Diabetes Awareness Month
As MD of Red, most of my blogs tend to be work-related, however, this one is on a subject that is very personal to me, but also an important message to get out there.
This month is World Diabetes Awareness Month and on Tuesday we marked #WorldDiabetesDay. Before 6th March this year I knew very little about this condition (Type 1) but that was the day our family’s world got turned upside down. That was the day our son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), at the age of 11.
His diagnosis came as a massive shock to us all. The weekend before my son was drinking gallons of water, had an unquenchable thirst and was going to the toilet a lot (getting up multiple times in the night etc). He was also extremely tired. When we took him to the GP they measured his blood glucose, which was off the charts, and sent us immediately to A&E. On arrival at the hospital, we were told that it was lucky that we had brought him in when we did, as if we had waited a few more days, he would have become extremely poorly.
T1D has changed our lives. He is now reliant on multiple daily insulin injections (morning, lunchtime, night, before each meal, when blood sugar levels spike) to lead a normal life and prevent serious long-term health issues. He has a plethora of diabetes-related gear that he must carry everywhere he goes and our routines as a family have certainly changed. We've been supported by an incredible team at the Glasgow Children’s Hospital, and the staff and nurses at his school have been amazing at supporting us and allowing my son to continue to live life to the full at school (playing sports, drumming, theatre). I am so proud of my son every single day for how he takes everything in his stride and manages his condition.
Which brings me to the real reason for this blog. Would you know the signs of Type 1 #Diabetes that you shouldn't ignore in yourself or your child? Look out for the 4 T’s:
Toilet – going for a wee more often, especially at night.
Thirsty – being constantly thirsty and not being able to quench it.
Tired – being incredibly tired and having no energy.
Thinner – losing weight without trying to, or looking thinner than usual.
If left undiagnosed, Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) can be fatal. Although it’s often diagnosed in childhood (around 33,000 UK children live with T1D), people can develop Type 1 at any age. If you have any concerns whatsoever, get checked out.
T1D is a serious autoimmune condition that occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks beta cells within the pancreas, which then stop producing insulin. As a result, glucose levels in your blood start to rise, and your body can’t function unless you replace the insulin (Source: JDRF.org.uk). The causes of T1D aren't known, it's not preventable and there is currently no cure.
That said, there are some fantastic advancements in research (including stem cell therapy) that mean a cure is looking ever-more-likely and the innovation of wearable technologies (continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps) has transformed the way people with T1D can manage their condition.
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