Have diabetes – severe vomiting can be fatal • Mother Jenny wants the knowledge to spread
When Vide was two years old, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which meant a big adjustment for the family. Blood sugar must be kept at a steady level through daily insulin injections, as Vide’s body cannot produce insulin on its own.
With the winter sickness in circulation, this becomes considerably more difficult. Violent vomiting can lead to dehydration and increase the risk of serious complications. When you do not get nutrition and energy through food, so-called ketones are formed in the body.
It becomes extra critical if the body, due to lack of insulin, begins to break down fat for energy. A condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, which leads to a form of acid poisoning in the blood.
– To get rid of the ketones, you need insulin, and to be able to take insulin, you need to eat. It will be a catch-22, says mother Jenny.
“Can lead to death in the worst case”
The ketones affect the pH value in the blood, and when it drops, it can in turn damage organs such as the brain, liver and kidneys.
– If it goes too far, it can cause permanent damage and, in the worst case, lead to death, says Jenny.
The easiest way to protect yourself is through regular, simple hand washing.
– I wash my hands much more often and more thoroughly, especially after eating at school and touching dirty cutlery, says Vide.
Over the years, Jenny has informed the other parents in the class about Vide’s condition and emphasized how important it is that sick children are kept at home.
– It has worked well that way, there are many who push it and return the children to school too early. There are probably many who have not understood how dangerous it can be for Vide.
Calls for better hygiene
Mother Jenny likes to see that people generally think more about their hygiene and compares it to how it worked during the pandemic years when many people washed their hands.
In addition, she likes to see that knowledge about the disease is spread.
– Winter sickness is dangerous for many, especially among the elderly. I think you should think ahead, quite simply, and be happy to broaden your knowledge of diabetes type 1, as it is a disease that is increasing, she says.
For Vide himself, winter sickness is an annual reminder of his vulnerable situation.
– I can die, that is my fear, he says.