Diabetes
In August 2010, just one week into the start of his first year of school, my then 6 year old son came down with what I thought was a cold, only because I never would have guessed anything more serious. He was constantly thirsty and frequently urinating, though I didn’t put these together at the time. Above all else, he just appeared miserable. When he didn’t feel better two days later, I made an emergency appointment with the doctor, still fully expecting it to be nothing serious. After performing a blood glucose test, the doctor ordered us to the hospital immediately.
His blood sugar was 826. A normal high should not be over 180.
My son spent a week in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Unlike Type 2, he did not acquire his diabetes from a poor diet. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease. His own body attacked his insulin production, in the process shutting it down for good. It’s a disease he will have to live with for the rest of his life, but it does not define his life.
According to the American Diabetes Association:
215,000, or 0.26% of all people under 20 years of age have diabetes. About 1 in every 400 children and adolescents has type 1 diabetes.
Our stories at kidthings.net of living with Type 1 Diabetes:
- While You Were Sleeping January 26, 2012
- A Terrible Shirt January 5, 2012
- Diabetes Awareness Month November 17, 2011
- Shared Diagnoses August 12, 2011
- Wishes in the Well July 26, 2011
- Powder May 17, 2011
- Laughing at a Bad Day January 3, 2011
- Disadvantages of Diabetes December 16, 2010
- Correction September 20, 2010
- Waiting for the Easy Button September 8, 2010
- Thank You and Questions Answered September 1, 2010
- STAT August 31, 2010
Resources
If you have a website containing information on Type 1 diabetes or keep a blog chronicling a child with Type 1 diabetes and you would like to be linked here, please contact me with your URL.
