MUM’S LOVE SAVES JAXON
THE SILENT KILLER ALL PARENTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
I WAS EXTREMELY ANGRY BECAUSE I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG BUT I WAS BEING ASSURED THIS IS WHAT BABIES DO
WATCHING her 20-month-old boy cling to life in the intensive care unit was traumatic for Micki Grant, when she found out Jaxon’s condition could be easily diagnosed.
The Townsville mother had been worried for weeks about Jaxon’s excessive thirst and the number of nappies and cot sheets she was changing every day.
Despite taking Jaxon to a number of GPS, Ms Grant said she watched her boy turn to “skin and bones” and wasn’t stopping until she got an answer.
Ms Grant said she was told by one doctor to give the toddler a suppository for his constipation, if symptoms hadn’t subsided after nine days.
“I was extremely angry because I knew something was wrong but I was being assured this is what babies do,” Ms Grant said.
“He was going to skin and bones, he stopped walking and talking.
“I was told to just feed him anything I can and give him cuddles.”
Six weeks later Jaxon was rushed critically unwell to Townsville University Hospital’s emergency department where he was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis.
Jaxon’s blood sugar levels had surged and acidic substances called ketones had built up to dangerous levels in his body.
After being told by doctors of the seriousness of Jaxon’s condition by this point, Ms Grant said it was hard to believe that her son was suffering a potentially fatal complication of type 1 diabetes.
She said recognising the symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children and having a simple finger-prick test was all it took to diagnose Jaxon’s serious condition.
MICKI GRANT
“When they said it was diabetes I was so shocked,” Ms Grant said. “I had no idea it could be that serious.
“Because Jaxon went into DKA, he lost his ability to speak and it took a long time for him to recover those toddler milestones.”
Recognising the trauma and life-altering changes the ordeal has caused the family, Ms Grant said it was critical for parents to continue pushing for an answer if symptoms were not improving.
Parents should look out for these signs, known as the 4Ts — toilet, thirsty, tired, thinner.
“I used to cry every day, every needle but it’s just life now,” she said.
“It changes your life completely, you just can’t be as free and go with the flow, everything has to be planned.”
Despite Jaxon now being a happy, healthy and energetic boy, Ms Grant said the condition still caused some havoc in their lives.
“He has to be woken up multiple times a night to eat skittles or have food if we’ve done something very energetic otherwise he could go into a coma in his sleep,” she said.
“He has to wear a continuous blood glucose monitor all the time that gets changed every week.
“When he saw Santa (the monitor) started beeping because his sugar levels went up from excitement so it’s not just food.”