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Have I lost my little girl?

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J

Jacqkie

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
My Daughter is nearly 7 and has had Type 1 for 14 weeks. Has anybody else found that it has changed their child? Annabelle has become a very angry child. She throws things, calls me names, won't do as she is told and really hates having her insulin. Is this how it is going to be or do things ger better?
I love her so much but I miss by little girl.
 
Oh Jacqkie, so sorry to hear this. Other parents will be able to advise you better, but I don't think this s uncommon in the earlier stages after diagnosis. Her blood sugar levels will probably have been fluctuating a lot and this can drastically affect moods, especially when it is all new. Plus there is the new and not very pleasant routine of testing and injecting.

From what I have heard elsewhere, it will get better and you WILL get your little girl back - hope it happens soon.
 
I was diagnosed at 13 and was nearly exactly the same.
It was devastating for me, I was too old for it but a very good paediatric diabetes team (if you have access to one) is what is needed.
They will be able to explain things in a child understandable way.
I was basicly still a child and being told I have a disease etc, It is not very nice being told things like that, Positives need to be got from it but I am not a professional in these matters.
It does get better though, trust me, but it took a long time.
 
Sorry i dont have any advise but just wanted to say how horrible it must be to see your daughter so angry about her diabetes, i suppose we will have this all to come as our son was only diagnosed 3 weeks ago and hes so laid back about everything and at the moment just taking it in his stride..so i will watch this thread with interest.

I hope she comes back soon.

Paula x
 
so sorry to hear she's feeling like this. i think everyone above has said everything i could think of - this has got to be a tough time for her, she's got to accept this new way of life.

i know a couple of people on here were diagnosed around the same age - it might be worth getting her to have a chat to them? i know Sam was diagnosed aged 8.
 
Jacqkie said:
My Daughter is nearly 7 and has had Type 1 for 14 weeks. Has anybody else found that it has changed their child? Annabelle has become a very angry child. She throws things, calls me names, won't do as she is told and really hates having her insulin. Is this how it is going to be or do things ger better?
I love her so much but I miss by little girl.
Click to expand...

Hi Jacqkie

I'm so sorry this is happening I really feel for you and your daughter. This could be a number of things though. The injections for a start hurt for young child. They don't want needles, and why the hell would they. You can deal with this one. We used to have a goody bag. I would by hair bits, kiddies jewellery, you know the cheap stuff in Sainsburys or Asda or Claires, after a day of injections or each injection if its that bad, however you want to work it, she gets a dip in the goody bag, lucky dip style so she doesn't know what is in there. You could put ?1 coins in as well maybe, anything.

She be very upset she has diabetes, at 7 she probably understands more then people give her credit for (not you of course but people at school etc). It will settle down, you may have banned sweets for a bit of whatever you are doing so again bribery is a great thing (you will be so surprised at how many parents I know who use bribery for this type 1 children, it doesn't last long as they move on to the next thing).

Most importantly though is how are her blood sugars? If she is high she will be a different person, she could well be angry and moody and not know why herself. The same for hypos. Hypos are abit easier to deal with as you can treat them but hypers are a whole other kettle of fish.

What injection regime is she on? I have all my fingers crossed that she is on MDI (BB) which is multiple dily injections (also known as basal/bolus). This would be either one injection of Lantus Glargine or Levemir and then three injections at meal times normally of Novorapid.

If they have put your daughter on two mixed injections then we need to talk again :(

You are also no doubt in some kind of mourning. Horrid thing to say but ask all the parents here, they have all and are going through that. You are mourning your healthy child who used to be bubbly, happy etc etc. Your daughter is so newly diagnosed you are still coming to terms with this as is she. Don't beat yourself up that you are unsure of stuff, its perfectly normal for everyone in your situation.

Ask anything, no question is ever a silly questions.

Take care
 
graham was very irritable when he was diagnosed now only when he is high maybe she is not settle and she does not understand what happened when grahams friends can have sweet stuff he gets really angry and he sais "i wish i wasnot diabetic my friends are not diabetic!! dont worry too much i am sure she will go back how she was before the diagnoses all the best daniela
 
heya hun. I'm really sorry to hear about your daughter. Like Shiv said, I was diagnosed at age 8 and can really empathise with what she's going through. Being a child with diabetes is very very difficult, there's so much to take in that the child may not exactly understand. Injections and blood testing aren't exactly the nicest things to do either and its likely that she is placing them with the thought of this horrible disease and how bad it is rather than something that will help her in the long run. Like Northe said, fluctuating blood sugars can seriously affect mood swings so that may be half the reason why she is being this way. I know that just after diagnosis I was exactly the same with my mum. My moods and attitude towards her were horrific.

But I promise you, she doesn't mean any of it. She will come out of it, but you just have to be there for her and let her fight it out. Diabetes is difficult, all you can do is be the best mum ever, offer plenty of hugs and advice. I promise you you'll get your daughter back, she's certainly not lost.

If you need any more advice with anything, please feel free to PM me 🙂 *hug*
 
i would imagine it's all very confusing for her as well. i mean, if you read some of the posts on the forum, even those of us who have had type 1 for many years still get things wrong/don't understand certain things; so for her it must be very confusing.
 
OMG this made me cry. I can't offer any more advice than others have already given you as I don't have a child with diabetes (I'm type 1) but I do have children and can only imagine how distressing it is for you and for her having to deal with everything. It's a big thing for an adult, never mind a 7 year old, there must be lots of changes that she has to cope with so no wonder she's reacting to them. I hope things get better for you both soon, and I'm sure your little girl will be back, it just may take a while for her to adjust. x
 
Hi there, this made me sad too :(

However there is a lot of support out there, for parents and for children. Once she is a little more settled (it's early days) I suggested getting in touch with Diabetes UK as they do support weekends that are fun for the kids and helps them to know they are not the only ones...also there may be a group in ure local area.

All ideas for in time...hope its useful...sending u lots of hugs xxx
 
Hello there

Sorry to hear this is so difficult...but as others have said, not surprised. It's a bit grim, really...

I remember clearly that for a couple of months, maybe longer, after my son's diagnosis he was moody at odd times. He's never been particularly angry about having type 1, but he was certainly very moody and out of control... Much of this seemed to be down to hugely swinging levels...I remember crying when he finally had two or three days when his levels weren't all over the place, and suddenly we glimpsed him again...For us, it was that dramatic.

His levels are hugely better now, partly down to us having a better idea what we are doing, and partly down to him being on the pump... He also has got better at dealing with the swings, understanding what they are about rather than just reacting to them.

These things will get better, they really will. Meanwhile, please do always come on this forum for help and support, and know that we have some idea what this is like for you and your family.

All best wishes.
 
Annabelle regime

Annabelle has two injections. The first one before breakfast is 1.5 novorapid and 11 insulatard. The second one is before her tea and is 2.5 novorapid and 4.5 insulatard. Annabelle has been on two injections since day one and has been on the above quantities for 7 weeks now. We are visiting the clinic next week. I would appreciate your thoughts. x
 
I cant give any advice sorry.... but im sending you a big Mum HUG XX
 
Hi Jacqkie

What are Annabelle's blood glucose levels like? Is she in range of 4-8 mmols much?

Generally two injections a day can be difficult but not impossible to manage, from what I gather. She *is* young, and there are issues with schools etc...So again from what I gather diabetes teams are sometimes hesitant to start children on the kind of daily injection system which has several injections -- long-acting insulin separated out from quick acting, called MDI.

However, and I think Adrienne and other parents will agree -- two injections a day is usually very difficult number-wise. This could go some way to explaining why it's taking a while for her to settle down.

I confess too that I'm a little horrified that she's been on the same doses for so long...at the beginning of my son's treatment, we spoke to nurse every day and made adjustments very often...What's your support like generally?

Don't get me wrong -- the doses may be okay for her overall -- but my guess is that at this stage her needs are changing fast while her body tries to deal with all this, and you and your family do too...

Hang in there!

A site you may want to visit is childrenwithdiabetes.co.uk . They have a very active email group, and there you will find it populated by parents who ALL have children with type 1 and various regimes and concerns. I find that the two -- this site, and that email group -- work so well together!
 
hi i suggest like Adrienne already mentioned to go on multyple injection graham was on 2 injection about 6 months but i did not know any different until i met another mum MDI are a lot better
 
Hello! My daughter is 6 and a half and was diagnosed 4 months ago, so she's in a similar situation to yours. She's injecting Mixtard 30 twice a day (currently 11 units in the morning and 5 at night, but it has changed a few times in the last few months). We have times when she is VERY angry and upset about her diabetes, the injections, having to eat when she doesn't want to and wait till sensible times for her treats, but she is now adjusting well, and I am starting to see more of the "old F" and less of the "angry diabetic F".

When she was diagnosed, I asked a friend whose daughter was diagnosed with type 1 at age 4 whether his little girl would write to F and tell her about how she copes with it. It helped her a lot. If you think your daughter would like it, I'm sure F would be happy to email her. She loves having new friends to write to.

I'm afraid there will be times when your daughter finds the diabetes hard to cope with, and the rebellions will start again, but I'm sure you haven't totally "lost" the original girl. She's simply hiding behind the frightened, worried, confused little girl that you're currently seeing. Just keep loving her, making sure she knows that you still love her, that she will still be able to do her usual things and that you can live a pretty much normal life with diabetes, and you will probably find that she starts to calm down a little in a few weeks time.

How are her numbers lately? F gets VERY agressive when her blood sugars are high. I can now tell if she's high just by the way she behaves. 🙄

Don't hesitate to get in touch if you would like to. It sounds as if our daughters are similar. 🙂
 
Oh, and I'm with Adrienne on the bribery! F has a star chart for her injections. If she does her injection within 5 minutes (we were up to 1 and a half hours at one point!!) she gets a star on the chart. If she gets a full week of stars, she can pick from a lucky dip bag. She has managed 3 weeks of perfect injections since we started doing this, and has earned a string of beads, a bracelet and a set of 3 pens. (Poundland and Wilkinsons have some great cheap bribes!!!)
 
Hi

Welcome.
my son is 8 and he was diagnosed in August this year. My son has also been the same as you daughter. He says he hates diabetes. Trys to get out of injections at times and walks out the room or causes a fuss but it is slowly getting better. Im sure your daughter will be ok. Its really hard for them to have to have injections and having sore fingers and us mums fretting over things. How are you daughter B/S. My sons havent been good on the 2 injections/ mixes. How is your daughters school getting on?

Feel free to pm for a chat anytime.

Gem x
 
Hello there...

I'm so sorry to hear what a horrible time you're having - I really feel for you both! For what it's worth, I vaguely remember a chart from a "change management" course I did yonks ago - it stated that fairly early on after a change (of any kind) is imposed, people go through a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions, along the lines of shock, denial, anger, questioning, and finally some degree of acceptance (I think in approximately that order!) but anger was definitely in there - so your little girl's reaction is perfectly normal. I totally agree with the comments re BS too - my hubby knows when my BS is high because I get really cranky!

I was diagnosed early, at 11 months, but from time to time I still had periods of frustration with my diabetes (still do, if I'm honest!). But the good news is that it has not stopped me living a full life - I've had all sorts of adventures, got a degree, I'm married, I have a little boy and another baby on the way. Diabetes will be there, it will be a total pain in the butt at times, but in time things will calm down - your daughter will re-emerge & you will surprise yourself at how well you cope. This forum is wonderful for support & knowledge - use it to help you as sometimes the docs don't have as much time as we'd all like to support us! Here at least you will find lots of friends in the same boat, who are only too pleased to help.

Wishing you both (all your family!) the very best,

Twitchy x
 
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