Then I curled up on the couch and took a nap while my own undiagnosed child ate and drank me out of house and home, blood sugars raging. 1 year ago today, Bella was already diabetic, her pancreas was already at least 80% dead. She wasnt diagnosed for 4 more months.
I have asked myself so many times... why didnt I use a ketone strip on her? I had already pushed the notion that she was diabetic out of my head. I had asked her dad to check her BG and we rationalized it. Shes just thirsty, of course she's peeing all the time. This went on for months. Maybe it wasnt that excessive we told ourselves. She had always been in daycare, now she was home with me. Maybe it just SEEMED like more. It continued through thanksgiving and Christmas. Through new years and her birthday.
Then in February she started to get thinner, but taller, so was she really skinnier or was it just her slimming down from growing. Her 5th birthday came and went, I FINALLY had a baby. And then things really kicked into high gear, she started wetting the bed, she was having horrible behavior issues( I had to carry her kicking and screaming out of chic fil a one day, 39 weeks pregnant), She was drinking 3 or 4 glasses of water at bedtime.
The night she was diagnosed was very long. I had been through some complications after Trace was born and was in and out of the emergency room. That afternoon I was having issues and my mother in law came over to watch Bella so Nathan could take me and Trace back to the hospital. I sat int he ER in unbearable pain, panicking because there was something WRONG with me and I was scared I would never be normal again. Trace was screaming because he was hungry and I was in so much pain that I couldnt move into a position I could nurse him in. I begged a nurse that passed my room to just help me so I could feed my 10 day old baby. I begged God to please just make it stop. I was crying, begging and pleading with anyone, then I just felt a calm feeling. It wasn't like I was suddenly ok, but liek I needed to calm down for clarity. Then I remembered somethign from early in my pregnancy and knew what was wrong with me and how to fix it. Within moments I was a new woman, I walked out of the room with utter amazement, and fed my baby. The nurse came back and was shocked at the change, doctors came in and laughed incredulously at the silly way I had fixed my problem. We packed up and left the ER to go home. When we got there it was after 10, Bella was not asleep and was asking for a third cup of water in less than an hour. My mother in law and I had both been concerned for a while and finally we checked her BG. Hi. HI. HI.... vomiting.... 487...water. water... water.... 350..... sleep, no food.... 250.... back to 375. Because we were experienced in T1, we did not go straight to the hospital. Now I know how utterly stupid that was. Even though her BG was dropping her ketones were not. I strongly feel that she was actually getting very ill that night. If I hadnt been in the ER would Jane have been there? Would we have finally checked her BG? NAthan and I surely would have kept rationalizing it. We had been for months.
Weeks later, sometime int he middle of the night, I laid awake trying to figure out when she started showing symptoms. I remembered Teagan. When that happened I had already been thinking about what was up with Bella. I even told Tracy about my concerns and how ( we thought) they were nothing. I had a picture of the girls playing in the backyard that day....its still in my phone. Oct. 29th.
So 1 year ago, Bella had type 1 diabetes. Its not the D- anniversary. Its worse. It's when it should have been caught but wasnt. If your child ever has symptoms of diabetes, HAVE THEM CHECKED. It can save their life!
Common symptoms of diabetes:
- Urinating often
- Feeling very thirsty
- Feeling very hungry - even though you are eating
- Extreme fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
- Weight loss - even though you are eating more (type 1)
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