Comments on: Misdiagnosis of Juvenile Diabetes Type 1

By: Sid

Sid — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:23:46 +0000

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 9/10/93 at the age of 11. I’m almost 28 now. A month before diagnosis, I was tested for it and it came up negative. Diabetes was triggered by a flu virus. My body was actually able to fight off the 2 week flu, but I still felt weak (lost 20 pounds those 2 weeks and I was only 4′9″) despite eating and drinking a lot. So, my dad took me to the doctor…then the ER…..then I was transported by ambulance (At that time, Florida Hospital had no rule or law that forced them to perform life-saving measures on people with the “wrong” insurance.) after I slipped into a coma while waiting for insurance verification to an insurance-friendly children’s hospital. Two days later, I woke up and learned about my diabetes. Eight days later, I went back to 6th grade.

Prior to diagnosis, I had a voracious appetite (still do), huge metabolism (slightly lower now due to eating disorder history), and super healthy immune system (still do). I had never had a cold and hadn’t had the flu in almost 2 years (incubation period for diabetes according to endo, but that doesn’t jive with the negative test less than a month before diagnosis).

To those of you who are confusing Type 1 with Type 2, sugar does not cause Type 1 diabetes. There is little to no evidence of diabetes in my family. My great grandfather and my grandfather’s cousin had Type 2. I have a large family with my sister, mom, dad, 7 uncles, 8 aunts, and 18 cousins. Longevity and good health run in my family. My grandparents are in their 90s and still very healthy. I also have an ancestor who lived to be 120 years old in 1880.

Asthma, allergies, anxiety, and ADHD tend to run in my family. I have ADHD and anxiety. I was diagnosed with asthma and allergies only after I moved from Florida to Kansas. I think because I am allergic to dust. However, I can manage both asthma and allergies with little to no medication.

I never had ear tubes, although I did have a head injury with 7 stitches when I was 3 years old and I stuck a pebble in my ear (which was removed with suction and tweezers by an ENT doc) when I was 4. I have never broken any bones or sprained anything in my life.

I had an insulin pump for 4 years and was in excellent control, but Kansas Medicaid is not as nice as Florida Medicaid and I was forced to give it up when I moved here. I take 3-5 injections of Novolog and 2 injections of Levemir daily. I test my blood sugar 5-15 times a day, depending on activity level. (I can’t wait until I am finished with college, so I can get a real job with insurance that allows me to go back on the pump!)

I have recently been put on medication for fibromyalgia and low testosterone levels. But aside from what I have already stated, I am healthy and have a great immune system. I’ve only had 5 colds and 4 flus since my diagnosis 16 years ago. I am still in excellent health, despite battling anorexia and bulimia in ways that should have harmed my health permanently.

By: Kandace

Kandace — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:21:02 +0000

I have two children with diabetes metillus aka type 1, but I found out they got it from a genetic disorder 2 years back. They were perfectly healthy babies. My oldest is 13, he did have a lot of ear infections but that was it. My next to oldest who is 10 now had no problems at all until the school told me she had really poor vision. My son had just started to complain about not seeing the board also. So, point is they had a genetic condition that causes diabetes and optic atrophy (poor vision that can not be corrected with glasses). I was lucky to have had internet and found out about it on a website. I believe that you can get diabetes from different ways since no one knows for sure exactly what the environmental trigger(s) is (are).

Also, about the pump, I think you, as a mother would know better than your daughter’s doctor if she was ready for the pump or not. There are websites where you can way the pros and cons like jdrf and children with diabetes research foundation.

Kandace

By: S.Correia

S.Correia — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:03:51 +0000

Interesting comments about Ti diabetes. My 13 year old daughter was diagnosed with T1D at the age of 8 and I do remember that about 9 months before she was diagnosed she had her tonsils removed. She was constantly on anti-biotics and had recurring throat infections. She constantly struggles with diabetes and would like to use the pump, but her doctor dissagrees with the idea. His theory is that by using the pump it facilitates her life too much and she will forget that she is diabetic, overindulging on thing that she should not eat. Go figure! Does anyone agree with this Doctor?

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 04:07:33 +0000

My son was diagnosed 4 days before his 17th birthday I thought he had food poisning he was throwing up, drinking alot of fluids and urinating alot we when took him to the ER almost 3 days later his sugar was 827 and was rushed to the back and then transported to Childrens Hospital. It was scary crazy and doctors was in our room at 9 the next morning asking us do you want basil/bolis or pens or syringes it was just mind riveting.

I can’t believe that much research really has not been done on this disease it drives me crazy there has to be a link some where and we must find it.

My son did have his tonsils removed in the 5th grade maybe this is a link similar to the tubes could it be related to the ears, nose & throat possibly? My cousin also has this disease.

By: Donna Fincher

Donna Fincher — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:34:29 +0000

I have a Granddaughter that was diagnosed with Type 1 approx. 8 weeks after her well baby check up and of course vaccinations.She was 26 months old at the time.. No family history.Given our choices I wish she would have got the measles, mumps or chicken pox. I know another child that was diagnosed after going to the ER with an allergic reaction and receiving a type of steroid injection.

I think it is a win … win situation for the pharmaceuticals. Why should they mind if they do not receive anything initially or much for their vaccines .. when they will eventually be treating them for life for something much worse than measles,mumps or chicken pox.

I really need to look at the studies they have done to disprove that vaccines have contributed to this and also who actually did these studies. I would almost bet the CDC has not had any cutbacks or layoffs recently.. especially now as they need to be busy researching this new SWINE FLU.Yes I am biased and I want to know why Juvenile Diabetes is sky rocketing in this country and no one is finding out why and stopping it..It seems we are more focused on how to treat it than it’s cause and eradication. Same with cancer.. Yet the news media is all about the handful cases of swine flu…I have my own opinion of that… perhaps last years wonderful vaccine has mutated and gone wild.. I see money .. money and more money but not for the public only a few private sectors will enjoy the proceeds.. the rest will deal with the crippling effects and the heart breaks.

By: molly

molly — Sun, 17 May 2009 02:22:42 +0000

i was diagnosed with T1D when i was 12. my doctors told me that white blood cells in your body attack your pancreas and kill the islet cells, which produce insulin. this commonly occurs after trauma, like surgery, or a big life change, or anything that can cause a lot of stress. also, it can happen after you are really sick. just thought i would through what i’ve learned in here.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 08 May 2009 05:51:56 +0000

OK so after reading I figured I might as well add my 2 cents worth. When I was 9 I got a really bad case of pneumonia was put on antibiotics and the such and then almost a week later was diagnosed with T1D. The doctors said that the pneumonia had caused my pancreas to shut down and therefore caused the diabetes. Also said it had a lot to do with the way my Mother was taking care of me. and then of course there was the genetics almost every female on my dads side has it. SO there can be a lot of reasons why a person gets it and why others don’t. It’s just the way the cards were played I guess. But I have a 2 healthy boys who are now 12 and 14 and don’t have diabetes. Thank God.

By: Shelly

Shelly — Mon, 04 May 2009 00:53:27 +0000

My daughter was diagnosed Aug, 27, 2007 with type 1. She went through the summer sick off and on. Had been exposed to the flu and had been losing weight. She was becoming a young lady and we did not think much of it.

At the beginning of Aug she went in for a school physical and we decided to get her the gaurdisil shot. She kept getting a little sicker I called and the dr said the shot had flu like symptoms as a reaction. Within the week she was in the hospital with diabetic ketone acidosis and we very nearly lost her.

As a young child she had many ear infections and tubes twice. Allergies so bad that her eardrums burst twice. She went through testing and shots for about 1year with very little improvements. With her dpt shot it was crying for two days straight and I was told this was a reaction. No other major illnesses although when she was sick she did have a funny fruity smell about her.

After she was diagnosed I mentioned this to the Doctors and they said this was not possible. Now she is sick vomiting about every two to three weeks and extremely tired. The doctors keep telling me that her immune system is different from ours and she will get anything going around at school and so on.

I recently lost insurance on her and have been doing research on different things and have just found about ciliac disease. I am going to check into this and the other things mentioned from other posts on this site.

I just wanted to say thank you to people who do the posting I am kind of at a loss and hate to see her so sick all the time. Her one doctor is a specialist in this field and I am not sure why he is not putting some of what I am saying to thought. any way thanks to you posters for the ideas.

By: Janel

Janel — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:12:57 +0000

My son has been diagnosed with type 1 at 11 one month ago. He had only a re-circumcision at 8 months. He had a severe ear infection that caused temporary hearing loss and was on antibiotics for that. He has only had a few ear infections. He had a reaction to the DPT immunization and slept for over a day – lethargic, difficult to wake. We took him back to the doctor after 15 hours and they said to just watch him. My brother died the day after he had the dpt booster. He was, like my son, sleeping after the first dpt and then when it came to the second he died the following day – it was said to be ‘crib death’. My son never took the booster of pertussis. He has had two dog bites by the same dog. The dog has been diagnosed with ‘hypothyroidism’.

By: lb

lb — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 01:59:11 +0000

My son has type 1 diabetes. We have no family history of diabetes 1 or 2, but there is strong family history of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. Another unusual bit of information: my son came down with the mumps at 6 months of age. No one had any idea how he got it, but the mumps can get into your pancreas. I believe type 1 diabetes is a auto-immune disease but what triggers the body to attack itself??
Possible heredity, or a virus or maybe just a weakness in the pancreas.

PS: The insulin pump is amazing! -do check into it.