EA was ill and on antibiotics at the turn of 2007 and only 15 months when she began having diabetic symptoms. However, since neither my husband nor I have diabetes in our family, we did not pick up on it quickly. She was still nursing at the time and slowly stopped eating food and stopped moving about: rolling over, picking herself up, holding up her head, etc. She was soaking her diapers and loosing weight quickly. I took her to the Dr.'s office 4 times for the illness she had and kept telling them I was worried for her but they never pinpointed it until I went to the ER. Before she was diagnosed, I remember taking her to the store and she slept all the way there, during the trip and all the way home...in fact, she slept continuously. One lady commented, "what a good little baby you have!" I felt upset with this woman because EA wasn't being "good". Rather, something was very very wrong.
We finally went to the ER on a Friday night and after many tests they discovered her Blood Glucose was over 500. The Doctor started her on an IV and admitted her to the PICU. She was there for 5 days where they checked her blood hourly and gave Lantus and Novolog. We were in the hospital for 9 days total and she had IV lines in both legs and one in an arm. It was frustrating to receive her meals that were "diabetic" but laden with white rolls, applesauce and food that was made for adults which made her BG even harder to control. EA wanted to nurse for comfort, but PICU Doctors told me I needed to immediately stop nursing since they couldn't count the breastmilk. However, when they saw that she wasn't doing well with the other food, they allowed me to nurse again. Aside from the grief I felt over EA's diagnosis, my body was going through these hormonal changes as I was trying to wean her, nurse her, wean her, nurse her. Thankfully I was able to wean her after our discharge from the hospital. Life became more normal and we could both say goodbye to nursing on our own accord.
While in the Hospital, EA couldn't walk due to the IV lines in each foot, which didn't help with her high BGs. The pediatrician didn't really want to release us after 9 days since her BG was still high, but I just knew that once we got home and EA could heal, exercise and eat more appropriate food, EA would do better. I still feel immense joy when we go on family walks and I see her running ahead of us now, remembering how sick she was after her diagnosis.
Today, she is a happy 3 year old who has grown a lot and hasn't suffered developmentally from her hospital set-back. We were on shots for 3 months before switching to the Pump which has made a huge difference for us. Recently she has had some diabetic burn-out as she is really fighting me when I do her blood checks 8 times a day. I spoke with her endo who said we could give her a little break and check her less frequently to help her recover emotionally.
It is a lot of hard work to see EA thrive, but we have a special bond and it is absolutely worth it. We thank God daily for both of our girls and continue to do our best and pray for a cure for Diabetes.
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