The orange box

Theres some things about diabetes that we dont talk about alot.   

But we freaking should.   My husband and I are 18 months into this journey as pseudo - pancreas (es?) .   Is pancreaii a word?

The long orange box is one of those things.   (The... ahem...one with the big needle inside).

Its almost as if talking about it may cause us to have to use, though we understand that to be just fear.   The panic.

But truly we should be educating everyone around us on this life saving orange box as well.

Everywhere we go, we take Reubens hypo kit.   Its been a complicated thing having to treat lows in a baby.  When Reuben was 8 months, 9 months old he didnt think much of juice and lemonade.   You could barely get him to take the things he needed to treat mild low blood sugars.   We had a few serious low episodes but we managed to squeeze some glucogel in his mouth and keep some of it there.     Its been a fearful time finding things he will accept to bring him up.   Now that hes 2 years old, weve been able to expand his 'odds on Reuben taking this hypofix despite the confusion and the fight' food list and include things like soft lollies and lollypops.  (Pop-pops to Reubs).

Thankfully now the hypo kit isnt jammed full of 'options', we just carry, juice, lollipops, glucojel, some soft lollies and the orange box.

Soooo - heres the piccy and a quick run down on glucagon -

GLUCAGON - What is it?

Think of it as LIFESAVING.   Put in simple terms, it functions as the opposite of insulin.  (Insulin is also life saving).   Insulin lowers blood sugar, glucagon raises it where there has been insulin reaction (seizures, unconsciousness).  Obviously unconscious persons cannot eat or drink the sugar they need to raise blood sugar, so the next step is glucagon.

Gulcagon is not sugar. It is a chemical that causes the liver to release its stores of glucose into the person's bloodstream. This "jolt" will last somewhere around 90 minutes after which they will still need emergency help as soon as possible.

The instructions inside the orange box are easy to follow - remove cap on vial, squeeze the liquid from the syringe into the vial, shake to dissolve the white powder, draw up the dose, and inject subcutaneously like you do insulin.   1/2 dose mark indicates for small kids, and full dose for bigger bodies....

 

We havent had to use it... yet.   But everytime theres a lower low.  Or.   Everytime we have vomitting or gastro.   We.brush.up.   Just to be sure.

 

Im grateful each morning when I see Reubens chubby little face and feel his soft baby skin and smell his baby sweetness as he kisses me good morning - and I havent had to administer glucagon.   Grateful I am.