What is it like to live with someone you love who has Type 1 Diabetes?
I realized not only has it been five months since I posted my last blog post but also that I have never shared with my blog world about our son, Brody, having Type 1 Diabetes.
Here's the past in a nutshell:
Back in late January 2015 we took Brody (at the time he was 5 1/2 years old) to the doctor for what I believed was Pneumonia. Ever since he was little his colds never were just colds, they always morphed into pneumonia. The doctor diagnosed him with pneumonia, gave him antibiotics and we were on our way to recovery, so we thought.
Brody finished his required 10 days of antibiotics and he still wasn't better. We went to urgent care, they gave him a stronger dose of antibiotics, and on we went. Two days later he was still drowsy, feverish, sweaty, and had no energy. This was not our normal energetic son that we knew. Baltazar and I started getting concerned that Brody was getting a bad reaction from his medication. It was late Wednesday night, February 11th, 2015 and hubby and I are online googling bad reactions to the steroid he was taking for pneumonia. That is then when we found out that it can raise blood sugar numbers for diabetics. Then we researched symptoms of diabetes. Around this time we noticed Brody getting out of bed to go use the restroom. When he finished he also asked for a glass of water. Of the many symptoms that diabetes causes, excessive thirst and urination are on the top of that list. We knew something was wrong with him. My gut told me he Type 1 diabetes.
At this point it is now Thursday, February 12th, 2015 and we finally saw our normal pediatrician after I called as soon as they opened and told the doctor, "I think my son has Type 1 Diabetes." Within 4 hours of the doctor here in Salem and driving up to Dornbecher Children's hospital they had a room waiting for Brody. We spent Valentines in the hospital while he received the best pediatric endocrinology treatment in the state of Oregon. He was in the hospital for four days.
Now, on to today, this week and the past week.
Brody's pediatric endocrinologist in Portland at Oregon Health and Science University believes Brody is now officially coming out of his honeymoon faze. Meaning, his pancreas is officially no longer producing ANY insulin. It's dead, There is no need to have it. It doesn't function anymore. Before last week and all the way back to February 2015 his pancreas was in what doctors call a honeymoon phase and the pancreas really tries hard to work but it hasn't given up yet. This phase can last only days, to months and years (like in Brody's case).
The past month we have seen very high blood sugar numbers, a pattern. But now that Brody is back in school and on a consistent schedule again, his doctor wants us to LOG everything down and report to her in two weeks. She's looking for a pattern. Once she deems he has officially come out of his honeymoon phase the likelihood of drastically increasing his insulin intake each day is more realistic then ever.
Brody is a strong kid. He's athletic, smart and so kind hearted. Type 1 Diabetes is not reversible. It's something he will always have. Until then, we hope for a cure!
We have many sleepless nights. The easiest way I explain to most who are not familiar with Type 1 Diabetes, is that it's like having an infant in our house and constantly waking or checking in to make sure they are still breathing. Yes, that is almost a nightly thing with us. The horrible reality is that most with T1D who pass away, do so during the middle of the night.
Did I mention we need a cure?
Here's a picture I took tonight of his daily regimen (minus the Emergency Glucagon Kit, He does carry it around with him though). He actually gets anywhere from 4-5 shots a day but this pic proves the point, I'm sure.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS of Type 1 Diabetes: (very similar to symptoms of the flu)
Here's the past in a nutshell:
Back in late January 2015 we took Brody (at the time he was 5 1/2 years old) to the doctor for what I believed was Pneumonia. Ever since he was little his colds never were just colds, they always morphed into pneumonia. The doctor diagnosed him with pneumonia, gave him antibiotics and we were on our way to recovery, so we thought.
Brody finished his required 10 days of antibiotics and he still wasn't better. We went to urgent care, they gave him a stronger dose of antibiotics, and on we went. Two days later he was still drowsy, feverish, sweaty, and had no energy. This was not our normal energetic son that we knew. Baltazar and I started getting concerned that Brody was getting a bad reaction from his medication. It was late Wednesday night, February 11th, 2015 and hubby and I are online googling bad reactions to the steroid he was taking for pneumonia. That is then when we found out that it can raise blood sugar numbers for diabetics. Then we researched symptoms of diabetes. Around this time we noticed Brody getting out of bed to go use the restroom. When he finished he also asked for a glass of water. Of the many symptoms that diabetes causes, excessive thirst and urination are on the top of that list. We knew something was wrong with him. My gut told me he Type 1 diabetes.
At this point it is now Thursday, February 12th, 2015 and we finally saw our normal pediatrician after I called as soon as they opened and told the doctor, "I think my son has Type 1 Diabetes." Within 4 hours of the doctor here in Salem and driving up to Dornbecher Children's hospital they had a room waiting for Brody. We spent Valentines in the hospital while he received the best pediatric endocrinology treatment in the state of Oregon. He was in the hospital for four days.
Now, on to today, this week and the past week.
Brody's pediatric endocrinologist in Portland at Oregon Health and Science University believes Brody is now officially coming out of his honeymoon faze. Meaning, his pancreas is officially no longer producing ANY insulin. It's dead, There is no need to have it. It doesn't function anymore. Before last week and all the way back to February 2015 his pancreas was in what doctors call a honeymoon phase and the pancreas really tries hard to work but it hasn't given up yet. This phase can last only days, to months and years (like in Brody's case).
The past month we have seen very high blood sugar numbers, a pattern. But now that Brody is back in school and on a consistent schedule again, his doctor wants us to LOG everything down and report to her in two weeks. She's looking for a pattern. Once she deems he has officially come out of his honeymoon phase the likelihood of drastically increasing his insulin intake each day is more realistic then ever.
Brody is a strong kid. He's athletic, smart and so kind hearted. Type 1 Diabetes is not reversible. It's something he will always have. Until then, we hope for a cure!
We have many sleepless nights. The easiest way I explain to most who are not familiar with Type 1 Diabetes, is that it's like having an infant in our house and constantly waking or checking in to make sure they are still breathing. Yes, that is almost a nightly thing with us. The horrible reality is that most with T1D who pass away, do so during the middle of the night.
Did I mention we need a cure?
Here's a picture I took tonight of his daily regimen (minus the Emergency Glucagon Kit, He does carry it around with him though). He actually gets anywhere from 4-5 shots a day but this pic proves the point, I'm sure.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS of Type 1 Diabetes: (very similar to symptoms of the flu)
- Excessive Urination
- Excessive Thirst
- Fatigue
- Sweaty
- Moody
- Weight Loss
- Extreme Hunger
- Blurry Vision
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