Since the onset of diabetes, more than two and half years ago, I estimate that my daughter has pricked her fingers more than 3,600 times to extract a drop of blood. Life never did return the way it was for my wife and me. We know that with Type 1 diabetes, any day can take a tragic turn, and requires constant vigilance. We now live for the numbers, that is, my daughter's blood sugar readings. No two days are ever alike, although we have been fortunate in being able to maintain good blood sugar control.
Parents are a poor substitute for a healthy functioning pancreas.
Probably the worst time with this disease is when night falls. Both my wife and I fear that our daughter will have an insulin reaction in the middle of the night when we are both asleep. Insulin reactions occurs when there is too much insulin and too little food for it to act on and blood sugars fall dangerously low. The nervous system, including the brain, needs sugars to function. Without them, the brain begins to shut down and fainting and seizures follow.