DIABETES: Message to local doctors, parents

Last year, our little granddaughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, just days after her second birthday. Excessive water consumption prompted her parents to visit the doctor. An on-call physician tested and though glucose was higher than normal, dismissed it and she was sent home.

Days later, she was scheduled for her two-year checkup. Parents asked for a retest, and her doctor was hesitant. Parents pushed, and the test showed glucose at over 400. This resulted in an emergency run and three-day stay at the children’s hospital in Spokane. The staff there commented that the early detection was great as many children were taken by ambulance and required days or weeks in ICU. While at a luncheon with Breakthrough T1D, we were told by other parents that the “missed testing“ had also happened to them.

Type 1 is lifelong and totally separate from the more common Type 2. While Type 1 is much less prevalent, it is increasing nationally with no science to determine cause(s).

I am not intending to criticize and have been told that Type 1 diabetes is vastly underrepresented in medical school. So, some self-study would be valuable. Opting more often for the simple test could save these children from trauma, intensive care facilities, and potential long-term damage. It could also save a lot of money in the associated costs of late testing/discovery.

Conclusion is that even if excessive water consumption is the only symptom, we have learned that sometimes that is enough.

LARRY STUDLEY

Harrison