I just unintentionally saw Twilight
Scott Benner
Arden and Cole both received the same Christmas gift from their grandmother... Gift certificates for dinner, book shopping and a movie with Grandmom. Arden wasted no time and exercised part of her gift tonight, asking to see Twilight. My mom isn't able to manage diabetes on her own so I tagged along to set Arden up with snacks and insulin. I was going to sit in the lobby or another movie so Arden could feel like she was by herself with her grandmom.
In the beginning things were going well. Arden's BG was 120 and drifting down as we took our place in the concession line. Everything was set up perfectly for Arden to enjoy the evening and I thought that we had handled an earlier meal well, putting her in a great position to watch Bella and the gang stare lovingly into the camera and/or off into space.
The concession line was very long and moving insufferably slow so I suggested that Arden and my mom head into the theater to find their seats. Arden was so excited, she was about to spend two hours feeling independent and hanging out with her grandmom. I was equally happy and loved the idea of her spending this time away from the constant overseeing... sadly diabetes had other plans. I watched the time closely as I waited for the popcorn because Arden's DexCom was still indicating a diagonal arrow down when she walked away. The concession line continued to crawl along, taking twenty plus minutes to get snacks and return to the girls.
I thought that I'd find Arden with a BG of around 100 when we met next.
When I arrived at Arden's seat she said, "did you get my text - I feel really dizzy". The long wait in line had set me back about ten minutes but I didn't think it was an issue becasue Arden was going to text if there was a problem. It turns out that I wasn't receiving my text messages (due to a week cell signal in the lobby), these messages came through a few minutes after I got to Arden...
Arden didn't take steps to control her BG drop because she thought that I'd be there any second with her food and "(I) didn't want to get too high so I waited".
I tested Arden as the opening credits rolled, her BG was 47 and still falling. I quickly gave her a glucose tablet and she began to eat her movie treats but it was too late, she was beyond dizzy. It was then that Arden asked me to take her home... I immediately felt incredibly sad for her.
I suggested that she stay, promised that she'd feel better soon and that she could still enjoy the movie. She agreed, I sat on the floor in front of her (the theater was full), she continued to eat. The DexCom finally indicated that her BG fall had stopped so I bolused for the snacks, she said that she felt better so I went to the lobby to give her the alone time that she had so wanted. fyi, I did get to see Bella marry that British kid before I left.
About twenty minutes later I received this text from Arden, "I feel dizzyer and the cgm says that I am 108". I went back in, we talked and she asked for some candy. A little while later she indicated that she felt better and said the sweetest thing. She said, "a feel a little better but I think that I get more dizzy when you leave", she paused and looked a bit uncomfortable. I told her that I could just stay with them but she indicated that I should go... I could tell that she wanted me to stay. I asked her why she looked conflicted, it was then that Arden told me that she believed that I was in a different movie and she didn't want me to miss it. Her concern for me was so sweet... I told her that I was just reading in the lobby and that I didn't mind staying, she smiled and sat back in her seat. I tried to find a good position at the top of the stairs to watch the last hour of the movie. By the time the film ended my left leg, butt and lower back were numb, perhaps as dead as Bella after she completed her transformation but I didn't mind. After the movie I tried to apologize to the woman sitting next to Arden but she wouldn't let me, she smiled in a way that said she understood and put her hand on my arm.
I am happy to tell you that while this evening didn't go even slightly as planned, it was still a success in Arden's eyes. She had a great time and called the movie "creepy but good". I am so proud of her, she never gave in tonight, she's the toughest person that I know.
My Twilight seat
Without a CGM and the information that it provides we would have never been able to make the adjustments necessary for Arden to remain in the theater. In kind, having an insulin pump and the ability to suspend background insulin was equally pivotal in navigating this diabetes moment. Type I diabetes made this night a challenge but having the correct tools and attitude were the key to not letting it get the better of us. Tomorrow, lunch and book shopping with Grandmom. I'll be outside... just in case.