Stomach flu's aren't fun for ANYBODY. But if you're a type 1 diabetic, it's slightly more complicated.
When the body is too nauseous to keep anything down, this will wreak havoc with a person's blood glucose levels. If you are on a long lasting insulin, this just complicates things even further.
Before Rowan was pumping, she received a morning "cocktail" of a fast acting and long acting insulin. Novo Rapid and NPH (not particularly helpful, lol). Novo Rapid will peak in the body's system within 30 minutes to a couple of hours, the long lasting NPH doesn't peak anywhere between five - ten hours later. Don't quote me on that, I'm going by a frazzled memory hanging by a thread.
Two days ago, Rowan experienced her first ever, particularly violent stomach flu, since being on the insulin pump. Being able to manage her diabetes and her stomach flu on the pump was a night and day experience compared to when she received cocktails.
On the pump.... if she didn't want to eat, I didn't worry about it. I would reduce the dosage of her basal insulin (the small background amount she receives each hour) and rolled with the punches. In between scooping vomit up with a dustpan. Sigh.
In the days that she received the cocktail, not eating was simply not an option. Knowing that the NPH would be peaking, was enough to fill me with dread and fear. If she already wasn't eating, what on earth would I do once that insulin kicked in and dropped her blood glucose even lower. In those days, we'd have to rely on Gatorade or Ginger Ale. Note to others: when relying on Gatorade to keep a type 1 diabetic with the stomach flu within a safe glucose range, pick a puke-friendly colour. No red's or day-glow blue's. Good luck getting THAT out of bedding or carpet.
As she curled into me in my bed the other day, I told her how lucky we are that she was on the pump and that we weren't having to contend with the effects of NPH. Even she, at the age of 8 agreed. She remembers those trips to the emergency room, to receive a glucose drip IV to bring her levels into safe range. You think it's overwhelming dealing with a projectile vomiting child? Try having that child having to have an IV inserted.
I thought I had already been convinced of the joys of insulin pumping. Then this flu hit, and I was damn near giddy I wasn't having to worry about NPH and her sugars dropping through the floor like a lead balloon.
'Tis true. I have become one of THOSE pumping mothers. The kind that preach the power of the pump! lol
PS: we made it through the flu, and I think we're all healthy again. Best part: her sugars never dropped below 6 mmol/L. Hooray!!!!!
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