means that my disease is hard to control. I have to have the insulin shots and stay on a strict diet. And I mean strict. My mom helps me count calories. This is complicated. We don't simply count calories. We count different kinds of calories, likeproteins and fats, and we have to balance them. Plus, I have to test my blood. And I have to do it several times a day. How do I test my blood? I prick my finger (I know -- you're thinking that diabetes is all shots and finger sticks), then I squeeze out a drop of blood, wipe it on this thing called a test strip, and put the test strip into a machine. A number comes up o nthe machine, and the number tellsme if the level of sugar in my blood is too high (either because I've mis-

judged and eaten something that has a lot of natural sugar in it, like fruit, or because I have too littte insulin in my body), too low not enough sugar in my blood; (everybody needs some), or just right.

A few times recently I've seen some numbers that haven't been what they shouldl be. Plus, lately, I've been hungrier and thirstier than usual — and also tired. (I've had some sore throats and stuff, too.) I haven't told Mom about the blood tests, though. She's been through a lot in the past months. (My parents just got divorced, but I'll explain about that later.) I don't want Mom to have to worry

about me as well as everything else. Anyway, I'm thirteen years old, and I know my body is going through lots of chemical changes. (Everyone's does when they reach puberty.) So maybe the insulin was just another chemical in my body that was changing — reacting differently to my diet and injections. That is what I wanted to believe, but it was my own theory. To tell you the truth, I didn't want to worry Mom because I was already worried.

"What does the article say, Char?" I asked her.