By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
CALEDONIA — Colleen Bazuin of Caledonia has spent 2021 getting a crash course in the difficulties of raising a diabetic child after her daughter Alyssa, 11, was diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic last winter.
While there was no family history of Type 1 diabetes, Bazuin and a family member, both nurses, decided to test Alyssa’s blood sugar levels based on the symptoms they were seeing.
Her levels came back three times higher than normal, prompting the family to rush her to McMaster Hospital. She was admitted to the Pediatric ICU for several days and diagnosed: “Type 1 is in no way caused by diet or lifestyle. It is an autoimmune disorder that a person is born with, and manifests at some point in their lifetime,” said Bazuin.
Type 1 diabetics take a synthetic form of insulin via injection or through a pump. Glucose levels are affected by both sugar and carbohydrates. Ensuring those levels remain stable can be a full-time job for a diabetic or their caregiver. Some risks a diabetic can face when their levels are too low include an increased risk of ulcers, peripheral vascular disease, kidney failure, heart disease, stroke, and vision damage.
Traditionally, testing is done with finger poke blood tests.
However the recent development of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) devices has opened the door to a more normal life and significantly reduced risk levels.
John Whitehead, a representative of the group Type 1 Together, broke down how the devices work: “CGMs are sensors placed on the body with a filament just under the skin that measures your glucose levels every five minutes. This information allows someone with diabetes to be much more proactive in their management.”
Bazuin added of the device, “Alyssa is able to safely attend school, play hockey, spend time with her friends, and live as normal a life as possible despite her diagnosis. I am able to receive real-time readings and alerts from her device and be in contact immediately if intervention is needed, and she can have the freedom and ability to live as a normal 11-year-old instead of having to shoulder the additional responsibility of constantly monitoring her own sugar levels by poking her finger.”
During the day, there are noticeable signs that glucose levels are off, but at night a diabetic can often sleep through warning signs, leading to an increased risk of a hypoglycemic event, possibly leading to death. This happens with enough frequency that it has earned the unsettling term ‘dead in bed’. However, with the use of a CGM device connected to an app, Whitehead believes these deaths could be virtually eliminated.
Despite how much these devices can help a diabetic, they are not currently covered under public health coverage in Ontario, with a first attempt to get widespread OHIP coverage voted down. The cost of a device is roughly $300 to $340 per month, due to the need to change the sensors every seven to 10 days.
“The Ontario government is falling behind other provinces as the Yukon, Quebec, and British Columbia cover all ages and Manitoba and Saskatchewan have now started coverage with age restrictions,” said Whitehead, noting that Type 1 Together Ontario has been running a Twitter campaign tagging officials, in addition to a rally October 7 at the Legislature building.
“It takes discipline and education to truly know the damage uncontrolled sugars can have,” said Bazuin. “We need our government to step up and provide coverage for all.”
Currently in Ontario, the only way to get funding for a CGM device is through the Ontario Disability Support Plan (ODSP), with a flash monitor device known as a Libre available through OHIP+. Whitehead commented on the irony of the current requirements: “We must become disabled to get a CGM, but having a CGM helps prevent us from becoming disabled.”
Bazuin noted that because her family has a private benefits plan, Alyssa also does not qualify for OHIP+, meaning none of her expenses are covered: “We have to pay several hundred dollars a month out of pocket for her CGM, or else be forced to wake up every two to three hours at minimum throughout each and every night to prick her finger for a glucose reading and hope that she does not experience an episode of hypoglycemia in the time between.”
Those interested in joining the effort to increase coverage for CGM devices can do so by visiting type1together.ca.
