Hello Everyone,
If you follow me on Instagram you have heard the news that Emma has been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It has been an incredibly stressful and worrisome time as we adjust to life with a diabetic toddler.
As you all know I am an overly anxious and worried mom. She looks at me in a certain way and we are off to the doctors because I am convinced something could be wrong. Well this time I was right. I’ve worried about diabetes since Emma was born, something I brought up to her PCP many times. But they never tested her!
The last few weeks I started to recognize very slight symptoms:
• Emma preferred drinking to eating
• She had wet through her diaper over night for a week
• She took much longer naps
• She looked tired and had dark circles
• She was fitting better in her 18 month then her 24 month clothing
• She was fussy (Emma is never fussy)
To me these were all signs of diabetes but her doctors and other people I had told about this thought it was due to teething or a growth spurt, or being more active. These are all valid reasons to cause these symptoms but I just knew something was wrong.
I decided to take her sugar on my own with my own blood sugar kit. When I got a number of 586 I didn’t believe it! So I took it again and got a number of 590, still in disbelief I took my own sugar and confirmed that the meter was accurate with my CGM (constant glucose monitor). In a panic we grabbed a few diapers, a bottle of water and we rushed to Boston Childrens Hospital.
When we arrived to the ER I swear everyone thought I was crazy! They kept asking why I would take her blood sugar. The nurses were in disbelief when their meters just read high! They sent her blood down to the lab and got a result of 650. Everyone was in disbelief because to someone who doesn’t know her she just looked like a tired baby. We were tested for COVID-19 (all Negative) and admitted to the endocrine floor.
The team of nurses and doctors were amazing! Emma’s blood sugars didn’t drop quickly when I finally fell asleep her sugar was 480. I barely slept waking up ever 10 minutes to make sure she was responding and breathing while she slept.
The next morning her blood sugars were down to 380 and her urine keytones were down to moderate. Still not great but much better then when we arrived. We went through hours of training. Learning how to give her injections, learning how to dilute her insulin and calculate her dosage, learning how to test her blood sugars, learning how to correct her blood sugars, learning about nutrition, learning about signs of lows and highs, learning about care on sick days, learning about emergency glucose care, and so much more.
The following days they observed us caring for her and made sure everything was done correctly, we could ask questions but they were mostly there for support. On day three we got the first smile that we saw in so long! I finally felt like this was making a difference and she was getting better! I felt like my happy little girl was back!
The released us after dinner that night and we were then on our own! I was overwhelmed and so scared. This little baby is so fragile, her glucose is so erratic, and she is depending on me to keep her safe!
We are approaching one week since diagnosis (tomorrow) and we are slowly feeling more confident. I have a breakdown at least once a day worried about her or how sad it makes me to see her afraid of me because I have to give her an injection. But then I remember how lucky we are, I wish Emma didn’t have diabetes, it’s a struggle and it’s a lot of work! But she has two dedicated parents who will do everything to keep her safe! With the proper care she will be okay she can live a happy and normal life and with so many diagnosis that happy future is not as clear so we are lucky!
As a mother you know your baby. Don’t ever let them tell you that nothing is wrong if you know different! Do what ever you need to do to make sure your baby is safe! If we didn’t take her sugar on our own this story could have been a lot worse!
I wanted to thank you all for your support, prayers, and love! I had over 1,000 messages and DMs about Emma’s diagnosis. You are all so loving and amazing I feel so lucky to have so many amazing people cheering on Emma and praying for her! From the bottom of my heart thank you!!
Below is a few resources on type 1 diabetes, I would love if you took a few moments to learn more about this disease, knowing the symptoms of diabetes or a low blood sugar could save someone’s life!
https://www.jdrf.org/t1d-resources/about/symptoms/children/infants-toddlers/
https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/hypoglycemia-overview
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-coma/symptoms-causes/syc-20371475
Love you all,
Michelle & Emma