It's now been 1 year, 5 months and 3 days since little A was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Both Hairpin and Flounder continue to learn and face new challenges in managing the Diabetes. Aloysius continues to be the bravest little guy ever and makes us proud each day.
It just so happens, that the vase we use to store the sharps fills up just about 2.5 months. This semi-coincides with our Pediatric Endocrinology visits every three months. The last of such visits was back in July. Aloysius' A1C was back down to 7% from 7.2% :)
"The A1c test is a blood test that correlates with a person’s average blood glucose level over a span of a few months.The A1c test measures how much glucose is stuck to your hemoglobin, or more specifically, what percent of hemoglobin proteins are attached to glucose. So if you have a 7% A1c, that means that 7% of your hemoglobin proteins are glycated. For a person without diabetes, a typical A1c level is about 5%. If you have diabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) suggests a goal of 7% or lower."
Our biggest challenge recently has been dealing with "sick days."
"Our bodies fight disease by releasing hormones. The downside is that these hormones can make blood glucose levels go up and hamper the effects of insulin." Aloysius has had minor colds and coughs in addition to the occasional ear infection or fever which have made his blood sugar levels high. These levels were difficult to manage but we succeeded with guidance from our Diabetes team and our friend Kate who also has a toddler with TD1. The last two weeks in July Aloysius had a stomach virus which lasted two weeks. This proved to be the worst of his "sick days" yet and sent Hairpin and Flounder into a panic a few times. With a stomach virus, the intestines are irritated and as a result do not absorb nutrients, including glucose, from the food eaten. If you think about the foods we need to restore our intestinal system, the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast), they are all high in carbohydrates (sugar). A Diabetic takes insulin shots to help their body utilize the sugar they eat effectively. So Flounder and Hairpin did what they always do, gave Aloysius enough insulin to cover the food he ate. This turned out to be a mistake with a stomach bug!!!! Since the glucose from the food was not absorbed by the irritated intestines, the insulin only had the existing blood glucose to work on. This made Aloysius blood sugar levels drop as low as 32!!!! On three occasions it was really hard to get the blood sugar levels back up. It was pretty scary, but with help from our Diabetes team and Kate we got things under control and tried different strategies. At least now we know how to deal with these kind of sick days too!
No comments:
Post a Comment