HAWMC Day 3

Today’s prompt is simple: write a health question and answer it. Your question can be a real, genuine one about your condition or you can make it a strange, humorous, or satirical health question. Once you’ve asked the question – answer it however you want to.

My Question: What caused your 4 year old to get Diabetes? He MUST have eaten A LOT of sugar! That is why I am not feeding ANY sugar to MY kid.




Funny/Sarcastic Answer: Yep, he definitely got it because I fed him A TON of sugar. He had cereal covered in sugar every morning, candy for snacks, ice cream for lunch, more candy for snacks, and pasta covered in syrup for dinner. Every day. That is exactly why he was diagnosed at the age of 18 months. I also made sure to only let him drink sugared soda and juice each day. It all caught up to him and he was just bound to get it. Oh, and I bottle fed him as a baby. He was born on a Thursday, that contributed to the diagnosis as well. I had an epidural and he was circumcised. as a baby. So, as long as you don't do ANY of those things, you have nothing to worry about!




REAL Answer: T1 Diabetes is an Autoimmune disease and there are currently NO known causes. It has been said that some people are born with the antibodies for the disease and then there is an environmental trigger that makes the body stop producing insulin. This trigger can be different for every person with T1 Diabetes and it can be triggered at any age. T1 Diabetes is NOT caused from eating too much sugar.



*Disclaimer: I am a mom of a T1 Diabetic child. I am NOT a doctor. I just play one in real life. Please do not take anything in this post or any other post on this blog as medical advice. If you have questions or concerns of your own, please seek advice from your doctor.*

A typical misconception of T1 Diabetes

(NaBloPoMo Day 2)

Since The Superhero was diagnosed with Diabetes the ONE thing that I feel is the MOST annoying is that people assume he ate too much sugar!

Seriously? He was 18 MONTHS OLD!

I have heard MANY times when people hear me say The Superhero has Diabetes, they will say something to their kids like "That is why we don't let you eat sugar" or "No more sugar for you!" etc.

This irritates me. Do people really think that I fed my toddler TONS of sugar? And therefore *I* caused him to get Diabetes?


From the Mayo clinic's website...

"The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown. Scientists do know that in most people with type 1 diabetes, their body's own immune system — which normally fights harmful bacteria and viruses — mistakenly destroys the insulin-producing (islet) cells in the pancreas. Genetics may play a role in this process, and exposure to certain viruses may trigger the disease. "



And this from eHealthMD...

"Diabetes is an autoimmune disease. That means the body's defense system attacks some of the body's own cells. In type 1 diabetes, the cells in the pancreas that make insulin are destroyed, and therefore they are no longer capable of making insulin.

We don't know exactly why this happens, but we do know that some people are born with a tendency to develop diabetes. Then something "triggers" the onset of the disease. It may be a virus that triggers the onset, or it may be something in the environment. There is nothing a parent can do to prevent this from happening."

I usually make comments back to those parents trying to educate them.

I explain that T1 Diabetes has nothing to do with what he ate.

I also explain that in fact, My Superhero RARELY had anything that would be considered a "treat". We were very conscience about food choices for him and he still got T1! It is an autoimmune disease and there was nothing I could do to prevent it from entering our lives.



Diabetes Fact #2: T1 Diabetes is NOT caused by eating too much sugar or being over weight. It IS an autoimmune disease and cannot be prevented.

Diabetes Fact #1: T1 Diabetes CANNOT be treated with medication. The only way to manage T1 Diabetes is with insulin. Without insulin, T1 Diabetics would die. Period.