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Open Your Minds #13: Coping With Juvenile Diabetes (As Told By Starlight Melody, aged 11 1/2) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Wednesday, January 8, 2003
Hi there! My name is Starlight Melody, and I will be 12 years old this year. My friends call me "Star"! I am like any kid my age, but I also happen to have diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease that people get when an organ called the pancreas doesn't work right. The pancreas makes a hormone (chemical) called "insulin". Our bodies are powered by sugar from the foods we happen to eat. Insulin helps the body's cells to absorb, or take in, that sugar.
Because my pancreas doesn't make (produce) enough in the way of insulin, extra sugar can build up in my blood, and that can cause problems for me.
Wherever I go, I have to take my diabetes kit with me. It is kind of a pain, really, but the medications I carry inside of it keeps me well, so I don't really mind the hassle. I keep my blood sugar at a healthy level by taking insulin shots at least twice a day. First, before I do that, though, I need to see how much sugar is in my blood. I do this by pricking my finger with a spring-loaded needle called a "lancet". (It sounds awful, but it's not too bad, really.) I put a drop of blood on a strip in my tester. For me, a reading of 80-140 is best. If I am having a low, I need a snack that has sugar in it. If it's too high, then I need more in the way of insulin.
As I said, I have to give myself shots at least two times a day. I take one in the morning, before I eat breakfast, and I take the other at supper, before I eat. The shots sting a bit, but I've since gotten used to it. And besides, a little sting is a LOT better than being sick ANY day!!
I have a little book to record my blood sugar levels, my shots, and my meals. To stay okay, I have to REALLY watch what I eat and when I have my meals. I have three meals and five snacks each and every day. Mom says that I eat like a cow: I "graze", which only means I eat more than most people! MOOOOO!!!! LOL
Mom and I spend a lot of time planning and making my meals and snacks. I can have only so many units of carbs (carbohydrates; carbohydrates are the sugars and starches found in plants). A lot of people think that people who have diabetes CANNOT have ANY sugars AT all, but that isn't true ! We need sugar for energy, but we also need to balance the amount of sugar in our diet with the insulin we take. Carbs are the best source of sugar for people like myself. Candy, cake, regular sodas, syrup, and white and brown sugar are too sugary for us most of the time.
My classmates are really super. I told them all about my having diabetes and what I do in order to stay well. I showed them my Medic-Alert bracelet and pictures of some very famous people who happen to have diabetes like me. Did you know that Thomas Alva Edison, the guy who invented the light bulb, had diabetes? So do actresses Mary Tyler Moore and Elizabeth Taylor! But the part I liked best of all was showing them my blood sugar tester, and I even demonstrated to them how I test my blood sugar each and every day. They even cheered when my blood sugar level reading was in the target range!
My diabetes started when I was four. I got sick, and at first, mom and daddy thought I had some type of flu virus. I felt really horrid, and I felt so bad mom called the doctor. Dr. Emmons wanted to see me for himself, so mom took me in to see him. I had tests, and Dr. Emmons immediately put me into the hospital. It took a few days to get my blood sugar straightened out, but after a few days, I soon felt much better. But it was still a very scary time for me.
That was, until Dr. Emmons told my parents that I had juvenile diabetes. I honestly thought I was gonna' DIE!! :(
Exercises and staying in shape are especially important for diabetes patients. I like to dance, play tennis, and play softball. Before I get to exercise, though, I check my blood sugar, especially if I am going to play hard. I also have a snack, just in case. Sometimes during a game I may check it again. If I am having a low, I will eat a piece of candy or drink a sugared drink. That sort of stuff IS okay in an emergency, but that's the ONLY time you'll ever see me eating candy or drinking a regular Coke Classic! :)
A few times a week, I check my blood sugar kit. Inside my kit I carry my spare tester and lancet, extra test strips, insulin syringes and bottles of insulin, glucose (sugar) tabs, a list of who to call in the event of a diabetic emergency, some spare change (in case I have to call home!!), and a glucagon emergency kit. (The glucagon is a bit scary, but it's really not TOO bad!!)
During a diabetic emergency, I may pass out cold. Someone will then have to help me QUICK!! My emergency kit has a syringe filled with glucagon, which is a hormone tht will release ALL the sugar that's in my liver. The needle on this syringe is HUGE, HUGE, HUGE, and it is so long it can go THROUGH my clothing and into my thigh!
When all that extra sugar hits my bloodstream I immediately puke, so I will need to be put onto my side, so I don't inhale my puke and possibly choke on it. (EWWW!!) I'll wake up then, but I will be EXTREMELY dizzy, and I'll probably need help with getting my tablet into my mouth. I'll probably be okay in a few short minutes after my spell, but I'll still probably have to go to Dr. Emmons' office, just to make sure I am okay.
I can usually tell when I am high. I get hot, very thirsty, kind of itchy or dizzy, and I'll have to pee like a racehorse! :) I'll then check my blood then, and if I am high, I'll need some insulin, and I get a shot of it. Either I do it, or someone who knows how to help me will do so (usually a grownup who knows how to help people with my disease).
If I am low, on the other hand, it is harder to tell if I am having a low; but I DO have symptoms that can help me alert others that I am having a problem. For example, when I have a low, I get shaky, cranky or tired, extremely sweaty, and will have a NASTY headache. I will also be very confused. When I am having a low, I often don't think so clearly. So it's a lot harder to tell when I am having a low, as I just said.
When I am low, I will need to get some sugar into me QUICK. It takes a bit of time to get my blood sugar level to go back up after I have a low. This is why sometimes you'll see me eating a piece of candy or drinking a regular Coke Classic whenever I am having one of my lows. But that's the ONLY time you'll see me eating candy or drinking regular Coke Classic!!
If I happen to have a low at night, my parents keep me awake, testing my sugar in my blood (usually every 20 minutes or so). That is hard, because all I want to do is LIE DOWN and go to SLEEP!! But when my blood sugar is okay again, only THEN can I lie down and go to sleep! It is SO ANNOYING!! >:(
Despite my illness and despite having diabetes, I am a very happy and well adjusted little girl. I love to sing, play the harmonica (I also play banjo, mandolin, and fiddle; I LOVE bluegrass music!!), dance, play tennis or softball, and read mysteries! I REFUSE to let something like diabetes stop ME!! :)
Author's Note: If left untreated, diabetes CAN kill. It can lead to problems such as blindness, kidney problems, heart or circulatory problems, strokes, or the loss of limbs (amputation).
My mom had diabetes, and it ultimately killed her. She was almost 60 when she died. That was almost 13 years ago. My daddy has it, too, but he was only diagnosed with it almost 2 years ago; but he is doing GREAT! His blood sugar is under control, and he only takes insulin pills instead of the shots. Mom had to take the shots, and she was what you call a "brittle" diabetic. Her diabetes was harder to control. She often ended up in the hospital. She was sicker than she let us know, and it was so scary whenever she got sick or had a spell.
My Paternal Grandma and Uncle had Diabetes both are gone now, my best friend had Diabetes but was given transplants of the Kidneys and Pancreas, and is an amputee, but she is no longer a diabetic! Her courage is truly an inspiration!
~Michelle~
you capture the emotions of this child perfectly...the hurts, fears, and wanting to live a normal life despite having a serious illness...we understand what diabetes does, look what our own mother went through...she took diligent care of herself, yet the disease still won...she died too young...we have learned much more about diabetes since she was diagnosed with it, since she lived with it, and since she passed away with it...may this article be an eye-opener and save some child's life. this is an outstanding, informative write, karen! thank you for sharing...(((HUGS))) and love, karla. :)
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