Can you tell me about Type 1 diabetes?

Question

I have a niece who was diagnose at age 4. She is now 5 years old. It seems like her sugars are never the same. Like at school today her mom told me it was 250 and it droped down to 50. She had to be sent home and threw up. When she comes over she always ask for Froot Loops (I try to hide the snacks). Her mom lets her have a little sometimes and says she will just have to have another shot. It is very hard to explain to 5 five year old why she can't eat what other kids have. Before we knew she was sick she love to eat cotton candy. Now if she sees it somewhere she cries for it. Sometimes her mom lets her have it. Is that OK. When they found out she was diabetic she was put in ICU. She did'nt look sick at all (her sugar was over 600).

Answer 1

hey,wel li have the best web site for you to find out about it,its better then web md,mayoclinc.com...you would see its a lot of help..

Answer 2

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease [1] that results in the permanent destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. Type 1 is lethal unless treatment with exogenous insulin via injections replaces the missing hormone, or a functional replacement for the destroyed pancreatic beta cells is provided

Answer 3

Her mom needs to attend some diabetic ed. classes and talk to a nutritionist about her childs diet.  Letting her have things like extra carbs or sugar and then giving her extra insulin is not a good way to control the childs blood sugars.  It can be the cause of her lows.  It is VERY hard sometimes when you have a child that has diabetes.  When my daughter was little, I quit buying junk food.  The rest of the kids ate healthier, and it was much easier to control my daughters blood sugars.  In time, she got used to it, and learned that too much sugar or too many carbs were not good.  I learned from the doctor and a dietitian back then, not to over do the carbs and give extra insulin because it can cause weight gain.  Lows can be extremely dangerous.  In a type 1 it can be a sign that she has had too much insulin, or has missed meals, or not eaten enough at her meal.  My daughters dietitian told me not to give more than 45 grams of carbs at each meal, and she could have 2 snacks a day of 15 carbs each.  This took some learning at first, but soon became very easy to do, and my daughter stopped having so many highs and lows.  Today she is 30 and has excellent control of her disease and eats a very healthy diet.  Don't give in to crying.  It is going to create bad eating habits  and the child is not learning how to eat properly, and she MUST learn to control her diet, because she won't always have her mother right  there to make decisions for her.  Her mom really needs help from a dietitian or nutritionist.

Answer 4

Oh my gosh first i would love to say im sorry about that. Nick Jonas has the same thing its really sad.

Answer 5

Type 1 is the body's inability to produce insulin so the blood cells can take the energy (carbs from the sugars) to the muscle for use. High readings result in clogged arteries, especially in the feet and fingers which is why so many diabetics have amputations. It also leads to blindness. Low readings cause organs to shut down and she can go into a coma.  So the mother is mistreating her by giving her an added shot to offset some food she should not have eaten.

I'm type II which is much different and more easily controlled. The mother needs to keep a food diary to be able to show the girl how some foods (cotton candy, for example) spike her numbers. She needs alternative snacks that she likes - walnuts, sugar free candy, sugar free jello pudding (my favorite as a pie), etc. - to use as a substitute.

It may seem cruel but I would show her pictures of people who have had amputations (nothing graphic mind you) to stress upon her the importance of controlling this lousy disease.

She still needs some carbs and probably should be eating small amounts 5 times a day. There is a ton of info out there. She can have all those things she craves (cotton candy, Froot Loops) but in very small amounts.

She is at a critical time in her life where she needs to learn this if she wants to be a big girl someday. You are wise to ask about what to do but ultimately it will be up to the mother to take responsibility from her out even if you print off a ton of material for her to read.

My sympathy to the girl.