A Very Long Week...

(And a very long post...)

Day 1: THE DIAGNOSIS
The last little while Brinley just hadn't been herself, she was tired and awnry All the time, wanted to drink everything in sight, and because of all the water she was drinking I could barely keep up with keeping her in a dry diaper! For the first few weeks I figured it was just the hot Mesquite Summer's making her want to drink more water, but as all these symptoms seemed to worsen by the day we started to get a little worried. Tuesday night I told Shane I thought we should take her to the Dr, that something just didn't seem right. First thing Wednesday I called to make an appointment and felt a little foolish when they asked what they were seeing her for and my reply was "because she's drinking and Peeing too much" I started to wonder if I was being too paranoid, but I still kept the apt.

A few hours later I was telling a girl at work about the situation and she mentioned that those things were all signs of Diabetes, DIABETES!! Even though I joked with her about thinking the worst, something in me knew, I don't know how, but I KNEW that's what it was! I immediately looked up the symptoms for children with Diabetes and one of the site's had a list... drinking more than usual, frequent urination, tired, moodiness, weightloss (she had also lost weight) she had every single one of the symptoms!My heart sank!

That Afternoon we went to the Dr and this time I told them I was there to get her tested for Diabetes. They drew her blood and took a Urine Sample, the dr hadn't said much by this point, but I could see the worry in her face. I called Shane and asked him to please come down, he did and as they ran some tests they had us wait... and wait. After what seemed like forever the Dr called us back into the room and with that same worried look, told us that Brinley's blood sugar was at 1,000 (It should be between 70 and 110)She never did say that it for sure was Diabetes, but we new it was serious when she asked us to go home and pack a bag for 2-3 days and then go straight to the Emergency Room at Summerlin Hospital in Vegas. She said there was a specialist(Endocrinologist)that would be waiting for us. With tears in our eyes we followed her directions and arrived at the Emergency Room @ 7 pm. We sat in the ER waiting room for quit a while, there was some confusion and they thought we were coming by Ambulance and didn't realize we were the ones they were waiting for. We finally were seen @ 10:30 pm and they immediately put an IV in her little hand, and that was just the beginning next came the blood draws,shots, and finger pricks none of which Brinley was too happy about. After a few hours the results came back and it was confirmed that Our little girl indeed had Type 1 Diabetes. At 2 am we were admitted to the Pediatrics ICU where we would spend the next few days.

Day 2: THE TESTS
Through out the day Brinley received several insulin injections, had blood drawn at least 5 times, and her finger pricked every hour on the hour, all of which consisted of her being held down by 2 or more nurses while she screamed and cried. On top of all of this they wouldn't let her eat ANYTHING because they were trying to figure out her insulin levels & didn't want any sugar from the foods affecting it. She would say "mommy eat" or "I want Fishies" (The fish Crackers she knew we had with us). This was not only a hard day for Brinley, but for Shane & I as well. We all shed quit a few tears!



The Dr finally said it was okay for her to eat dinner and the Nurse brought her some spaghetti. Brinley cleaned her entire plate, green beans and all within minutes!! Later that night they took the IV's out of her arm, said they didn't have to draw any more blood, and even let us take her to the play room down the hall. It didn't take long and she was Smiling again. They also let her eat all the sugar free Jello she could ever want!

Day 3: DIABETES 101
Even though Brinley was stabilized they weren't ready to send us home yet... We met with a dietitian, to help us better understand the things Brinley could and couldn't eat, basically sugars & Carbs bad, protein good. Okay,so there's is a little more to it than that. They had us practice giving each other injections and taking each others blood sugars, & by the end of the day Shane & I were the one's giving her the shots and pricking her finger for her blood sugar. They wanted to make sure we understood everything we needed to know before we were on our own & were so great about answering all of our questions, and concerns.

That night Brinlye's Grandma & Grandpa, and Aunt & Uncle came to visit, Brinley was so happy to see them all!
Day 4: GOING HOME
After our 3rd night of Shane & I sharing a twin bed, (yes that's right, my head at one end and his at the other, our feet were in each other's face the whole night, but we were just too exhausted to care) we were so relieved when we heard we finally got to GO HOME!
Here's Brinley wearing her darling dress and holding some of the stuffed animals that were given to her by Family & friends!

It's going to take awhile to adjust to this new way of life, especially for Brinley. We know that it could be a lot worse & we know that we are so blessed to have this sweet little Angel in our lives! Thanks for all your phone calls, visits, and especially your prayers that helped us get through this trying time in our lives!