Kaylee was diagnosed with diabetes when she was only 2 years old. She had a rash that turned into a yeast
infection and no matter how many times we took her to the Dr., or how many creams and lotions we tried, nothing worked. We
even tried letting her air out, and sleeping with just a big shirt on at night. It only got worse. After a few days,
she would drink a lot, and we could barely get her to eat anything. Her breath had this horrible smell to it, and I was constantly
brushing her teeth to make it go away and no matter how many times I brushed them, the smell was still there.
We noticed Kaylee started using the bathroom more often, we were spending about $50 a week on pullups if
not more. Her rash got so bad it was bleeding, and she was laying on the floor and not moving. I took her to the ER and I
was told that it would be about 4 hours before we would see the Dr. The nurse suggested I take her home and make an appt with
her Peds Dr.( As if seeing her almost everyday for a week wasn't enough. She had no idea what was wrong with Kaylee.)
I told the nurse I wanted to stay and wait. Well four hours later I find myself giving the same speech I
had given everyday for the past week, and the Dr. stopped me and told me he was ordering some bloodwork.
A nurse came in with a machine I had never seen before and pricked her tiny little finger, and about a minute
later, told me that Kaylee's blood sugar was over 600. I had no idea what that meant, but from the looks on her face, I knew
it wasn't good.The Dr came back in and told me Kaylee had Type 1 Diabetes, and that she would have to be admitted into the
hospital for a few days. She was in DKA. Diabetic Ketoacidocis. I had no idea what he was talking about. I told
him that the nurse we saw when we first got there told me to take her home and make an appt for Kaylee to see her Peds Dr.
He said if I had done that she would not have made it thru the night.
Now I was getting scared and realized what kind of danger my child was in. She was almost in a coma, and
I was told her breath had a fruity odor to it. (Although it smelled nothing like fruit)That was a sign of the diabetes, along
with the drinking alot, using the bathroom and the yeast infection. We were taking to Childrens Medical Center in Dallas where
they ran more tests on her. She had lost about 6lbs in a week. She was put in ICU where they watched her day in and day out.
After she was finally stable, they moved her to a room, and then here it comes. We have to learn how to
give her shots in her tiny arms and legs. We have to adjust her eating habits and learn how much insulin to give her
and when to do it.
Our lives changed in a matter of minutes and there was nothing we could do about it. We must check
her blood sugar before every meal or when we think her sugars are high or low. We were given so much information in just a
few days I didn't think I would be able to remember any of it. I was so afraid to take her home, that I might mess up
and hurt her.
Kaylee is now 9 years old and besides her diabetes is a healthy girl who loves cheerleading, playing on
the computer, playing with her dog, swimming and reading.
She has gotten so used to getting her blood sugar checked and getting shots, that I could do it in
her sleep and she will never know what happened.
When she asks me why God picked her to have diabetes, I just tell her it's because she is an extra special
person.
