Newer medications and technological advances help control type one diabetes in many children, but without careful monitoring and treatment the disease can kill. It’s especially dangerous before children are even diagnosed
Seven-year-old Braden Edwards knows type one diabetes and can describe every item in his medical kit. His mother Kristina says he was diagnosed after he’d started wetting the bed at the age of four, long after he’d been potty trained. Fortunately, Braden’s type one diabetes was caught before he developed severe complications.
That wasn’t the case for Jacoby Cassick, diagnosed just before he turned two. He was drinking more than 70 ounces of liquid a day, developed severe vomiting, and, then struggled to breathe.
His mother Becca Murphy says, “If we wouldn’t have taken him to the ER, I no doubt in my mind that he would have died because he was already so lethargic and dehydrated.”
What makes that situation even worse–a pediatrician who didn’t take their concerns seriously and refused to test the toddler’s blood..
“He wrote in his note that we were clearly young parents who didn’t know how to set limits and he blew us off,” Becca remembers.
Jacoby ended up in the pediatric intensive care unit in diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition in which he could have fallen into a coma and died.
Fortunately, both children’s diabetes is now under control as much as it can be thanks to careful monitoring.
“We’re going on 3 years and so I’m a little more laid back, but it’s always my mind no matter where he is always, I’m always thinking about it,” Kristina says, of Braden.
These moms say for your children’s safety–know the signs of type one diabetes. They include excessive thirst, fatigue, increased urination, nausea, vomiting, and quick mood changes. If you suspect your child is affected, insist that he or she be tested.