Undiagnosed Tragedy

Type 1 Diabetes has struck again, and this time taken the life of a 35 year old man. It was with great sadness that I learned, a few months ago, an acquaintance of mine from high school had died suddenly. While I didn't know him well, we had a number of common friends, and shared one very close friend. At the time of his death, there were many questions. No one knew what had happened and there didn't appear to be an obvious cause of death. Until now. Late last week I was informed that he died as a result of undiagnosed type 1 diabetes.

My initial reaction was shock, then anger, then sadness, as I tried to explain to my heartbroken friend that it takes all of about 3 seconds to diagnose type 1 diabetes; that the symptoms are obvious; that it is a manageable disease; and that his death could have been prevented had someone, anyone, known what to look for. He had suffered months of weight loss, increasing dehydration, and, finally, severe flu like symptoms.

Type 1 diabetes continues to be a silent killer. For those of us within its sphere - who are type 1, or have a loved one with type 1 - the symptoms are easily recognizable. Yet, for those outside of the circle, it is an invisible illness. Education and awareness on the signs of type 1 diabetes are lacking. Period. Like many others, I used to be in the dark. When Dylan was diagnosed I knew absolutely nothing about diabetes. I had no idea that his excessive thirst, frequent urination, massive and sudden weight loss, pallor, and lethargy, were signs of hyperglycemia induced ketoacidosis. Like most parents of a type 1 child at the time of diagnosis, I just thought he had the flu.

While my early advocacy was always focussed on finding a cure for type 1 diabetes, with time I have realized more and more, that awareness and education are just as, if not more so, critically important. Never has that been more obvious to me than now.


*On a side note, this is the 3rd person from my high school class that developed type 1 diabetes as an adult. The 3rd out of 375 graduates. That's a stat much higher than the average.

Symptoms of Hyperglycemia

For those of us who have children with diabetes, we are all too familiar with the extreme symptoms of hyperglycemia, as they were the triggers that led our child to be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. But hyperglycemia can occur daily, even with mild symptoms, so it is important to know the signs and treat it accordingly. Last week I posted about hypoglycemia symptoms and included a little picture that helps kids identify the signs. Here is its hyperglycemia equivalent:

Hyperglycemia can be defined as a level of sugar in the blood that exceeds the target range. Ideal blood sugar range can vary by individual, but as the level increases, symptoms of hyperglycemia appear.

The most common symptoms include:

• dry mouth
• extreme thirst
• frequent urge to urinate
• drowsiness
• frequent bed wetting (in children)
• blurry vision
• increased appetite

If untreated, hyperglycemia can lead to:

• rapid weight loss
• dizziness
• difficulty breathing
• unconsciousness or coma
• ketoacidosis

Over the long term, extended or frequent periods of hyperglycemia can lead to diabetes side effects such as blindness, kidney failure, foot or leg amputation., and even brain damage. 

So what causes hyperglycemia? A number of factors can be responsible, but the more common contributors include:

• too much carbohydrate
• less activity than normal
• emotional stress
• illness
• growth spurts
• forgetting insulin
• faulty insulin/old infusion sets/equipment failure, etc