Uncontrolled Diabetes

Stella gained five pounds in the two weeks after her diagnosis with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). She gained nine pounds in six weeks. This is a good thing. In the season of life when her body is rapidly changing, she had been starving for nutrients because the insulin-producing cells of her body had turned off. Once she started getting the insulin she needed, from shots at first, then an insulin pump, her body kicked into gear doing what she needed for healthy growth.

The consequences of inadequate insulin are grave. When the body doesn’t have the insulin it needs, it uses body fat for energy. The waste from this chemical process is a buildup of acids (ketones) in the blood that can result in ketoacidosis. High ketone levels can develop quickly and may be evident with vomiting, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, and confusion. Before the development of insulin, the poisoning from ketoacidosis was often the cause of death for a person with T1D.

Other side effects of uncontrolled diabetes include retinopathy in the eyes, nephropathy of the kidneys, and neuropathy of the nerves. T1D can affect the large blood vessels by depositing plaque that can lead to heart attack. In 2015, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, T1D was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. T1D is a serious health issue.

The first successful treatment of T1D came in 1922 with the development of insulin. The first blood glucose meter was released in 1969 followed by the first insulin pump in 1970. Researchers are inching closer to a major breakthrough on the treatment and prevention of T1D. Oliver and Stella will benefit when the last pieces of the T1D puzzle slip into place.

Team STRONGER TOGETHER is part of the effort to support those who seek a cure for T1D. In Oliver and Stella, we see up-close-and-personal the benefit of a cure in two of the 1.25 million people in the United States with T1D. Please make a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Thank you for being part of Team Stronger Together.