Still a T1 Mom, Even Though She Isn't T1 Anymore

I very seldom post on diabetes. It was a thorn in my side for seven years and then took the life of my child. Diabetes can kiss my lily white ass. Right after we lost Sarah, and I mean immediately, as in within and hour and a half, I was flooded with friend requests on Facebook from T1 moms. If you don't know, T1 is an abbreviation for Type 1 Diabetes. For months, I looked at peoples posts in details about their kids sugars in detail. I had to start blocking them. I just couldn't take it anymore. I had a few close friends that I didn't mind hearing about their kids. They were family. It was different. Especially the Boldens and the Emerys.

Until Sarah's visitation, I had never laid eyes on Jennifer Bolden in person. We had communicated strictly through social networking. But, I had grown very close to her. She approached me on Facebook the day that her daughter was diagnosed with T1. When she walked in the room, I nearly tackled her. In hind site, I wish I had know she wasn't a "hugger." I am pretty sure she felt violated after our encounter.She is a new blogger. This is her blog http://bringinguptherare.blogspot.com/.

Amelia Emery was one my best friends from high school and throughout college. We were in each other's weddings. If she wasn't one of those super-mom's that can somehow manage to do nine million things at once. Sometimes I envy her. Then I realize that I can pretty well go to bed whenever I want to, I change my mind. We hardly get to see each other. But, we still love each other anyway. They have two children that are T1. When I was pregnant with Sarah, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. And, it is exceedingly rare to have 2 kids in one family that are diabetic. Also, the chances of two long time friends both having diabetic kids are low as well.

They were the ones I was worried about the most. The ones that I feared would spend even more of their nights sitting their watching by their children's bedsides to make sure they were still breathing. I have to admit that I still watch Ty and Jerry both when they sleep. Just to be sure.


But, I have digressed. My point in all of this is that we need to have our children screened for diabetes. There are more and more children that have been diagnosed too late.

http://www.cbs58.com/news/top-stories/Mother-speaks-out-about-her-toddlers-death-210151081.html

I am not going to go on here blaming the doctors for not doing their job of protecting our children. I am hear today to say trust your gut. When something is wrong with your child, you know. Get to the doctor. If you think that you might have an issue that isn't being addressed, speak up. Insist on getting it checked out. And, for the love of God and all that is holy, if your doctor says nothing is wrong, it's just a stomach bug, and you know it is more, talk to other moms! Find a T1 friend or family member. Have them check your child's sugar. Strips are about a dollar a piece. You will either get some piece of mind or you will know to get to the hospital immediately. None of this we'll see how the do tonight. GO NOW!!! You can get a cheap meter for around 20 to 25 dollars. I have 2 meters in my home. We are prepared. There have been far too many funerals for T1 kids. I get really tired of seeing blue candles on my Facebook feed. It is hard enough to have one burning in your own home.

So you know what caused up to take Sarah to the doctor when she got her diagnosis. I will quickly share our story. It was the week the kids came back to school from Christmas vacation. She had been getting up to go to bathroom in the middle of the night and not making it. She would get in front of the bathroom door and pee right there. I had called her father on Thursday about 2 to let see if he thought we should get her into the doctor. I had figured that she had a bladder or UT infection. We decided that we would take her the next morning if she had another incident.

That was until her teacher called about twenty minutes later. She had been very tired all week. That day she had fallen asleep in the hall. She was still standing up at the time. I called the doctor and they said get her there NOW. Our doctor was wonderful. He had the nurses call the phlebotomists to come draw blood. It ended up taking 2 nurses, her father and I to hold her down. The doctor did not come back into the room until he had made all of the necessary arrangements at the hospital and had a plan of attack. He was also very good at talking to us without scaring us too much. Her sugar was over 600. Our local endocrinologist (there was only one in town at the time) was out of town and wouldn't be back until Monday. So, we were setting up camp at the hospital in Anson until Dr. White would be back in Abilene. We spent an entire week in the hospital.

These are the things to look for...

And, if this isn't enough of a warning to you to keep an eye on your child's health. Let me share with you part of how I have I spent my last two weeks or so. I have been having flashbacks to that morning. Walking into the emergency room and sitting down only to look up and see a doctor and nurse standing there say, "We tried everything. There was nothing else could do." Then the screaming. I scared my son. I terrified him with gut wrenching, gutteral screams. He ran out of the room. I hadn't seen her. She was at her Dad's when she died. She was in a hospital gown. Cold and still. Blue lips. I wanted nothing more than for her to wake up and hug me and say it would all be ok.

All of the parents that have lost their kid want the same thing. And, some of them might have been saved with a simple finger prick. It can save a life.