Blogging Diabetes:  How old are your twins when were they diagnosed with diabetes?

Kim:  My girls are 8 1/2 years old and were diagnosed in July 2007 and September 2007 with Type 1.  Originally we thought they were fraternal twins, but now the doctors believe they are identical.

Blogging Diabetes:  That’s fascinating how they both were diagnosed within a few months.  Can you please explain how it happened and what the symptoms were?

Kim:  It began on Sunday afternoon, and by the time I brought her in to the pediatrician on Monday she had become dehydrated and lost 5 lbs. overnight. I thank my lucky stars for our pediatrician, who was able to tell just by looking at Britany that things were more serious than just strep or the stomach bug.  While she ran a throat culture in the office she also did a urine analysis and found that she was spilling ketones. So off to the emergency room we went, when we were admitted her BG was over 700. Britany spent 12 hours in ICU before moving to a regular room and our Crash Course in Diabetes began.  After wrapping our brains around all that was happening our next concern was for Britany’s twin sister and her older sister. Our twins were always thought to be fraternal twins and everyone assured us that both of our daughters were only at a 5% greater risk of getting diabetes because they had a sibling with it than the general population. 11 weeks later one of our worst fears was realized when Hailey exhibited symptoms. Which had we not already had a child with diabetes, could have been explained away. It was an unusually hot September weekend with temps in the mid 90′s and humid as anything. Of course we were all drinking more, so naturally using the bathroom more. But that little voice inside of me kept nagging and we checked her BG and it was elevated. We repeated in the morning and it was elevated again. A trip to the pediatrician confirmed our fears.  Fortunately, we were better equipped to deal with the new diagnosis.

Blogging Diabetes:  Does diabetes run in the family?

Kim:  No, there is no history of diabetes in the family.

Blogging Diabetes:  How long did they use shots to control their diabetes?

Kim:  When the girls were first diagnosed they were on NPH and Humalog; one injection pre breakfast and one injection pre dinner. In July 2008 both girls went to a basal bolus routine and we switched to Novolog and Levemir. Now in January 2009 both girls have gone on the insulin pump.

Blogging Diabetes:  What pump did they chose and why?

Kim:  After a lot of research and numerous pump information classes we chose the Medtronic Minimed Paradigm 522 with the QuickSet Infusion Set; one in blue and one in purple. We narrowed our choice to the Medtronic and Ping pumps. I guess our final decision came down to personal recommendations from three others we know with Type I and all use Medtronic and have done so for many years.

Blogging Diabetes:  Do they like pumping versus injections?

Kim:  Still getting into the swing of things with pumping but the girls are loving not having to get 6-8 injections per day. Not sure what the summer will bring as the girls are both like fish and absolutely love the pool and beach. We may go back to injections for the summer or may use the pump for their bolus and use injection for basal dose. Still not sure about that, besides we have a few months to figure out what will work best for our lifestyle.

Blogging Diabetes:  Does diabetes hold them back from being typical kids?

Kim:  Absolutely not. Both girls continue in all of their extracurricular activities including basketball, softball, jiu jitsu, swimming, biking and trampoline. They haven’t given up any activities; they just need to be prepared.

Blogging Diabetes:  Does their school provide adequate care in terms of the nurses and teachers being educated about diabetes and the warning signs of high/low blood sugar?

Kim:  Hands down our school has been fantastic. Britany was diagnosed over the summer so I was in contact with her school even before the year began. I met with the principal, school nurse and classroom teacher in August and laid out her school orders. Our nurse had prior experience with diabetes as there was already a student a few years prior and there was another already in the building. Having been very active in the girls school I was well acquainted with the principal, who was more than willing to make sure Britany was well taken care of while at school. When Hailey was diagnosed in September three weeks after school started again I met with the nurse, principal and classroom teacher. And again they were all knowledgeable and willing to do whatever Hailey needed. All of the classrooms, nurse’s office, special areas (Art. Library, music and gym) and cafeteria were equipped with juice and snack should either of the girls experience a low blood sugar. All of the teachers and paraprofessionals were made aware of the girls diabetes and instructed on signs and treatment for low blood sugar. There was not a doubt in my mind that the girls were in a safe environment when they went to school each day. This school year the girls moved to the Intermediate Center and again I was able to meet in the previous Spring with the building principals and school nurse to review the girls requirements and then met with the principal, school nurse and classroom teachers in August before school began. Again all areas of the school are equipped to handle low blood sugar in the girls and all staff has been instructed about the girls.

Blogging Diabetes:  How do you plan for the unexpected highs/lows when they are just doing typical kid stuff?

Kim:  We carry glucagons, juice, snack and ketosticks with us at all times and are vigilant with BG testing. The girls typically check blood sugars every three hours. In cases where they will be participating in sports activities, we generally test them before they begin and when they are done. Also, all three of our girls are educated to know the signs of low/high blood sugars.

Blogging Diabetes:  Have you ever had a hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic event? If so, how high/low was their blood sugar?

Kim:  Haven’t had any real hyperglycemic events but battle hypoglycemia pretty regularly. Unfortunately, both of our girls usually cannot feel their “lows”. Each has gotten to below 40 and not felt a thing. They’ve been known to go skipping into the nurse’s office at school for normal testing only to find their BG at 42. It continues to be our worst fear and we are hoping the pump will help alleviate these events.

Blogging Diabetes:  What is your biggest challenge as a parent of twins with diabetes?

Kim:  I think our biggest challenge as the parents of twins with diabetes is the same as that of parents with only one child diagnosed. We strive to make the girls feel the same as all of the other kids and worry daily about their long-term health. Having two kids with diabetes also means we have to be that much more organized with life in general; keeping track of everything times two.

Blogging Diabetes:  If you could give other parents with children newly diagnosed with diabetes some advice, what would it be?

Kim:  My advice for other parents with children newly diagnosed with diabetes would be relax, take a deep breath, educate yourself, surround yourself with a good medical team (ours is amazing), be open about diabetes and don’t be ashamed of it. We have been very “public” if you will with the girls’ diagnosis. They test when and where they need to. The girls’ friends and classmates all know about their condition and they freely answer any and all questions when asked. A piece of advice that was given to us by another mom of a diabetic child was “tell everyone”, it will be that many more sets of eyes on your child in the event you aren’t there and something doesn’t look right. An adult might think twice if your child’s coloring is off or they seem out of sorts. Lastly, when you spend a night in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit your perspective on life really changes.  Diabetes sucks, but at the end of the day life could be much worse and we can live with it.

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Interview of Mom With Twins Having Type 1 Diabetes is a post from: Blogging Diabetes