My husband and I were shocked with the reality that our 5-year-old daughter has Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes. Earlier this month we took her to her pediatrician as she had increasing thirst and was going to the bathroom frequently, getting up 3 times a night to do so. The onset was not as frequent, of course, but over a two week period had become noticeably worse.

Initially, we were able to reason it with, “It’s winter, the air is dry and her room is the hottest room in the house when the heater is on.” We also reasoned that she didn’t have any other symptoms. Then her appetite increased tremendously. But, she had gone through this before with a growth spurt so again, we had a “valid” reason not to suspect anything. Finally, the two days prior to us finally taking her in, she became fatigued, appeared pale and even her teacher noted she just didn’t seem right in class.

I’ll admit that I had the thought of diabetes running through my mind. We have friends with a son who was diagnosed at age 5 and I remember her talking about how he would drink so much and use the restroom frequently.  I mentioned my concern to my husband but we didn’t act on it. Finally, the night before we brought her to the doctor, I declared that she must go in and I knew it was diabetes. The next morning, she woke up nauseous and dry-heaving, another sign of uncontrolled diabetes.

Her pediatrician had her do a urine test and before even speaking to us, called ER to speak with the endocrinologist on-call. My daughter’s keatone levels were high. Diabetes.org explains, “when your cells don’t get the glucose they need for energy, your body begins to burn fat for energy, which produces ketones. Ketones are acids that build up in the blood and appear in the urine when your body doesn’t have enough insulin. They are a warning sign that your diabetes is out of control or that you are getting sick. High levels of ketones can poison the body. When levels get too high, you can develop diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA.” Essentially, my daughter’s body was starving.

While I kick myself for not having listened to the nagging feeling in my gut (or God whispering me a warning!), I am so, so thankful that we brought her in when we did before her condition was worse.

We spent 4 days, 3 nights in the hospital.  The first 24 hours were especially hard as they poked her little fingers every hour, drew blood every 6 and we had to listen as 2 other pediatric patients went into Code Blue, one of them losing her battle.  The next 2 days were greatly improved as my classy girl was taken off her insulin drip and was able to go to the fun playroom on the unit.  She received visits, balloons and cards from many friends.

My husband and I went through intense diabetic control training with the endocrinology team.  We practiced giving shots to each other, learned how to calculate the insulin dosage and got a glimpse of what life would look like with a diabetic child: living by the clock, charts and carb counting.  We also spent a good deal of time with the nutrition team learning what she can eat and how to manage her diet.

Now, two weeks later, we are settling into a routine.  This non-analytical mom is learning new management skills, our whole family is eating higher quality food and I’ll admit, we are saving money by not going to Starbucks or eating out!  My daughter is a trooper, handling her new disease like a pro.  She very matter-of-factly explained to her classmates that if she didn’t have her insulin shots she would die (how awful is it for a child to have to know that truth?!); she takes her 4 shots a day and 8-10 finger sticks a day like a brave little girl.  Sometimes she cries but I certainly don’t blame her for that!  Sometimes I cry at the reality of her being insulin dependent for the rest of her life, at the thought of diabetic complications and knowing that there is nothing I can do to change our reality.

But, there is hope.  With a healthy diet, plenty of exercise and consistent monitoring she’ll live a great life.  We’ve talked to many families already who were in our place before and their children are healthy and happy today.  Whatever the next hurdle is, we’ll deal with that then.  For now, we consider it our mission to educate others about Type 1 Diabetes (there is a huge difference between type 1 & 2!), help raise awareness and funds for research.  Our calling in life, our children, has not changed but our mission has been redirected.  I hope that through my posts, other parents will recognize type 1 diabetes onset before it results in Ketoacidosis, what you may be able to do to help reduce your child’s risk of unset, and if your child already has Type 1, then we can be a support to each other.

Until the next post, be well and hug your children!

Contributed by:
Uptown Mom