Two Little (Finger) Pricks

life as a single parent of 2 kids with type 1 diabetes.

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Our Christmas Wish to You!

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The Mum: There's a well known saying among parents of kids with Type 1 Diabetes - if you don't live with it, you have NO idea what it's like! Our journey with Type 1 Diabetes began on 8 April 2010 when my then 9 year old daughter was diagnosed - as with every single family receiving this news, it was a huge shock to the system and a very steep learning curve for our entire family! and then.... seven months later, on 25 October, 2010, my then 13 year old son was also diagnosed!!! Two kids with Type 1 Diabetes, diagnosed 7 months apart! Before April 2010 I had no idea what an Endocrinologist was - now I have a whole team of them on speed dial on every phone I own! This blog is a story of the ups and downs (literally) of daily life with two kids, one girl and one boy, with Type 1 Diabetes - including the added roller coaster ride of the teenage years! Buckle up - it'll be a bumpy ride!

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Who's popped in for a visit...

All the latest from my favourite T1D Blogs around the world!

Visit TuDiabetes

FDA encourages swift development of artificial pancreas - CardiovascularBusiness - 6 December 2011

Andromeda's Type 1 Diabetes Drug DiaPep277 Meets Primary Endpoint In Phase 3 - RTT News - 22 November 2011

What Causes Kidney Disease in Type 1 Diabetes Patients - Ivanhoe.com - 21 November 2011

Patient 13 - Feature Documentary Project about type 1 Diabetes - Kickstarter.com

Cure for diabetes? Film tracks UCI research - The Orange County Register - 18 November 2011

Intensive Type 1 Diabetes Therapy Lowers Kidney Failure Risk - Medscape News - 12 November 2011

Major Day for Artificial Pancreas Advancement - JDRF International - 28 October 2011

VTT Identified Specific Bacteria Which Precede Autoimmune Diabetes: New potential avenues for early disease direction and prevention. MarketWatch.com - 28 October 2011

Last Decade Saw Marked Drop in Diabetes-Linked Retinopathy - DoctorsLounge.com - 28 October 2011

New Frontier in the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes - Italian Researchers Present Findings in the Improvement of the Efficacy of Pancreatic Islet Transplantation - The Sacramento Bee - 25 October 2011

Tighter Glycemic Control Linked to Lower Prevalence of Retinopathy in Adolescents with Type 1 - 20-Year Observational Study Confirms Conclusions of DCCT - MarketWatch.com (The Wall Street Journal Digital Network) - 24 October 2011

Examining New Strategies to Prevent Diabetes Complications - University of Michigan Health System - Newswise.com - 24 October 2011

More Ways to Cope with Type 1 Diabetes - The New York Times - 24 October 2011

Autoimmune breakthrough kicks off Research Week - University of Adelaide - University News & Events (Media Release) - 24 October 2011

Type 1 Diabetes Treatment Cost Could Rise Considerably - Medical News Today - 20 October 2011

Joint Venture Breathes New Life into Type 1 Diabetes Treatment, as Reported by DiabeticLive.com - SFGate (The San Francisco Chronicle) - 20 October 2011

Stem cell therapy may benefit type 1 diabetics - Private MD Labs - 19 October 2011

A Whirlwind Tour: TEDxDelMar on a Type 1 Diabetes Cure, Part 2 - A Sweet Life - 18 October 2011

Neural stem cell transplants may improve type 1 diabetes treatments - EndocrineWeb - 18 October 2011

A Whirlwind Tour: TEDxDelMar on a Type 1 Diabetes Cure, Part 1 - A Sweet Life - 17 October 2011

Researchers identify molecular pathway that may become target of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes medications - EndocrineWeb - 17 October 2011

NIH awards Scripps Research scientist for research into Type 1 Diabetes - NewMedical - 14 October 2011

Continuous Glucose Monitoring Urged in Type 1 Diabetes - MedPage Today - 14 October 2011

Glycemic Extremes Affect Brain Development in Type 1 Diabetes - DoctorsLounge - 11 October 2011

ADDRESS-2 Project Collects Essential Data for Diabetes Type 1 Research - Medical News Today - 5 October 2011

New Genetic Markers for Type 1 Diabetes Discovered as Reported by DiabeticLive.com - PRWeb - 4 October 2011

New Type 1 Diabetes Gene Found: Researchers Gain Ground in Determining Genetic Risk for Disease - WebMD Health News - 29 September 2011

Where are the Cures? - Medicine at Michigan Magazine - Summer 2011

Reproductive Cells May Some Day Treat Women with Diabetes - Voice of America - 31 August 2011

Sweat meter could alert diabetes patients about low blood sugar - NewsMedical.net - 31 August 2011

School nurses to work with diabetes school kit - NursingTimes.net (UK) - 31 August 2011

Has Science Discovered Way To Halt Diabetes? - Express.co.uk - 28 August 2011

MSP urges action over insulin pump therapy - BBC News Scotland - 27 August 2011

Top Research Highlights - Spring 2011 - JDRF.org

Cool Research News - Spring 2011 (Aimed at teens/youths) - JDRF.org

Research Snapshot - Spring 2011 - JDRF.org

Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism Or Type 1 Diabetes, Institute Of Medicine Report - MedicalNewsToday.com - 26 August 2011

Progression to microalbuminuria in patients with type 1 diabetes: a seven-year prospective study - 26 August 2011

Trial of xenotransplantation treatment for diabetes kicks off in Argentina - Australian LifeScientist.com.au - 22 August 2011

In The Fight To Cure Type 1 Diabetes Better Research Standards Are Needed - MedicalNewsToday.com - 18 August 2011

New Hope for Immune Therapy for Children and Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes - Marketwire.com - 5 August 2011

Adult Stem Cell "Memories" Could Aid in Type 1 Treatment - Diabetes Health - 4 August 2011

New Stem Cell Reports Demo Hope for Kidney Function; Insulin Making - Medical News Today - 4 August 2011

Team Type 1 founder appointed to World Health Organization Post - Bike World News - 4 August 2011

Helping Kids 'Own' Their Diabetes - NPR.org - 2 August 2011

(Health Care Card Campaign)

"Life for a Child" - Award winning documentary by Ed Lachman (28:09 mins).

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

What is Type 1 Diabetes?

Type 1 Diabetes Awareness & Education - YouTube Video © timrosbranson 2011

The following information is an extract from a FactSheet provided by the JDRF (Australia):

Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong autoimmune disease that destroys the ability to produce insulin, which is vital for life. It is generally diagnosed in childhood but can arise at any age and is not preventable.

The causes of the disease are not fully understood, but scientists believe that a person's genes play a role, as well as a variety of identified environmental factors. However, it is certain that going on a diet or cutting down on sugar does not stop type 1 diabetes.

People with type 1 diabetes must take up to 6 insulin injections or receive continuous infusion through an insulin pump every single day, just to stay alive.

122,300 Australian's have type 1 diabetes, and with 6 new cases every day, Australia has one of the highest rates of type 1 diabetes in the world. Every year, the number of new cases in Australian children increases by 3%.

Type 1 diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease amongst Australian children.

Diabetes...What's the difference?

Type 1 diabetes differs from type 2 diabetes in several important ways. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disease where the body still produces insulin but is not able to use it properly. It can often be managed with diet and lifestyle changes, though insulin is sometimes required. Type 2 diabetes affects more people - around 700,000 Australians, usually those in middle age or beyond.

Once a patient is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which cannot be prevented, they will need lifelong insulin therapy to stay alive.

Insulin is a lifesaver, not a cure

Insulin injections or infusion from a pump allow a person with type 1 diabetes to stay alive but it is not a cure. Nor does it necessarily prevent the possibility of devastating complications, which can include kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, amputations, heart attack and stroke.

Staying alive with type 1 diabetes

People with type 1 diabetes face a rigorous daily regime of blood glucose management based on a heavy burden of responsibility for their future health because the more time patients spend outside the normal range of blood glucose, the greater their risk of serious health complications. Blood glucose is influenced by food intake and daily activities as well as a variety of other factors, including stress, hormonal changes, periods of growth, physical activity, medications. illness and fatigue.

Devastating health impact

Although many people with type 1 diabetes look healthy the disease ravages most organs and body systems. Health complications of type 1 diabetes are common and severe.

After 20-25 years of living with type 1 diabetes nearly all people will have some form of retinopathy, a serious eye condition. High blood glucose causes tiny aneurysms that lead to temporary or permanent blindness.

After 20-25 years of living with type 1 diabetes 60% of people will have some form of neuropathy, which is particularly debilitating. Damage to the nervous system impairs healing and all too often leads to amputation.

Type 1 diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease, the most serious form of chronic kidney disease, which caused nearly 10% of all deaths in Australia in 2006.

The death rate for people with type 1 diabetes is three times higher than the general population.

Diagnosing Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is not well understood and this can lead to delays in diagnosis, with significant impacts upon health.

In the US 25% of new cases of type 1 diabetes have diabetic ketoacidosis at the time of diagnosis, which is a severe state of high blood glucose that leads to death if untreated.

The time interval between the early symptoms of type 1 diabetes and dangerous ill health can vary but it is not unusual for the disease to progress rapidly over several days.

In the case of my daughter various symptoms were experienced in combination or alone over a period of many months and were easily explained as being the result of a number of very stressful events in our family life.

Early identification of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes can save lives:

- extreme thirst

- excessive urination

- bedwetting in previously toilet trained children (of any age)

- moodiness

- irritability

- drowsiness or lethargy

- sudden weight loss

- extreme hunger

- sudden vision changes

- heavy or labored breathing

- fruity (acetone - similar to nail polish remover) smell to breath

- stupor or unconsciousness

If you or a loved one is experiencing any or all of the above symptoms please seek urgent medical advice.

Welcome to Type 1

Riding On Insulin

Useful Type 1 Diabetes Links

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
Australian Diabetes Council - Type 1 Diabetes
Diabetes Kids and Teens
Welcome to Type 1
Riding On Insulin
Diabetes Counselling Online
Stop Diabetes - INIT II Clinical Trial
Facebook Group - Parents of Aussie Kids with Type 1 Diabetes Support Network (Members Only Group)
Facebook Group - Teenagers with Type 1 Diabetes (Supervised Members Only Group)
JDRF Insulin Pump Program
LANDmark (Longitudinal Assessment of Novel Ophthalmic Diabetic Markers) Trial
Accu-Chek (Insulin Pump Information)
Animas Worldwide (Insulin Pump Information)
Emergency ID Australia
Medtronic Diabetes Australia (Insulin Pump Information)

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Our Christmas Wish to You!

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