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Michaela Elizabeth Butler
Born March 11 2000
She was 7 pounds 2 ounces of perfect and healthy . She had the normal childhood illnesses, chicken pox, tonsil removal but nothing that other children didn't experience as well.
The summer of 2011, Michaela had lost a lot of weight, but we thought she was going thru a growing spurt. Michaela came home from school one day complaining of a headache and blurred vision. I took her to Deconess Gateway where our lives would forever change. God was on our side that night because there was a Doctor whom agreed to keep her there at Gateway and not send her to another hospital. She spent a week in the hospital and lots of education for us to learn our new normal. Aug. 16, 2011 our lives changes forever when she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.
As, Michaela continue on life her diabetes was not your typical case for a newly diagnosed diabetic. Her sugar levels stayed in the high range and changing her insulin dose wasn't helping her maintain normal levels, Also, during this time Sept 30,2011 Michaela's appendix had to be removed because the sugar levels where to high and caused rupture . While recovering for this her levels where still very hard to maintain. Many insulin changes where made with no avail. We continued the best we could to keep Michaela active and going. She was involved in cheer and school activities to be with her peers as much as possible.
Feb 16,2012 Michaela was sent to the hospital again with pains in her stomach we learned that she was full of gallstones at this time, that would require another surgery. Also, we learned that a lot of Type 1 Diabetic's have gallbladder issues. However, this was something that usually doesn't happen for many years and with in months Michaela's body had already made over 14 plus stones. Michaela continued with this Doctor for about 6 months when he felt that something wasn't right and wanted to refer her to Vanderbilt Children Hospital where they could do more research and testing that this hospital didn't have the ability to do.
We made our first trip to Vanderbilt where they were for sure they could get us on track. Many test later they found that Michaela's body wasn't responding to any insulin changes and that were made and her body was resisting the insulin. The only problem was at her age and a newly diagnosed diabetic this was unheard of. They made it very clear that this was not a text book case for a child with Type 1 Diabetes. More test were completed and it was verified Michaela was in fact insulin resistant which was why her body wasn't responding to any amount of insulin.
Michaela was in and out of the hospital many times over the first couple of years. She wasn't able to attend school many days because her sugar was to high. She was not able to get out of bed, very sick and deranged at times.
We tired the insulin pump but we where having to give her as many manual correction shots as the pump was giving her so the took us off the pump and continued us on the shots. Some days she would get 6-12 shots a day just to keep her sugar down but never under control. We maintained the best we could with what Vanderbilt was doing and what we were doing at home.
January of 2014 her little body was just getting tired. Michaela has cheered & played softball since she was 4 years old but with her sugar levels over 600 many days and her heart rate and blood pressure now high they doctors stopped all physical activity the diabetes was causing more issues then they knew what to do with all test that were done all came back to diabetes. But no matter what we did with the insulin increase we still could get no control on her sugar her now her heart rate that stays over 100 at all times now. Michaela felt as though she was not a normal child now that all the things she loved and knew as normal were taken from her. Then the biggest change of all, Michaela was taking out of school and placed on home bound. Her daily routine now consist of Vanderbilt Cardiologist, Gastrologist Liver Specialist and sugar checks; not your typical teenagers day.
Michaela has returned to school for her freshman year but her body still isnt able to handle it. Michaela once again had to return to homebound ½ days and sometimes full time the school has been very good able her flexibility of being in school. Some days she isn't able to get out of bed her body is so worn down. Michaela's Primary Care doctor can see the decrease in her body and her vital organ and has referred her to the Mayo Clinic. They don't except everyone but with by a miracle Michaela was accepted. The doctors at the Mayo Clinic recognize what the diabetes is doing to Michaela at such a young age they feel that we must get her there to try and figure out why her body will not respond to insulin and her organs are now showing signs of distress. Her testing with the Mayo clinic in Rochester, MN is 5-8 days and have been prepared to be there up to a month in order to figure out whats going on.
God has answered our prayers and we are hoping that he has opened up a door to help Michaela regain her life and her activities that she chooses to do.