Diabetic alert dog
Donation protected
On March 22, 2014 our lives changed forever unexpectedly. Our beautiful 13 month old baby girl was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. We had never experienced any type of diabetes, so this had come as a shock to us. The days before we found out Lila was a diabetic, she had been throwing up. We took her to the pediatrician and her doctor thought it was just a 24 hour flu. We became even more concerned, when 36 hours later she was still vomiting and started to have a hard time breathing. I took her in to the emergency room at 5 am thinking she was dehydrated and she just needed iv fluids. Little did I know that her blood sugar was 650 and she was already in dka ( Diabetic ketoacidosis ). She was so dehydrated that they couldn't start an iv. They had to do an IO ( a bone marrow IV in her knee) and they got her hydrated a little bit. Lila ended up kicking the IO out of her knee. She then got admitted into the PICU and they started a central line.
The next 24 hours was the worst. She was so tired and out of it that all she did was sleep and cry. Lila had been a very active little girl, so seeing her sleeping all the time was heart-wrenching. She was poked so many times until they finally got 2 IVs started in both her arms so they could draw blood out of it. It wasn't an easy task and was difficult to do, so this meant more pokes to our daughter. They finally took out the central line the next day because it wouldn't work. Later that afternoon we realized her leg was swollen and found out she had a blood clot in her thigh caused by the central line.
We were in the hospital for 5 days learning about the care she needed for her diabetes and what to do about the blood clot. My strong beautiful baby girl was being poked every 3 hours to check her sugar and she was getting 3 to 6 shots daily for her insulin plus 2 shots daily for her blood thinner medication. Between doctors appointments and tests for everything she stayed strong, but was very tired. After 6 weeks, her blood clot was gone and the blood thinner meds were stopped. That very same night we were back in the ER because she was vomiting again. This time she was admitted for 3 days due to low sodium and calcium levels. We now have started her on a pump so she isn't getting poked so much and dealing with so many shots.
Type 1 Diabetes is an incurable, cruel, autoimmune disease. It is also known as juvenile diabetes. There are so many kids who are affected by this disease and it causes a major lifestyle change. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is triggered by some kind of virus or infection that weakens the pancreas and kills off the islet cells that produce insulin. Without these the body can no longer break down carbohydrates, and leaves her insulin dependent for the rest of her life.
We are trying to raise money to get Lila a CGM (control glucose monitor) which the insurance will not cover and a Diabetic alert dog. The CGM are amazing to see the patterns of her sugar which can prepare us for future lows and highs. Lila's sugar rising could possibly cause severe damage to her organs. Lila's sugar dropping too low could put her in a diabetic coma which could lead to death. What Does a Diabetes Service Dog Do? Diabetes service dogs are trained to help patients in the following ways:
Recognize symptoms and alert you to impending hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Test your breath for low blood sugar.
Act as a brace if you have fallen and need support getting up.
Alert others if you are unresponsive and need assistance.
Bring objects such as juice bottles or medicine.
Retrieve cordless phones in case of an emergency."
The next 24 hours was the worst. She was so tired and out of it that all she did was sleep and cry. Lila had been a very active little girl, so seeing her sleeping all the time was heart-wrenching. She was poked so many times until they finally got 2 IVs started in both her arms so they could draw blood out of it. It wasn't an easy task and was difficult to do, so this meant more pokes to our daughter. They finally took out the central line the next day because it wouldn't work. Later that afternoon we realized her leg was swollen and found out she had a blood clot in her thigh caused by the central line.
We were in the hospital for 5 days learning about the care she needed for her diabetes and what to do about the blood clot. My strong beautiful baby girl was being poked every 3 hours to check her sugar and she was getting 3 to 6 shots daily for her insulin plus 2 shots daily for her blood thinner medication. Between doctors appointments and tests for everything she stayed strong, but was very tired. After 6 weeks, her blood clot was gone and the blood thinner meds were stopped. That very same night we were back in the ER because she was vomiting again. This time she was admitted for 3 days due to low sodium and calcium levels. We now have started her on a pump so she isn't getting poked so much and dealing with so many shots.
Type 1 Diabetes is an incurable, cruel, autoimmune disease. It is also known as juvenile diabetes. There are so many kids who are affected by this disease and it causes a major lifestyle change. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is triggered by some kind of virus or infection that weakens the pancreas and kills off the islet cells that produce insulin. Without these the body can no longer break down carbohydrates, and leaves her insulin dependent for the rest of her life.
We are trying to raise money to get Lila a CGM (control glucose monitor) which the insurance will not cover and a Diabetic alert dog. The CGM are amazing to see the patterns of her sugar which can prepare us for future lows and highs. Lila's sugar rising could possibly cause severe damage to her organs. Lila's sugar dropping too low could put her in a diabetic coma which could lead to death. What Does a Diabetes Service Dog Do? Diabetes service dogs are trained to help patients in the following ways:
Recognize symptoms and alert you to impending hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Test your breath for low blood sugar.
Act as a brace if you have fallen and need support getting up.
Alert others if you are unresponsive and need assistance.
Bring objects such as juice bottles or medicine.
Retrieve cordless phones in case of an emergency."
Organizer
Tawny Alberti
Organizer
Romeoville, IL
