As promised, here is month 2 of our Type 1 Diabetes Series. Knowing the symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes can save a life. If not caught early enough, a child can go into a coma and die. The body literally starves itself to death. Not pretty.
With my daughter we were fairly lucky in that my wife recognized the symptoms, AND we have a family friend with a diabetic daughter recommending we see a doctor ASAP. Our daughter was extremely thirsty, had to urinate all the time, and was losing weight. My wife called the doctor’s office and told them she suspected diabetes and would like to have our daughter’s blood tested. Instead of sending us to the emergency room, they ordered standard blood tests. We are very lucky our daughter’s blood sugar levels did not go too high before the doctor received the results. As we suspected, her blood glucose level was through the roof.
Everyone needs insulin to survive. Insulin converts sugar to energy. When your body stops producing insulin it can no longer convert that sugar. As a result, sugar levels go very high. One way the body tries to deal with a high blood sugar level is by flushing the sugar out via urination. Unfortunately, this does not work. Further, since the body is no longer converting sugar to energy the body starts eating away at muscle and fat to survive.
Symptoms:
- Frequent urination (multiple times per hour)
- Corollary – increased thirst
- Loss of weight
- Extreme hunger
- Weight loss
- Irritability
- Fatigue and weakness
- Blurred vision
Since the test is so darn simple, and the consequences so sever, if there is any doubt, one should test. Meters and test strips can be purchased at any drug store fairly cheap. Either that, or see a primary care doctor. In Natalia’s case, she was sent directly to ER where they promptly injected insulin to bring down her blood sugars. Today she wears an insulin pump to provide a constant drip of insulin. When she eats food she gets an extra dose of insulin.
Our fund raiser has started out with a bang! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to those of you who have contributed to JDRF, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation! Our goal is $5,000 with your help, we have raised $800. This is fantastic. For those of you on the sidelines, you can get your tax deduction today by contributing here: http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR?fr_id=6344&pg=team&team_id=211548.Your donation goes 100% to JDRF. Even if you don’t donate, we hope you are learning about Type 1 Diabetes through these e-mails.