Melodie Prater

My Story

It was a cold day in late January 31 years ago and I had just started a new job. My little girl was not feeling well and began wetting the bed, at eight years old. I thought perhaps it was the change with my new job as I was spending less time with her and my other two children. I asked her dad to take her to the doctor where he was told she had a urinary tract infection. She took the medication and the symptoms did not ease. I went into her bedroom early to wake her up for school and noticed she had taken off her wet pajamas at some point and there were ants on them.  Ants???  What are ants doing in my little girl's wet pajamas?

I had her dad take her back to the doctor and when he explained that she had ants on her wet clothing after wetting the bed, our entire world was turned upside down. My little girl was admitted into the hospital with a blood sugar level well over 600 and I knew nothing about what diabetes even was.

After two weeks getting her stabilized the provider released her giving us lengthy instructions on how to manage her diabetes. The finger sticks, the shots, the juice, should she get a low blood sugar. I was a deer in the headlights with no sleep, a new job, three children and a very sick little girl. The doctors did their job, but I was in no way equipped to deal with a little girl begging me not to give her any more shots or stick her sore tiny fingers again.

I navigated her life digging for the necessary tools to get her through sports, school and life in general. She grew up, moved out on her own and a new chapter began in my life.

In 2006 I was traveling and noticed I had to go to the bathroom more frequently. I had been eating whatever I wanted, something we all do while on vacation. On my third trip to the bathroom in less than an hour that smell hit me like a ton of bricks. The fruity smell I smelled when my daughter's blood sugar was high. Wait, it can't be, I'm 40 years old I can't possibly have diabetes. My heart sank as I scheduled an appointment to find out what was happening with my body.

The doctor ran the necessary tests and told me that I too had diabetes. My first response was "I got this", I have lived with diabetes for a very long time and I know how to manage it.  I took my shots, checked my blood sugar and proceeded with my normal life.  I then realized that my life was far from normal now. My friends ordered starchy food for happy hour and I wanted to enjoy it just like I did before I was diagnosed. I remember going home, checking my blood sugar and throwing my glucose meter across the room when the reading was off the chart. I sat down in the corner of my bedroom and cried like I have never cried before. I cried for my little girl trying to live her life while I drilled her about keeping her numbers perfect. I cried for my little girl who wanted the cotton candy at the baseball field like all her friends.  I cried because she was only 8 and here I was 40 struggling with the emotional part of living life with diabetes.