When diabetes kills

A few days ago I wrote a post about the four T’s in diabetes – toilet, thirsty, thinner, tired – which are the typical symptoms of diabetes. By recognizing the four T’s you can save somebody’s life. I once again got reminded of how lucky I am to be alive when I read the story about 11-year old Kayden who died from diabetic ketoacidosis last month. The signs can be subtle and go unnoticed. 

Kayden’s mum didn’t think she’d be able to get an appointment with the doctor due to covid-restrictions. He didn’t have any fever, but he was struggling to go to the toilet and his chest was tight. In addition, he didn’t eat much and was sick on a number of occasions. That’s exactly how I felt when I was in diabetic ketoacidosis. I couldn’t eat, wanted to throw up all the time, and drank obscene amounts of fruit juice. It’s like the flu, but yet different.

Kayden wasn’t as lucky as I was. He suffered cardiac arrest due to diabetic ketoacidosis. His glucose level on admission to the hospital was 50 mmol/l (900 mg/dl), ten times what is normal. When blood sugar goes this high, organ damage and hypoxia to the brain is a real concern. It’s very sad when children die, and type 1 diabetes kills children when it goes untreated. Always be on the lookout for the four T’s.