6 Things the Houston Family would like you to know . . .

1 and Type 2.  When I say commonly known I mean that I believe people know that there is a type 1 and a type 2 but they have no idea what the difference is between the two.  Our immediate family (The Houston Five) is living with type 1 or Juvenile Diabetes.  type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease.  Nate's pancreas does not work.  Period.

2) type 1 Diabetes cannot be controlled with diet and exercise. Although diet and exercise are very important for everyone to stay healthy it has nothing to do with 'controlling' type 1 Diabetes. 

3) There is no way to prevent type 1 Diabetes --- Nate did not do anything to cause his Diabetes and his humongous piece of birthday cake on his 1st birthday had nothing to do with his diagnosis 2 months later.

4) It's more than a shot!!  Yes, insulin dependent diabetics do require shots of insulin or insulin pumps to infuse the insulin into their bodies BUT there is SO much more to it.  The amount of insulin required throughout the day is a very carefully calculated amount that changes often in growing children.  Insulin is also given with each meal based on the amount of carbohydrates eaten.  Even that is not as simple as it sounds.  There are even more complicated calculations used to determine how much insulin should be given for every gram of carbohydrate eaten and even that changes depending on how much fiber or fat is involved and the ratio is often different for each and every meal.  So, all of that to say Diabetes is much more than just a shot --- it is extremely complicated.

5) Diabetes is a family affair.  Our son, Nate has Diabetes but it certainly effects the entire family.  Nate's sisters worry about him, his health and what he is eating constantly.  Jim and I work hard at keeping Nate safe, healthy and happy without disrupting the entire family but sometimes that is just not possible. Everything stops when Nate's blood sugar is low, meal plans change when Nate's blood sugar is high, and it seems everyone in the family always has an ear and an eye on our youngest little one.  We do the best we can at keeping our lives as normal as possible but the fact is that Diabetes controls a lot of our decision making and ultimately that effects everyone in the family.

6) We hate it when you say --- "he looks so ______" 
you can insert the following words ----> happy, healthy, or normal.
Yes, Nate is all of those things!   Diabetes is invisible.  You cannot see Nate's Diabetes and although I often post pics of him sporting his OmniPod and DexCom in reality most days you cannot see either one or his disease. He is happy, healthy and a very normal 2-year old little boy but he does have Diabetes and it is sometimes very challenging.  Just because we make it look easy does not mean that it is.