Know the warning signs!

People can LIVE with type 1 diabetes, but they have to know they have it!  That diagnosis is life-saving.  It’s crushing…it’s heart-breaking…it’s a blow that’ll drop you to your knees.  But it also saves a life.  At the time of diagnosis, a person with type 1 diabetes is in a state of hyperglycemia.  Too much sugar in their blood.  It’s fixable, with insulin, but it has to be correctly diagnosed.  There are a lot of warning signs:

• extreme thirst
• frequent urination
• sudden weight loss
• increased appetite
• fruity odor on breath
• nausea or vomiting
• wetting the bed in a child who previously wasn’t
• extreme headaches
• extreme irritability
• drowsiness or lethargy
• heavy-labored breathing
• sudden vision changes
• weakness or confusion
• stupor or unconsciousness

If you notice one or two of these in someone you love, please do something about it.  Mackenna did not exhibit every one of these symptoms.  I only noticed two.  But those two symptoms jogged my memory of my brother’s type 1 diagnosis back in 1994.  Within an hour of me connecting my observations with Mackenna to my memory of my brother, we were at the clinic receiving the diagnosis I hoped I was wrong about.  (Read her diagnosis story here.)  What if I waited?  What if I ignored my instinct?  What if I didn’t have those memories?  What if I didn’t recognize those symptoms for what they were?  I can’t go there in my mind.  Instead, I thank the Lord for His timing, His mercy, His goodness.  We caught it early.  But for some kids, it’s caught too late.

In July, the type 1 diabetes community was crushed when one of our own lost her fight.  Kycie Terry passed away at age 5 after a misdiagnosis a few months beforehand.  Her doctors thought she had strep, maybe the flu, and they sent her home with antibiotics.  She’s not the first kiddo, and won’t be the last who passes away because of a misdiagnosis.  Her parents did everything right.  They took her in.  They trusted the medical staff.  They followed doctors’ orders and took her home to administer antibiotics for strep.  But the doctors had it wrong and by the time they realized it was actually type 1 diabetes, she had suffered brain damage.

Know the warning signs.

If your child is showing some, trust your gut.  Rule out type 1 at your doctor’s office.  It is a very simple test with either a urine or blood sample.  If they look at you like you’re crazy, tell them you are…you’re crazy about your kid.  And if they still won’t do it, call me, or anyone you know with type 1 diabetes because they’ll be able to test for you at home.

And spread the word!  Because in the case of type 1 diabetes, what you don’t know CAN kill you.