Ranting, venting, and rambling, but hey it's just a blog!

Julia is better, well, not running a fever. SHe still has a cough, but it isn't bad, and her runny, stuffy nose is still there. She looks alot better, and is my happy girl again.

Last night I was watching some show, or another on discovery health. It was talking about Celiacs. I know this is going to sound odd, but I am so greatful we don't have Celiacs. I would choose D over it. I would also choose D over a food allergy. The thinking behind this is that alot of foods are made, or shipped, or in proximity to others, and it would be so hard to keep track of what was made around what, and doing a very strict diet isn't any fun either.
However I then started thinking about long term effects. Are there long term effects of Celiacs, or a food allergy? There are for D. There are also life threatening short term effects for D, and illness becomes more of a danger with D.
While I was staring off into space thinking about all of this DH asked what I was thinking about. About this time my thoughts changed to a different tune, but still kinda by the same artist. I had epilepsy as a child, and I was able to somewhat grow out of it. I say somewhat because I had some febral (from a fever) seizures in May, but it seems to have been an isolated insident. I had to take some rather strong meds in order to control my seizures. I did not do well in school, and I only had a normal childhood part of the time. I played soccor, and I loved sports, and being active in general, but every time my meds were adjusted I would be in a zombie like state, sometimes not snapping out of it inbetween adjustments since some of them took months to get used to. I now have some minor bladder issues because of one of the meds I had to take. I also can't stand taking anything that dulls my mind. I don't like to drink, I hate both OTC, and perscription drugs that make me drowsy, or lathargic. Anyways, back to DH's question. I told him where my thoughts had been wandering. I told him about the special on Celiacs, and my friends DD who recently almost died from a reaction to peanuts. Her throat started to close, and no one knew what was going on until it was pretty bad, and she could hardly breath. Then I started in on epilepsy. The things I had gone through, and the things I have seen other go through. I had alot of friends with epilepsy as a child. It seems people with a disability in common seem to connect. We were all in different clicks, but we were also all friends, and hung out. If any one of us had a seizure at school the rest of us were there to "potect" the one who had the seizure as kids can be cruel, and sometimes people think shoving a spoon in a seizing persons mouth is a good idea when in reality is dangerous. A seizing person cannot swallow their tounge, and if they bite it, it is better then having a spoon lodge in the throat, or not being able to breat because of the wallet shoved in the mouth. There were 10 of us at my school who had epilepsy. Some of us grew out of it, and some of us still have to take meds, and manage it to this day. One of my friends called me the other day, and she is having to have part of her brain removed. I find this odd because I had talked to a teacher at Julia's school who's DD is going through kinda the same thing. Anyhow I guess this is how it all really started as far as this thought proscess. When I got the news about my friend I though about how greatful I was Julia didn't have epilepsy, but then I thought about my case where now I am ok, no more managing, or taking meds, no more tests, or specialists, and it wasn't a forever deal. It could have been though..........My uncle's is............So Shane when I told him I was pondering all of this, and couldn't decide which would be worse automatically said that Diabetes is the lesser of the two evils. This is coming from a person who has had diabetes for almost 25yrs so I think he is a bit biased. Sometimes diabetes is hell, but his case has been pretty good. No major issues, or complications, and unless he is ill it is easily managed, and even when he is ill he manages it pretty well. To him it is just life, and it is no big deal. I still don't know which I think would be worse, but I do know that I can't trade one dx for another. I know that it wont change. I am glad it isn't something that is fatal in most cases, and that it is treatable with a good sucsess rate. Plus the advancements in technoligy are probably the furthest out of the non deadly if treated cronic illnesses. Then there is the cure aspect of it. We as dieabetes effected families are in bed with, and at the same time at war with all kinds of other diseases, even the different diabetes groups squable over funding, and compete for funding, and membership. Some people say stem cell research is the key, but I am almost doubtful that they will be able to cure. I think that at most we will get a better treatment from it. I believe in the cure like I believe in santa. I love santa, but santa is more of an idea, or a feeling. I hope with all of my heart that there will be a cure. I think it is a good idea, but I think that there are just some things that are incurable. I don't think that it is possible to reverse it once the damage has been done, but I do think if they can find a good way to block the T cells that maybe it will be preventable, and offer treatment to those who are already dx'd. I don't think we will ever get away from auto immune suppresants, and that is what bothers me the most since it is a trade off. It is compromised health either way you swing it. But enough of this rabling vent....

Julia's Bday is 2 days away. It takes me back to the day she was born. That year there wasn't much snow. She was born in Utah, in a area that gets a few feet of snow every winter at minimum. The morning I went to the hospital to have her induced (I had horrible gal stones, and needed surgery) it was like a blizzard. I remember watching the snow out the window as my contractions came, and went. She was born at 6 lbs exactly. She had a perfectly round little head, and looked so much like a little cabage patch doll. SHe was perfect. I got to hold her and nurse her before they took me back to have my tubes tied, and took her to get cleaned up, and checked out further. When I got out of surgery, and transfered to the postpartum room they brought her to me wrapped snug in a blanket, and they slipped her into a Christmas stocking. She was so cute, and the best Christmas present I could have recived. Julia was a suprise, and we had gotten rid of all of our baby stuff from her brothers because Connor was supposed to have been the last child we were going to have. Dad was going to have a vasectomy, but kept putting it off. I am glad he did put it off, or I would never have known the joy of having Julia as a daughter which has been so much fun. With, or without diabetes Julia has been a joy to parent, and to know. She has shown great amounts of strength, and so much love, and sweetness. She asked the other day for snow for her Bday, and when I told her I couldn't give her snow she said that she knows, but that is her wish. She finially decided on having her ears pirced, YIKES! She wants dimond earings like a pincess as she would say. So DH and I decided that we would take her to get her ears pirced, let her pick out some every day earings, and then an expensive pair for special occasions that will be put up, and get her a snow globe, and some new dress shoes. She has worn both of her other pairs of dress shoes almost all of the way out, se thinks they are fun to wear, lol. It should be a good Bda, although a busy weekend. We have a bday gathering with extended family this weekend, plus a Diabetes christmas party. We also need to get going on all of the fun christmas stuff like visiting Santa, and getting christmas cards off. The kids love to make little things to go inside of the cards, and make cards of their own. Ok now I have gone overboard on rambling, and better stop.