J. J. is a 12-year-old, independent, type one diabetic; diagnosed at five years old. Her experience of being diagnosed was a difficult and almost fatal one. It all started when J. J. got a bad ear infection and had an accident, which was extremely abnormal for her, since she was already potty trained. The doctor put her on amoxicillin, and a week later she came down with a rash. J. J.’s mother brought her to the doctor, and he thought she had mono. They did a mono blood test and the results came back negative, however, the doctor was sure it was mono. He told J. J.’s mother to stop giving her the amoxicillin and that the symptoms would subside. She stopped taking the antibiotic, however, J. J. symptoms got worse. She was frequently thirsty,
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This process of breaking down fats instead of carbohydrates, results in the body creating substances called ketones. Too high of a ketone level makes the blood acidic, which can result in a serious complication called Diabetic Ketoacidosis (ADA, 2015). In J. J.’s situation her blood sugar was 695, and she was in Diabetic Ketoacidosis. She was airlifted to Children’s Hospital, where she stayed a week. Currently, J. J. has a continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump. The student, started using the CGM in August, and it tests her blood sugar every five minutes. When her blood sugar is too high or too low, it alerts her as well as texts her mother. J. J. monitors her blood sugar closely, and can effectively count carbohydrates. J. J. is mostly independent, except, when she needs to go to the nurse’s office due to feeling like she has a high or low blood sugar. J. J. states, “my stomach aches when I have a high blood sugar” (personal communication, September 21, 2016). J. J. is developmentally on track for a 12-year-old, and she enjoys the company of her mother, sister, and her …show more content…
Insulin’s function is to regulate the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates by promoting absorption of glucose from the blood into the fat and skeletal muscle tissues. When someone takes in carbohydrates, their blood glucose level increases; causing the beta cells in the pancreas to produce insulin. In type 1 diabetes, the beta cells are destroyed, and are unable to produce insulin to bring down the blood sugar levels. Therefore, these patients will be prescribed supplemental insulin. Type 1 diabetes has two subgroups; type 1A immune mediated diabetes and type 1B idiopathic diabetes. Type 1A is the most common form for diabetes type 1; which results from the autoimmune system attacking the beta cells of the pancreas. The cause of type 1A is either a viral infection, exposure to a toxic agent, or the patient having certain gene(s) on chromosome 6. Type 1B diabetes is characterized by destruction of beta-cells without autoimmune markers. Type 1B is idiopathic; meaning the cause is unknown (Miller, 2010). During a conversation with J. J.’s mother about what she believes caused her daughter’s diabetes, she stated, “the doctor’s think the ear infection kick started J. J.’s diabetes” (personal communication, October 26, 2016). Therefore, leading the student nurse, T. Z., to believe that J. J. may have diabetes mellitus type
This process of breaking down fats instead of carbohydrates, results in the body creating substances called ketones. Too high of a ketone level makes the blood acidic, which can result in a serious complication called Diabetic Ketoacidosis (ADA, 2015). In J. J.’s situation her blood sugar was 695, and she was in Diabetic Ketoacidosis. She was airlifted to Children’s Hospital, where she stayed a week. Currently, J. J. has a continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump. The student, started using the CGM in August, and it tests her blood sugar every five minutes. When her blood sugar is too high or too low, it alerts her as well as texts her mother. J. J. monitors her blood sugar closely, and can effectively count carbohydrates. J. J. is mostly independent, except, when she needs to go to the nurse’s office due to feeling like she has a high or low blood sugar. J. J. states, “my stomach aches when I have a high blood sugar” (personal communication, September 21, 2016). J. J. is developmentally on track for a 12-year-old, and she enjoys the company of her mother, sister, and her …show more content…
Insulin’s function is to regulate the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates by promoting absorption of glucose from the blood into the fat and skeletal muscle tissues. When someone takes in carbohydrates, their blood glucose level increases; causing the beta cells in the pancreas to produce insulin. In type 1 diabetes, the beta cells are destroyed, and are unable to produce insulin to bring down the blood sugar levels. Therefore, these patients will be prescribed supplemental insulin. Type 1 diabetes has two subgroups; type 1A immune mediated diabetes and type 1B idiopathic diabetes. Type 1A is the most common form for diabetes type 1; which results from the autoimmune system attacking the beta cells of the pancreas. The cause of type 1A is either a viral infection, exposure to a toxic agent, or the patient having certain gene(s) on chromosome 6. Type 1B diabetes is characterized by destruction of beta-cells without autoimmune markers. Type 1B is idiopathic; meaning the cause is unknown (Miller, 2010). During a conversation with J. J.’s mother about what she believes caused her daughter’s diabetes, she stated, “the doctor’s think the ear infection kick started J. J.’s diabetes” (personal communication, October 26, 2016). Therefore, leading the student nurse, T. Z., to believe that J. J. may have diabetes mellitus type