This week is Diabetes Week, a chance to raise awareness, fight stigma, and highlight the realities of living with diabetes.
Last year, Amina’s then 12 year old son Mahamoud, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after a severe bout of the flu. Here Amina tells us a little bit more about their story-
It was January and we had both caught the flu, but Mahamoud just wasn’t getting better. He was vomiting and felt really weak, and I knew something wasn’t right.
We took him to Alder Hey A&E and blood tests revealed dangerously high sugar levels and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which we were told was a serious condition caused by a lack of insulin. Mahamoud was quickly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and admitted to Alder Hey.
“I would tell other families going through a recent diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, you won’t get everything right, and that’s okay.”
Amina, Mahamoud’s mother
My mind was racing, I was thinking about how Mahamoud going to manage, how will he cope with this for the rest of his life, how will we support him- I had a lot of worry about things that hadn’t happened yet. You don’t want your child to have huge responsibilities in life. Being a teenager is hard, being a teenager with a chronic condition was going to be even harder.
It was overwhelming seeing him attached to machines while doctors worked to stabilise him. But the diabetes team were incredible, they really wrapped around us, came to see us every day, did a lot of hand holding which we needed at the time and supported us every step of the way.
After ten days in hospital, thankfully Mahamoud was discharged and began adjusting to life with diabetes. The emerging technology is just brilliant and keeps getting better. Mahamoud is 13 now and uses an insulin pump, a small device that he wears on his abdomen which delivers insulin continuously, giving him more freedom and independence.
Mahamoud has been amazing, I’m so proud of him and of us all. From the start, he wanted to manage things himself. It’s been a huge learning curve, but the support we’ve had, from the diabetes team to parent Facebook groups, has made such a difference. Alder Hey even have a diabetes youth support worker now called Kirsty, she has her own lived experience so can connect with the kids through her own experiences.
I would tell other families going through a recent diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, you won’t get everything right, and that’s okay- there are so many variables that affect diabetes, don’t be afraid to ask questions, lean on the support available from the diabetes team-they are there for you 24/7, and trust that your child is a lot stronger than you might think.
Remember to look out for the 4 T’s which can be a sign of type 1 diabetes- Tired-Toilet-Thirsty-Thinner.
Find out more about our Diabetes services at: https://www.alderhey.nhs.uk/services/diabetes/