• 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

A nervous Hello

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

Kayleigh1008

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
Hi all,

Well 3 weeks ago I would never of dreamt I would of learnt so much about Insulin, Beta Cells and how many carbs are in my sons lunchbox...but here we are. On June 6th my 7 year old Little boy Finley was diagnosed with Type 1. He arrived at hospital in DKA and released 5 days later. Luckily I recognised the signs and tested at home with my Husbands BG machiene and he was a 23.9 at home and we rushed straight in, ketones read only high and took hours and hours to get below a 5! That day there were also 2 other children admitted into the hospital, the staff told us how rare it was and has never happened before, usually only 1 a week if that!

Safe to say our world has been totally turned upside down, and I won't lie and tell you all I am struggling. The managment so far we can cope with, emotionally it is heart wrenching! Finley however is taking each day in his stride, testing his own Blood Sugar, setting up his insulin pens for us and taking his Rufus Bear everywhere! He has Aspergers and as a Mum I can't help but feel that life was throwing enough hardship his way let alone having to deal with the daily struggle that now is his 'new normal'.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble, I could go on and on. I am just looking for a place to chat and get some fantastic advice from people who have been there and prove it is possible to move forward. For now though I can't ever seem to see a day where I don't cry that this diesease has robbed him of his life before it has begun. A day where I don't obsess over his numbers and make sure he isnt low every 5 mins, where I feel I can think about anything else but this. I am sure it will come in time but right now it feels so so far in the distant.

Thank you all in advance, your posts so far have been invaluable x

ps: we have him on a g6 already, that in itself has taken a huge weight off my mind, we still test but to know at a glance roughly where he is has been amazing.
 
Hi and welcome

I can only begin to imagine how stressful it must be for you. It was hard enough coping with my own diagnosis in middle age, but to have to shoulder the responsibility for a loved one who is so young must be overwhelming. There is a parenting section on the forum which you have probably already discovered which will almost certainly help you with the day to day managing of Finley's condition as well as provide valuable emotional support from people who understand what you are going through.
I have heard great things about the G6 and am considering self funding for a limited period myself. It is good to know that you are finding it valuable.
Best wishes with Finley's treatment.
 
Kayleigh, Hi and welcome here, it must be such a worry for you but I am thinking things will get better and your son can still lead a relatively normal life. The type 1 folk will no doubt be able to help you the most.

There is a parents board as well here, if you want to post on that one too: https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/boards/forums/parents.18/

Best wishes for wonderful monitoring and care from the medical professionals also.
 
Hi and welcome. It’s a lot to get your head round to begin with. Try to think of the numbers as spotting trends rather than worrying too much about each individual reading. Your diabetes team will help adjust to ratios as you (or they) spot patterns of different reactions to carbs at different times of the day or because of exercise or whatever. There will be tweaks and ups and downs but it will get easier. We’re a little over 3 months into our journey and finding it easier to get on with life as normal. Have you dealt with a hypo yet? The first one was terrifying but seeing how fast they recover gave me a lot of confidence. Diabetes is manageable. It doesn’t mean the end of his life or that he has to stop doing what he wants. The initial period is a huge change for the whole family though and leaning on your diabetes team helps a lot (you should be able to see the psychologist as well).
 
Hi Kayleigh, welcome to the forum 🙂 Very sorry to hear about your little one's diagnosis :( It all happens so quickly, and then you have so much to take in and deal with all at one. It will get better, and it's good to hear that he is dealing with things well 🙂 I'd recommend getting a copy of the excellent Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas, which covers all aspects of living with Type 1, and you might like to read Adrienne's essential guide for parents of newly-diagnosed children, which you will hopefully find helpful for yourself 🙂

Please let us know if we can help with anything, or of you want to rant or let off steam, that's fine too 🙂 People here understand 🙂
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. Lots of help here. 🙂
 
Thank you all so much for taking time to reply 🙂 I really do appreciate it. It is a very hard time for us all, but we are a strong family and we can get through the otherside. I do wish that this had never happened but we are here now and we will do it. Thank you all x
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top