Left, Left, Left, Right, Left.

Arden's right hand knows a secret that her left hand doesn't, but it wants to tell...

I know that there are days when you worry about your child's ability to adapt and grow with type I diabetes - I worry too. That's why I loved it when Arden came to me recently for help becasue she couldn't figure out how to test the fingers on her right hand. Arden is right-handed and the other day she came to me and said that she knows she needs to vary the fingers that she uses for testing more frequently. The problem with that... she can't seem to hold the lance properly with her left hand.

This was maybe some of the best news that I heard all summer, here's why. First, it means that she really does hear the conversations about site rotation and she understands them. Second, she hit a speed bump and wasn't afraid, embarrassed or nervous to ask for help. Last of course, she is taking ownership of her diabetes, slowly, as she is prepared to do so. Diabetes on her terms, I love it!

The rest of the tale isn't as story book. I too wasn't able to hold the lance properly left-handed and after two tries she, a bit annoyed, took it from me and then proceeded to similarly fail at the task. So while the core issue was left unresolved, all that the issue shed light on is now out in the open and cause for celebration. That celebration only resides however, in my head and on this blog, two places where Arden doesn't have access. I did tell her that I was proud that she was thinking about rotating and we spoke for a few minutes about the fact that it would take some practice to use her left hand for the task, but I didn't make a big deal about it, not to her. I am however, celebrating in my head. This was a great moment and a clear sign of maturity and understanding.

Guesstures

Quick post today. Our family was playing a board game last week called Guesstures. Fun game, it's charades with a slight twist. You pick four cards that you then have to act out for your partner before the timer runs out. Arden was playing on Kelly's team and I was on Cole's. At one point Arden chose four cards, she examined them and then asked, "can I use something from my bag to help me act out this word?". We said, "sure!".

I set the timer and Arden began acting out her first word, Kelly guessed it correctly and Arden moved to the next card. Without hesitation, Arden picked up her MultiClix lance, pushed it to her finger and struck the button. She squeezed her finger, put the lance down and pointed to the drop of blood. Kelly said, "blood", Arden smiled and moved on to the next clue. Not wanting to waste the blood we tested her BG and then kept playing.

I couldn't help but to think that while diabetes certainly has thousands of detracting effects on one's life... It sure does teach you to be fearless!

Multiclix

The Multiclix lancing device by Accu-Chek is such a dramatic step up from the lances that Arden has used in the past.  You don’t ever again have to handle an exposed lance because the lance is never exposed.  No accidental pokes and no possibility of contamination, I’ve never actually seen the metal lancets that reside in that little drum, for all I know it’s a magic lance and there is no needle. 

There are six lancets encased in the blue and white drum (pictured).  They are advanced like a revolver advances a bullet, but with a twist.  Once you have used all six, the drum just pops out and you slide in a new one.  No more baggies full of lancets, poking yourself by mistake or just plain skipping a lance change because of the hassle... 

This nifty device makes testing a snap and cuts down significantly on the stuff that you have to carry with you.  We have been using the Multiclix for over a year now and I can say without hesitation that, “it’s addition to Arden’s bag has been a fantastic one!”.  I can’t recommend it enough.

Please know that this is a 100% unbiased review. We are not compensated in anyway by Accu-Chek or any other entity.  Reviews of devices, meds and such that were compensated would be clearly marked.

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The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.

Sophia's Mom

Amen!  We have used this from the beginning and it is amazing!  I don't know why anyone would use anything else.

Monday, April 19, 2010 - 04:25 PM