INSULIN IS NOT A CURE!!!
Yesterday my family experienced one of the scariest part of living with a Diabetic.
Some of you know my oldest son is a Type 1 otherwise know as Juvenile diabetic.
December 2005
when my son James was 9 years old he fell ill. As an experienced mom I cared for him as I had in the past. But this time was different. When he was showing no signs of improvement I took him to a local urgent care. Where we where told he only had the stomach flu. A strong anti nausea medication was given to him and we where sent on our way.
This is not the first time I have been told that James has the stomach flu and the DR could NOT have been more wrong. Both times James face life threaten health issues and both times the real issue was misdiagnosed.
For fear my son was having a allergic reaction to the anti nausea meds. The following night I rushed him to the hospital via Taxi.
I will never forget that night weather advisories where in effect flooding and high winds everywhere.
It was at the hospital we received the News.
James was in full blown Diabetic Ketoacidosis aka DKA.
His blood sugar was through the roof and he was wasting away. My healthy 90 lb boy was now 72 lbs .
He was taking to another hospital for treatment and to begin education about life as a diabetic.
Having diabetes is full of highs and lows. Always striving for balance.
We received education on how to manage diabetes and what to do in an emergency.
In the 5 years James has been hospitalized for DKA most happening in the past 8 months. As we all get use to life on insulin pump therapy.
One emergency we had never faced was a severe hypoglycemia. A blood sugar so low that people are often found Unresponsive. That is until yesterday.
As with most teens James enjoys sleeping in. "It's my summer , why do I need to be up?" a frequent phrase coming from my son. Switching from multiple daily injections to the pump has given him more freedom to do so. And he plans on making full uses of it.
Yesterday when I went to wake my son as it was almost noon. I found him on his bed as a expected but something was different not right. At first my brain said don't be silly your just overreacting he is just ignoring you or maybe it was my heart saying that. Because as what I was seeing before me sank in. My son eyes wide open yet not moving , with a look I am unable to put in to words. And shallow breathing. I called for my husband to get me his meter (something that should have been at his bed side but as I said he is a teenager and of course it was down stairs where he had last tested) so that I could take James blood sugar.
35!!!! If your not familiar, the ADA - American Diabetes Association states a blood sugar reading is normal when it is 70-120 and 60-110 these numbers are more baselined for adults and a child is given a little different scale but all the same. Again James was 35 well below normal. Panic flashed in me but was quickly shoved to the minds back burner as I need to focus on remembering what it was I needed to do.
As I flew from my sons room I called for my husband to carry James to the living room. The room most easily accessible to EMT's. Our younger children where taken up stairs as not to frighten them.
As I ran for a phone and James emergency Glucagon kit.
Never in the five year( I know I keep saying that , but there is no other way to explain it) had I thought I would really use one of these shot kits for anything other then practice or demonstration for others.
Yet yesterday I found myself focusing as hard as I could to recall the steps I needed to take in mixing and injecting my son in the hope it was not to late.
EMT's arrived about 3 minutes after I had injected him. They told he it could take up to 10 mins to work.
One of my top 5 longest 10 mins of my life. But as they said James started to come to and his blood sugar was now 68.
So why am I reliving this nightmare and sharing this with you now?
To simply ask you PLEASE! If you have a diabetic in your life a friend a relative maybe one that don't live at home.
Please insist that you are shown how to use their meter or at the very least their Glucagon kit. You could save their life.
I hope one day there is not a need to know any of this outside of medical professionals. I hope even more for a cure!
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