Rounding up some prayers

As many of you are looking to see what went on with Westin this morning, I am taking this opportunity to recruit you to say a little prayer for a courageous women I don't even know. I came across a blog recently thanks to my friend, Shawna. She is helping a local woman that is battling IBC. Here is her blog: http://clergygirl.wordpress.com/ She is in surgery this morning for a double mastectomy. She has young children and I can't help but try to imagine myself in her shoes. Just keep her in your thoughts today.

Seizures, how do you know when they are from low blood sugar or from epilepsy?

At just barely before 7 am this morning I woke up because Westin woke up. Aaron, my nephew, spent the night last night and Westin wanted to camp out in the living room last night. Of course, Wieland also thought that was a great idea. Jason, being the protective parent that he is, especially since the epilepsy diagnosis, wanted me to sleep out here with the boys. I didn't mind as I find the couch more comfortable than my bed.

Wieland was a little pisser. He kept everyone awake longer than any of us wanted. He was just so excited to sleep next to his big cousin, Aaron. I kept getting after him and finally just turned the tv off after I was done watching Tori and Dean. Even then it took a little while to get that little monster off to dream land. In the meantime, Westin was trying really hard to go to sleep, and here is the key-stay asleep. He knows that being over tired can lead to seizures and he is very mindful to not stay up too late anymore. So finally about midnight everyone was sleeping.

Back to the 7am wake up. I noticed Westin sit up and I hadn't checked his sugar in a few hours (we didn't have his cgms on) so I was highly alert to him, always wondering what his blood sugar is doing. This morning he didn't seem right. So I got up to get him something to drink, thinking his sugar was low. I was really alarmed. He really wasn't right and I knew I had to get him something quick. As soon as I headed towards the kitchen I could see the seizure starting. He was fully alert though and trying to talk to me, even still sitting up. I knew I couldn't really give him juice as he was having this small seizure that was affecting his mouth. I decided I would go grab the glucose gel, thinking I could just squirt it in his mouth. I couldn't find it. Westin will testify that I was running in circles around the kitchen to the dinning room, rummaging through my purse thinking the gel might be in there. (I never found it and I am sure I have some in my purse, but in the moment could not find it!) I looked back in the living room and the seizure had stopped. I thought, "Good! Now I can give him some juice." But I also thought, "Why did he stop seizing? Maybe his liver kicked in." It never occurred to me that this was an epileptic seizure. I am just not conditioned to think of it. I had him start sipping the juice and as those thoughts went through my head I decided maybe I better check his sugar...120...definitely not a low sugar reaction. It dawned on me that he just had another epileptic seizure! It had been since the end of May and I guess I had gotten comfortable, thinking the meds would completely control them. It really never crossed my mind at the moment of the seizure that it wasn't a low seizure.

In retrospect I guess I am relieved that it wasn't a low. Low seizures I think would do more damage than a benign rolandic seizure. Westin was a little shaken up after. It took him a few minutes to have full control of his speech, meaning he didn't speak right, like his mouth didn't move right. So when he was able to talk and be understood, he expressed kind of the same feeling I did. He was finally comfortable that he wouldn't have a seizure. He actually said, "Great, now I am going to start worrying about going to sleep again."

I have a call into the neurologist to see if we need to up his dosage or wait to see if it happens again. It was very mild and if my kid didn't have diabetes it probably wouldn't have seemed like such a big deal. It lasted maybe 15 seconds. I feel some more grey hairs earned this morning! :)

It's Official!!! BCBS of Michigan (MICHILD) is Paying for our CGMS Sensors!!!!!

Thursday I received a check for reimbursement for sensors I purchased last year for Westin. It was only for the time that we had MICHILD, but still a $465 bonus! Mind you, sensors are $35 a piece. We weren't wearing it full time until I got some very generous donations this spring. Now he has it on all the time. We are still using our supply of donations. :)

So I got the check and I have been afraid to cash it. The same day the check came, I got a call from BCBS and I have yet to get a hold of them, or them to return my call, to see what they needed. I couldn't help but think that they were calling to say the made a mistake.

Today I got "THE LETTER" explaining that (and I quote), "After further review of the claim and supporting medical documentation, we have determined this service is payable."

That baby is going to the bank on Monday!

Our 4th of July Weekend...

Not much happening around here this weekend. The neighbors invited us over to watch their firework show, thanks to a trip to Indiana! (Most fireworks are illegal in Michigan.) It was a pretty good show for an individual! I can't imagine how much they must have spent.

Wieland really liked the fireworks and asked if we could get some more sparklers today. So we did and he really enjoyed lighting them. Tomorrow we will celebrate, my niece, Carlie's 3rd birthday.

KHC has a table at the KAHSA Homeschool Blast!

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am relieved, happy, shocked, the list goes on and on. We will be considered a vendor so there will be no confusion or assumption about whether we are a KAHSA support group.

REQUEST FOR CGMS: DENIED BY INSURANCE

Westin started using a continuous monitor in June of 2007. Before starting the monitor his a1c's ran around 8.0. After only a month of use his a1c dropped to 7.2. His last was down to 6.5!

After two attempts for reimbursement (we pay out of pocket) I finally got our first denial from BCBS of Michigan (MI CHILD). It was a silly reason for denial, stating it wasn't prescribed by a doctor, which is ludicrous. I have since faxed a copy of the prescription and am waiting for my next denial, as I don't assume this will be an easy or short process.

This technology is amazing and it isn't "Cadillac Care" as some have referred to it. Having a continuous glucose monitor, which reads your "blood sugar" every 5 minutes, is like dealing with diabetes with the lights on rather than in the dark.

You can follow the link above for more information about this day of awareness.