Man Raises T1D Awareness on World Diabetes Day | Area News

“I think my mother knew what it was,” Mann said, pointing out that he wanted to be diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago. “But I didn’t understand exactly what was going on.”

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the human pancreas stops producing insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar levels.

According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, T1D develops when insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells are accidentally destroyed by the body’s immune system. The cause is still unknown, but scientists believe the cause may have genetic and environmental factors.

“They only did a finger sting and my blood sugar. My blood sugar was 280, so I found it pretty quickly,” Mann recalled. “So I caught it early, so I was very lucky that it didn’t do much damage.”

After that, it was a “whirlwind”. Mann’s parents, Gale and Gerald Ingalls, took her to Wichita to meet an endocrinologist who treats hormone-related conditions. She said she was lucky because her family already had some knowledge and background about the disease.

She said that not everyone was so lucky.

About 1.6 million people live in T1D in the United States, and 64,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. This is about 175 new cases every day. Mann’s was discovered early, but some children have serious symptoms and can go to the emergency room.

Symptoms and warning signs of T1D often appear suddenly: drowsiness and lethargy, extreme thirst, frequent urination, fruity odor of breathing, increased appetite, severe breathing or dyspnea, sudden weight loss, sudden changes in vision , Sugar in urine, stray, etc. Or unconscious.

Some of these symptoms can mimic the symptoms of the flu.

“This is a very common illness, but some people are unaware of the symptoms,” Mann said. “There are symptoms that I think will get worse during the flu season. If you just keep an eye on your children and you feel something is wrong, getting them to diagnose is a very simple test. .. I’m grateful that my parents were on it, but unfortunately that’s not always the result. “

Mann said acclimatizing to life as a 15-year-old diabetic can be frustrating at times. Her parents forced her to take the reins in many ways, but for teenagers who hate needles, it was a time of trial.

Nearly 19 years later, the treatment of T1D has changed dramatically. Mann once had to give an insulin injection. She is currently using an insulin pump to administer insulin. She has Dexcom instead of stabbing her finger to check her blood sugar. This is a continuous glucose monitoring system that does not require finger sticks.

“It was life-changing,” she said. “I also have it on my phone.”

Even her husband, Jared, can receive warnings about Mann’s sugar. It’s not uncommon for a man to receive a text or phone call to make sure he’s okay on a particular day.

Mann can also help manage diabetes through exercise, but she said that even if you do all the same from one day to the next, your body’s insulin response can be completely different. ..

“There are definitely days when I’m very frustrated because my body may not be reacting in the same way,” she said. “Sometimes I don’t want to have diabetes, but I’ll look at it in the long run. I have a boy who wants to be healthy, so I try to stay focused on it. “

Man, who teaches in elementary school, does a lot of work with Kentschna Kenberg and Team Shunack for the recognition of diabetes in the classroom. She enjoys taking him to school for rallies because he helps children understand diabetes at different levels.

“He’s amazing,” she said. “I think he’s just a great supporter.”

Mann said there are still hard days after living with diabetes for a long time. It can be frustrating at the time, but she says it’s important to remember the good things you can do to keep moving forward.

“As a diabetics, I think it’s important to know that you’re going to have those bad days,” she said. “Blood sugar does not determine how you use it, as long as you do your best to control it.”