Our story; the prediagnosis, diagnosis, hospitalization and daily life with type 1 diabetes.

Click here for our prediagnosis/diagnosis Story

Type 2 diabetes is (in a nutshell) insulin resistence. The body makes the insulin, but the receptors on the cells are impaired at taking it in, therefore sugar accumulates in the blood. Can usually be reversed with diet and exercise. There are pills that increase insulin sensitivity.

TYPE 1 DIABETES IS AN AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASE for which there is no prevention or cure (yet!). The body's own immune system destroys the beta cells in the pancreas which produce insulin. As insulin production ceases, sugar accumulates to extremely dangerous levels. Insulin injections MUST be given at each meal in order for food to be used. Without insulin, the person with type 1 diabetes would starve to death in a short time. Type 1 diabetes cannot be outgrown. It cannot be reversed by diet and exercise.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Another Bad A1C

Last week Allie had another quarterly exam. Her A1c had gone BACK UP to 9.5.

Sigh.

It's the snacking! She knows it. She doesn't want to shoot one or two units of insulin here and there between meals while she grazes. This is so incredibly unhealthy. I can't get her to stop that habit.

Plus, because she only shoots in her stomach, she's getting insulin lumps which are not absorbing, adding to the high blood sugar numbers.

She shocked me during the appointment when she asked the doctor to switch her from her current routine (Lantus and Novolog) to NPH. I nearly cried. This is going to be so much more stringent; she'll HAVE to wake up at a certain time and EAT at the same times every day. She'll HAVE to snack...and the snacks (along with her meals) will HAVE to contain a set amount of carbs.

STRESS. I AM SO STRESSED.

But something HAS to change. She's almost 15; I can't follow her around all day long nagging her to check her sugar. I don't always catch her when she's sneaking snacks. If she believes this change will help her, then I have to allow her the chance to try.

Even though I'm scared.

But I was scared already.

I've been scared since October 18, 2006.

No comments: