Forty Days of Diabetes - Day 41

Three Years and Counting

And that's a wrap folks! One more year come and gone. Not just for fundraising but as a "D" family as well.

October 5th, 2012. The day our lives changed forever. Three years ago I got up and left for work like any other day. But there was something there. I knew things weren't right. I honestly thought we were going to get a much worse diagnosis. The lost weight, lethargy, and bruising all over her legs was leading my mind down a much scarier path.

And then the was D. I'd be lying if I said it's all bad. It's a challenging lifestyle but we've had some great experiences along the way. We have people in our lives now, near and far, that we'd never have crossed paths with if it wasn't for D. 

You're 40 day journey may be over but we still have a long way to go. Because D is here day in and day out. It doesn't care if our schedules are busy. If we're trying to celebrate, sleep, study, or just be carefree. It's always here. It will be here when she goes to high school, gets her drivers permit, falls in love for the first time, shops for a prom dress that will hide her pump. It will always be here. 

So we celebrate this day. With cards, presents, flowers. We celebrate because it's not just the day she was diagnosed, it's also the day her life was saved. Because I consider us one of the lucky ones. Because the alternative to her being diagnosed would be not having her here at all. On October 4th, 2012 we were just a regular family. And then there was D.

Forty Days of Diabetes - Day 39

The Things That Keep Her Alive

Caitlin wears an Omnipod. A self-contained insulin pump that holds and delivers her insulin. It's small, lightweight, tubing free, and auto inserts with an introducer needle, at the push of a button. But you have to have a lot of faith in technology to put your child's life in its hands. The Omnipod holds 2ml of insulin. It doesn't sound like much but at 100 units per ml, that's 200 units of insulin. She uses a little less than 40 units per day, so it holds about a 5 day's supply. It would drive a person to crazy to think about what would happen if the pump malfunctioned and delivered a massive amount of insulin. So I don't. Because if I think like that I will likely push myself over the edge.

She also wears a Continuous Glucose Montor (CGM). This small transmitter (top photo) has a filament which is introduced, again with a needle, into her subq tissue. The filament reads the glucose level in her interstitial fluid every five minutes and transmits the data to her receiver (bottom photo). The data is transmitted via Bluetooth to my iPhone. Instead of the static data you get from glucose readings taken hours apart, you're able to see data for the entire day and recognize trends and problem areas to treat highs and lows more aggressively and even avoid them before they become a problem.

As wonderful as technology is, it sometimes fails us. Her Dexcom started alarming at 2am. Extreme low blood sugar. Swedish fish (fast acting sugar for a quick bump) and thin mint cookies (a little fat to slow the absorption) and we were back on track. Until 5:30am when it alarmed once again for extreme high blood sugar. I heard the high pitched screech as I approached her room. Her pod failed and stopped delivering insulin at some point in the night. Without the basal insulin her pump delivers her blood sugar immediately starts to rise. Even just a few hours without insulin will send her blood sugar soaring over 600. Lacking insulin to unlock her cells her glucose has no where to go. Isn't able to bind with her cells to provide the energy her body needs. Her body then turns to burning fat for energy. The by-product of this, ketones, become toxic to the body at high levels. Left untreated she'll progress to Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), a medical emergency.

But thanks to technology, her CGM, I caught this before her blood sugar was dangerously high and was able to head off ketones. And while I stumbled around the house, checking her blood sugar, feeding her, filling and inserting a new pod, everyone else was happily snuggled in their beds. Including Caitlin who never woke for finger sticks, munching on swedish fish and cookies, a screeching pod I had to log roll her and half undress her to get off, and finally a new pod site. Big fat introducer needle and all. She'll wake this morning feeling rested and well, wonder why her shirt is half off, why her pod site moved, why she has cookies stuck in her teeth. But best of all, she'll wake this morning. 

Just another night in the life of a child with T1D.

Forty Days of Diabetes - Day 38

What type Are You?

Do you know the difference? Between type 1 and type 2 diabetes? They are very different animals. In the way they are treated, managed, and especially in the cause.

Simply put, people with diabetes either have a total lack of insulin (type 1) or they have too little insulin or cannot use insulin effectively (type 2). 

Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5% to 10% of all people with diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body's immune system destroys the cells that release insulin, eventually eliminating insulin production from the body. Without insulin, cells cannot absorb glucose, which they need to produce energy. Type 1 is usually diagnosed in childhood or young adulthood but can strike at any time. It cannot be prevented and the cause is unknown. Type 1 diabetics are insulin dependent and will require insulin injections for life.

Type 2 diabetes can develop at any age. It's usually diagnosed in adulthood but is rising in children. It accounts for the vast majority of people who have diabetes, 90% to 95%. In type 2 diabetes, the body isn't able to use insulin the right way. This is called insulin resistance. As it gets worse, the pancreas may make less insulin, called insulin deficiency. Some people inherit genes which makes them susceptible to type 2 diabetes, but lifestyle factors like obesity and inactivity are also important.   Type 2 diabetes can be treated with lifestyle and diet changes, medications, and insulin. 

Forty Days of Diabetes - Day 37

Let's Talk Insulin

Do you know what it is, where it comes from, what it does for you? I knew the basics from nursing school but didn't have a full appreciation for it until Caitlin's life became dependent on an outside source for it.

Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that regulates the amount of glucose in your blood. Type 1 Diabetes occurs when the body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.  When we eat, glucose levels rise, and insulin is released into the blood stream. Insulin is the "key" that unlocks the cell that allows glucose to move from the blood into the cell to make energy. 

From the 1920s to the 1980s, insulin from animals was used for treatment. In the 1980s, the first generation of man-made insulin, called "human insulin", was created. This man-made insulin was genetically identical to the body's naturally produced insulin. By the late 1990s, man-made insulin analogs were being developed. Insulin analogs are similar to regular human insulin, but they are changed slightly to allow them to act more quickly or slowly than regular human insulin.

But in the end, however it's made or wherever it comes from, a person with T1D is completely dependent on it and will not survive for very long without it. There is no amount of diet, exercise, okra water, or snake oil that will change that fact. Insulin is not a cure for diabetes, it just keeps people alive until we find one.