle to keep Nate in his bed!

You know the routine ---

I'm thirsty.
I need to potty.
Can I sleep in your bed?
I dropped my bwanket.
Where's my bubby (his lovie)?

Familiar - right?

Well, Nate has added a new one to the routine and it could be life threatening!  I know - I know - I'm always so dramatic!!

Nate has started taking off his Pod and Dex at night.

Now obviously the Dexcom is not a life-threatening situation --- or is it?  I certainly depend on it at night to alarm and alert me to a low or high bg.  Oh and not to mention the amount of money we spend on those sensors ---- I may just kill him if he takes another one off!!

His pod on the other hand could certainly turn into a life threatening situation pretty fast.  He's done it 2 or 3 times now.  Luckily, I've caught it early.  Last week when I did a midnight check his Dexcom said he was high so I did a bg check to confirm and when I went to give his correction the PDM could not connect to the pod. I rolled him over thinking I just wasn't getting close enough but upon further investigation there was no pod on his body.  I found it later in his toy basket.  Last night on one of his many trips out of his room he told me he needed to go to the bathroom.  I had just put the pod on about 30 minutes earlier so I carefully pulled down his pants. Hmmmm . . . his little butt was as smooth as a non-diabetic butt!  No pod!

Me: Nate where's you pod?
Nate: In the firetruck.
Me: Say what?
Nate: My pod is in my firetruck.
Me: Ok.






















Oh look  --- there it is.  Right where he said it would be.  3rd pod change for the night and we are off to bed. Finally.

At the 3:00 check was over 250, I gave him insulin to correct and put him in bed with me.  At 5:00 he was a bit higher still so I gave him another correction and waited.  At 6:00 no change so I checked for ketones.  Large. Pulled out a syringe corrected again, pullled the pod and did our 4th pod change in 24 hours.  There was blood in the cannula but it wasn't occluded.  Some insulin was getting through so no alarm.

Nate's body doesn't produce insulin so we depend on his insulin pump to provide the life saving hormone to him.  It's important that he keep it ON!

Ketones are produced when your body starts burning fat for energy instead of glucose.
Dangerously high levels of ketones can lead to diabetic coma or death.

Ketoacidosis (key-toe-ass-i-DOE-sis) is a serious condition that can lead to diabetic coma (passing out for a long time) or even death. When your cells don't get the glucose they need for energy, your body begins to burn fat for energy, which produces ketones. Ketones are acids that build up in the blood and appear in the urine when your body doesn't have enough insulin. 



This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J