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Mom Tells Parents to “Trust Your Gut” After Toddler’s Scary E.R. Visit

“I’m sharing this because what we could’ve written off as being due to warmer weather and being an active toddler literally could’ve killed our son.”
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By Nehal Aggarwal, Editor
Published July 14, 2021
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After a scary trip to the emergency room with her toddler, one mom is sharing her story to encourage parents to trust their gut and call the pediatrician if something seems off with their children.

Two weeks ago, Courtney Moore noticed her son Maddox was thirstier than usual and slimming down a bit, but she didn’t think anything of it because he’s an active toddler and because it had been very hot outside. She then noticed, however, his overnight diapers were becoming soaked and phoned his pediatrician—and his diagnosis caught her by surprise.

The pediatrician told Moore that Maddox had Type 1 diabetes and was experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious complication with diabetes in which the body makes excess ketones, making the blood more acidic. She immediately took Maddox to the emergency room where he was treated.

She took to Facebook to share her story in hopes that other parents will trust their instincts and to seek help if something seems off with their kids. “I’m sharing this because what we could’ve written off as being due to warmer weather and being an active toddler literally could’ve killed our son,” she wrote in the post.

According to TODAY Parents, before phoning her pediatrician, Moore tried posting on social media and asking other moms for advice, most of whom said to “double up on diapers.”

“We literally tried everything, every brand we could think of, and nothing was working. He would wake up drenched in his pee. It was all over his crib. It was just awful,” she told the outlet.

In her Facebook post, Moore explains that she had a gut feeling that something was off and decided to phone their pediatrician, who ordered blood work. Shortly after, they received several calls letting them know his glucose level was 684, way higher than the normal range of low 100s, and needed to be taken to the E.R. immediately. “Maddox was treated for DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) and ultimately diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It’s been a long couple of days but we are forever grateful to the incredible PICU and Pediatric staff at Kaiser for saving his life. We’re happy to be home and are adjusting to our new lives with our little warrior! Moral of the story parents, pay attention to your kids and trust your gut. We got very lucky,” she wrote.

At the hospital, the doctors rehydrated Maddox, as he had urinated out most of the water he was drinking, and gave him insulin, which he will need to take throughout his life.

“His blood sugars were so high that it could be damaging to him. The first thing they wanted to do was to get him out of that danger zone, the diabetic ketoacidosis,” Moore told TODAY Parents. “You never think it’s going to be your kid. I just started thinking of him having to deal with this in elementary school and potentially getting made fun of. I was like, ‘OK I need to focus just one day at a time. Right now, I have a 16 month old boy who is starting to feel better. He’s not going to know any different.”

She told the outlet Maddox is much better and hopes her story will encourage parents to trust their gut when it comes to their kids’ health. “I just worry about other parents who have kids that have these exact same symptoms who do the same thing I did like ‘It’s hot weather’ or ‘They’re going through a growth spurt,’” she said. “It seems like something that we could have continued to push off and it could have killed him.”

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.

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