RUSHED to hospital and treated immediately, Tyler Mackersey, 10, was close to a diabetic coma.
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Outwardly, there appeared little wrong other than his increased thirst and urination that his mum, Megan, had put down to dehydration.
Luckily, their Medowie neighbour Susan Patten recognised the signs of juvenile diabetes and suggested a finger prick test.
A blood glucose level between 4 and 6 is considered normal.
“It came back as 50 – that’s extremely dangerous – we’re lucky he didn’t fall into a diabetic coma,” Mrs MacKersey said.
“We only waited 10 minutes [in triage] before they took Tyler straight in. They injected him with five or six needles straight away.”
While dramatic it’s not an uncommon story for the families of children diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes, also described as Type 1. Unlike Type 2 diabetes the complex condition is not linked to dietary factors but it is increasingly common.
Tyler lost six kilograms in just days but the keen rugby player has all but put it back on in the weeks since his diagnosis and treatment.
The Mackersay family is the third on Carnoustie Way touched by Type 1. The Patten family, four doors up, said it was a timely reminder during National Diabetes Week, July 10 to 16.
“My heart sank knowing what this diagnosis meant for their family. I spent the night crying,” Mrs Patten said.
Children with the condition must measure their kilojoule intake to prevent dangerous blood sugar spikes. That’s matched with frequent finger prick tests and insulin injections.
“They can’t just eat when they want anymore,” Mrs Patten said.
“You even have to get up in the night to make sure they’re still breathing.”
The repercussions vary from the mildly annoying to dangerous.
“Sometimes my boy Alex [15] will be grumpy,” Mrs Patten said.
“But I say to him ‘go do your blood sugar’ before I’ll tell him off. They can be hungry.”
If mismanaged the condition can lead to vision loss and poor circulation requiring amputations. The national incidence of Type 1 is 3.2 per cent and growing.
“Tyler is the seventh who has passed through Wirreanda Public in five years,” Mrs Patten said.
