My son was in the hospital from May 3-8 because he randomly developed Type 1 Diabetes. It was a very scary experience. We (my husband and I) were unaware of diabetes being something to worry about so we just thought Malikhai was sick. After 2 days of being tired and sick he started throwing up blood or what the hospital called "coffee grounds". I rushed him to ER they then transferred him to the children's hospital. He was in the ICU for 2 days. I hated watching him in so much pain and confusion. I can only imagine how horrible that must have been for him. He was in Diabetic Ketoacidosis. He is currently insulin dependent and not handling that well. Although, he is handling it better now than he originally was. I believe he will soon begin to think of it as just a normal part of his day. He is beginning to understand that when he feels bad that he needs to have me check his sugar. That is big progress for a 3 year old.
This has been a really stressful adjustment for all of us. I have to follow him around all day, measure his food, monitor what he actually eats, figure up how much insulin to give him, give the insulin to him, watch to make sure he isn't showing signs of his sugar being too high or too low and then do my regular every day things on top of all that. It's not as easy as you might think. However, I am SO very grateful that I still have a son to take care of. I know it could have been much worse.
The point of this was to let you all know that Type 1 Diabetes is a very serious issue. It is something you NEED to watch for and no the signs of even if it doesn't run in your family.
Warning signs of T1D (these may occur suddenly):
- Extreme thirst
- Frequent urination
- Sudden vision changes
- Sugar in urine
- Fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath
- Increased appetite
- Sudden weight loss
- Drowsiness, lethargy
- Heavy, labored breathing
- Stupor, unconsciousness
Please be aware of these so you don't end up with your baby in the ICU like I did.
