Lacrosse and diabetes

So this has been interesting.

As I may have mentioned, M is an athlete. This season she is playing her favorite sport of all time, lacrosse.

Now, as you can likely imagine, running around is a big part of lacrosse, as is whacking sticks and scooping balls off of the ground. It can get a little rough.

So of course M loves it.

The first day of lacrosse practice this season, M opted to wear her pump as well as a purple hair extension that I had to comb into her ponytail, just so everyone could see. I think it was her way of announcing to her new teammates that M is here.

During practice, M learned how to manage having the pump clipped to her shorts or sweats, and experienced no problems. She did have lower bgs than normal, but we knew that was how her body worked after rigorous exercise.

M answered the obligatory questions about the pump from the other girls, and accepted compliments about her hair with grace. She began to get to know people.

After a month or so, along comes the first game. M is playing defense. She is running, blocking, stretching that stick so that nobody can get to the goal.

Then there is a moment of confusion on the field. A time out is called, and M comes running over to me holding the purple device in her hand, infusion set dangling from it.

She hands it to me, saying "I'll deal with this later," and runs back into the field.

I look at the device, decide that it is okay that she is not wearing it- considering her bg generally drops during athletic events- and watch the game.

Don't get me wrong. I am a little annoyed that it has pulled out of her body for the second time in a week. At the same time, I know we will have to figure this out: where to place it on her body, when to disconnect it, etc.

After a few minutes of watching the game, there is a startlingly loud vibrating sound on the bench next to me. It is the pump, much like a cell phone on vibrate, asking for attention.

I dutifully pick it up, look at it, and set it down. I am annoyed with the pump for taking my attention away from my amazing child as she races around the field. Looking at a purple box is not nearly as fun as watching your kid kick butt at a lacrosse game, is it? However, I am fascinated by this new noise.

Evidently, the pump is programmed to do this every fifteen minutes. It is one of those safety features that prevents people from not getting their insulin. It says, "Hey, dummy! I'm not pumping any insulin into you! You wanna do something about that?"

Fortunately, unlike baseball or horse shows, lacrosse is not a long game, so I only have to hear the angry buzz of the pump three more times.

After the game, we jump in the car, check the all-important bg (which is 85mg/dl) and decide to leave the pump off until M showers.

That was just easier.

From now on, the pump is disconnected during a game!

Knock the ball out! Woohoo!