My name is Jennifer Durr and I am from Texas. In April of 2006, my son, Logan, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. He is now 9 years old. Logan has coped with his diabetes well, though I have to say, it has been rather rough on myself. Logan is not an only child, by far. He has a brother, age 6, a sister, age 4, a step-sister, age 10, and a step-brother, age 7. It has been very difficult in house with that many children, especially when it comes to candy and ice cream.
When Logan was diagnosed in April, it was a very scary time for me. He had been drinking a lot more than usual and urinating very frequently. He had also lost a lot of weight. I thought it was because his activity had increased. Then one day, he got very tired and just wanted to lay around, and that night he wet the bed. I took him into the doctor and they perfromed blood tests. Upon leaving the doctor, Logan became very lathargic. We took him back in and they checked his blood sugar and it was over 500 mg/dl. I was told to take him to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.
When we got to TCH, he was put on an IV. He was so dehydrated that the IV would not stay in the veins. They had to do it 6 times before it would stay. I was then informed that he was in DKA, Diabetic Ketoacidosis. This is a very serious condition. He had to stay in the hospital for 4 days while they brought his sugar level down.
While in the hospital, I had to learn how to give insulin injections. Logan, of course being only 7 years old at the time, was very afraid, and especially after what had happened with the IV situation. The first time I was going to give him an injection, Logan looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "Mom, please, please don't hurt me. I don't want to be poked anymore." That broke my heart. It hurt me to know that he would have to be poked many times everyday for the rest of his life. Finally, a nurse helped me by telling me to tune out what he says and keep saying to myself, "If I don't do this, he will die." That was what got me through this. I took it upon myself to make sure I knew everything there is to know about Diabetes.
Everyday since then, I have learned that diabetes is not something to play around with. It is a very serious condition. But the most important thing that I have learned is that Logan is still a little boy, and he can have the same life he is destined to have with or without diabetes. He can still play sports, swim, play outside with other kids, and basically anything he wants. He can still attend birthday parties and eat cake and ice cream. He is a normal kid. He has truly taken a hold of his diabetes.
Diabetes does not take control of your life. You take control of diabetes.