• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

Parent of a newly diagnosed T, feeling lost!

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
P

Pickles

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
So we went on holiday 2 weeks ago and half way through the first week our son started to feel "funny" (his own words). By the weekend he was in hospital with blood sugars of 28.5 & ketones of 4.5 & we were being told lots of information from lots of different people which was necessary yet baffling. We've got through the first week but now he's starting to feel better I think it's really hit him that this is forever & hubby caught him trying to take 2 biscuits upstairs, how do I get through to him that he can't do this,:( without absolutely terrifying him please?
 
Hi Pickles. How old is he? Type 1?
Type two on metformin only myself, and can only give general adive.
He may be able to have the odd biscuit. It comes down to his levels & insulin. If you both can establish a routine with recording his levels, and work from there.
There's a power thing that goes on with food. Even for non diabetics. If he feels he's got some control or choice in his diet it may help.
 
Hi Pickles, sorry to hear about your son's diagnosis.

I think the best way of helping your son understand what he can eat and when would be to involve him in meal planning and cooking and incorporating snacks into that. You didn't say how old your son is, but if he is old enough to help calculating the carbohydrates in a recipe and thus per portion he will start to learn how the foods he eats make him feel.

Biscuits etc are fine as the occasional treat and you can calculate any necessary insulin to cope with such a treat. It's probably best for the first few months to ditch the biccies and such like and give your son snacks which will not raise his blood sugar - for example some nuts or a babybel cheese. Get him used to the different things he can have on a daily basis. Maybe the whole family can join in with the no biscuits situation so he doesn't feel "different" - the bonus being everyone will be having better snacks!

I suspect that your son might be wanting the foods he has previously eaten because he is feeling better - he will soon learn to listen to his body and understand what the food he is eating is doing for him.

I'm newly diagnosed myself and it is a bit on the daunting side even for an adult so I can only imagine what it must be like for a child. There are plenty of good people on this site who will be able to chat with you - you are not alone. Have you checked the "Parent" forum here?
 
Pickles said:
So we went on holiday 2 weeks ago and half way through the first week our son started to feel "funny" (his own words). By the weekend he was in hospital with blood sugars of 28.5 & ketones of 4.5 & we were being told lots of information from lots of different people which was necessary yet baffling. We've got through the first week but now he's starting to feel better I think it's really hit him that this is forever & hubby caught him trying to take 2 biscuits upstairs, how do I get through to him that he can't do this,:( without absolutely terrifying him please?
Click to expand...
It must be such a huge shock for you all. I can't help as no experience of this but know there are many support groups on facebook of parents with children who are type one. I can imagine it is a roller coaster of emotions and you all need support in different ways.

As Storm said there is the parents forum here also which would have many parents in your situation. Maybe there is a local group and you can meet other parents which could help with your understandable concerns.

With biscuits and treats there are many low carb alternatives and if he knew what was ok for him that may help. Most of all it is about taking baby steps and knowing you are all doing your best.

I send all my support and do ask anything here, this is a very friendly knowledgeable forum.
 
Hi, im a newbie to this site as my son was only diagnosed on Friday with type 1.
I can't offer advice yet, just a lot of good luck with your journey, knowing your not alone x
 
Welcome to the forum Pickles. A lot depends on the age of your son and what insulin regime he is using. If he's on flexible basal bolus regime, then there's no reason why he can't have a couple of biscuits upstairs. In fact, it's a good idea to have emergency food (typically dextrose tablets, which are horrible, jelly sweets, which are much more pleasant) in every room, as moving around, especially up or downstairs when hypoglycaemic is unwise and potentially unsafe.
 
Sorry to hear about your son's diagnosis, it's such a lot to come to terms with, it must be especially hard for kids and their parents. You'll find good advice and support on here 🙂 not necessarily from me though as I'm only a year into this journey myself and am still learning and trying to tame the big fiery dragon that is D 😱
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top