Type One Diabetes - A misunderstood disease
My son, TJ, has type one diabetes. He was diagnosed when he was 15 months old, 5 days before Christmas. The symptoms of type one diabetes individually could be attributed to so many other diseases and fairly normal behavior. But combined, they tell of a very deadly disease.
If anything comes of this post, or this month that I've been sharing more about type one diabetes, please know the basic symptoms so that you may be able to save a life. My friend was the one who said TJ probably had diabetes, when all the nurses and doctors we talked to brushed that idea aside because he was so young.
Extreme thirst, unquenchable
Frequent urination, bedwetting
Fatigue, lethargy, very weak
Weight loss
Vomiting
Fruity odor to the breath
Fast heart rate
Blurred vision
Please read over those again. Those first 2 are very common and has been a symptom for almost every type one we know.
Type one diabetes can be discovered in such an easy test. A quick finger poke with a drop of blood or a urine, pee on a stick test. It can be stopped before the person is days from death like we were. You may be able to save a life, even if it's not your own child's. Type one diabetes doesn't just affect children, although that is most common. I've heard of a few adults diagnosed in their 30's.
I will keep sharing. I will keep educating. I will keep raising awareness for this disease that has very little in common with the more common type 2 diabetes.
Because of these statements from my friends, turned fellow type one mommas:
“I’ve always paid attention to your posts and it was actually a post that either you had commented on or shared about frequent urination, thirst and bed wetting that is what had me take her in. I feel so blessed that we caught it before she got sick. So thank you so much for getting awareness out there.”
“I remember the day you shared about TJ’s diagnosis and how much it touched me and went home and read all about Type 1 for about an hour. Because of you and others sharing about Type 1, I was so quick to recognize the symptoms in Anna. Every time I saw a post about it on social media I read about it. Mainly because the symptoms are so vague that I often thought, “How would a parent ever know or think that those symptoms are Type 1 Diabetes?” When we took Anna to the ER, we told the doctor we were fairly certain she had Type 1 Diabetes. She was not sick at all, except for the symptoms, and that is because we acted so quickly. They wouldn’t even run a blood test on her because they said she wasn’t suffering like someone developing Type 1. But then the urine sample came back high in ketones and they said “lets run a blood test just to see...” Thank you and keep sharing.”
If you have any questions about the symptoms, treatment, continued care, or the biology of it all, please ask below and I'll do a follow of FAQ post. Thank you.
