An Ounce of Prevention

Do you know the signs and symptoms of Type 1 diabetes?  

*Excessive thirst
*Frequent urination
*Bedwetting
*Changes in appetite
*Rapid weight loss
*Lethargy or marked decrease in energy
*Sweet or fruity smelling breath
*Warm, dry, flushed skin

Some of these signs mimic symptoms of common viruses such as strep or flu.  Sometimes they occur simultaneously with a virus. Recently, it has been discovered that there is a viral component to the onset of Type 1 in some children.  Of course, there is also a genetic predisposition, but in many cases, a common virus will be the catalyst that triggers Type 1.  In fact, Jaxson's onset occurred following a bout of strep that manifested in scarlet fever.  I only knew to suspect diabetes because I was aware of the obvious symptoms.

So it is quite easy, and unfortunately common, that many children get diagnosed too late.  There are many times the underlying disease is just waiting to rear its ugly head and hides in the guise of a common cold or flu.  Just a couple of weeks ago, a precious 5 year old girl named Kycee fell victim to this scenario. Her siblings had recently had the flu, so it was assumed Kycee's symptoms were due to the same.  However, she ended up going into diabetic ketoacidosis, slipping into a coma and suffering brain damage as a result of undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes.

This incredibly heartbreaking situation could be completely avoided with a simple test.  I, along with several other T1D parents, am making a call to action for pediatric physicians.  All that is required is to make it standard protocol to perform routine urinalysis on children. 

Dipstick urinalysis is an easy and inexpensive test.  Depending on which kind of test strips you use, they cost anywhere from 20 to 75 cents per dipstick, plus the nominal cost of a plastic urinalysis cup...or a Dixie cup, for goodness sake!  

And if you want to talk in a language that doctors and clinic administrators understand (no...I'm not referring to medical terminology), the procedure code 81000 (Urinalysis, by dip stick or tablet reagent for bilirubin, glucose, hemoglobin, ketones, leukocytes, nitrite, pH, protein, specific gravity, urobilinogen, any number of these constituents; non-automated, with microscopy) carries a reimbursement value of around $10 per test.  So yeah...imagine that...there's even money to be made for early detection and diagnosis!

Therefore, it should be standard protocol that any time a child presents with symptoms indicative of a common cold or virus, bedwetting, changes in appetite, frequent urination, weight loss, flushed skin or rash, or excessive thirst...A SIMPLE URINALYSIS SHOULD BE PERFORMED!  It should also be made standard protocol for this test to be done at well-check and yearly visits.  

One child spared from coma, brain damage, and/or death should definitely be worth the 20 to 75 cent cost of the test...and the time it takes to pee in a cup!


I tell people all the time ~ you have to be your own best advocate...and your child's best advocate!  Speak up for yourself and your children.  Request this test.  In most cases, you'll get a negative result for spilling glucose or ketones in the urine.  But...if that little glucose patch turns brown or the ketone patch turns maroon...it just might save your child's life!