by Monica Lakhwani

Created on: April 18, 2009   Last Updated: April 25, 2009

I'm not kidding when I say you should really choose your pediatrician carefully! It was 8 in the morning and our daughter was throwing up constantly. She was so weak she could barely stand up and yet did not complain even once. Upon calling the doctor's office we were told to just wait till 10 and bring her in and further told that the emergency visit would take just as long if not longer for her to be seen.

Fortunately we decided not to heed the nurse's advice and took our daughter immediately to the emergency room where she was admitted almost instantly. From there on, routine checks were performed resulting in diabetes type I and mono. Just imagine a hospital sharing with you that your daughter has diabetes with a current blood sugar of 800. Now imagine them telling you that your child would have gone into a coma if she wasn't brought in within the hour. Her stay in the hospital lasted almost one week and scared all of us to death.

Our daughter was taken to an emergency on two occasions where she has fallen sick before. Her last visit was to her pediatrician who was told that she was losing weight and energy. His response was I am the doctor. He went on to share how his sister didn't want to eat on occasions and their mother forced her to have her meals and therefore his sister is overweight today. His comments and comparisons seemed rather imbecile considering his job is to check each of his patients thoroughly.

It has been almost a year since this incident and she is doing well. She needs to be monitored by her endocrinologist on a regular basis and is on an insulin pump. It is important for her to check her blood sugars regularly throughout the day. She has to get a vision check done on a regular basis as diabetes can affect her vision as well as her kidneys. It is equally important to make sure the feet are taken care of as many diabetics can get lesions or even foot and/or leg amputations.

Today our child could have died because of his arrogance and improper care. I would highly recommend to take actions into your own hands and become informed. Diabetes is in one of the top ten leading causes of death and can reduce fifteen years of one's life. Diabetes can occur in humans as well as in cats or dogs and is rapidly growing among our youth today so watch for signs of thirst, lack of energy, weight loss, cravings for sugar, etc... before its too late! Our daughter made it through with the graces of God but she was highly fortunate!

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