Tonight I am sitting at my computer waiting for news about the
life of a little 7 year old Australian girl I have never met. This little girl was
diagnosed yesterday with type 1 diabetes. What makes this story so heartbreaking
is that she was not diagnosed until it was possibly too late. It appears that she visited her
doctor four times over the past few weeks and her mother was told she had a virus and a
UTI. All that needed to be done was for her GP to give her a blood glucose
test. Whilst this is not a conclusive diagnosis, it would have shown her levels
were high and she could have been treated before her blood essentially turned
to acid and her body started to shut down.
The diabetes community is always rocked when we hear stories like
this. We now know what to look out for and know how easy the symptoms are to
miss. We also know how little money is available to promote the symptoms of
this chronic illness and how much confusion there is in the community between
type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Tonight I am asking you to please try and remember the
symptoms of type 1 diabetes. Because of the common confusion between type 1 and
type 2, I believe that parents may be loath to push with the doctor. There is a degree of shame which is rained
down on parents post diagnosis by those that do not understand that there is
nothing – NOTHING that can be done to prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes. No diet, no exercise, no God (and certainly no herbs). Nothing will change the diagnosis.
Type 1
diabetes symptoms can include: extreme thirst; constant hunger; sudden weight loss; frequent
urination; blurred vision; nausea; vomiting; extreme tiredness; infections. If
you think you or someone you know has these type 1 diabetes symptoms, call a
doctor immediately, and drink fluids WITHOUT SUGAR to prevent dehydration and
DO NOT be afraid to ask for a blood glucose test. It will only take a few
seconds and could save a life.
I was very lucky with my daughter. She was diagnosed at 11 months
of age. As she was still being breastfed and was so young, it took three
emergency doctors to diagnose her, and while her life was in the balance for a
few hours, she pulled through and is now a happy and healthy 3 (almost 4 as she
will tell you) year old. With type 1 diabetes you never truly know the road
ahead. Any night could be an all-nighter, with blood tests every hour. But at
least you know.
For more information about type 1 diabetes visit www.jdrf.org.au or about type 1 and type 2 diabetes visit www.diabetesaustralia.com.au
