A Diabetic Patient

One of my favorite moms was in the office yesterday.  She was still smiling, despite the fact that her three-year-old son was diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes earlier this month.  I hadn't seen her nor him since their hospitalization over the Fourth of July weekend, and thankfully, she was in good spirits.  I couldn't think of much else to say except to reassure her that she was in good hands in the care of the pediatric endocrinology group that I love.  We talked about how her son would likely live a long full life, especially with all the recent advances in diabetes care and research.  I reminded her of the million other diagnoses that would have been infinitely worse, like leukemia or lymphoma.  If I were in her place though, I'm not sure I would have found that statement all that consoling.  Diabetes does take over every aspect of a child's life, from what time he can have a snack, what the snack should be, whether he got too much insulin for the two bites of diiner he ate.  If this had been Max, and there is something about this little patient's smile and pudgy legs that remind me of Max, I don't know how I would be coping.