When my older brother Mark was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 13, I was nine years old. In the six weeks leading up to his diagnosis, my family had no clue what was going on. He was tired, lethargic, and thirsty. Insatiably thirsty. That's where I cashed in. I can remember him laying on the couch watching TV, begging me to get him a glass and the gallon of cold water we kept in the laundry room fridge. He was so desperately thirsty, he offered to pay me $1.00 per gallon. Suddenly I was happy to help, dashing off to lug back 128 ounces of the cold, clear stuff in return for a crumpled dollar bill. We made this transaction on a number of occasions as his blood sugar silently rose.

Little did I know I was profiting from my brother's undiagnosed diabetes.

Finally one day my mom witnessed Mark's feet literally dragging during a game of ping-pong. She'd been terribly concerned about him and that's when the thought hit her over the head like a ton of bricks -- he might have diabetes! She called a doctor friend of the family with her concern, but he dismissed the notion. Stubbornly suspicious, she ran to the pharmacist and asked to purchase urine strips for testing blood sugar. The pharmacist wouldn't sell them to her, strongly recommending she get a blood test. The next day my brother had his blood drawn at the hospital -- they had to dilute it three times before recording a 990 mg/dl (milligrams/deciliter) reading. A normal fasting blood sugar is under 100 mg/dl.

He spent two weeks in the hospital, learned his life was ever-changed, then was sent home with needles, insulin and reams of information. At nine, I picked up on the fact that type 1 diabetes was serious. My parents were sad and frightened, too. Managing your child's T1 diabetes is a big load to carry. I also knew my stream of dollar bills was over.

KidsHealth offers a helpful article on the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes, especially in relation to children. Beyond excessive thirst, increased urination, weight loss and fatigue, a potty-trained child may suddenly begin bedwetting or a girl may develop a vaginal yeast infection before puberty. Irritability and blurred vision are also possible symptoms. Undiagnosed diabetes can also result in a build-up of ketones in the blood, resulting in a life-threatening condition called ketoacidosis -- its symptoms include nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, fruity-smelling breath, breathing problems and possible loss of consciousness. 

If you'd like to become a member of Trusera without having to wait for your membership request to be processed, click on this link: http://www.trusera.com/group_invitations/diabetes-community. Welcome to Trusera!