My son Clint was diagnosed at age 2 with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis so we were used to medical issues. He had frequent flares through out childhood and early teen years. So it wasn't a shock when he woke one morning with a terrible stomach ache and joint pain. He described it as the worst pain he ever felt in his life. We rushed him to the emergency room. It was late August and a week from starting his junior year of high school. He had emergency surgery to
remove his appendix but the doctors were concerned because they found large amounts of sugar spilled in his urine. They checked his blood and found and elevated A1C. However, at that point they believed it was attributed to the trauma. This because cortisol is produced when the body is under stress. So, we were told not to worry about it. However, Clinton was never right after the surgery. He became angry easily, slept constantly, suffered from constipation and headaches and frequently urinated. The amount of water he drank was ridiculous. The pediatrician said he was probably in a flare and didn't seem concerned. Then on Christmas Day we were at my mothers. He hadn't eaten much and he suddenly started yelling at all of us. He was pale and didn't seem himself. My husband and my father are both type 2 diabetics so we tested his sugar. It was almost 300 without food. We came home that night and I planned to take him to the doctor in the am. In the morning he was 430. I was told to take him to the children's hospital two hours away immediately. He was diagnosed on December 26th and spent the next 6 days in the hospital. We were lucky because we got him there early, before any serious issues could arise. Yes he is now on life sustaining insulin but he refuses to be known as a diabetic. He's Clint with diabetes. It's just a part of his life.
Milford, DE
