Complete shock

[HaydenMoir]

Hi everyone,

Not sure what to put in all honesty, me and my wife found out last Friday 16.10.2020 that our 6 year old boy Hayden has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, he had the classic symptoms that were completely alien to us both but with the benefit of hindsight he had the classic symptoms of type 1. Right now we have had the dietician, paediatrician and diabetes consultants all over everything we do, from food diary to insulin diary. A complete blow and we have not been provided any support network or like minded parents in the same situation to speak too. We live in sunny Blackpool, i understand due to covid support will be limited, we just need to speak to people in a similar position that maybe to help. Thanks.

 

[Ljc]

Hello @HaydenMoir , welcome to the forum. I am sorry to hear that you young lad has just been diagnosed, what an awful shock for you.

We have quite a few parents on here who will be along later, I have T2 so will not be of much help to you, but I just couldn’t read your post and pass on by.

Ask all the questions you need to about diabetes , we’ll do our best to help.

I have often seen this book recommended on here that you may find helpful , not sure if this is the latest version

Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults Seventh Edition: Amazon.co.uk: Ragnar Hanas: 9781859597989: Books

Buy Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults Seventh Edition Seventh by Ragnar Hanas (ISBN: 9781859597989) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[eggyg]

Good morning. Sorry you have to be here but try not to worry, easier said than done I know. I’m going to tag a few parents in so they see this post and I’m sure at least one of them will be along to offer you a helping hand. PS our daughter got married in sunny Blackpool last Saturday, I know the town well as we just live in Cumbria. Elaine.

@Thebearcametoo @Sally71 @Bronco Billy @stephknits

 

[SB2015]

Pleased that you have found us @HaydenMoir , but sorry to hear about your son’s diagnosis.
It is a lot to take on board at the star and I am pleased to hear that you have a good team around you. They will work with you to settle on appropriate doses of insulin and help you to learn how to adjust these to match what your son eats and does.

The Ragnar Hagnas book is well worth looking at. It is very clearly explained and kept up to date. I still dip into mine for info.

To link up with other parents there is a T1 Events programme. Whilst we are not able to meet face to face at present these have gone online. I know it is not the same but hopefully it will be of some help. The link to the next one is here, in the Parents thread of this forum.

Life Beyond Diabetes Virtual Q&A Panel Session

When your child has type 1 diabetes, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. From hypos, to carb counting, to set changes – there’s always something to think about. But diabetes doesn’t have to stop your child from doing anything they want to do. Join us for our Life Beyond Diabetes Virtual Q&A...

forum.diabetes.org.uk

In the parents thread there is also a chance to see what other parents are up to.

Keep in touch and just fire away with any questions that you have. This is a manageable condition it just takes a bit of planning and organisation.

 

[Thebearcametoo]

Hi and welcome. I’m sorry you’re in this position.

The first few weeks you will have a lot of information to take on board, some of it may seem repetitive but it really helps to keep going over and over it. Your team will be collecting data - we have general ideas of carbs to insulin ratios for different body weights but everyone is different and especially at the beginning when he may be in the ‘honeymoon period’ where his body still produces some insulin it will take a while to collect enough data to fine tune his doses. Even when you have it sorted kids grow or put on weight and then you have to change it again so you will get into a pattern of a week or two of stability where you feel you are on top of it and then it will change again. You’ll get used to this.

Covid is causing more issues with in person clinics etc but here we’re able to see our nurse if needed (with appropriate PPE). The biggest impact for you may be in getting school fully up to date. Usually a nurse or clinician will do some training with school but that may be more difficult right now.

Even in non covid times there won’t necessarily be peer support groups. But this forum will help you out. Come and rage and grieve and ask the questions that occur to you in the middle of the night. Look after your own mental health as well as your son’s. Your team will have a psychologist attached and you can access them too. We found the first 6 weeks or so was all about the how to do diabetes management and only after that did we fully deal with the emotional stuff but everyone is different.

 

[Ditto]

Hello and welcome to the forum @HaydenMoir 🙂

 

[Bronco Billy]

Hi @HaydenMoir, welcome to the forum.

I’m sorry you are in this position, but it’s great that the hospital staff are on top of it. Don’t beat yourself up over not recognising the symptoms. We were in exactly the same situation, I think the vast majority of parents are. None of us knew anything about type 1 until diagnosis, at which point, we went on the steepest learning curve ever!

Diabetes UK supports a network of local groups, some of which are dedicated to families. You can find your nearest group at https://www.diabetes.org.uk/how_we_help/local_support_groups Groups aren’t meeting at the moment, but a lot of them are arranging virtual meetings. You will find the forum a great source of support.

I have two children with type 1 who were diagnosed within a few months of each other. This was about 11 years ago, we got through the early stages and you will too. They both do sports, and are doing well academically. I say that to let you know that type 1 won’t hold your son back, it’s just something he has to carry with him as he goes through life doing everything his peers do.

No question is too silly, so ask anything you want to

 

[Lizzzie]

Hi. Just wanted to say I'm sorry - that's so much for any kid and also their family to take on, and since it only happened to me in my mid-twenties I can't offer you much advice. BUT..... in my experience the diabetics who reach out, talk about it, are proud of the way they deal with it, aren't scared to say when they need something etc. etc. seem to do best and be happiest, so it's really good to see you immediately reaching out, wanting to know what you can do to make it better. Please continue to talk about it and don't teach your son to hide it or avoid things (running, exercise, climbing, whatever) because of it. It's part of his journey now and part of his full life. Not that i saw any sign of you doing that - being straight on the forum is awesome. Welcome and all the best.

 

[Sally71]

Can the hospital not put you in touch with other families? Ours did, and it was quite helpful. Could be tricky as things are though! It's all a massive shock at the moment and so much to learn, but you'll manage because you have to, and eventually you’ll find a new normal. Make time for yourselves as well as your child, you have to grieve for the non-diabetic life you no longer have. But there's no reason why your child can't carry on doing all the things they enjoy, it just takes a bit more planning (and a lot of stuff to carry around with you all the time!)