25 Jan Mackenzie’s Story
By Nicci St. Clair, Kenzie’s Mom
Photos by JWeterPhotography
The worry doesn’t ever seem to go away, but it does get easier. Your children will amaze you by how adaptable and strong they are.
Signs & Symptoms…
Mackenzie “Kenzie” was diagnosed a little over a year ago at age 11. We noticed that she was losing weight and had decreased energy during activities. She lost 11 lbs. in 4 weeks. She was peeing a lot, but we thought it was because she was always drinking so much water. She went from being one of the bigger players who was strong on the court and field to getting knocked around, with decreased energy during practices & games. She frequently complained about her stomach hurting.
We saw the pediatrician and GI specialist several times over the course of the year. Early on all Kenzie’s lab and medical work up came back normal.
Then, we went on a family trip to visit relatives in California. We went for a walk around the neighborhood, and Kenzie barely had the energy to complete the walk. She made a comment “I gotta eat.” I told her we were going to stop at a cookie shop around the corner and pick up some cookies for after dinner and she could have one now. Kenzie ate a chocolate chip cookie, drank a bottle of water, and immediately started to feel better. After she drank her bottle of water, she took mine and drank it as well. I thought “it must be something else” and “she was just hypoglycemic.” She did not appear to be acutely ill, so we waited to return home prior to making an appointment with the pediatrician.
Diagnosis…
Soon after returning home, we went to the pediatrician where they checked Kenzie’s urine, and she had extremely high ketones. They then checked her blood sugar; it was 629 with an A1C of 14.7. While she was not in DKA, she was hospitalized for 3 days to get her blood sugar under control and give us a crash course on how to care for her. Her strength and independence became apparent on day one, by checking her own blood sugar and giving herself injections.
Life with Type One Diabetes…
While Kenzie’s life would never quite be the same, over the last year we have realized T1D does not keep her from doing what she enjoys, and she can do anything she puts her mind to. Her biggest challenge has been remembering to check her blood sugar when she is playing sports or during any physical activity (more so, having to stop to treat a high or low during those times).
As a parent, the biggest challenge is making sure those around Kenzie understand how T1D affects her if her numbers are not in range and what to do in case of an emergency.
Kenzie’s favorite snack when she is low is homemade Hershey’s and Fair life chocolate milk; it has enough sugar to get her number up and enough protein to keep her from going so high. Kenzie’s favorite healthy snacks are mini quiches, beef jerky and carrots. There is not a day that goes by that she doesn’t have a carb smart ice cream bar or Lindor chocolate truffles. For fast acting sugar, she uses glucose tabs and Smarties.
Kenzie would like other kids who are newly diagnosed to know “It’s not as bad as it seems” and “You get used to the shots.” She recently started using a pump, and we are learning a slightly different way to manage her blood sugar and maintain tighter control. She likes not having to give herself injections multiple times throughout the day.
To the parents of newly diagnosed children, the worry doesn’t ever seem to go away, but it does get easier. Your children will amaze you by how adaptable and strong they are.
