Reminder

Today I got a little reminder of how Type 1 Diabetes is a LIFE THREATENING disease.


Casey Johnson of the Johnson and Johnson fame died unexpectedly and the autopsy reports have concluded it was from Diabetic Ketoacidosis. Now for those of you who don't know what that is here is the short answer: Your body doesn't have enough insulin to breakdown sugars for fuel so it breaks down fat instead. The byproduct of that fat is called Ketones. At our house we call them "Purple K's". This came from the nurses illustration to Clay when we were in the hospital. The ketones were labled with big, fat K's that were purple. We have little strips that Clay pees on and tells us if he has Purple K's. These get pulled out whenever we have any kind of virus, fever, or too many high blood sugar readings in a row.

So what happens if you have Diabetic Ketoacidosis?


Some of the symptoms are headache, nausea, fruity breath, extreme thirst, shortness of breath, and a coma. Fun huh?

Casey Johnson's story is full of rumors but the popular belief is that she was using drugs and alcohol and not taking care of her Type 1. This is an extreme case of death involving Type 1 but it just fuels my desire to make sure we do the best everyday for Clay. His little body has to work so hard all the time. I am taking what I can from this tragedy and thanking the Lord for letting me have Clay for another day.