Letter to the Editor was Published!

Published in the Kalamazoo Gazette on June 23rd:

Insulin pumps can be monitored; what's needed is a cure for diabetes
Monday, June 23, 2008
BY MICHELLE CURTIS

In the May 5 Kalamazoo Gazette there was an Associated Press article about the dangers of insulin pumps. I waited anxiously for the flood of e-mails and concerned calls, ``warning'' me that my son's insulin pump could be dangerous and cause death. Sure enough, by 9 p.m. I got my first call.

I think it is important, at this time, to explain why an insulin pump is used. My son was diagnosed when he was 2 years old, in 2000, with Type 1 diabetes. It is also known as juvenile diabetes as the majority of diagnoses take place in children.

Advertisement





Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas, through an autoimmune malfunction, is attacked by the body and stops creating insulin. Insulin is used by the body to convert sugar into energy. Insulin is a hormone required to sustain life.

At the time of diagnosis he had been drinking heavily, urinating frequently and finally sleeping non-stop. I took him to the pediatrician on a Monday afternoon to find that he had also lost a considerable amount of weight.

Our doctor sent us to the lab and by 11 p.m. that night we were rushing to Bronson Methodist Hospital as our frail 2-year-old was in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening complication of untreated diabetes mellitus.

We spent a few days in the hospital as his body chemistry was corrected with insulin and our family was taught how to give life-saving insulin injections. It was a brand new way of life. No more carefree living. We were checking blood sugars every couple of hours and giving shots at least 4 times a day. That's just the tip of the iceberg of diabetes care. Every day creates new challenges.

At night I find that in order to be at peace, I wake every three hours to check his blood sugar, just to know that he isn't too high or too low.

Every time my son wants to go outside and run around and play like other 10-year-olds, I find myself worrying about his blood sugar, almost wishing he would just sit still. Every change in activity changes insulin requirements. This leads to even more blood sugar checks and less sleep for mom.

Being 10 years old, he is going through growth spurts which can greatly increase insulin requirements.

Every time he gets an illness, especially a stomach virus, I have to play this strange game of trying to get a sick child to eat so that I can get his blood sugar elevated so that I can give him insulin, as the body needs it to stay out of DKA. Then it starts all over again. Many times with young children and occasionally with older children this leads to a hospital stay.

Six years ago, when he was 4 years old, I requested my son be put on an insulin pump. Pumping insulin, unlike injections, is more like what our pancreas would do naturally. The pump delivers very tiny doses of insulin continuously. Then when food is consumed that requires dosing, extra can easily be delivered.

This eliminates at least four insulin shots daily and replaces them with one infusion set insertion every three days. The infusion set puts a tiny Teflon or metal catheter under the skin. This is where the insulin is delivered. We have found that using an insulin pump has made life with diabetes a little easier and less scheduled.

The problem with pumping insulin is that if there is a problem with the delivery of insulin it can become life threatening. Insulin is a lifesaver to my son. Without it he will die. If blood sugars are not regularly monitored, at least four times a day, a problem with delivery of insulin can go unnoticed and DKA, possibly leading to death, can occur. In the reverse, if too much insulin is given, via pump or injections, hypoglycemia can occur resulting in seizures and possible death. So whether pumping or injecting insulin, Type 1 diabetes is dangerous.

The point I really want to make is that having Type 1 diabetes is dangerous. Let's not focus on the delivery method but rather getting a cure for this disease. Very little has really changed in the treatment of diabetes since the discovery of insulin in 1921 by Frederick Banting and Charles Best. We have great technology as far as delivery and management, but we really need a cure. Insulin is not a cure.

Michelle Curtis is a resident of

Lawton.