Thursday night I received some heartbreaking news. I found out that a 17 year old girl with type 1 diabetes died in her sleep due to the fact that her blood sugar dropped too low and it did not wake her up. I of course lost it and started crying. I don't know this girl or her family, but I can imagine what they are all going through. This is every parents worst nightmare. Every time I think about this I start to cry. As you can imagine it hit way too close to home for me. My baby girl is 15 and we know she has a deadly disease, but for the most part we try to keep the reality of this disease in the background so that we can deal with this disease 24/7. We get into a routine and sometimes get a little false sense of security when things are going well. Sadly when we hear something like this, it not only breaks our hearts, it makes us remember how deadly this disease is that is trying to kill our daughter. And at any moment that can be her! :-(
We have an amazing daughter and bless her heart, when she goes low at night she won't wake me up because she doesn't want to bother me. So she takes care of her correction on her own. I don't want her to ever be alone fighting this disease. Since she won't wake me up I have been setting my alarm all week to wake up a few times during the night to test her. Then I find out that this happened. Of course I am beyond paranoid right now! I do not want her to really know what happened because I don't want her to be worried. That is my job! But as she gets older it is harder and harder to shield her from the reality of this.
What happened to this young girl is often referred to as ‘dead in bed syndrome,’ and its cause is not known. However, it is responsible for approximately 6% of diabetes-related deaths in individuals age 40 or younger. The scariest part is that ‘dead in bed syndrome’ is not necessarily linked to poor blood sugar control, or extreme circumstances. In fact, in most cases the person appears to be perfectly fine the night before and goes to bed, but never wakes up.
Shanie asked me about this a few months ago and I tried to reassure her that she didn't have to worry about this. But how can I keep her from worrying about something that could really happen to her?
These are the moments when I absolutely 1000% positively HATE this disease! How do you protect your child from a monster that you can't see or stop? That is why I will NEVER EVER stop talking about this. If my baby girl has to fight this disease 24/7 than I will tell people about it 24/7!
PLEASE PLEASE understand how important it is for a cure! Seriously, this is a deadly disease!!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Type 1 vs. Type 2
I will admit that I do not know all there is to know about Type 2 diabetes. I do have family members with type 2, but I do not live with it or with anyone that has it. So I won't pretend to know about type 2. But I do live with someone that has type 1, so I do know about that! And what I can tell you is what people say about comparing type1 to type 2. So I will tell you some differences.
Type 1 is an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself and kills off all the insulin producing cells. The pancreas produces no insulin at all!
Type 2 is a disorder in which the body either does not produce enough insulin or the body is resistant to the insulin that it is making.
Type 1 will NEVER EVER go away no matter what you do!
Type 2 can go away.
Type 1 diabetics have to live on life support. Weather it is through multiple daily injections of insulin or being connected to an insulin pump 24/7. This is how they stay alive. This is their life support. LIFESUPPORT IS NOT A CURE! Until their bodies produce insulin on it's own and they no longer have to inject insulin, A CURE IS NEEDED!
Type 2 diabetics can take a pill to help their bodies use insulin correctly. Some may have to also give injections of insulin for a time, but this is not their life support. And just because they may have to give themselves shots, DOES NOT MAKE THEM TYPE 1! They are still type 2 and it can still go away!
Type 1 diabetics can eat ANYTHING others without type 1 can eat. The only difference is that they have to act as their pancreas with putting in enough insulin to cover what they eat. CARBS, NOT SUGAR, is what they have to watch. A piece of bread is just as dangerous as a piece of candy. They count the carbs, not sugar. And sugar can actually save their life sometimes! :-)
Type 2 diabetics I heard are supposed to watch their sugar.
Anyone that says they are cured from type 1, as Haley Berry said she went from type 1 to type 2, is ignorant and NEVER had type 1. No crazy insane diet can make it go away. Shanie can eat nothing all day long and her blood sugar can still be high! So do not believe in any miracle diet! Trust me, parents of type 1 children would love more than anything in this world for their children not to suffer!
So what do I want you to take away from this? Please do not compare the two. The only thing they have in common is that they both have to do with insulin. But they are not the same beyond that in any way shape or form. And one last thing, please DO NOT try to tell a type 1 diabetic what they should or should not do or eat. They know their disease, and unless you are living with it, you don't know what they have to do. :-)
Type 1 is an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself and kills off all the insulin producing cells. The pancreas produces no insulin at all!
Type 2 is a disorder in which the body either does not produce enough insulin or the body is resistant to the insulin that it is making.
Type 1 will NEVER EVER go away no matter what you do!
Type 2 can go away.
Type 1 diabetics have to live on life support. Weather it is through multiple daily injections of insulin or being connected to an insulin pump 24/7. This is how they stay alive. This is their life support. LIFESUPPORT IS NOT A CURE! Until their bodies produce insulin on it's own and they no longer have to inject insulin, A CURE IS NEEDED!
Type 2 diabetics can take a pill to help their bodies use insulin correctly. Some may have to also give injections of insulin for a time, but this is not their life support. And just because they may have to give themselves shots, DOES NOT MAKE THEM TYPE 1! They are still type 2 and it can still go away!
Type 1 diabetics can eat ANYTHING others without type 1 can eat. The only difference is that they have to act as their pancreas with putting in enough insulin to cover what they eat. CARBS, NOT SUGAR, is what they have to watch. A piece of bread is just as dangerous as a piece of candy. They count the carbs, not sugar. And sugar can actually save their life sometimes! :-)
Type 2 diabetics I heard are supposed to watch their sugar.
Anyone that says they are cured from type 1, as Haley Berry said she went from type 1 to type 2, is ignorant and NEVER had type 1. No crazy insane diet can make it go away. Shanie can eat nothing all day long and her blood sugar can still be high! So do not believe in any miracle diet! Trust me, parents of type 1 children would love more than anything in this world for their children not to suffer!
So what do I want you to take away from this? Please do not compare the two. The only thing they have in common is that they both have to do with insulin. But they are not the same beyond that in any way shape or form. And one last thing, please DO NOT try to tell a type 1 diabetic what they should or should not do or eat. They know their disease, and unless you are living with it, you don't know what they have to do. :-)
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
A Mother's Promise
A Poem in memory for the author, for all the children with diabetes.
A Mother's Promise was written by Gary Hempleman. He had diabetes for 35 years and passed away Dec. 14th, 2002 at the age of 45.
She walks down the hallway in silence so deep,
Keeping watch over him, as her little one sleeps.
With meter in hand, she opens his door,
Making sure not to wake him as she crosses the floor.
She sits on his bedside and brushes his hair,
As he dreams of shooting baskets, without a 'D' care.
She holds his hand softly; his fingers so small,
As she watches and wonders why 'D' came to call.
While she watches him sleeping, so peaceful and warm,
The forces inside him fight a constant 'D' storm.
Will he ever be free of shots and blood testing?
She sits and she wonders as she watches him resting.
The beep of the meter breaks the silence of the night,
A small drop of blood tells if everything's right.
The seconds count down to the final display,
I hate this damn meter; I want to throw it away.
The number is fine, one down, a lifetime to go,
As he turns in his sleep, will he ever know?
Why does this 'D' happen to someone so small?
My son is my hero, but my baby most of all.
She turns at his doorway, looking back one more time,
It's a nightly routine of the very worst kind.
She walks down the hallway and time passes by,
As she sits in the dark, silent, and quietly cries.
I have to stay strong, and for him I will fight,
We'll battle this 'D' with all of our might.
I'll teach him to master and conquer this foe,
This 'D' will not stop him, I promised him so.
A Mother's Promise was written by Gary Hempleman. He had diabetes for 35 years and passed away Dec. 14th, 2002 at the age of 45.
She walks down the hallway in silence so deep,
Keeping watch over him, as her little one sleeps.
With meter in hand, she opens his door,
Making sure not to wake him as she crosses the floor.
She sits on his bedside and brushes his hair,
As he dreams of shooting baskets, without a 'D' care.
She holds his hand softly; his fingers so small,
As she watches and wonders why 'D' came to call.
While she watches him sleeping, so peaceful and warm,
The forces inside him fight a constant 'D' storm.
Will he ever be free of shots and blood testing?
She sits and she wonders as she watches him resting.
The beep of the meter breaks the silence of the night,
A small drop of blood tells if everything's right.
The seconds count down to the final display,
I hate this damn meter; I want to throw it away.
The number is fine, one down, a lifetime to go,
As he turns in his sleep, will he ever know?
Why does this 'D' happen to someone so small?
My son is my hero, but my baby most of all.
She turns at his doorway, looking back one more time,
It's a nightly routine of the very worst kind.
She walks down the hallway and time passes by,
As she sits in the dark, silent, and quietly cries.
I have to stay strong, and for him I will fight,
We'll battle this 'D' with all of our might.
I'll teach him to master and conquer this foe,
This 'D' will not stop him, I promised him so.
Monday, November 7, 2011
JDRF Walk 2011
This past Saturday Shanie's Dream Team did the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes. This is an event we do once a year, where we raise money and walk with hundreds of others. Shanie has lots of family and friends that join her team and help us raise money and walk with us early that morning. She loves to see the people that love and support her walking with her. :-) Thank you to all that donated and walked with us! It means more to us than you will ever know!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Type 1 Diabetes in a nutshell
A healthy pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that the body uses to change glucose in the blood into energy. Glucose in the blood comes from the food and drink a person consumes.
In people without diabetes, the pancreas maintains a "perfect balance" between food intake and insulin. When a person eats, the pancreas puts out the exact amount of insulin needed to turn the glucose into energy. If the person eats a lot, the pancreas puts out a lot of insulin. If the person eats just a little, the pancreas puts out just a little insulin.
A person with type 1 diabetes doesn't produce any insulin. Without insulin, the glucose builds up in the blood, causing high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. Very high blood sugars for an extended period of time can eventually lead to coma and death. We found this out with Shanie to be just about 6 hours! :-( She went into a coma after going about 8 hours with no insulin!
Since people with type 1 diabetes can't produce their own insulin, they must put insulin into the bloodstream through injections or an insulin pump. To know how much insulin they need, they have to check their blood sugar level throughout the day and keep track of what they eat.
For people with type 1 diabetes, balancing insulin and food intake can be a difficult formula. Too much insulin in the bloodstream can lead to a hypoglycemic reaction. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is a common problem in people with diabetes. It can be very serious and people with type 1 diabetes often struggle to determine how much insulin to give themselves.
In a simple and perfect world, this question would have an easy answer (e.g., always eat a certain amount of food and inject a certain amount of insulin). However, in reality there is no way to know how much insulin to administer with 100% accuracy.
Many factors influence how much insulin people need to get to the desired "perfect balance" of glucose and insulin. These factors include foods with different absorption rates as well as the effects of stress, illness, and exercise. Since determining how much insulin the body needs to "balance" the amount of glucose is really a best guess, sometimes the guess is inaccurate and high or low blood sugar results.
High blood sugar levels over a number of years can cause serious damage to the body's organ systems. This damage may cause complications affecting the heart, nerves, kidneys, eyes, and other parts of the body. However, careful monitoring could greatly reduce the threat of these complications.
Researchers are also making progress at developing new treatments and technologies to help people with diabetes stay healthy. It's important to remember that people with diabetes can lead active and productive lives, just like anyone else.
It's also important to know that diabetes is not contagious. You cannot catch diabetes from someone who has it. We don't know how type 1 diabetes happens. Researchers continue to study how and why type 1 diabetes occurs in certain children and families. Because at this time, no one knows!
In people without diabetes, the pancreas maintains a "perfect balance" between food intake and insulin. When a person eats, the pancreas puts out the exact amount of insulin needed to turn the glucose into energy. If the person eats a lot, the pancreas puts out a lot of insulin. If the person eats just a little, the pancreas puts out just a little insulin.
A person with type 1 diabetes doesn't produce any insulin. Without insulin, the glucose builds up in the blood, causing high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. Very high blood sugars for an extended period of time can eventually lead to coma and death. We found this out with Shanie to be just about 6 hours! :-( She went into a coma after going about 8 hours with no insulin!
Since people with type 1 diabetes can't produce their own insulin, they must put insulin into the bloodstream through injections or an insulin pump. To know how much insulin they need, they have to check their blood sugar level throughout the day and keep track of what they eat.
For people with type 1 diabetes, balancing insulin and food intake can be a difficult formula. Too much insulin in the bloodstream can lead to a hypoglycemic reaction. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is a common problem in people with diabetes. It can be very serious and people with type 1 diabetes often struggle to determine how much insulin to give themselves.
In a simple and perfect world, this question would have an easy answer (e.g., always eat a certain amount of food and inject a certain amount of insulin). However, in reality there is no way to know how much insulin to administer with 100% accuracy.
Many factors influence how much insulin people need to get to the desired "perfect balance" of glucose and insulin. These factors include foods with different absorption rates as well as the effects of stress, illness, and exercise. Since determining how much insulin the body needs to "balance" the amount of glucose is really a best guess, sometimes the guess is inaccurate and high or low blood sugar results.
High blood sugar levels over a number of years can cause serious damage to the body's organ systems. This damage may cause complications affecting the heart, nerves, kidneys, eyes, and other parts of the body. However, careful monitoring could greatly reduce the threat of these complications.
Researchers are also making progress at developing new treatments and technologies to help people with diabetes stay healthy. It's important to remember that people with diabetes can lead active and productive lives, just like anyone else.
It's also important to know that diabetes is not contagious. You cannot catch diabetes from someone who has it. We don't know how type 1 diabetes happens. Researchers continue to study how and why type 1 diabetes occurs in certain children and families. Because at this time, no one knows!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Halloween = Candy......what's a diabetic child to do????
Well as most of you may not know, children with type 1 diabetes CAN EAT CANDY! Normal, chocolate, sugar filled, yummy candy! How is this possible you ask? Well let me tell you!
Our first Halloween with type 1 diabetes was just 6 weeks after Shanie was diagnosed. So we were still very new at all of this. After her diagnoses we felt like we were dealing with a newborn baby again. We were very careful of everything! Also still being so ignorant about this disease that was trying to kill our daughter we did the only thing we knew how at that moment!
For Halloween we still let Shanie and her younger brother get candy. BUT we decided that we would buy her candy from her and she could go shopping and buy something instead of eating candy. She was fine with this except when she saw her brother being able to eat his candy. NOT FAIR RIGHT?? RIGHT! So we bought his too! LOL!
Of course we quickly learned that she can in fact eat candy just like anyone else! And SUGAR FREE ANYTHING IS NOT GOOD FOR HER! It causes tummy troubles. So NO SUGAR FREE CANDY!
:-) Well, like I said we quickly learned that she could eat just like a "normal" child. The only difference was that she had to put the insulin in to cover the CARBS, NOT SUGAR, but the carb amount from the candy. So instead of her body making insulin to cover her candy like the rest of us, she just has to make sure to put in the right amount of insulin. So now we let her get candy, LOTS of candy! LOL! And yes she does get to eat it all! Just not all at once! LOL! :-) She just has to keep track of the carbs she eats and put in the correct amount of insulin and she is good to go.
So make sure that you don't treat diabetic children any different during Halloween! :-)
Our first Halloween with type 1 diabetes was just 6 weeks after Shanie was diagnosed. So we were still very new at all of this. After her diagnoses we felt like we were dealing with a newborn baby again. We were very careful of everything! Also still being so ignorant about this disease that was trying to kill our daughter we did the only thing we knew how at that moment!
For Halloween we still let Shanie and her younger brother get candy. BUT we decided that we would buy her candy from her and she could go shopping and buy something instead of eating candy. She was fine with this except when she saw her brother being able to eat his candy. NOT FAIR RIGHT?? RIGHT! So we bought his too! LOL!
Of course we quickly learned that she can in fact eat candy just like anyone else! And SUGAR FREE ANYTHING IS NOT GOOD FOR HER! It causes tummy troubles. So NO SUGAR FREE CANDY!
:-) Well, like I said we quickly learned that she could eat just like a "normal" child. The only difference was that she had to put the insulin in to cover the CARBS, NOT SUGAR, but the carb amount from the candy. So instead of her body making insulin to cover her candy like the rest of us, she just has to make sure to put in the right amount of insulin. So now we let her get candy, LOTS of candy! LOL! And yes she does get to eat it all! Just not all at once! LOL! :-) She just has to keep track of the carbs she eats and put in the correct amount of insulin and she is good to go.
So make sure that you don't treat diabetic children any different during Halloween! :-)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Help bring awareness about Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is so hard to deal with. And having people that "think" they know because they know about type 2 is so frustrating. I think it's to the point where type 1s just don't want to hear it anymore. I know it frustrates my daughter when she is being told by someone that is not educated about type 1 all about type 2 and if she just does this or that she will be fine. So I think this makes a lot of people that are fighting this disease try to hide or not talk about it.
This disease has messed with the wrong child! As the ones that know me, I have a big mouth and I'm very outspoken! My daughter is the same way! So we are doing whatever we can to bring awareness!
I can't tell you how frustrating it is as a parent to hear people treat this disease that is trying to KILL your child like it is no big deal!! I do admit that before this disease came crashing into our lives, we had no knowledge of it. I refuse to let that happen to anyone else. I want everyone to know about this disease, what it really does, how much it is NOT like type 2 and that it does indeed KILL!!
So whenever you meet someone fighting type 1 please do not tell them about their disease if you do not know about it or if you know about type 2. Ask them how it is or let them talk about it. I know my daughter HATES when people tell her about it when they don't know. But she loves to talk to people that don't know and help them understand.
3 things come to mind that I have heard people tell my daughter that is fighting a deadly disease.
1. WHEN SOMEONE TELLS HER THAT SOMEONE THEY KNOW HAS TYPE 2.
Well it's too bad that they have type 2 but that is not the same disease she has!
I'm not trying to say that people with type 2 are not suffering, but it is a different disease.
2. AT LEAST YOU DON'T HAVE CANCER.
REALLY???????? How dare anyone tell my child that she is "lucky" it's only type 1 diabetes! You have got to be kidding me!! My daughter fights EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY & NIGHT to stay alive!!!! So keep your ignorant, stupid comments like that to yourself!!
3. IT COULD BE WORSE.
SERIOUSLY???? Would you ever tell a child with cancer, "Oh it could be worse, you could be dead! At least you are alive" You wouldn't dare! She fights to stay alive and if she didn't then guess what dumbnut she would be dead!! So again keep your ignorant, stupid comments to yourself.
One more thing.....for those of you that think insulin is a cure? INSULIN IS NOT A CURE!!
My daugther has a pump attached to her 24/7. So if you think living on lifesupport is a cure you are WRONG and please stop thinking that!!!!!
Sorry I guess I needed to vent a little bit! :-)
This disease has messed with the wrong child! As the ones that know me, I have a big mouth and I'm very outspoken! My daughter is the same way! So we are doing whatever we can to bring awareness!
I can't tell you how frustrating it is as a parent to hear people treat this disease that is trying to KILL your child like it is no big deal!! I do admit that before this disease came crashing into our lives, we had no knowledge of it. I refuse to let that happen to anyone else. I want everyone to know about this disease, what it really does, how much it is NOT like type 2 and that it does indeed KILL!!
So whenever you meet someone fighting type 1 please do not tell them about their disease if you do not know about it or if you know about type 2. Ask them how it is or let them talk about it. I know my daughter HATES when people tell her about it when they don't know. But she loves to talk to people that don't know and help them understand.
3 things come to mind that I have heard people tell my daughter that is fighting a deadly disease.
1. WHEN SOMEONE TELLS HER THAT SOMEONE THEY KNOW HAS TYPE 2.
Well it's too bad that they have type 2 but that is not the same disease she has!
I'm not trying to say that people with type 2 are not suffering, but it is a different disease.
2. AT LEAST YOU DON'T HAVE CANCER.
REALLY???????? How dare anyone tell my child that she is "lucky" it's only type 1 diabetes! You have got to be kidding me!! My daughter fights EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY & NIGHT to stay alive!!!! So keep your ignorant, stupid comments like that to yourself!!
3. IT COULD BE WORSE.
SERIOUSLY???? Would you ever tell a child with cancer, "Oh it could be worse, you could be dead! At least you are alive" You wouldn't dare! She fights to stay alive and if she didn't then guess what dumbnut she would be dead!! So again keep your ignorant, stupid comments to yourself.
One more thing.....for those of you that think insulin is a cure? INSULIN IS NOT A CURE!!
My daugther has a pump attached to her 24/7. So if you think living on lifesupport is a cure you are WRONG and please stop thinking that!!!!!
Sorry I guess I needed to vent a little bit! :-)
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