Last week, I started a series of articles as part of Diabetes Awareness Month. The first installment, Dr. Ladan Davallow, explained the main diabetes types and tips on how to prevent type 2 diabetes in children. This week, local mom, Tara Gray shares her story about how her daughter, Cassie, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and symptoms that parents and caretakers should lookout for.
Here's Tara and Cassie’s story in Tara’s own words:
Cassie is my youngest daughter. She was 10 and just started fifth grade. My biggest worry back then was getting her to middle school so I could go back to work full-time without having to pay daycare.
I wrote off all the symptoms that I started to notice because we didn’t know anything about type one diabetes.
September: school started back up and she was dragging a little more in the morning and I just wrote that off to try to get back into the swing of a school routine. She was in elementary school and mornings were always a little rough. She has never been a morning person, so the fatigue really didn’t stand out to me much either. Plus, we got a new puppy, and she was lingering in the morning on the couch.
Later that month we went to the state fair and while we were walking around, I noticed she kept asking for more drinks. I refilled the lemonade souvenir cup like three times and I remember thinking OK that’s weird. I told myself she just really likes lemonade.
Then as we got into the school year, her teacher sent an email saying that Cassie was putting her head down in class and complaining of headaches so again, I just thought she’s not sleeping well at night. She’s trying to still get back into not being on summer vacation.
In the beginning of October, one of my family members mentioned it looked like she was slimming down a little bit. "OK" I told myself "She’s 10, here we go. This is probably the beginning of puberty. She’s losing that baby chunk."
But if I’m being completely honest, I remember some subtle signs in the summer that I wrote off as it’s hot. She’s eating less, she's drinking more, she's playing outside.
And then, 24 hours before her diagnosis (two weeks before Halloween), we were at a pumpkin patch with all the fun activities. Any kid would love to do it and Cassie just sat at a picnic table not wanting food. She was going to have a sleepover with her older sister. I actually said to her maybe you’re getting sick. You should probably come back home with us.
Well later that evening, they were at an amusement park with all the Halloween festivities and she projectile vomited in the park and begged for milk and orange juice that night. Now, knowing what I know, that horrifies me because we use those to bring up low blood sugar. Her body was playing an evil trick on her. Well, I knew something was wrong. I just did not know what.
She came back home that morning. I had reached out to the pediatrician, and we headed to Saint Mary’s ER department. She was kind of dozing off in the backseat on the way there and I remember looking at her thinking, "What is wrong with her? Is this cancer?"
She really did look that bad. She went downhill fast. Well, we found out in the ER, she was in DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis).
We did not even know what that was. Or how serious things were for her. For months, her little body was screaming out the signs, but we were just so clueless. She stayed in the hospital for a few days and then our new life began.
My message to parents is you should always know if your child’s blood sugar is in a normal range. Consider blood sugar checks as preventative care. You can find out with a finger prick. It’s the cheapest and easiest effective way to confirm or rule out Type 1 diabetes. This gives their blood sugar number right at the moment. When we were being given the news in the ER, everything started to move in slow motion. It was traumatizing and it didn’t have to get that far but because we were so ignorant, we didn’t know so hopefully this helps someone.
Thirsty Tired Moody, headache, appetite changes, weight loss, increased urination all the signs I wrote off for months.
DKA is life threatening, and time is not your friend!" - Tara Gray
Type 1 diabetes, once known as "juvenile diabetes", occurs when the body stops producing the hormone, insulin. Once diagnosed with the condition, insulin injections or insulin pumps would be required to survive. In addition, the parent and child will need to learn injection techniques, carbohydrate counting, and blood sugar monitoring in a short amount of time. Although parenting a child with diabetes is extremely challenging, recent advances in treatment have made diabetes management a little less stressful.
Diabetes is a condition that can strike at any age. In Cassie's situation, symptoms were evident, but often, diabetes can develop without immediate symptoms. Early screening can detect diabetes before symptoms become apparent. Sadly, it's not uncommon for individuals to be unaware they have diabetes until an emergency health situation that requires hospital care.
Signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children often emerge rapidly and can include:
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination, possibly bed-wetting in a toilet-trained child
- Extreme hunger
- Unintentional weight loss
- Tiredness or fatigue
- Irritability or behavior changes
- Fruity-smelling breath
Ignoring the signs and symptoms can possibly result in Diabetic Ketoacidosis. This condition is a complication of diabetes, characterized by elevated ketone levels in the blood, leading to symptoms such as intense thirst, frequent urination, tiredness, and nausea.
Contact your child's healthcare provider if you notice any of these symptoms or have any concerns about your child's diabetes risk.
