Lauren controls Type 1 diabetes
Jim and Karen will always remember their vacation to
Portland, Oregon three years ago, but not for the tourist attractions and family
visits. It was during this trip that their 20-month old daughter Lauren was
diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
“She was dehydrated, listless and didn’t want to eat,” Karen recalls. “The
doctor said, ‘She has a virus.’ We wanted to believe it was just a virus.” When
the virus didn’t get better, the Hustons took Lauren to the emergency room,
where the triage nurse immediately suspected diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is the most common
type of diabetes in the pediatric population, affecting 1 in 500 children and
adolescents. An auto-immune disease, Type 1 diabetes is the body’s inability to
produce or use the hormone insulin. Produced in the pancreas, insulin
regulates the amount of sugar in the bloodstream essential to brain and body
function. Consistent amounts of excess blood sugar cause circulation problems
and a build-up of acid in the bloodstream, which strains the liver, kidneys,
heart, lungs and central nervous system and is responsible for the complications
associated with the disease such as blindness, nerve damage, stroke, and limb
amputation.
“The day-to-day management of diabetes is with the family,
but our diabetes team is their co-pilot,” says Shirley Goodman, RN, certified
diabetes educator and coordinator of Children’s Memorial’s diabetes education
program.
By the time Lauren was taken to the ER, she had ketoacidosis, a build up of
ketones (acids) in the blood caused by lack of insulin which can poison the
body. Ketoacidosis is a warning sign that diabetes is out of control.
Lauren was admitted to the hospital and her parents underwent the mandatory
education to learn how to monitor blood sugar levels and administer insulin. To
survive, people with type 1 diabetes need the hormone insulin to help the body's
cells make energy from the food they eat. Insulin transports the blood sugar
from food into the cells of the body where energy is made. Insulin can only be
delivered through injection. People with diabetes may take one to four or more
injections of insulin every day or use an insulin pump to deliver the insulin
constantly throughout the day.
Food increases glucose levels while exercise and insulin make glucose levels
fall. Controlling diabetes involves balancing food, exercise and insulin.
Through finger pricks, patients or parents monitor blood sugar levels several
times a day to help evaluate the effectiveness of the insulin given and helps
determine the proper doses of insulin.
Because Lauren was so young when she was diagnosed, the Hustons missed some
of the most common, and less threatening, early symptoms of Type 1 diabetes in
their daughter — frequent urination, increased thirst and hunger. A toddler
still in diapers and unable to clearly articulate her needs meant the symptoms
were difficult to recognize.
A diagnosis of type 1 diabetes is just the beginning for
this lifelong disease. Lauren is now a patient in the diabetes program run by
the Division
of Endocrinology
at Children’s Memorial.
The diabetes program serves more than 500 children and adolescents annually and
includes a multi-disciplinary team of physicians, nurse practitioners, diabetes
educators, a social worker, a clinical dietitian and a psychologist.
“The day-to-day management of diabetes is with the family, but our diabetes
team is their co-pilot,” says Shirley Goodman, RN, certified diabetes educator
and coordinator of Children’s Memorial’s diabetes education program. “The family
becomes the expert about their child’s diabetes, but I have the knowledge from
90 other kids, and I can give them advice.”
A comprehensive, individualized educational
program was developed with the family. Managing diabetes is a
continuous learning process. Quarterly clinic visits, outpatient education sessions, phone
and e-mail contact and a parent-support group are available to help
patients. The family has actively participated in all of these activities. “Our friends can never know
what it’s like to parent a child with diabetes,” says Karen. “The parents in
the support group know what it’s like.” The support group has been great
for information and preparing for issues that lie ahead as Lauren gets older,
as well as helping other families. “It gives us a chance to give back,” says
Jim.
“We have a lot of folks on our team who are in
frequent contact with patients,” says Donald
Zimmerman, MD , head of the Division of
Endocrinology. “We give patients and families the knowledge and the support so
that we can confidently manage diabetes on their own.”
Lauren can now tell her parents when she’s hungry or tired, signs
her blood sugar may be low and an indication that even at a young age, she’s
starting to play a role in her diabetes management. “When it’s time to check her
blood, she just sticks out her finger,” Karen says.
Lauren is also enjoying the life’s pleasures of little girls her age,
including ballet. Some activities, like pre-school, summer camp and sleep-overs,
will require planning by her parents to make sure teachers, counselors and
parents are aware of Lauren’s diabetes and know how to handle any emergencies or
issues that arise. “We have to do some extra work to make those activities
possible,” says Karen. “As difficult as it can be at times, Lauren can still
participate like all of her friends.”
Children's Memorial Hospital seeks philanthropic funding to enhance its
programs and services. As a proud partner of the Children's Miracle Network
(CMN), all funds raised in the Chicago area through CMN also benefit Children's
Memorial. To find out how your support can help the hospital better serve
children and families, please contact the Children's Memorial Foundation at
773.880.4237 or Foundation@childrensmemorial.org.
Or visit our Web site at www.childrensmemorial.org.