We've had a lot of potluck situations lately. I usually have Cliff do it, because whenever he's there, he does Kaiah's stuff and I do the rest of the kids... but he has been working a lot lately and I've been going solo. I've had all the kids and an exchange student from China and as I thought back on the last couple of weeks, I've been reminded that I'm improving in the potluck carb calculating scenarios that so frequently come up.
There is no way we can ask that all people bringing food to a potluck to take note of how many carbohydrates are in their dishes. That would be insane. Some people don't even know what a carb is. Even among our closest friends and family, there is some confusion about how to count and calculate them. So that leaves us with the task of estimating and calculating the best we know how to.
Right after the diagnosis we used to hyperventilate a little with the task of looking up food and measuring her choices. By the time we had it figured out and we gave her the shot and the food, her friends were done and up playing.
She ate alone at many of those first potlucks.
After a while we learned to measure and weigh ahead of time. If we knew who was bringing what, we'd call and see what the recipe was (or the thoughtful friends would send it to us) so we could plug it in and measure it ourselves. It was a lot of work, but we felt like this was the best way we could take care of Kaiah and keep her sugars in a good range.
But lately, I feel like we've entered a new phase with Type 1. In the hospital, they said we would get here eventually, but at the time, it seemed doubtful. Our new successes in carb estimation have been wonderful. Now I just tell Kaiah to go ahead and fill her plate with the things she likes. Then I look at it and estimate.
Pasta dishes are roughly 20g-25g per scoop.
Grapes, Craisins, Raisins, Cherries are about 1g per fruit.
Ice cream is about 19g per half cup.
Soups are about 21g per cup.
Salads, veggies, meats and cheeses are mostly free so I get pretty excited when she chooses these!
Desserts are trickier but we do our best. Cakes, pies, cobblers and crisps are loaded with carbs, so I usually go above 40 grams on these.
If she goes low during the event, we just give her some of the ever-available juice or pop. Pretty convenient really!
But oddly enough, and Cliff agrees, it seems like whenever I'm estimating in a potluck scenario I seem to do a more accurate job than when I actually have the packaging :)
It's so satisfying when I do the last blood sugar check of the day, when I'm ready for bed and Kaiah's asleep, and it's a lovely 125 or 88 or like a couple of nights ago when it was 116. That means it's going to be a good night!
And potlucks are so much more enjoyable even with all the distractions of carb counting, because we have the confidence to pull some accurate numbers out of our more experienced brains.
A few weeks ago we went to the Saturday Market and I was taking Kaiah's blood sugar, getting the fries divided and estimated, settling Cambria in with her food and getting ready to bolus the insulin when a nearby woman interjected, "I know what you're doing! You have a Type 1 Diabetic." I felt a little flustered because I was right in the middle of everything, but really I was able to have a little conversation with her (I love talking to strangers about things we have in common) because I did some quick counting in my head and gave Kaiah the instructions about what to do.
Little by little, we're learning to count our carbs on the fly. Kaiah lives a pretty normal life and now she is able to eat with her friends at potlucks!
I'm writing this not to brag about my "skillz," but to document the joy of success in our trials with Diabetes. We're thanking the Lord for a healthy little girl and the ability to count carbs and enjoy a yummy potluck meal full of all kinds of foods with her.
