How to know if your child has Type One Diabetes…..
It has been five weeks to the day since twin girl was dramatically rushed into A & E, in five weeks she has injected 140 life saving insulin injections into her arms, legs and tummy. (I also do one in her bottom but she doesn’t like me shouting about it, she will no doubt fart on me when I stab her buttocks later for sharing this confidential information.)
Until we find a cure she will continue this life of carb counting and insulin giving.
Since being diagnosed we have been repeatedly asked how we knew she was diabetic, if I am honest, we didn’t. With the glory of hindsight there were so many signs that it seems almost foolish that we missed it.
Yet still with incompetent parenting we still caught it early, since being diagnosed we have spoken to other diabetic families who shock us with scare stories of rushing their children in to hospital who are comatose and close to death. If high blood glucose levels are left untreated the level of something called ketone’s will continue to rise and and this causes a coma and finally it can kill the child.
In short, diabetes is not a beast to be ignored.
This knowledge scared the crap out of me, I never even suspected type one diabetes and five weeks ago today we took my daughter to the doctor because she had thrush. Never again will thrush be something nasty in our home. As far as I am concerned thrush played a vital part in keeping my daughter well.
So the signs,
First the moods, for months twin girl was like a teenager going through a break up with serious PMT. She wept for hours for reasons she couldn’t articulate and would scream and shout without provocation, when she was calm she would tell me she just couldn’t stop the anger bubbling inside of her.
The thirst, high blood sugars cause a craving for liquid as the body starts to break down in an attempt to expunge the sugars, twin girl would sob for water and we spent a small fortune on Evian when out and about.
The bed wetting, twin girl has been dry since she was two, on the day we moved house she started to wet six times a night, my heart broke when in early October I gave up changing the bed at each time and put my six year old daughter back into nappies just so she could try and get some unbroken sleep. To try and combat the bed wetting we limited liquids, she would scream at night for water and I would refuse because at times I thought she was merely playing up. It is impossible not to feel a sickening sense of guilt for this no matter what anybody says.
Weight loss, somehow I failed to notice my daughter turned from a tall slim little girl to a bony figure over a couple of months. When she laid in hospital it was like a light bulb was turned on in my eyes and I saw that her clothes hung from her and her tummy had all but disappeared.
Headaches. They get them, all the time. Calpol doesn’t really touch the sides.
Hunger, at one point twin girl was eating like a welsh rugby player, low insulin causes food craving, although when that hunger starts to dissipate it can be a sign of the onset of DKA (diabetic coma) which is life threatening.
Thrush – thank God for thrush. I have never considered taking my children to the GP’s for hunger, thirst, or mood swings. We spoke about the bed wetting but all agreed it was down to moving house. When she got thrush I called the ‘scary as can be doctor’s receptionist’ and booked her in for that morning. An hour later we were at A&E.
When you add them all those signs together you equal type one diabetes, when you have a busy life, a job and three children you see a moody child going through a growth spurt who is struggling to cope with moving house.
Type One diabetes can’t be cured, you the quicker you catch it the better.
I really hope this blog helps a mum somewhere who can’t work out why her child is bed wetting or suddenly acting like Satan’s sibling.
Please share wherever you can.
As a mum every ailment is a judgment call. Should we rush them to the GP or are we over reacting. Thank goodness you caught it… thank goodness for thrush. Thanks for highlighting the symptoms. xxx
thank god for thrush!
It sounds like you’ve written a very important post here. I wouldn’t think many people would suspect those things were a symptom of diabetes.
We didn’t x
This is brilliant advice! Might even help an adult …reminded me I need to get tested again.
xxx
Oh lovely, I’m sure this will be really helpful to another parent somewhere. You’ve got to stop with the guilt. You’re an amazing mum. x
awwww shucks
This is such a brilliant post. I would have no idea they were the symptoms and neither would a lot of parents. I too would have thought the bed wetting was due to the move and would also have got cross about the need for water at night. Thanks for this, think it means that more awareness needs to raised amongst parents. Glad Molly is doing well xx
she is being a superstar x
Great post Jane; I will share this with my circle in the hope that your terrible experience can help others avoid it. Well done for getting attention for your daughter before onset of the really life-threatening symptoms you describe.
The guilt, though inevitable, is totally undeserved!
Thanks Gerry x
I think it is really great that you share these posts with your readers. Very informative to any parent who may be concerned about any of the issues above. It must be hard knowing what you know now and not realising at the time but that’s just how life is sometimes. You weren’t to know.
Thanks Laura x
I’m so sorry I said it was the house move. It completely was with our daughter, and acting up. Thanks for sharing the signs, I had no idea about the thrush!
don’t be daft! that was what I thought it was… x
Even being diabetic myself, I may not have put all these symptoms together and realised I was dealing with the disease. I hope this article really helps other parents.
Thanks Katie x
fantastic post, extremely informative. I’m very pleased you caught it and thanks for sharing with the world.
Michelle
Cheers Michelle x
I have lived through Type 1 diabetes with Bronnie before he died and now my son. Bronson’s father was also diagnosed with the disease when he was a young man. The family has close connections with the word’s authoritative teaching hospital – The Joslin Clinic in the USA. I have over 25 years first-hand experience, knowledge and exposure. It held no fears, and even suspected and tested the children regularly for the disease. Even went through pre-antibody trials for the disease.
And with all this experience and knowledge, I just stared dumbly and burst into tears when my youngest was diagnosed last year.
I can’t begin to imagine how people cope with no inkling of the disease.
Your posts will add hope and knowledge to the subject for the next parent who faces such a diagnosis.
My very very best. If there is anything I can do or say, you know you only have to ask.
Love, HMSx
Thanks Mel – love ya x
I’m sure this will help many parents out there. Thank you for sharing xx
Cheers x
Really helpful post, I would have had no idea – so pleased you now at least have a diagnosis and are able to treat x
Cheers x x x x x
I’m so glad you caught it early. xxx
Me too x
Really helpful and important post. Thanks for sharing x
Thanks Liz x
Poor little thing, she is so brave. As are you. Thank goodness you caught it early and thank goodness you have written this post so someone else might too 🙂
Thanks lovely