Nicole Borg

I'm going to talk about me in this blog post. You should know by now Alyssia, my daughter and Mathew my partner (Alyssia's dad) are both Type 1 Diabetics. 

They have their daily struggles and I commend them for their battle that is with them for life. I surely wouldn't want to be in their situation.

But being their everyday for them, has it's own struggles too.

When we came home from hospital with Alyssia the first two weeks I don't think I slept. Fearing she'd have a hypo in her sleep and not wake up.

There is a term being 'hypo aware'. Mat wakes me up at least 3 times a week to zombie run (a slow run, a fast sleep walk kind of shuffle) so get him some Nutella, chocolate milk, whatever. So he's hypo aware when he's asleep. With Alyssia I don't know if she is and I still don't. I don't like her going to bed anything under 8 in fear that the sensor is wrong, we don't hear the alarm, she's knocked out her sensor....... So many things. She's got to the point now that when her alarm goes off for high in the middle of the night she just pushes buttons to make it stop. I have to check it's the high alarm and not a low.

We've since got her a mobile phone with an app linked to her sensor. Both Mat and I have the viewing version of it and we get a constant viewing of her BSLs. It's funny when the alarm is going off on all 3 phones at the same time. We can't ignore them now haha.

I try my best to give Alyssia the right Insulin to Carb ratio but that is a balance I'm yet to get right. Until the hospital make sure I've completed all the 'flexible Boulsing' modules and trust that I have an understanding that's when we will go on the year long wait list for the insulin pump because without the funding they are $8-$10 thousand.

Mat knows how to correct his sugar levels so it's a little frustrating when the hospital put all the burden into me with these things. They've also told me off for having her sugar high at night time and suggested I speak to a help group. It's upsetting because I'm trying the best I can to keep her healthy and safe.

I try the best I can to ensure Mat is doing the right thing to himself too but I've been told 'he's a grown man, he can look after himself'. 

Mat is on the opposite side of the scale TD1 wise. He is usually always high because he doesn't care what he eats or drinks. 

Ketones are his Mate. Ketoacidosis is something I learnt when an ambulance rushed him off to hospital once and he almost died. That was all pre Alyssia's diagnosis so everything Mat has gone through is something Alyssia benefits from because I've got the knowledge.

Little Chelsea isn't out of the woods yet. I get her tested every 6 months for the antibodies. Somewhere between 7-10 years old Alyssias body was making her a TD1. Chelsea is only 5 and I'm absolutely terrified she'd be the same. I mean the chances are slightly higher now. I can't get Chelsea to have a bath let alone give her multiple finger pricks a day, 4 insulin injections and every two weeks attach a glucose sensor to her arm. 

But I'm just going to hope (FOR THE LOVE OF GOD) that doesn't happen.

For the moment the bad moods, the sad moods, the lack of energy all because of Alyssia's and Mathew's blood sugar levels are stressful enough.

I understand if some days they don't want to eat healthy or not stick themselves with anything for once.

As much as I'd love a break looking after my Type 1 family, they never get a break so neither do I.

Daily in our household Mat and Alyssia have to manage their insulin, blood glucose levels, food intake and so many other factors that come from living with TD1.

If only there were a cure. 

One day we really wish that there are zero people living with TD1 and that's why we are doing this fundraising walk because together we can make a difference.

There is no discrimination against who could be diagnosed with the disease. There are 8 Australians diagnosed daily, but with your help we can hope that in the future that number is zero.