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Hi. My name is Jonathan and I am 6 years old so my mom is going to write my part of the letter for me. I do use computers in school but not a bunch. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in May 2005. I was only 5 then. It is really hard to have diabetes. Sometimes when my blood sugar gets to high I do mean things but I don't mean to. When they are too low I feel really sick. I was getting up a lot at night wanting something to drink and going to the bathroom. I was sick all the time for a long time. I caught the flu earlier in the year. My mom noticed the funny smell on my breath, but never thought about me having Diabetes. She thought I was just going to be sick again because every time I got sick my breath had that smell. I still played a lot when I was sick but just before I was diagnosed I couldn't and didn't want to do anything. My mom and dad got worried so my mom took me to the clinic the next day. All I wanted to do was sleep. They finally got me in and run a bunch of test that really hurt. I went to sleep while we had to wait. That's when the doctor had told my mom that she was going to write a letter and make a phone call to the emergency room so she would not have to wait a long time with me because I was in an emergency state. My mom picked me up and was crying, carried me to the car put me in and drove me to the emergency room. My mom called my dad and my granny. We were put in a room and pretty soon my dad came. They wouldn't let me have anything to drink and I was really thirsty. The doctor came in and admitted me to the hospital. I was mad because they took my jeans and made me wear a gown and because I had to miss my first baseball game. I stayed in the hospital for 3 days and then I had to go to Nashville to see a diabetes doctor. She is really nice. She is from Italy. For a long time I did ok but now my diabetes is on a roller coaster ride. We (me and my diabetes team including mom and dad) are working very hard to control it. |
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From Mom:
The devastation I felt when I was told about Jonathan having type 1diabetes had to have been the worst day of my life. I took him to the clinic by myself thinking that he just had a cold or something. Never in my wildest dreams did I think he had diabetes.
I guess I was in denial about it for a while because I did not recognize the symptoms, me being a type 2 diabetic. I felt absolutely horrible. When I was told it was not in the privacy of the room we were in either. I was coming back from the restroom and was told out in the hallway! I just broke down and cried.
The nurse that had been watching Jonathan while I went to the restroom stayed with him until I could call my husband and mother in law. I came back took the letter and went straight to the ER thinking that I would not have to wait. Well ... that was a joke. I waited for almost an hour I guess before they even took vitals. (Not to mention standing there holding our son as he was asleep because of the strung out drug addicts at the ER there were NO seats!) Finally they took us back after what seemed like forever and the doctor came in and said to me "oh don't worry he will be ok!" I wanted to slap him in the face! I was there with no support (husband had not arrived yet) and he was carrying on like it was no big deal!
They did put him in Pediatric Intensive Care for 3 days. We stayed with him 24-7! He wasn't allowed to eat for 2 1/2 days. He was so mad and hungry! It was really sad! Before we could go home we had to stick ourselves so that we would know what it felt like to have shots. I couldn't give him insulin shots for a while after we got home. My husband had to do it. We were referred to Nashville.
We have had the greatest staff to work with us on this. Vanderbilt has a fantastic facility and staff for children with Diabetes! They are wonderful. I believe now that Jonathan is coming off what they called the honeymoon period and his numbers are running rampant. We are working via telephone to get his readings back under control. I absolutely despise the thought of him being affected with such a horrible disease where there is no cure! I do walk for a cure and this year I am thinking about riding for a cure.
Tammy
Published March 10, 2006