MH’s Story

We had been trucking along for about 4 years with T1D a constant presence in our home. Ethan was doing pretty well, although every day is a challenge with him. Once in a while we checked the girl’s blood sugars for our own peace of mind, but also so they would have some inkling of what Ethan did daily. In February of 2009, when MH was 7, our lives turned over again.

MH had been moody and grumpy and complaining of a headache for several days. She is usually outgoing and bubbly and involved in everything. On Monday, she and I were in a family martial arts class during her first really bad moment. I was in with the adults and she was in with the kids. One of the instructors came and got me out of my class because she was sick. She was shaking and crying, and complaining that her head hurt and that she was sick at her stomach. I asked her if she wanted to home, and she said that since class was almost over, I should go ahead and finish my class. One of the other moms was waiting for class to get out so she offered to sit with MH until my class was done. So I gave MH some Tylenol and some water and went back to class for the last 15 minutes or so. After class, the other mom said that MH had almost gone to sleep but never really stopped crying. I did get pretty worried at that point because it is not like her to keep on crying. So I asked her if she needed to go to the walk-in clinic. She said “maybe.” As it happened, the clinic was closed so we went home. She took her shower, drank more water, and then went right to bed. I was worried because when she gets strep, she goes down really hard. I thought that was maybe the problem, but she didn’t have any fever. The next morning, Tuesday, she was feeling better and wanted to go to school. So I gave her another Tylenol and sent her. After lunch, she called feeling really bad so Jeff picked her up and took her home. When he got home he called me at work to tell me what was going on with her. I asked him to check her blood sugar to put my mind at ease. Jeff checked himself and all three kids to make it more like our normal periodic checks. Jeff was 104 (normal adult BG is 80-120). Nana's was 119. Ethan was running pretty high at 440, but Jeff gave him some insulin from his pump and he was good to go... then he checked Mary Hannah. Her blood glucose was 494! Jeff’s initial reaction was the desire for denial. Mine too. He called me at work and I headed home so we could make a decision about what to do (call the pediatrician, the endo, or go on to the ER). We decided to go on to the ER to make sure we weren’t headed into DKA.  Thankfully, she was not in DKA. She did have some ketones, but all the other blood work looked ok. Then we had to tell her.

MH and Lucky Bear. Lucky got a shot and a bandaid too.

Of course, having grown up with Ethan’s T1, she knew a lot about it. We and the doctor told her that she had diabetes like Ethan. She took it really well.  First, she asked the doctor “Are you sure? Do you need to run any more tests?” He assured her that there was nothing else that would make her BG so high. Her next question came along with the expected anger and tears “Why me? Ethan already has it. Why should 2 kids in one family have it?” My heart melted a bit then when I had to say “I don’t know baby. You are right. It’s not fair.” We had some discussion and some hugs and tears, but she rallied us all with her next big question: “So, when do I get my pump? And can I get the cordless kind?” Wow. What a kid.

She was not admitted to the hospital that night (nor has she ever been). The ER docs, who knew us, felt like we could take better care of her at home. We had the supplies we needed and the know how. We didn’t know how much insulin a seven year old would need, so we decided on giving her the same amount as Ethan, knowing it would not be enough, but would be better than nothing.

Wednesday, we called the Endo in OKC and headed up to Oklahoma for a visit we had hoped never to make. MH was a real trooper through several days worth of ordeal. She got right on board with checking her own sugar and even giving her own shots. I am so proud of her. Naturally we had rants, long talks, and tears on the long drive, but overall it was pretty smooth.

Now for a truly amazing part of the story: MH wanted to go back to school on Thursday! She did want us to come and talk to her class about Diabetes with her. So we had an amazing discussion with her class. They asked really well thought out and sensible questions. When we were done talking, three or four of the girls, jumped up, embraced MH and told her that they would always love her and stand beside her through everything. Those are some amazing friends. They have all held true to their word. MH’s best friend, E, also learned how to count carbs, give shots, and operate MHs insulin pump. I honestly couldn’t have wished for a better friendship for my girl.