'My sensor really helps, I have the freedom to do more things now'

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was eight years old, when Kaela Nolan from Dunderry started using the FreeStyle Libre sensor 18 months ago it made a huge difference to her quality of life and helps her parents monitor her blood sugar levels without having to do over 30 finger prick tests a day.

For Kaela, diabetes came on extremely suddenly without the usual warning signs of thirst or weight loss and doctors think it was probably a virus that brought it on. 
Her mother Rachel recalled how she had been healthy and active until one weekend in September 2015. Kaela played camogie on Friday night and was fine. 
However, the next day she began vomiting and while her parents initially thought it was a bug, they became increasingly worried when the next morning she seemed to be get getting a bit delirious and they contacted the doctor on call. When black mucus started coming from Kaela's nose and mouth they rushed her to A&E at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, where they found out Kaela had gone into DKA - Diabetic Ketoacidious- a very serious condition where her blood had become toxic and she was bleeding internally.
Rachel recalled that Kaela was transferred to Temple Street Children's Hospital, a journey that took four hours as they had to keep stopping on the way.
"Kaela wasn't expected to survive the journey and we were told to say our goodbyes." 
She made it to Temple Street and was put in an induced coma. Her brain started to swell and doctors were very concerned but the next day Kaela woke up.
"We thought it may have affected her. We were so blessed. She knew all of us. The first thing she asked was where Teagan, her younger sister, was." After a week in hospital, Kaela was allowed home.
Since then her mum Rachel and dad Stephen have been doing everything they can to manage Kaela's condition but it is difficult as her blood sugars fluctuate so much. 
The carbohydrates she takes in are all weighed and monitored and Kaela had required 32 finger prick blood tests a day to monitor her blood sugar levels.
In November 2016, Kaela got on the trial for the FreeStyle libre sensor and immediately it made a huge difference to her quality of life. The sensor is attached to her arm and lasts for two weeks. 
A reader can read her blood sugar level without having to do a blood test.
Rachel has also sourced a bluetooth device herself which sits on top of the sensor and takes Kaela's blood reading every five minutes and send the data to her phone and her parents phones. 
They have alarms set to alert them before Kaela's blood sugar gets to dangerous levels. 

 

Kaela has her device checked by mum Rachel

"The blood readings are only a snap shot and can be very misleading. With the libre scanning I know if she is heading up or down or is steady. This information is vital in my decision making, hugely beneficial and leads to a better outcome and quality of life for Kaela."
Rachel says it was like "a form of torture", having to do so many finger pricks and waking her during the night. Due to her exercising a lot, she has lots of high readings during exercise and lows afterwards-usually in the middle of the night.
"It was awful pricking her finger every two hours through the night, waking her up and the result on the glucose meter was only a snap shot. It didn't give me any clue as to whether she was dropping or rising, so we had to constantly check her through every single night."
Rachel explained that Kaela now has an insulin pump since last May which has also helped greatly. Between the new technologies, they have been able to greatly improve the quality of her of blood or Hba1c reading.
"Although Kaela still has her good days and bad days, her quality of life has improved hugely because of new technologies available to her. Her Hba1c has gone from 9.8 to 6.5 since getting the libre and using her pump. She is in range more than she was and we are working just as hard as we always have. The libre helps fine tune diabetes care to work with her body.
"Kaela plays camogie for Dunderry, basketball for Navan Cougars and she swims. At school she plays GAA, soccer, rounders and camogie for the school team. No child wants to come away from their game or training every 10 minutes to get their blood sugars checked. With the libre it's a quick scan.... magic!!"

Kaela with younger sister Teagan at their home in Dunderry

Kaela herself has also spoken of the benefits: "The sensor is very useful. It helps a lot. I can look at the graph and see if I need to take something. The alarm alerts if I am going too low or high. Before I had 30-40 finger pricks a day.
"I have more freedom to do more things. I was at a friend's party for the first time in nearly two years, I only realised after I had the best fun. It was the first one in over a year on my own, It was such good fun."
The sensors cost €120 per month which the Nolans have been paying for but from next month, Kaela will be able to get it for free on the Long Term Illness scheme.
"We are delighted it'll be available on LTI for her soon but wish all could get it. It costs the HSE €62.50 per year for each person to get it on LTI- to buy it ourselves it cost €120 per month. It makes a massive difference to the quality of life but the information it provides can also help control to avoid further complications. There can be many many complications with type 1 diabetes. The libre should be available to all," said Rachel.