The newest US senator from Texas had a medical emergency a few years ago that was spurred by his political campaign trail — and it led to a diagnosis of a disease with no cure.
“I was lucky to be alive. The nurses and the doctors in Williamson County saved my life,” James Talarico said in a recent CNN & Jubilee town hall.
“I was perfectly healthy and I decided to do something a little unusual,” he said, recalling when he first ran for the Texas House of Representatives in 2018.
“I decided to walk the entire length of my legislative district … It was 25 miles, I did the whole thing on foot all in one day, all in the Texas heat, and I helped three town halls along that walk.”
He wasn’t worried about his ability to do it, as he hiked in Big Bend National Park every year, he said. This walk was comparatively flat.
“But halfway through the walk I started to feel fatigued and nauseous. [I] actually threw up a couple times along the walk,” he said. “Somehow I finished it. I went home. I figured I was dehydrated and I just needed a good night’s sleep.”
But he didn’t wake for a full 36 hours. His family took him to the emergency room, where nurses tested his blood sugar.
After fasting, normal blood sugar would be under 100 mg/dL. Talarico’s was 900 mg/dL.
“I was in a state of diabetic ketoacidosis, which leads to coma and death without insulin,” he said. “I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on the spot.” I was lucky to be alive. The nurses and the doctors in Williamson County saved my life.”
What is type 1 diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use it properly. That causes sugar to build up in the bloodstream instead of entering cells to be used for energy.
Over time, that high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and nerves, leading to potential complications like heart disease, kidney disease, vision loss and nerve damage.
While type 2 diabetes is more common in later adulthood and linked to lifestyle factors, type 1 typically starts in childhood — and until the last decade, was referred to as juvenile-onset diabetes. The exact causes are unknown.
Meanwhile, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) can be life-threatening and often the first sign someone has diabetes. The body isn’t getting the glucose it needs, forcing it to burn fat instead of glucose. This floods the system with acidic chemicals called ketones.
If there are too much ketones, the blood becomes acidic, which causes vomiting and abdominal pain. If acidity levels keep rising, DKA can cause falling blood pressure, coma, and death.
It all can happen in a few hours. They might pee more often, be extremely thirsty, have dry mouth, cool skin, and be nauseous or vomit as Talarico did.
At the hospital, people with DKA will get IV fluids to treat dehydration and insulin therapy to lower blood sugar.
People with type 1 diabetes, the less common form caused by genetics and environmental factors, are more at risk for DKA. Those with type 2 diabetes are less likely to get DKA.
While diabetes has no cure, it’s considered to be a chronic, manageable condition. Diabetics track their blood sugar and use tools like medication, insulin therapy, diet and exercise to regulate it.
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