11/02/2019
Almost 11 years in ....
December 13th, 2008 it was just another day in our “normal life”. Our Family was celebrating the Christmas season at a Meet Santa Holiday Pajama party at the Worthington Mall.
My parents were at the event with myself and three kids when my mom uttered the sentence that will haunt me for the rest of my life...”I’m really worried about Carter and how much he is going to the bathroom”
For most, this sentence means no awareness. However, in our family my three children’s father is a Type One Diabetic and this diagnosis was directly linked to a list of awareness tools we had all been told to keep an eye out for.
- [ ] Increased Urinating
- [ ] Rapid weight loss
- [ ] Extreme Tiredness
I froze as she said this to me as I knew what she meant. At just 22 months old he was still wearing diapers, but we were constantly changing full diapers, and even nap time diapers were over flowing. Kids are big juice drinkers so I didn’t notice filling one of my three children’s juice cups more than usual, but it certainly could have been happening. I looked back at my mom and told her to stop. What she was saying was unthinkable. “Ok, I said, he has a Dr appt in a few days anyways, I’ll mention it. “
As my husband (soon to be ex) called that evening to check in on the kids, I shared my moms concern. Immediately he caught on and told me to take Carter to the Doctor right away. Still being in denial and unable to face my fear, I told him it would be fine to wait a few days and mention it at our Dr appt already scheduled for next week. Our difference of opinion at the time came at every corner so this conversation ended the same way as most.
However, I couldn’t sleep all night. My fear and sadness continued to swell in the pit of my stomach. I convinced myself it would be fine and to just keep on with my routine.
It was the next morning when my 4 year old daughter interrupted my shower to tell me Carter had thrown up. We figured out together that he had 5 cups of apple juice in less than an hour and then vomited. Although he was still running around unscathed my panic rose to high alert.
I called my pediatrician and shared my concerns. She suggested that since his Dad was diabetic to find a meter, check him, and call her back. Embarrassingly I did not know how to use it. So I phoned my mother-in-law who lived close by ,and who also happens to be a nurse, for urgent help. Less than 20 minutes later we “poked” Carters tiny little 22 month old finger with the lancing device, and tested a drop of blood on a glucose strip injected into a glucose meter. This was the longest 5 seconds of my life waiting for a blood glucose reading. The meter flashed a number in the high 400’s. Because I was married to a diabetic I knew this was not a good reading.
After a call back to our pediatrician she confirmed that a trip to the ER was necessary. She would call down and let them know we were coming. I shipped the girls off with their Grandma and headed to Nationwide Children’s.
The next few hours were a blur. Drawing blood from a toddler was horrible. He was sick but still full of his not quite 2 year old super energy and trapped in an ER Room. A good friend came to the hospital and held my hand. I will be forever grateful as those hours were some of the worst in my life.
I don’t remember the A1C numbers or any other blood glucose numbers, but I do remember the words, “your son has juvenile type one diabetes and we are admitting him to the hospital”. All the horrible feelings that had been resonating in the pit of my stomach exploded into a messy display of tears.
The hospital stay was extended by the flu and several days later I was sent home to manage a disease that could kill my son. Type One Diabetes requires insulin shots to stay alive and 6-10 blood glucose checks per day to make sure that you were in the right range (80-150). Insulin shots are given to break down carbohydrates eaten in food, and to correct out of range blood sugars. The Doctors give you an algorithm that they deem appropriate but tell you to constantly log everything so they can adjust ratios until you find the right algorithm. We were sent home with a stack of prescriptions, blood glucose meters, insulin syringes, literature, and two vials of Medicine that will keep him alive, along with the faith that we will figure it out.
Almost 11 years later, to say life has been a rollercoaster ride is an understatement. He has seen times that included 5 low blood sugar seizures with more hospital visits/ ambulance rides, infections that turned into medical procedures, and a lot of tears and sleepless nights. The gift we do still have is a beautiful young man who plays three sports competitively all while doing the “normal” things that every 7th grade boy does.
We have participated annually in JDRF walks, advocated in Washington DC as JDRF Children’s Congress Representatives and Parent advocate trips. Locally we have visited Senators and Congress Representatives.
We advocate and share. Although we will also have days where we cry and I ask “why me”?
Today Carter wears an insulin pump to inject his insulin during the day and at mealtimes. He wears a Continuous Glucose monitor (CGM) that sends glucose readings via Bluetooth to our phones for monitoring. Less “pokes” but he still experiences injections several times a week to insert expired devices.
We are grateful for the vast advancements in medical equipment to better manage this disease, BUT still dream of a CURE.
Type One Diabetes is a disease that attacked his pancreases. His pancreatic beta cells died and his body no longer creates its own insulin. What we do is manage this disease 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week/365 days a year.
I’m sharing this story to spread awareness and help anyone who is not familiar with the disease and how to diagnose it. People do still die from type one diabetes. It is a horrible long-term chronic illnesses that does not end when our medicine ran out or expired.
