Kody Boyer learned when he was in fourth grade that he had Type I Diabetes.
About a week after being diagnosed, Kody began to give himself injections, sometimes four times a day or more. He learned to count his carbohydrates and read labels on every food or refreshment item.
 Submitted Kody Boyer checks his blood sugars every half hour during football practice. |
Jennifer Boyer, Kody's mother, and stepfather, Todd Steinley, watched their son days before while he was ice fishing consume a large amount of fluids. He had been fighting a cold and so Jennifer thought he may have been dehydrated.
Kody's sugar levels were checked and found them to be very high - 400+. An average person should be 70-110. The next day Kody was diagnosed with the Type I Diabetes in Williston by Pat Bloomquist, his nurse practitioner. Kody was admitted to the hospital for three days to learn how to care for his diabetes. "They taught us how to do injections, and it was so much to learn," Jennifer said. "We talked to nutritionists and dieticians. You just wonder how you're ever going to learn all there is to know."
Before the diagnosis, Kody had been sick with cold symptoms. Jennifer said that sometimes stress can bring diabetes to the surface.
"We've been very lucky to have kept him surrounded by people that care. Beth and Larry Mindt have been great encouragement, as well as teachers and students," Jennifer said. "Our extended family is involved, too. My sister, Jodi Mueller, went with us to our 'pump school.' Even Kody's sister, Danielle, who is 9, has to be on-the-ready just in case of an emergency. We talk with Danielle a lot about what she should do in certain situations. Mindts are our good friends, and we do a lot with them. Their daughter Alexis has diabetes, and the whole family works together with her."
Being proactive and staying on top of the disease as much as possible is something that the family has to do constantly. "It's not as bad as we thought it would be," Jennifer said. "There could be worse things. It just becomes second nature. It's just like brushing your teeth, a part of your daily routine."
In August the Boyers got on the insulin pump, which has a calculator inside called the Bolus Wizard. The Bolus Wizard calculator is a feature of the Paradigm insulin pump that makes it easy to achieve better blood glucose control. It calculates a bolus dose based on current blood glucose value and/or food intake. The recommended bolus becomes more accurate when the Bolus Wizard suggests an insulin dose, which is based on personal settings. "It's just been wonderful," Jennifer said. "It simplifies things so much. Better coverage equals better control, equals less complications in the future."
"I still have to poke my finger and check my sugar," Kody said.
Every three days Kody changes his pump, depending on the insulin he has used. Insulin usually spoils within approximately three days if not kept refrigerated.
"When we did the shots, I had to keep his meds cold at the school or wherever we would go," Jennifer said. "I also had to carry food or drinks and supplies in case he needed them. When he took the shots, he used as many as four types of insulin, but with the pump, he uses one kind."
Diabetes has not slowed this seventh-grader down at all.
Kody is very active in tackle football, but needs to check his sugars every half hour. He's also involved in baseball, and he loves to go hunting. He also attends diabetes camp every summer. He chooses to go to camp rather than the county fair.
"There at camp you are part of the majority. If you don't have diabetes then you are the odd ball," Jennifer said. "Kody's specialist, Dr. Fred Gunville, and his team put on this camp near Big Timber. Trenton Indian Health Services has also been a huge supporter of Kody's care and education."
Kody's diet has changed. He loved his chocolate milk. His mother says Kody never had been a candy eater, but he does like chips and jerky. "If he really wants to have a donut, Kody has to cover it by watching his counts and sugars," Jennifer said. "He loves his cereal, and we've never taken that away. But, he watches himself. His friends can grab and go, but Kody has to watch everything he eats."
With the ever-changing knowledge in research and education, diabetes may some day be a disease of the past. Until then, help support friends and family with diabetes and join in the Walk for Diabetes Oct. 1, sponsored by the Sidney Lions Club. For more information on diabetes or to register for the local walk visit www.diabetes.org or contact Enid Huotari, Lions club member, at 488-1786.
homespun@sidneyherald.cm
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