Parenting a teen with juvenile diabetes
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What is Juvenile Diabetes?
Juvenile or Type 1 diabetes is caused when the pancreas stops producing insulin. No one knows why the pancreas stops producing insulin. It just does. The child did nothing to cause it to stop. Eating too much sugar doesn't cause it. Not eating your vegetables doesn't cause it. Disobeying your parents doesn't cause it. It just quits producing insulin.
I am a mother of a girl who has juvenile diabetes. She was almost 9 years old when she was diagnosed. Our life seemed to turn upside down. We had to give 5 shots a day. We had to count carbs. We couldn't eat what we wanted to when we wanted to. We couldn't enjoy holidays with all the candy we couldn't have. We didn't know anybody with juvenile diabetes. What happens when our blood sugar goes too high? What happens when it goes too low? I couldn't seem to let her out of my sight. No one else knew what to do for her. What if I wasn't around when she went too low? Would she remember or be able to do what needed to be done?
I am a mother of a girl who has juvenile diabetes. She was almost 9 years old when she was diagnosed. Our life seemed to turn upside down. We had to give 5 shots a day. We had to count carbs. We couldn't eat what we wanted to when we wanted to. We couldn't enjoy holidays with all the candy we couldn't have. We didn't know anybody with juvenile diabetes. What happens when our blood sugar goes too high? What happens when it goes too low? I couldn't seem to let her out of my sight. No one else knew what to do for her. What if I wasn't around when she went too low? Would she remember or be able to do what needed to be done?
Causes of Type 1 Diabetes
Things of which you need to be aware!
I think I would have realized my daughter had diabetes earlier if I had known what to look for.
Here are the main symptoms:
Here are the main symptoms:
- Frequent urination - She had this but I didn't realize it. I would ask her to do something for me and she would say "Ok, but let me go to the bathroom first." I thought it was just a conditioned response like Pavlov's dog.
- Increased thirst
- Extreme hunger
- Unexplained weight loss - She wasn't growing. Her sister two years younger was within 2 inches in height and 5 lbs in weight. The doctor didn't even catch this 5 days before she was diagnosed.
- Extreme weakness and fatigue
- Urinating at night (nocturnal enuresis)
- Blurred vision
- Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
- Heavy or labored breathing
- Drowsiness or lethargy
- Fruity odor on the breath - When we took her in to the emergency room, the doctor knew immediately she had diabetes from her fruity breath.
Other Websites Discussing Causes of Type 1 Diabetes
Dinah had symptoms that didn't make this list. But what pushed her over the top was ... stomach virus.
Her pediatrician saw her on Friday along with her sister who is two years younger. He didn't notice their close height and weight. They came away from the doctors office with the stomach virus. One started vomiting on Sunday and the other Monday. They had it about 24 hours. Then Dinah started throwing up again after a 12 hour respite. I called the doctor's office and told the nurse what was going on. She assured me it was a very bad case of stomach virus lasting 36 to 72 hours. That's what was going around.
She said I need to look for signs of dehydration. So I asked her what to look for. She said sunken eyes and no urination.
For those who don't know what sunken eyes look like, let me give you another discription.
---- Racoon Eyes! ----
Also, Dinah never stopped urinating. She would vomit, drink and urinate. However, she was severely dehydrated.
Her pediatrician saw her on Friday along with her sister who is two years younger. He didn't notice their close height and weight. They came away from the doctors office with the stomach virus. One started vomiting on Sunday and the other Monday. They had it about 24 hours. Then Dinah started throwing up again after a 12 hour respite. I called the doctor's office and told the nurse what was going on. She assured me it was a very bad case of stomach virus lasting 36 to 72 hours. That's what was going around.
She said I need to look for signs of dehydration. So I asked her what to look for. She said sunken eyes and no urination.
For those who don't know what sunken eyes look like, let me give you another discription.
---- Racoon Eyes! ----
Also, Dinah never stopped urinating. She would vomit, drink and urinate. However, she was severely dehydrated.
- Studies point to viruses as cause of diabetes
- LONDON (Reuters) - Two studies published on Thursday provide evidence that common viruses may cause childhood diabetes, paving the way for potential vaccines against the life-threatening condition, researchers
Green tea for diabetes?
I'm discovering many benefits of green tea.
- Protecting the health of diabetics.
- Scientists discover how polyphenols in green tea may protect health of diabetics
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 by: S. L. Baker
Finding a Cure
Using adult stem cells to cure type 1 diabetes
What are scientists doing to find a cure for type 1 diabetes?
- Study on treating type 1 diabetes with adult stem cells
- (by Susan Jones, April 11, 2007, CNSNews.com) - As the Senate focuses on research involving embryonic stem cells, there's another success to report in the field of adult stem cell therapy, which does not depend on embryo destruction....
- JAMA -- Abstract: Autologous Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Newly Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, April 11, 2007, Voltarelli et al. 297 (14): 1568
- JAMA, the Journal of the American
Medical Association, is a highly cited weekly medical journal that
publishes peer-reviewed original medical research findings and editorial
opinion
Researchers cure type 1 diabetes in mice
Researchers say an experimental cure for Type 1 diabetes involving gene therapy has worked in more than half of the mice involved in the trial, according to a recent article from Science Daily.
- Maybe a cure for diabetes is on the horizon!
- The research addresses both major issues with Type 1 diabetes: the autoimmune component and the loss of insulin-producing beta cells. Type 1diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which rogue immune cells in the body mistakenly attack insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, destroying them. People with Type 1 diabetes need insulin in order to live. Without it, they are unable to regulate the level of sugar in their blood.
Organization Websites
Websites to visit where you can find help and support
Diabetes camp is coming up soon. If you would like to help my daughter and others go to camp, please donate to Diabetes Solutions. If you want to specifically help my daughter, let them know that your donation is for Dinah Brunson. If you want to help all kids, just let them know that, too. All donations made to Diabetes Solutions are tax exempt.
- Diabetes Solutions of Oklahoma > Until there's a cure, there's Diabetes Solutions
- Welcome to Diabetes Solutions of Oklahoma!
Whether you have diabetes, are the parent of a child with diabetes, or someone interested in helping people with
diabetes, we hope we can be of help to you. Welcome to the Diabetes Solutions website. Currently there are many
technology and medical a - American Diabetes Association Home Page
- American Diabetes Association Home Page
Growing up with Diabetes.
This module will be changing all the time. Check back for updates.
Now we are 15 years old. Puberty. Friends. Fitting in. Divorce. Moving to a new town. Getting along with sisters.There are so many things we have to deal with normally and here we have to deal with diabetes on top of that!
How do I deal with it? Much prayer. Lots of flexibility but yet need for stability.
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Learning about Diabetes
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Diabetic Recipes
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Check out my favorite songs! I've handpicked these MP3s from Amazon. Take a listen. If you like, you can click to buy them on Amazon.
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by AngelaBenton-Brunson
AngelaBenton-Brunson
This page is written and published by Angela Brunson. My oldest daughter is diabetic so this page is about our life with type 1 diabetes. I don't ha... more »
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