雷根是一个精力充沛、快乐的四岁孩子. As a preschooler, she is artistically inclined and loves to paint and color. She is the bright star of her family, surrounded by her two older sisters and they are very close.

雷根和她妈妈, Crystal were on their way to their pediatrician’s office to get her COVID vaccine. 在约会时, Crystal thought it was worth mentioning that Raegan had been unusually thirsty lately.

“起初，这些迹象很微妙. Raegan seemed like she was always thirsty, and hungry, and needed to use the restroom often. 但后来情况开始越来越糟. She spiraled through several viral infections that she just couldn’t shake. After a bout with migraines, my parental instincts just knew something wasn’t right.”

Since frequent urination can be a sign of type 1 diabetes, her pediatrician checked her blood sugar (also known as glucose) levels and found they were sky-high — at more than 300 ml/dL. 正常的血糖水平在70-180之间, her pediatrician delivered the news that any parent would be unprepared for — Type 1 Diabetes. Reagan and her mom were immediately on their way to the emergency room at UP Health System – Marquette.

根据疾控中心, type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake). This reaction destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin, called beta cells. This process can go on for months or years before any symptoms appear.

Some children have certain genes (traits passed on from parent to child) that make them more likely to develop type 1 diabetes. However, many children won’t go on to have type 1 diabetes even if they have the genes. A trigger in the environment, such as a virus, may also play a part in developing type 1 diabetes. 饮食和生活习惯不会导致1型糖尿病.

“I’m still in awe of the UP Health System – Marquette nutrition and diabetes education staff and the emergency medical team,克里斯托说。. “The support, training, and education about type 1 diabetes and caring for Raegan was incredible. They put Raegan in the hospital to get her blood sugar under control, but we were also there to learn how to take care of her. 我们从来没有觉得自己是个麻烦. 我们的任何问题都得到了解答. 我们受到了非常好的照顾.”

在他们逗留期间, 他们去看医生, 护士, 营养师, 认证糖尿病教育者, 社会工作者, and others who equipped them with everything they needed to know about managing type 1 diabetes. 1型糖尿病患者, 身体不会产生胰岛素, the hormone needed to move glucose from the bloodstream into the body’s cells. 结果是, patients have to check their blood sugar throughout the day and take insulin to keep glucose levels within a healthy range.

“When we learned that Raegan had type 1 diabetes, our world flipped upside down,克里斯托说。. “我们完全不知所措. 但当我们离开医院的时候, we felt like we had the information and skills needed to take care of our brave daughter.”

迈克·帕克斯，注册会计师，注册会计师，注册会计师她是营养与健康部主任 & 糖尿病教育在信誉电子游艺首页-马奎特. “Second, only to asthma, type 1 diabetes is the most common chronic childhood disease. It’s important to know the early warning signs of type 1 diabetes so a child can get treated right away, 避免住院治疗,帕克斯说。.

1型糖尿病的警告信号包括:

• 口渴
• 增加排尿
• 增加的饥饿
• 减肥
• 尿床
• 酵母菌感染

在雷根出院后, she started seeing a pediatric endocrinologist at the UP Health System – Marquette Specialty Clinic where the family now monitors Raegan’s blood sugar through continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). A CGM system sends your glucose numbers to a smart device every five minutes without fingersticks or scanning — showing where numbers are heading and how fast, 使管理决策更容易.

“With CGM, a little wire is placed under the skin that continuously measures Raegan’s glucose levels. It also transmits the reading to a receiver and sends a notification to my phone that sets off an alarm when Raegan’s blood sugar is too high or too low,克里斯托说。. “This allows Raegan to live a normal carefree life while she’s at preschool, and I can feel safe knowing that if her levels fluctuate during the day, 我立即得到通知，并可以采取行动.

Crystal has learned a great deal since Raegan’s journey with diabetes began, “I realized that I am a lot stronger than I thought I was. 我已经成为了雷根的代言人和拥护者. This is a lifelong disease and there are certain needs that need to be met in order for them to survive. My advice to parents is this — you never know if this will happen to you or someone close to you. 没有什么症状是微不足道的. 如果有些事情看起来不对劲，一定要相信自己的直觉. 它会改变你的生活. Becoming educated on diabetes and being aware of the early symptoms is critical.”  

11月是糖尿病宣传月. 是第七大死因, diabetes is one of the most common – and dangerous – health issues in the U.S. In fact, more than 37 million Americans have diabetes, and one in five is unaware they have it. 

好消息是, a simple blood sugar test can determine if your blood sugar levels are healthy or if you may be at risk for diabetes. If you want to talk with a provider about your blood sugar or schedule a blood sugar test, 北方邦卫生系统可以提供帮助. 呼叫 844.411.大学(8747) 或访问查找提供商选项卡 UPHealthSystem.com.