At the end of August 2002, My daughter katlynnes life changed forever!!
In the summer of that year we noticed kate had put on a little weight in the summer. That was unusual because kate is so active she usually slims down in the summer. So worried that she would have the same weight problems that I have I started to be more conscience of what she was eating . Then when she started losing weight at the end of the summer I didnt think anything of it at first, but then as the days started to progress she started drinking alot she was thirsty all the time!!!!! But again, it was summer and it was unusually hot that summer so again, I didnt think anything of it. Of course since it was so hot and she was drinking so much her constant bathroom use didn't occur to me at that point either!!
At one point I said to my sister, "Kates losing weight but her eyes look a little sunken in and I am a little worried." My Sister didnt think she looked funny and that it was probably just the wieght she lost from not snacking so much. Then one day, she was drinking so much that I said to her "Are you really that thirsty or are you just hot or are you not feeling well." She said, "No I'm fine. I'm just really hot. So I must be thirsty."
Because Kates paternal grandfather is a diabetic I knew some of the symptoms were excessive thirst. Well about two days later the first day of school came and Kate started complaining of stomache aches. So again, I just chalked it up to nerves , start of the new school year , new class, new teacher etc..... So every morning for three days Kate woke up with an upset stomach and everyday I said, "Come on its just nerves your fine." We'd go to the bus stop and she would see her friends and she would perk up!!! So on the third day, she woke up and vomited. She continued to vomit every 10 minutes for the next seven hours. Katlynne has always had a weak stomach. Every year it seems she would get one really bad stomach flu where she would end up in the emergency room on I.V fluids for dehydration. So again everything had some kind of explaination so I wasn't that worried.
We had changed pediatricians. So I called her new office to see what they would like me to do and they squeezed her in for that afternoon. When she got there they said that she was probably going to get admitted to the hospital (the doctors office is connected to our local hospital) for an I.V. So I wasn't surprised. I should also say that Kate had a funny odor to her breath. It smelled like fingernail polish remover or something like it. While we were at the office her doctor had her do a urine sample. Then they brought in another doctor and a resident and I could see them out in the hallway all talking together. Then they came back in and asked me again what had been going on with Katlynne the last couple of days. I started to worry because there was never that much discussion any other time kate had the stomach flu!!! So they admitted her into the hospital and a few minutes later, after she got settled in to her room, the docs came in and said that Kate was diabetic. My heart dropped to my feet. All I could think of was my childs life is never going to be the same!!!! At the time I didnt know that there were two types of diabetes. I just figured she would have to take a pill and watch her diet. Little did I know !!!!!
They said she had ketones through the roof. Which later I realized she was in ketoacidosis. They said if she didnt come in when she did she probably would have been in a coma. So on went our journey into the world of type 1 diabetes and shots and test strips and ketodiastix and blood glucose moniters and on and on!!!!!! I was so completely overwhelmed I think I cried for a week !!!! If it wasn't for the wonderful Endocrinologist doctor and nurse she had I think I would have just lost my mind. The nurses at the hospital trained me on the shots and things. They were all so wonderful too!!! Kate was in the hospital for 5 days and we were bombarded with so much info that I didnt think I would remember any of it!!!! One nurse took me in an empty room to teach me how to give a shot!!!! The other nurses would show us and let us practice on oranges and things but this nurse I will never forget. Her name was Jan and she told me that she was the only one who did this but she was a firm believer that the first real shot you give shouldn't be a practice shot on your child. So with a vial of saline, a syringe and some alcohol pads I practiced giving my first shot on Jan's poor arm. I will always be grateful to her for that !!!!!!! It still moves me to tears to remember Jan and her patience and the hugs she gave me when I was finshed practicing on her!!!!!!!!
Fastforward to a year later. Kate has had so many ups and downs that her doctor thought it might be better to put Kate on an insulin pump. So we agreed and now we are in the process of learning a whole new process!!! It's a little complicated and we are just in the first weeks of using the pump. But everyone tells me that we will love the freedom it gives us!!!! Katlynne is excited she will not have to get four shots a day now. So it's worth having to have this thing attached to you all the time!!!! I was worried that it would take her a long time to adjust to having it in. But Kate is a real trooper and just like learning and getting used to fingerpricks and several shots a day she is already used to this. One of the first things she did when she got home from her training is to try to do a cartwheel in the yard, when she realized she could still do that, life was good!!!!!!!!
Kate is a very active, friendly, sweet kid. Whose life changed in an instant. I don't know if I could have handled everything she has had to do when I was her age. But she is awesome!! I will never forget the first day we came home from the hospital. I was a nervous wreck and I was giving her one of her first few shots and I said to her, "I'm sorry that you have to go through all of this." And she said to me, "It's ok mommy everyone has to have something!!!" She was so matter of fact about it. I couldnt believe she was only 8 years old at the time!!!! I am so proud of her and continue to be. She amazes me everyday. She has so much courage. Once we tried to figure out how many shots she has had this year and we figured it was over 1,000. She has had at least that many finger pricks, if not more!!!
We still learn new things about this disease all the time and just when we think we've heard it all there are a hundred new things. But with the support of our families and friends and this awesome website and people like Kim and Ashley who take the time to tell their story and help others with their time and support. I know we will be just great!!!!!!!!! Thanks for listening to Kates story!!!!!!!!
Sherry and Katlynne Linsenbigler
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