Diabetes Dog Update
September 14, 2012
I was asked for an update today so sent out the following:
I think well.
From a medical standpoint my official A1C was 8.1 when I started working with the dog à I got a Bayer A1C At Home test and it read 6.7 yesterday. I sent that to my doctor and he was quite impressed. Since I have spent two years over 9.0 and we were both upset about that, I’m doing much better. We’ll know better when we get his lab results back, I see him in October. It’s always best to compare lab results to lab results.
The biggest issue is that everyone wants to pet her. I explain to them that it is against district policy and against service dog rules and they still pout. Sometimes people get to her before I can get I also mention how tired she would be at the end of the day. That helps some. The cheerleaders wanted her to come to the pep rally and I thought that would be too much noise. They were disappointed. I also had students who wanted her to come to the game tonight which I also think would be too much. I also don’t take her into the cafeteria. Usually no call for me to be there but yesterday needed some lunch.
She spends her day in the cage, it’s next to my desk. She is restless when my blood sugar is high – this hasn’t been a good week between meet the parent and a late meeting last night, I haven’t been to the gym, so I have been a tad high.
I’ve found out how she alerts when she is in a cage at a meeting – at the AP Kickoff she kept rattling the door. They told us they would have food and they feed us cookies and brownies from Jason’s. I’m learning to bring my own food.
I have a few students who are allergic or afraid of dogs. She doesn’t seem to bother them. One student in particular is one of my favorites and I thought he was teasing me about being afraid. He really is, but as long as he doesn’t see her he’s fine. The others are even less vocal about it. Most of the day the kids don’t see her.
Bathroom isn’t an issue. She usually doesn’t go at lunch, usually goes during my planning period.
I’ve taken her small cage to student assemblies. For staff meetings I’ve just taken her, and she settles down fairly quickly, unless my blood sugar is high.
So far, she’s been to Conrad for the kickoff after school, and to Buckner after school. When I have to go somewhere else, I do tell them she’s coming.