Well. I’m gonna go ahead and talk about it, even though I don’t really want to talk about it.
Our closest friends have witnessed it. Our pediatrician has now witnessed it…. twice. Jeff and I deal with it daily and often nightly…. and quite frankly neither one of us have gotten any better at handling it.
“It” would be the unbelievable, unexplainable, transformation from the sweetest boy I know into well… hmm… how do I put it… a raging, crazed, uncontrollable beast of a child.
“It” comes on fast. As fast as his blood glucose rises and falls- “it” gives no warnings, lest a few grunts, grumbles and fussy whines. At first I used to be the one who was able to console him, calm him, almost halt the process but now it seems when he’s in the midst of “it” even I can’t calm him down.
“It” usually happens only when his BG is high – above 300 which unfortunately has been quite frequent. My internal clock is set by “it”. Because no matter what, “it” always happens… on cue… like clockwork between 12:45 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. Which also happens to be when episodes are the worst.
He hits. thrashes. lashes out. screams blood curdling screams. throws any object in reach (including his beloved bop bop ). He refuses to drink (crucial to treating high BG’s with large ketones). He rejects any form of physical touch. Our one and only saving grace and calming force is to set him down in front of Little Einstein’s and just walk away until “it” has gone away and he has returned to normal.
Handling this is difficult on a number of levels. It is mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting. But as of late, as things have progressively gotten worse I’ve become extremely sensitive to people witnessing the incidents. I know part of it is my lack of confidence and limited experience and education in handling him during these situations. That part, I am working on. I know an even bigger part of it is the fear and embarrassment of being judged as a parent because of his behavior. I do also know, that in time things will get better, as his language develops and his ability to control emotions improves we may find ourselves dealing with fewer and fewer of these spells.
In the meantime I’ll continue to dread things like…. going out in public.
Our pediatrician who has luckily witnessed two recent episodes concurs with me that the most difficult part is determining what is developmentally appropriate (“temper tantrums” are normal for his current developmental stage) and what is being triggered by the diabetes and his inability to communicate his body’s reactions to “highs” and “lows.” It is suggested that we create a few non-negotiables no matter what the catalyst. (like… umm… don’t slap your mother or throw iphones or ipads…. Lol).
I’ve read/heard a lot about behavior changes during hyper and hypoglycemic episodes and up until recently I guess I just blew a lot of it off… now I’m starting to understand… and also starting to worry.
Jeff and I love Saul… and though taxing… we love him despite his mutant transformations… but I can’t stop worrying and asking myself…. will anyone else?
Our closest friends have witnessed it. Our pediatrician has now witnessed it…. twice. Jeff and I deal with it daily and often nightly…. and quite frankly neither one of us have gotten any better at handling it.
“It” would be the unbelievable, unexplainable, transformation from the sweetest boy I know into well… hmm… how do I put it… a raging, crazed, uncontrollable beast of a child.
“It” comes on fast. As fast as his blood glucose rises and falls- “it” gives no warnings, lest a few grunts, grumbles and fussy whines. At first I used to be the one who was able to console him, calm him, almost halt the process but now it seems when he’s in the midst of “it” even I can’t calm him down.
“It” usually happens only when his BG is high – above 300 which unfortunately has been quite frequent. My internal clock is set by “it”. Because no matter what, “it” always happens… on cue… like clockwork between 12:45 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. Which also happens to be when episodes are the worst.
He hits. thrashes. lashes out. screams blood curdling screams. throws any object in reach (including his beloved bop bop ). He refuses to drink (crucial to treating high BG’s with large ketones). He rejects any form of physical touch. Our one and only saving grace and calming force is to set him down in front of Little Einstein’s and just walk away until “it” has gone away and he has returned to normal.
Handling this is difficult on a number of levels. It is mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting. But as of late, as things have progressively gotten worse I’ve become extremely sensitive to people witnessing the incidents. I know part of it is my lack of confidence and limited experience and education in handling him during these situations. That part, I am working on. I know an even bigger part of it is the fear and embarrassment of being judged as a parent because of his behavior. I do also know, that in time things will get better, as his language develops and his ability to control emotions improves we may find ourselves dealing with fewer and fewer of these spells.
In the meantime I’ll continue to dread things like…. going out in public.
Our pediatrician who has luckily witnessed two recent episodes concurs with me that the most difficult part is determining what is developmentally appropriate (“temper tantrums” are normal for his current developmental stage) and what is being triggered by the diabetes and his inability to communicate his body’s reactions to “highs” and “lows.” It is suggested that we create a few non-negotiables no matter what the catalyst. (like… umm… don’t slap your mother or throw iphones or ipads…. Lol).
I’ve read/heard a lot about behavior changes during hyper and hypoglycemic episodes and up until recently I guess I just blew a lot of it off… now I’m starting to understand… and also starting to worry.
Jeff and I love Saul… and though taxing… we love him despite his mutant transformations… but I can’t stop worrying and asking myself…. will anyone else?
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