Last Christmas my sweet little 4-year-old daughter had the flu. She did not even want to get out of bed to open her Christmas presents! It was so hard to see her feeling so bad, but that was nothing compared to what was to come!
After she “recovered” from the flu, she never seemed quite well. She complained constantly about her stomach hurting so I took her to the pediatrician. He found nothing wrong with her, but I continued to worry. After doing some research online I had a suspicion that she might be diabetic.
When she started having “accidents” during school and then had an EXTREME increase in her appetite and thirst, I knew my suspicion was correct. I took her back to the pediatrician and told him of my concern. He tested her urine, but it did not show signs of sugar spillage. He told me that if she was a diabetic she would have had a significant weight loss and would be vomiting without any signs of the flu. Well, she had lost a lot of weight but the nurse had weighed her incorrectly and I did not realize that at the time. I wanted to believe him when he said she was not diabetic, so I left his office that day without insisting on a blood glucose test.
The next night at dinner my daughter started vomiting. She did not have a fever or any other signs of the flu but she did have a runny nose. I put her to bed thinking, “please let it just be a cold.” In the middle of the night I was awakened by her crying. She had vomited again, so I put her in the shower to clean her up. She was so weak that she couldn’t stand by herself and then while drying her off her eyes rolled back into her head. There was no doubt in my mind at that point.
I rushed her to Urgent Care. They did a blood glucose test and she was at 484. Compared to other people this was not a shockingly high number, but it was shocking to me at the time. I was just so thankful to finally have her diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic and that we could finally begin treatment. The transformation over the next few days while in the hospital was amazing! She went from being lethargic and weepy to energetic and happy again.
In the past nine months, she has been so incredible. She never complains about blood sugar tests or insulin injections. She knows that she must eat “healthy choices” and she happily tells people that she cannot eat a cookie or french fries, etc. because they are not “healthy choices.” She is even able to educate others on healthy eating and good versus bad carbs!
My daughter has amazed me with her strength and courage and I hope she can be an inspiration to other children with diabetes!
By tracey113
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