Question:
Recently, a friend of mine attended the funeral of one of her former
students. The little girl died of diabetes. Her parents thought
she had the flu. They didn't take her to the doctor. She went into
a coma at night and never woke up.
My heart goes out to her parents. Their pain is unimaginable.
My question is: is there any way to tell when child has diabetes when
there has been no other sign or warning? This little girl got sick on
the weekend and was dead on Tuesday.
Our health insurance put out a very slick book about when you should and
shouldn't take your child to the doctor. It's designed to keep costs
down. Even our pediatricians office has a similar booklet for parents.
I usually take the wait and see road, myself, when either I, or my children
are sick. Now, though, I'm not waiting for anything. I'm scared.
Does any one know the symptoms of the onset of juvenile diabetes?
I'm sorry for the sad story. Unfortunately, it's not so uncommon.
Answer:
My mom has seen various friends of my brothers' come down with juvenile
diabetes, and after the first one, she suspected it well before the kids'
mother did. What she noticed was an incredible thirst, like downing 3
consecutive glasses of milk. The reason for this is that sugar in the blood
rises and rises (as the pancreas cannot make insulin to keep up with this
normal occurrence), and the reaction is to get thirsty in an attempt to
dilute the sugar. Of course, water would help (maybe), but juice or milk
simply increases the blood sugar further, so the problem is exacerbated.
With diligence and education, it is possible to live a long and healthy life
with juvenile-onset diabetes, even though the body produces absolutely no
insulin (unlike adult-onset diabetes, where pancreatic function is
impaired to varying degrees).
There may be other symptoms of which I am unaware, but this one is
relatively easy to spot, even if you DON'T know the child's usual
drinking habits - they tend to drink unusually large volumes.
