Taylor Hill ended her elementary years and began middle school this fall on a new note, with a recent diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes.
“I almost lost 20 pounds and it just kept dropping and dropping,” Taylor said.
Her mom, Pam Hill said Taylor also had frequent thirst and many trips to the bathroom, but they did not notice those symptoms until they were asked about it at Children’s Hospital.
“She was taking gymnastics and dance and so she been a lot more active,” Pam Hill said. “So we really didn’t make those connections until after we went to the hospital.”
Blood tests confirmed the diagnosis.
“They took a ketone test and they took my blood sugar, they took my blood pressure and my blood sugar it was in the 500s and then they came back with the results.”
“And they were like, you’re going to have to go to the hospital and we were like, ‘pick a date’ and it was, No, you’ve got to go now,’” Taylor said. “I was upset. I just didn’t know what was going on.”
Taylor had heard of Type 1 diabetes. One of her friend’s little brother at her elementary school he it as well.
Just a few weeks away from the end of last school year and summer camp, Taylor’s her life was getting changing dramatically.
She stayed in the hospital to get her blood sugars down and to learn how to live with diabetes. Taylor described her hospital experience as “pretty fun.” She liked the hospital food and had access to a game room.
“I got to walk down there and they said the IV was my best friend, and I just took it everywhere,” Taylor said.
She received insulin intravenously for two days.
“She had to stay on the IV until her ketones were negative in her urine,” her mother said.
Ketones are chemicals that are present in the urine when the body burns fat and breaks down fatty acids to use as fuel instead of glucose. This happens when there is not enough insulin for the amount of glucose that is present in the body. Abnormal ketones can be caused by other issues, such as malnutrition, metabolism disorders, pregnancy or lactation.
The American Diabetes Association said ketones in the urine is common in Type 1 diabetes. However, it is important for persons with Type 1 diabetes to test for ketone levels, because it moderate or large amounts of ketones in the blood is a warning signal.
“They upset the chemical balance of your blood and can poison the body. Never exercise when your urine checks show moderate or large amounts of ketones and your blood glucose is high,” according to the ADA. “These are signs that your diabetes is out of control. Talk to your doctor at once if your urine results show moderate or large amounts of ketones.”
If ketones continue to rise, it could create a serious condition known as Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), which requires immediate medical attention. DKA is the most common cause of hospitalization and death among children and young adults with diabetes and persons using insulin pumps.
While her mother helps in counting carbs for Taylor, she has been giving herself insulin injections since her hospital stay.
“I have the insulin pen, so you just dial it how many units and then you just stick it – it goes into your body and just works until your next meal or before you go to sleep,” Taylor explained. “And I calculate my units.”
“It’s one unit for every 20 [grams of] carbs that you eat … and then she has to take a correction based on her blood sugar level,” her mother said.
They reduce the amount of insulin if she has been exercising and they have made dietary adjustments opting for healthier and fresh foods over processed foods.
The Hills operate smoothly in there adjustment to T1D, but there was one notable incident
when Taylor took the wrong insulin.
“I’ll never do that again,” Taylor interjected.
“There is one during the day and she takes another one at night,” her mother described.
“She took her daytime at night and her daytime is a fast-acting and the nighttime is a slow acting.”
“I was like, ‘Mama!’ I was in a panic,” Taylor said.
“And I was freaking out and I called, and they were like, ‘okay,’” her mother said. “And she was just so calm and collected and she was like, ‘Well, you know, she just has to eat over 200 grams of carbs.’”
It was 9:30 or 10:30 at night with no ice cream in sight.
“I was making smoothies and rice and we were just making due with what we had and we got her [blood sugar levels] back up,” Pam Hill said.
Now with puberty on the horizon, Taylor’s mother said body changes would affect the insulin dosage as well.
“We are hoping … things will kind of calm down and we will be ready for the holidays,” she said.
While Taylor said living with Type 1 diabetes has been no big deal, that is largely due to the support she and her family has received from the hospital, Forest Park Pediatrics, her schools in the Pattonville School District and JDRF, which they learned about during Taylor’s hospital stay. JDRF provided Taylor with a backpack filled with helpful information and support for those newly diagnosed with T1D.
“It’s actually a very nice backpack and she actually used it for summer camp,” Pam Hill said. “And it had a lot of samples and brochures and a lot of general information.”
Having her young daughter diagnosed with T1D right as she transitions to middle school ahead has been quite a process.
“It’s been a challenge in that it’s always there,” Pam Hill said. “With strep throat, you take your antibiotics – it goes away. Now until there’s a cure, it’s every single day.
“But she has been absolutely amazing. I have been truly impressed at how well she has taken on the responsibility.”
