We took Samantha to the doctor today because she has been acting very lethargic for a couple of days. Also, she has been drinking lots of milk and water but her appetite seemed to be down. We scheduled a doctor’s appointment and they weighed her first. Our last visit to the doctor was only three weeks ago and we learned that she had lost three pounds, dropping from 19 and a bit to 16 and a bit (I don’t have the specific measurements handy). Given that she has always been fairly small, that was very worrisome. Cynthia and I have remarked recently that she seemed heavier this past week but now we realize that this was likely because she wasn’t helping to support her own weight while we held her so she seemed heavier to us.
They scheduled a blood test, urine test and an xray of her chest and stomach. The xray was to look for issues because her breathing seemed laboured also. After the tests were done and we were awaiting results, we took the opportunity to get home and prepare for a visit to the hospital. The doctor said it was very likely she would be admitted.
Shortly thereafter, we got the results from the doctor. The diagnosis was that she had type 1 juvenile diabetes. The blood sugar level I heard was 500 and now that I have a chance to do some research, I guess that was 500 mg/dL and according to www.MayoClinic.com, anything over 200 suggests either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
Our family doctor then contacted a doctor at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center to arrange for her to be admitted. Unfortunately, they didn’t think they had a bed immediately so that doctor called us at home and told us to call 911 and tell them that our daughter was in “DKA” due to type 1 diabetes. They would take us to El Camino Hospital for immediate attention. So, after doing that, our living room was very shortly filled with paramedics and fire fighters and shortly thereafter, Samantha was in the ambulance, an IV in her arm providing fluids and on her way to the hospital with Cynthia while Matthew and I followed.
When Matthew and I arrived, they were working on getting a second IV setup to start treating with insulin. A more recent blood sugar test came back 350 mg/dL so her condition was starting to improve. But she was still very dehydrated and tired. A medical transport was on its way from the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and Samantha would be moved there as soon as they started administering insulin. A bed was available and they were better able to treat infants like Samantha. But, Matthew needed to get to bed, so we said our good byes and returned home.
Now that I am home, I can also do some research about DKA which is apparently Diabetic Ketoacidosis and the symptoms exactly match what we were seeing.
So, Matthew and I will be staying at home tonight and Cynthia will be with Samantha. I will take Matthew to school tomorrow morning and then probably relieve Cynthia for a bit. Everyone says that once they can bring her blood sugar down to normal levels, Samantha will recover but then Cynthia and I will have to learn about the ongoing treatment and dietary requirements for Samantha. I will keep everyone up to date as we learn more.