Day 68

well today Craig woke up pretty sick... Should have known since he was high a lot yesterday..But I didnt know because he was actually not home..he was at Boy Scouts..So while he was there (with his very high numbers) he drank a lot of water and tried to stay hydrated...

So a family member reading this was very concerned when they saw the highs that Madi had before she got sick..

Yes they were high, and they do raise red flags, but unless they have consistent highs for a long period of time, they will be ok...unless they have ketones..

Numbers that high are not good, but they arent terrible either..You just have to stay on top of things..Highs mean they need more insulin or their body is trying to fight something off....One thing you have to do with numbers that high is check for Ketones..

Ketones are chemicals produced when the body breaks down fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. Ketone production happens all of the time, but when ketones are present in the urine, it is usually an indication of an illness or an extreme change in diet.

Read more: What Illnesses Can Cause Ketones to Be in Urine? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5381714_illnesses-can-cause-ketones-urine.html#ixzz242GZshxf

Ketosis in diabetic patients (mainly in type 1 diabetes) is called ketoacidosis. This is a dangerous situation because it can lead to a diabetic coma or death. Ketones in a diabetic's urine means there is not enough insulin in the body, which means the diabetes is uncontrolled, according to the American Diabetic Association. It might also be a result of low blood glucose, as a result of an insulin reaction.Treatment for diabetics usually takes place in a hospital.

Read more: What Illnesses Can Cause Ketones to Be in Urine? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5381714_illnesses-can-cause-ketones-urine.html#ixzz242GkcICr

When Craig was diagnosed, he had Ketones..but he was not in Ketoacidosis (thank goodness!), meaning he did have ketones, but they were not so high for so long...Ketoacidosis can damage the Liver and make a person VERY sick...

Ketones are usually present in the urine when the body is starving. When the body is starved, several hormones, such as glucagon, epinephrine and growth hormone, can cause fatty acids to be released from body fat into the blood. The levels of these hormones increase during a state of starvation, according to the National Institutes of Health.  In this situation, ketosis is dangerous because it's an indication that the body is starving.
Read more: What Illnesses Can Cause Ketones to Be in Urine? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5381714_illnesses-can-cause-ketones-urine.html#ixzz242FMynk8

Craig had Ketones because essentially he was starving.. Does this make sense??

 It didnt to me at first because he was eating ALL the time..
But because his body was not producing insulin, he was not getting any energy from anything he ate.. SO he was starving...

Signs of Type 1 diabetes: hunger,thirst, frequent urination...

We didnt know his body was suffering until we took him to the doctor and found out he had diabetes..
So now that both our Type 1-ers are sick today, they have to check for ketones every few hours.. So far so good....no ketones:)

 Craig had the stomach flu a few months ago and ended up in the hospital because he had high ketones and we couldnt get rid of them because he kept puking and couldnt stay hydrated..At that point, the hospital puts him on an IV and he felt so much better after a few hours..

When kids (or people in general) with type 1 get sick, its very serious and a lot of work.. Things can get bad..quick.. So its very important for us to keep the kids away from sickness and keep things as clean as possible..
Of course as a mom of 4 I try to do that anyway, but now we do it even more so, because if anyone gets sick, and passes it to the 2 type 1 kids, it makes things so much more difficult...
We cant just give the kids cough medicine and call it good..They have to check their blood and ketones frequently, stay hydrated and keep on top of their numbers..

Craig feels pretty miserable, so I didnt want to take his picture.. I hope this helps you understand a little more about diabetes..Its a lot of information thats for sure!!