Diabetes Bloopers - Diabetes blog week

Today’s topic for Diabetes Blog Week is Diabetes bloopers. Things can and will go wrong and sometimes they are funny.

When packing for our 7 day summer holiday I carefully calculated how many strips we would need and then added a few more for good measure. I added extra cartridges for the Multiclix finger pricker and some blood ketone strips just in case. I packed DD’s medication separately as the solution needs to be kept cold. We packed the car and headed on our way. We stopped for lunch on the other side of town just so we could actually get going and start our holiday. When we stopped for lunch I discovered that I had left the carefully prepared testing supplies at home. I was able to use the spare test kit that I had remembered for lunch but is only had a few strips and I really don’t like using the spare Easy touch pricker.
There was no way DH was going to turn around and go home for the testing kit so it was off to the nearest chemist. I went inside and found that it wasn’t a NDSS (National Diabetes Services Scheme- Australia subsidy scheme for Diabetes) pharmacy which meant I would have to pay full price for the strips and new Multiclix.

That was an expensive oops.

I could also tell you about the time DH and I both thought that the other had given our DD her insulin at breakfast, so by lunch time her BGL was HI but hey things happen to the best of us.

Admiring our differences - Diabetes Blog Week

I am a mum of D child. But I feel different in the PWD blogging world. Yes, I mum of a CWD (child with diabetes) but it is rare form. When my baby was diagnosed I felt very alone.

So I started out by reading blogs of other D-mums (& moms). But I didn't find any one in the same situation. Reading blogs usually leads to reading more blogs so...That led me to blogs of PWD. I have learnt so much. What it feels like to have a hypo or when you are HI. I can’t know that because I’m not one of you in the D world for myself. I found out ideas for hypo treatments, recipe ideas & supplies to make D life easier and brighter. I admire those that are coping with D by themselves, those that are there for their children, those who there for their D spouse or partner. So I have been admiring the differences. Nearly everyone in the DOC is in a different situation to me.

I have since found others who like us are dealing with a rare form of Diabetes. There are only just over a dozen D patients being treated orally for Neonatal Diabetes in Australia. It can make you feel quite on your own when you know there isn’t anybody else in your state (Queensland is pretty big) with the same condition. But it is great knowing that there are others in the DOC which get it because their child has the same rare diabetes and even though they are in the US we are connected. http://www.babieswithdiabetes.com/ We are both passionate about finding others who could benefit from this relatively new discovery. Our children were diagnosed young (very young) usually before 6 months of age, no autoimmune antibodies and low birth weight. They have a single DNA mutation which causes there body to not produce insulin.

I am still learning so much reading blogs and hopefully I can share a bit of our journey as well.

A letter of Thanks - Diabetes Blog Week

This is a much more positive post than the last one. But it is another letter I have been meaning to write for a while. I might even send this one. :)

Dear Professors Ashcroft and Hattersley,

Thank you so much for your work and how it has impacted our lives.
Just over 12 months ago my nine month old daughter was diagnosed with diabetes. Without your research she would still be requiring insulin to keep her alive. Six months ago she transferred to oral treatment with a sulonylurea (glibenclamide or glyburide). Our lives, her life is better because of your individual work and your collaboration.

Professor Frances Ashcroft thank you for your work focusing on ATP-sensitive potassium (K-ATP)channels and how they work in insulin secretion. My daughter DNA mutation means hers don't work as they should.

Professor Andrew Hattersley thank you for leading the genetic team in Exter to identify activating mutations in the Kir6.2 gene causing a form of diabetes.

Even though she was older than the 6 months old usual cut off for Neonatal diabetes diagnosis she had been sick for at least six months. She had no beta-cell autoantibodies detected and had been a low birth weight baby (2.6kg). So she fit a few of the criteria for genetic testing. I am so thankful that we did the DNA test even though getting a blood sample drawn from a small baby is traumatic. The outcome for our family has been great.
I don't think it is very often that parents would be praying for a positive result for a DNA mutation but we are thankful.

She has a R201H mutation of the Kir6.2 or KCNJ11 gene. Her blood glucose levels on the oral treatment are good. And her HbA1C after 3 months on her new treatment was 5.5 down from 7.8 in September.

So, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Basically I can't thank you both and your teams enough.

Best wishes for your future research,
Melissa (a grateful mum)

Letter writing day - Diabetes Blog Week

Dear Doctors/Paediatricians,
I am angry. I am mad. I want to scream at you for not seeing that my daughter was sick. But as today’s topic for Diabetes blog week is to write a letter I will do that instead. The rage I feel thinking about what could have happened to my little girl if blood tests hadn’t finally been done can consume me sometimes. But God is gracious and He kept her in His hand. He protected her when even I couldn’t.
I have wanted to write to you for a while now to tell you of my disappointment with the quality of care my daughter received while your patient (understatement). She was a sick little girl when we came to you but you were dismissive of my concerns. She is my fourth daughter and I knew something wasn’t right. I knew it in my heart. But it to convince doctors like you with a feeling. She was so much smaller than my other girls. It just wasn’t right.
Yes she did start to put on a little bit of weight after she started on the Neocate formula as well as breast feeding. But the gains were smalls and each week as I checked her weight at the health clinic it went up a bit, down a bit and back up a little. Each kg took months and months. She would sweat when she fed like she had run a marathon. Her heart would races. I wondered if there was something wrong with her heart. No.
I told you her number of feeds and that she was weeing a lot. No red flags for diabetes there!! No, she looked to happy to be really ill. I would just have to accept she was going to be much smaller than my other children. You treated me like I was paranoid and only referred me when I insisted on some action.
She had to go through a gastroscopy because maybe she wasn’t digesting her food properly. When I think of putting my 7 months old daughter through that I weep. But I had to try and get some answers. Dr Gastro who said it wasn't diabetes, since when did you specialise in endocrinology? Argh.
I know that some of you wanted to help, you had concerns but you didn't know what to look for. I know you cared.
It makes me so angry to think of my little girl suffering for months and months as we waited for appointments, waited to see if the formula would make a difference, waited for tests. How much longer would she have survived without DKA and worse? When my GP finally rang with the test results and said go to the hospital right now I wasn’t shocked I was relieved we had an answer. One I had searched and fought for 6 long months. I am angry but mostly disappointed that a simple finger prick could have saved so much time and given her health sooner.

I will be posting for Diabetes Blog Week

I have joined up with others over at Bitter-Sweet. I hope it will be an interesting week in Blogdom. I'm looking forward to reading other DOC (Diabetes Online Community) blogs during the upcoming week. We can learn so much from each other.

The need for insulin.

Lately the have been lots of reasons that PWD (people with diabetes) need extra help. Flood, earthquakes and tornadoes have played havoc with peoples lives. Possessions have been taken away from them and their day to day life has been put on hold.
The thing is that PWD have special needs when it comes to food and their medication. They can't not eat and they can't miss their insulin.

When communications are down, power out and supplies low it make life for PWD. People with other disease have their own challenges as well but since DD#4 Miss F was diagnosed any natural disaster makes me think of those PWD that are in the midst of it all.

The most recent of these are the tornadoes in the US.  I just read this article Alabama PWDs Need Your Help over at Six until Me which outlines the needs of PWD and how other can help. Send supplies if you are able to the Huntsville JDRF office.

An organisation the helps out PWD that don't have access to diabetes supplies in normal circumstances as well as during disasters is Insulin for Life Australia and the Insulin for Life USA.

Family Fun - Camping

Our family took the opportunity this past weekend to go camping at Lake Somerset. The Holiday park had a children's movie on Saturday and Sunday nights. This helped to occupy the evenings while we were there.

The children had a great time. There was mini golf (a free game per day) and a play ground. Great family fun. We made a quick drive to Kilcoy on Sunday for a few extra supplies and DD#4 had a nap in the car. No napping in the tents for our Miss F.

One extra challenge on camping with Miss F is her medication needs to be refrigerated. We decided to take her back-up tablets instead. This meant grinding up the tablets and slipping them into something tasty. She loves fruit puree so she didn't mind at all. But BGL testing and medication adds an extra things to do at each meal time and feeding four DD's while camping can be challenging enough. DD#3 was not so good at using her lamp as a table and wore a bit more of her food than usual.

Miss F's BGLs weren't as good as the usually are at home but I guess cutting up and then grinding them it as exact as using the solution at home.

Over all it was a good experience and we look forward to spring to head off camping again.