Mightier than Type One : Day 13. Didn't post yesterday as Malaika's pump failed TWICE. A pump failure is a very dangerous thing for a type one diabetic. A non diabetic's pancreas secretes very small amounts of insulin to the blood stream. Malaika's pump acts as her pancreas Insulin plays a critical role in the body. It allows cells to absorb the glucose in the blood so that the body can use it for energy. When there’s no insulin to take that glucose out of the blood, high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) results. The body will also start burning fatty acids for energy, since it can’t get that energy from glucose. To make fatty acids usable for energy, the liver has to convert them into ketones, and these ketones make the blood more acidic. A condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) happens when acid levels get too high in the blood. DKA also often leads to the overproduction and release of hormones like glucagon and adrenaline. All the symptoms of DKA are signs of the chaos the body is thrown into as it tries to compensate for all these hormonal and chemical imbalances Malaika spent the evening with massively high ketones and high blood sugar so I spent the evening and most of the night trying to get them both to a normal level. She had 3 cannula changes yesterday and 2 insulin injections and as these cause her distress, it added to her state. Type one diabetes is not just insulin injections twice a day. It's life or death every day. #MissionFindACure #10000kmIn2017 total km 232.04/10000 #MissionFindACure January steps 227910/542000 http://ift.tt/2iyeDJM #MilesForMalaika