To Work.... Or Even Try To Work (THAT is the question!)

My hours of availability have dropped dramatically since Rowan's diagnosis. This is, primarily, because we're still in the awkward stage of training everybody that would care for Rowan. I have had difficulty securing after-school care, because some daycares view her condition as a potential liability, should something go seriously wrong. I have gone from working 20 hours a week, to 8 hours a week, but I try to accept this graciously, because for the past 6 weeks, I wasn't able to work at all. Payment on 8 hours a week is an improvement over absolutely nothing.

That being said, I'm in a bit of an awkward situation. I can't very well request more hours at work, because I'm not reliable. If the school phones and tells me that Rowan's at a critical level, I have to leave so I can go adminster insulin and take her home to care for her. The school, by law, will not adminster insulin- again because of the liability issues. Of course, today was the first shift of the week, and an hour and a half into it, Rowan's Educational Assistant called me at work to tell me that Rowan's glucose levels were at emergency hyperglycemic levels, and I needed to come collect her. I appreciate that my employer is trying to be understanding of our new special needs status, but I'm scared that this patience and understanding will run out. If I lose this job, as a single parent, my little triad will spin out into unknown territory. As far as I know, there are no benefits for parents of special needs children who have difficulty working and caring for a child's special needs.

Revenue Canada has a Disability Tax Credit that Rowan applies for, which would give me a substantial tax credit come April, as well as potentially increasing the amount of my monthly Canadian Child Tax Benefit. I mailed in our application three weeks ago, and everyday when I check the mail, I'm saying a baited "Hail Mary" under my breath, hoping that today will be the day that we receive an answer. I'm hoping their decision will be yes, because if they don't, I don't know what alternatives we have.

So until then, continuing to hope that my employer will remain understanding, and at the same time, praying that my little girl's glucose levels will drop. When I collected her at school I adminstered half a unit of insulin to help bring it down, and I am waiting for her to have to use the bathroom so I can do a urinalysis to detect katones in her system. We don't want to see katones, as it's a sign that once again she'll be returning to diabetic katone acidosis which is basically when her body is poisoning itself.

Fingers crossed, and deep breaths...