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30th January 2007
Type 1 Diabetes - the Signs and
Symptoms
When Alissa was diagnosed with diabetes at the
age of 11, there was no-one more surprised than us.
Yet, when we looked back, there were some key signs
and symptoms that we had simply missed. There's one photo of her where she looks lovely, but SO thin in
retrospect!
Whilst everyone is different, here’s our own story,
in the hope that it might help other parents.
Weight loss
We barely noticed it at the time, but, looking back
Alissa probably lost about half a stone. We just thought she
looked thin and tanned in our holiday photos, but that was because she was unable to gain energy from her
food and instead was burning up all her stored fat.
Headaches or migraines
A few months before diagnosies Alissa was diagnosed
with migraines.
We now wonder whether this was her body slowing
down it’s production of insulin, and whether these headaches were caused by ketones.
Thirst
This is probably one of the most common symptoms in
individuals diagnosed with diabetes. Whilst your body is trying
to create a balance, the increasing levels of ketones will make you continually thirsty.
Frequent urination
This can be a side-effect of drinking so much – as
the body is trying to heal itself, but is simply unable to do so.
We overlooked this as it wasn’t the first time that
Alissa had needed us to stop on journeys, we just hadn’t had to stop so often when making long car
journeys! We’d even considered the fact that she regularly got
cystitis on longer journeys when sat down – but hadn’t carried out the simple tests available to see whether
this was indeed the cause.
Exhaustion
I’d say tiredness, but Alissa started to look drawn
and worn out. She suffered a lack of energy that became really
apparent when we went on a walking holiday in Switzerland.
This is because her body was unable to turn the
food that she was eating into energy properly.
Pear Drops
When the body is releasing ketones as a result of
too much glucose in the bloodstream, a very unusual symptom is that the breath that smells like
pear-drops. This is often a way that medical staff can tell
straight away whether someone may be diabetic, although their family may have simply got used to the smell
over a period of time.
When to take Medical Advice
There are a few things which may be an indicator of type 1 diabetes, and if any of these are apparent in you or
your child, seek medical advice.
Doctors will be able to administer a blood test which is a strong indicator, also a urine test can check whether
there are ketones present, another strong indicator.
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