Why Are So Many Kids Dying From Undiagnosed Type 1 Diabetes?

An Open Letter To The Non-Diabetes Medical Community At Large and All Parents With Kids of Every Age, Everywhere!
Dear pediatricians, nurses, medical staff, medical office personnel, hospitals, hospital staff, school nurses, physicians, ER medical staff, urgent care facilities, and any other medical office/facility that treats sick kids:
I have a question for you. Why are so many kids dying from undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes? Why are they not being tested for Type 1 diabetes when their parents bring them to you when they’re sick? I know that sometimes, Type 1 symptoms can be similar to the flu or a stomach bug, so as a matter of caution, why can’t a 5 second finger stick be done as a matter of protocol just to try to potentially rule out the chance that it could be Type 1 diabetes instead of the flu? Why?
Yes, I know, I know. You’re extremely busy, understaffed, and buried in mountains of paperwork at your medical offices. I get it. You’re working twice as hard for half as much, (or less- I’m a woman, so I get that too, but I digress) and you have to carry outrageously expensive liability insurance, etc. Yes, I get that too, loud and clear.
Welcome to the club.
We are busy too and many of us experience similar situations in our businesses as well. But, that is a lousy excuse for not trying to rule out Type 1 diabetes in your little patients who are counting on you to help them when they are sick. It was you who chose a profession that is designed to take care of sick people. So, take care of sick people.
I’m Trying To Figure This Out
Countless healthcare professio Continue reading

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19-year old Georgia college students dies of diabetes complication

Play Video0:00 0:00: 0%: 0%LIVE -0:0019-year old Georgia college students dies of diabetes complication
COLUMBUS, Ga. - Looking around Marquis House's bedroom in his family's Columbus, Georgia, home, it almost feels like he's still here, like he's going to walk in the door any second.
"This is all his dirty laundry; I haven't had the heart to wash it," Chereia House, his mother, says. "This is his (insulin) pen right here. His glasses he wore to school."
House spends a lot of time in here, remembering Marquis.
"I think about him," she says. "I think about his personality."
Marquis was 19, a diehard New England Patriots' fan in Falcons' country.
He was a University of West Georgia sophomore, and a video-gamer, who still got a kick out of dressing up for the family's pajama costume Christmas photo.
Marquis was also a type 1 diabetic, drilled in staying on top of his blood sugar.
"He was diagnosed when he was 4 years old," his mother remembers. "He was doing his own injections at 4, he was counting his carbs at 5."
So, losing Marquis to a complication of diabetes?
It just doesn't seem possible.
"Because he was so on top of it," Chereia House says. "He knew what to do, he always knew what to do."
And Type 1 diabetes requires a constant balancing act, says Children's Healthcare of Atlanta endocrinologist Dr. Jessica Hutchins.
"Most kids with Type 1 diabetes are taking 4 to 6 injections of insulin a day, depending on how often they're eating and how well their blood sugars are doing," Dr. Hutchins explains.
On February 11, 2017, a Saturday night, Marquis House, alone in his dorm Continue reading

LADA Diabetes Symptoms and Treatment

If you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes but standard diets and treatments aren’t helping much, you may have LADA (latent autoimmune diabetes in adults). What causes LADA? What are the symptoms and treatment?
What is LADA?
We usually hear that there are two types of diabetes. Type 2 is caused primarily by insulin resistance. The insulin isn’t effectively used by the body’s cells, so too much glucose stays in the blood and causes complications. Type 2 comes on slowly and used to be called “adult-onset diabetes.”
Type 1 is caused by the body’s immune system destroying the beta cells in the pancreas, which produce insulin. Without insulin, our bodies can’t use glucose, and eventually people with Type 1 will die without injected insulin. Type 1 usually comes on rapidly in childhood or adolescence.
LADA is a mixed type. It comes on slowly during adulthood like Type 2, but is caused mostly by an immune system reaction like Type 1.
The diabetes website diabetes.co.uk defines LADA as “initially non-insulin requiring diabetes diagnosed in people aged 30–50 years.”
It’s a common and serious problem. According to a study in the journal Diabetes, “Among patients [who appear to have] Type 2 diabetes, LADA occurs in 10% of individuals older than 35 years and in 25% below that age.” LADA is often misdiagnosed as Type 2. People with LADA may be denied needed insulin and given advice that doesn’t work.
Symptoms of LADA
According to diabetes.co.uk, early LADA symptoms may be vague. They include:
• Foggy headedness
• Feeling tired all the Continue reading

Insulin pens: Types, benefits, and how to use them

Insulin pens are used by people with diabetes to inject insulin. The pens include an insulin cartridge, a dial to measure dosage, and a disposable needle.
Insulin pens are growing in popularity. They allow insulin to be delivered in a more simple, accurate, and convenient way than the vial and syringe method.
Contents of this article:
Types of insulin pen
There are several different brands and models of insulin pen available. Most fall into two distinct categories: disposable and reusable.
A disposable pen: this contains a prefilled insulin cartridge. Once used, the entire pen unit is thrown away.
A reusable pen: this contains a replaceable insulin cartridge. Once empty, the cartridge is discarded and a new one put in.
A new disposable needle must be used every time insulin is injected. With proper care, reusable insulin pens can last for several years.
Choosing an insulin pen
The brand, model, and category of pen used will depend on several factors. It is important to discuss this with a doctor before purchase.
Some general factors about the pen to consider include:
type and brand of insulin available
size of the insulin dose it can hold
increments by which the dose of insulin can be adjusted
material and durability (if reusable)
how it indicates remaining insulin levels
ability to correct dose levels that are put in wrong
size of the numbers on the dose dial
level of dexterity required to use the pen
Benefits
Research has highlighted the benefits of using insulin pens, particularly prefilled disposable pens. People with diabetes are happier using insulin pens than the via Continue reading

How Alzheimer’s Could Be Type 2 Diabetes

The link between Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes continues to grow stronger. A new study presented at the Society for Neuroscience shows that the disease may actually be the late stages of type 2 diabetes.
Learn more about how Alzheimer’s could be type 2 diabetes.
The Correlation Between Alzheimer’s and Type 2 Diabetes
A new study done by researchers at Albany University in New York, shows that Alzheimer’s may be the late stages of type 2 diabetes.
People who have type 2 diabetes produce extra insulin. That insulin can get into the brain, disrupting brain chemistry and leading toxic proteins that poison brain cells to form. The protein that forms in both Alzheimer’s patients and people with type 2 diabetes is the same protein.
Researcher Edward McNay at Albany University, said:
“People who develop diabetes have to realize this is about more than controlling their weight or diet. It’s also the first step on the road to cognitive decline. At first they won’t be able to keep up with their kids playing games, but in 30 years’ time they may not even recognize them.”
Alzheimer’s, Brain Tangles and Diabetes
In the past few years, the connection between the two diseases has grown stronger with each relevant study. People who develop type 2 diabetes often experience a sharp decline in cognitive function and almost 70% of them ultimately develop Alzheimer’s.
A recent study published in the journal Neurology found that people with type 2 diabetes were more likely to develop the brain “tangles” commonly see in people with Alzheimer’s disease. They found t Continue reading