Current Events > They are finding out now if my youngest sister has type 1 diabetes.

(+) Yeah! (+)

She's about to turn 9 in June.

Some of the symptoms are there, she has wet the bed twice in about a month, when that has never really been an issue for her before. She does look pretty scrawny, now that I'm really looking, but she's a little girl, some of them girls literally do look like sticks. Still, sometimes it seems she's hungry when she shouldn't be.

Supposedly, at the doctors, the blood sample they took indicated nothing being wrong, but the urine sample said the opposite. The doctor is having my parents take her to the ER to get more testing done now. I can't imagine how scary that must be for a little kid her age. I feel scared myself. I know there's ways to live a manageable lifestyle with that condition, but it's such a huge lifestyle change, and there's going to be constant worries about what she's intaking and such. Plus, there's the insulin shots, that I know no little kid wants to deal with.

Hope she's okay. Early on in her life, I was watching her every day as I graduated from High School a semester early. She was only 1 and a half at the time, and all those moments together really created this strong bond I have with her. Don't know if this is what paternal instincts feel like.

Good luck to her.

yea, good luck to her.

Is she asking for sugary or carb loaded foods a lot more than usual? Is she extra tried and sleepy? My daughter has type 1 diabetes. Hopefully your sister doesn't have it. It's definitely a lot more manageable these days than when I was a child.

Sorry Fam

i was diagnosed with type 1 a few weeks before my tenth birthday, and i'm 30 now. it sucks but its definitely live-with-able. if she is responsible they can probably get her on a pump and continuous glucose monitor pretty soon (within a few years depending on her responsibility level) and those both make things sooooo much better. :)

JumpstyIe posted...

i was diagnosed with type 1 a few weeks before my tenth birthday, and i'm 30 now. it sucks but its definitely live-with-able. if she is responsible they can probably get her on a pump and continuous glucose monitor pretty soon (within a few years depending on her responsibility level) and those both make things sooooo much better. :)

What would those two things do? Just curious, I only know about the insulin shots tbh.

I hope she doesn't have it, and if she does I hope she's in a position to get care

I think I might be pre-diabetic or something myself, I should go get a check up

PiOverlord posted...

What would those two things do? Just curious, I only know about the insulin shots tbh.

It's a device that is basically stuck on the body and delivers insulin when needed. They've come a long way from manual shots and finger pricks.

voldothegr8 posted...

It's a device that is basically stuck on the body and delivers insulin when needed. They've come a long way from manual shots and finger pricks.

Wow, that's pretty amazing.

Are CGMs any good nowadays? The two I've had fucking sucked. They constantly needed calibration resulting in more finger sticks than usual and even then they were frequently very wrong. My first one would keep saying my blood sugar was dangerously low when it was fine and it had a low bg alert that you couldn't turn off. The second was cool in that it could adjust my pump's basal rates automatically, but it was never accurate enough for me to give it a try. Eventually I ragequit it when it kept losing some connection.

Insulin pumps are great though. One "injection" every three days to insert the tubing instead of five or so injections per day. And if you decide you want another little snack, you don't need to take ANOTHER shot for it, just tell the pump to deliver more insulin. It's an adjustment having the infusion set in your skin all the time and trying to position the device while you're sleeping (also doorknobs will be out trying to snag your tubing), but it's so much better than regular injections.

Sorry to hear, but be aware with insulin shots, along with other medications, she can still live a long, great life, and on occasion, have cheat meals or two. Amongst all the illnesses, and diseases of the world, diabetes is one of the more easier one to manage. Good luck to you guys.

Sorry to hear that

My dad just confirmed to me that she has type-1 diabetes, and that she has to be in the hospital until Monday.

I keep telling myself it's going to be okay, but why does she have to be in the hospital so long?

PiOverlord posted...

My dad just confirmed to me that she has type-1 diabetes, and that she has to be in the hospital until Monday.

I keep telling myself it's going to be okay, but why does she have to be in the hospital so long?

Because they have to keep an eye on her. It's most likely her blood sugar atm is dangerously high, and need to stabilize it.

PiOverlord posted...

My dad just confirmed to me that she has type-1 diabetes, and that she has to be in the hospital until Monday.

I keep telling myself it's going to be okay, but why does she have to be in the hospital so long?

They're probably going to do a lot of tests and make sure her levels are stabilized.

She has some ketoacidosis and while my dad is giving me assurance things are fine, it's freaking me out. Going to the hospital as soon as I find out information.

As long as she stays on top of things, she should be able to live a mostly normal life. Just be there for her and reassure her and do all you can as a brother. She needs you now so don't let her down.

PiOverlord posted...

She has some ketoacidosis and while my dad is giving me assurance things are fine, it's freaking me out. Going to the hospital as soon as I find out information.

Full blown Ketoacidosis has to be brought down slowly. This is usually how most people find out they're diabetic.

She's gonna be alright. It'll be scary for her for a bit and things will be different, but as long as she has access to treatment, she'll almost certainly keep living a normal life. Try not to scare her and make things worse.

She's young and will need to be educated on this, so I'm sure that is one reason for inpatient care. Your parents will also need to be educated on this as well as yourself. I've found young kids adjust better than older people with this as a new diagnosis. It's a bit of a shock I imagine. She will be fine.

I left the hospital, and as I was getting home, my dad let me know that her keto went back to a normal level I guess, and that she can order food and stuff (she hasn't eaten all day because of it). I was hearing they were thinking early morning, so this is some pretty nice news to hear.

PiOverlord posted...

I left the hospital, and as I was getting home, my dad let me know that her keto went back to a normal level I guess, and that she can order food and stuff (she hasn't eaten all day because of it). I was hearing they were thinking early morning, so this is some pretty nice news to hear.

Keep your head up bro. Diabetes sucks but it's manageable so don't worry too much

Hope she's doing better today.