Diabetes Update - Dunno/Not Sure

I thought I'd post a quick update but I am not sure what to say beyond I don't know and I'm not sure.

{Sigh}

My younger Brother was doing better and early in the week was transferred to a recovery facility that specializes in the type of care he needs, however, the last few days have not been as positive as I'd hoped.

I believe he may be fighting off an infection of some sort.
The nurses tell me he's young and his vitals are good and they're not worried. They think this will be overcome.

I certainly hope so ~ pray so ~ but I am a champion worrier.
And I don't know enough.
I'm trying to study up on Diabetes between hospital visits, time at work, errands for Little Brother, and basic time at home (cats to feed, litter to clean, laundry to do...oh, and I should eat/sleep some to be mildly coherent and not a literal danger to myself and other drivers on the road).
No, obviously I can't really help with the hospital stuff by knowing more, but it helps me to understand more.
I have a lot to learn.

And I'm back to waiting...for test results, for improvement, for phone calls, insurance and paperwork responses, and waiting to be with my brother.

I'm for bed. I promised him I'd get some more sleep.

Here's hoping there will be improvement tomorrow.
That the test results will be better.

If you have a moment, please send positive, healing thoughts his way.
My Thanks.

Diabetes Update - Baby Steps

I thought I'd take a moment to check back with the Internet World to see what has transpired recently.
However, "Recently" is a profoundly relative term.
I've been away for most of a week but I feel like it's been a month. Maybe more.

I was surprised to find I'd written the "Diabetes - Learning the Hard Way" post just 2 days ago.
2 Days.
Ok, then.

The Little Brother continues to improve.
I can't think of anything more apt to follow that comment beyond "Thank God".
And that still seems a bit 'light".

He's off the oxygen and nearly all the IVs.
He's begun sitting up in a chair. He took a little walk yesterday.
He's eating real food. And we're learning the hospital menu "rules" and how to select items that accommodate his diabetes and other physical requirements at this time.

The Doctors and Nurses are working toward getting his blood glucose stabilized and to normal levels. But they're taking it slow because if he started sliding toward too little, it's a very slippery slope and even worse than when his blood sugars were off the chart.

His eyesight seems to be mildly improving. We've learned that when your blood glucose levels are wonky, so is your eyesight. It can change from one hour to the next.
A magnifying glass works some, but we spent a fair portion of today with my reading him some of the diabetes educational paperwork we've been collecting.
So...we're learning.

The hospital staff has been professional to downright wonderful. Some of them stop by when they're assigned elsewhere to check in on my brother. One gent stopped me in the cafeteria to ask after the little brother and then came by to visit later.

My brother is not out of the woods yet, but he is taking significant steps forward.
Baby Brother Steps. {tired/wry grin}

So many blessings, large and small.

Diabetes - Learning the Hard Way

My diabetes educational opportunity this week started with a text.
The text gave me a phone number to contact my brother's boss/office supervisor.

My beloved little brother, probably my most favorite person in the world, became very sick this week.

The short version is, his body has been listing toward diabetes for quite a while (I think). And this last weekend, the balance tipped very quickly and he was in a physical crisis that might have killed him if his office-mates hadn't tracked him down when he didn't arrive at work on Monday as usual.

The long version is his story to tell.
The short version, my side of the story, consists mainly of waiting. Waiting for improvement, waiting for doctors, for blood tests and test results, and waiting for my baby brother to become coherent and to come back to us.

He is doing better. He's making jokes and being charming but he's got a ways to go.

We've been talking with dieticians, doctors and nurses while he wasn't able to stay awake long enough to hear much beyond "Hello, my name is....and I'm with....".
I'm reading the pamphlets and jotting down web-sites to visit. I'm plotting books to buy or ways to help going forward.

Today he was sitting up and smiling; eating real food and on fewer IVs and medications.

Today we were able to tag-team the visiting dietician with questions and I took a lot of notes. 

There is so much to learn. 

We started on this path just a few days ago. So much has changed. It seems like a very long time.

The reality that almost came to be is nearly incomprehensible and my eyes fill with tears at the mere thought of a world without my little brother.

But we are blessed that he touches so many lives. That his absence at work was so immediately obvious to so many and pursued.

We are learning the hard way about diabetes.
We are learning about taking care of yourself and eating properly and about the long-term effects of being too ready to deny symptoms. Even obvious symptoms. Too afraid, perhaps?

And learning about the effects of being too polite to say enough to inspire a trip to the doctor before it became an emergency. I see this as my failing.

But - we are learning.