Over a year ago, I began writing about my experiences as the parent of a child newly-diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and after shelving the story for several months, I finally published it last fall. It's short, less than 50 pages, but it tells a story and it is educational as well (Buy the Book). I published it for myself more than anything else. There were some experiences and feelings that I wasn't quite ready to share with the world, such as my struggle with depression and the hardships I endured at my job at the time, and thus, did not get included in the final publication. Nevertheless, I still feel that the book is a worthy read for anyone who has been touched by the disease or who simply wants to learn more about it. When the time is right, I would like to some day publish the story behind the story, but for now, some of those memories are still too fresh in my mind and too painful to put out for the whole world to see.
Today, I'd like to share the first couple of pages of that book with you in hopes that you might consider a purchase to help a struggling new author like myself. At $5.95 and free shipping through Amazon Prime, it costs about as much as a Venti mocha latte with an extra espresso shot. Again, I regret that I did not publish the longer version that touched upon the core of my emotional experiences, but I need more time before I can release that version. Here goes...
Chapter 1 Diagnosis
The girl lay near motionless on the hospital gurney, her labored breathing barely audible over the constant beep of the monitors, a skeleton of a child clinging to life, dark rings circling her eyes, cheeks sunken like Edvard Munch’s The Scream from a century ago, a terrifying sight to any parent.
To buy the book, go to Buy the Book. Thank you.
~Lori Dotson, CPT, CPFT, PES, BA, MS
President, DotsoFit, LLC
Copyright © 2012
Today, I'd like to share the first couple of pages of that book with you in hopes that you might consider a purchase to help a struggling new author like myself. At $5.95 and free shipping through Amazon Prime, it costs about as much as a Venti mocha latte with an extra espresso shot. Again, I regret that I did not publish the longer version that touched upon the core of my emotional experiences, but I need more time before I can release that version. Here goes...
Chapter 1 Diagnosis
The girl lay near motionless on the hospital gurney, her labored breathing barely audible over the constant beep of the monitors, a skeleton of a child clinging to life, dark rings circling her eyes, cheeks sunken like Edvard Munch’s The Scream from a century ago, a terrifying sight to any parent.
“What is it? What’s wrong with my daughter?” I asked the resident physician.
“Diabetes, ma’am, your daughter has diabetes,” he replied flatly.
“Okay, so what else can it be?” I said, disbelieving.
“Ma’am, this is the classic presentation of type 1 diabetes,” he said, now in a tone of great sadness.
Noticeably relieved that she did not have cancer or some other serious disease, I quietly wondered why the doctor and two nurses standing nearby seemed so sad. I vaguely remembered a kid from my childhood who would visit the school nurse each day before lunch for an insulin injection, an inconvenience maybe but not a big deal. I found myself lost in thought for several minutes.
Less than an hour earlier, clad in my over-sized black and white vertically-striped jersey, black knee-highs, and silver whistle, I was readying myself to referee my 9-year-old son’s soccer game when I could barely make out the muffled jingle of my cell phone in the distance. I jogged over to my bright yellow duffel, the one they give all coaches and referees, and clumsily fumbled through spare clothing, stakes, and flags in search of my phone. Had the call come any later, I would have missed it completely as we were only moments away from the coin toss and official start of the game, the final one of the season.
“Hello?” I said, completely unprepared for the words that would follow.
“Lori, now I don’t want you to panic, but they are taking Kaitlin to the University of New Mexico Hospital by ambulance…” my husband Rick began.
“What? Why? Is she okay?” I immediately interrupted.
“Just stay calm. Drive safe. And meet me near the ambulance entrance on the south side of the hospital.” He said in a steady voice, always the calm one.
I immediately disobeyed. Frantic, I uttered some unintelligible words to the coach about refereeing the game and taking my son home and then scooped up my duffel and scampered over to my vehicle, shaking and crying, not really understanding what Rick had just said. I hopped into my Honda Pilot and backed up without looking, robotically going through the driving motions, feeling like I was watching this all unfold on television, a true out-of-body experience.
As if transported by H.G. Wells’ time machine, I suddenly found myself near the ambulance entrance to the hospital with no recollection of how I go there; to this day, I do not remember the seven-mile drive from the soccer fields down to UNM Hospital
Entering through the side door, I nearly collided with Rick who apparently saw me coming and must have sensed my shock and confusion because he guided me over to an isolated glass room in the ER where they had just taken Kaitlin.
“She’s okay, Lori. Just calm down. Everything is going to be okay.” He reassured me.
For the next four hours we stood in the ER while the doctors and nurses attempted to stabilize my daughter. Only in hindsight did I realize just how serious her condition actually was. My ignorance was truly a blessing in this case.
Kaitlin was admitted to the hospital with a severe case of ketoacidosis, a condition most common in people with untreated type 1 diabetes mellitus, formerly referred to as juvenile diabetes, and also known as insulin-dependent diabetes. Common signs of diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, include extreme fatigue and weight loss as the insulin deficiency causes the body to metabolize or literally eat away at its own muscle tissue rather than consume glucose for energy, leaving a fruity smell on the breath as if the person has just drank a bottle of wine. Other symptoms include loss of appetite, abdominal pain, excessive thirst, and frequent urination. In advanced stages, the person has shortness of breath, literally gasping for air, and may even begin vomiting. Left untreated, DKA can lead to a coma and even death.
For four hours we watched the digital display on the monitors in the ER, her blood sugar hovering around 400, her heart rate and blood pressure persistently high, a body under stress. At one point, I recall asking the doctor why they had not given her any insulin because that much I knew about diabetes—that she needed insulin. He replied that they needed to stabilize and rehydrate her before they could begin to treat the diabetes.
To buy the book, go to Buy the Book. Thank you.
~Lori Dotson, CPT, CPFT, PES, BA, MS
President, DotsoFit, LLC
Copyright © 2012
