Forty Days of Diabetes - Day 6

Insulin is not a cure...

If you had 5 minutes to evacuate your home what would you grab? Family heirlooms, jewelry, photo albums, your laptop?  Ask any family with T1D and they would all answer the same. Diabetes supplies. Not a thought would be given to anything else in the house, we would make a beeline for that cabinet full of D supplies and load up.  

Without insulin a person with Type 1 Diabetes would begin showing the first signs of Diabetic Ketoacidosis in about 4 hours.  Without insulin your body begins to break down fat as fuel which leads to high levels of blood acids called ketones. Left untreated DKA will lead to seizures, coma, and eventually death. Some Type 1's can have some residual beta cell capacity even years after diagnosis so it's unknown how fast DKA would advance. Someone with 0% insulin production would fall ill within 12-24 hours after their last insulin dose and mortal outcome would likely occur within a day to a week or two.

Insulin is not a cure.  I'm so thankful for the pharmaceuticals and technology we have but to be so dependent on outside sources to keep our children alive is just plain scary.  We need a cure! Help us turn type one into type none with JDRF.  

Caitlin's Ketone Crushers Team Walk Page