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Valentinofan

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Parent of person with diabetes
Hello, I'm the mum of a young adult diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, she was diagnosed about a month ago, she is on novomix, twice daily, the reason for this is because she is needlephobic. Proper needlephobic not just a little bit scared. I'm proud of her because she is managing to test. So from living independently she is back home with us so that I can administer the injections. Please would someone point me in the right direction so that I can support her appropriately and adequately.
I know she will join the forum and probably find my post, but I'll have to live with that 😉
 
Hi, and welcome to the forum 🙂

Sorry to hear about your daughter's diagnosis and needlephobia. There are a couple of things which might help a bit. Firstly, you could get a "Penmate" - this is a simple device which attaches to the insulin pen and is spring-loaded. It hides the needle from view - you place the end of the device against your injection site and just press a button to fire the injection in. Another option is to use an Insuflon cannula (you would need to ask your DSN or GP to source these for you - we used to get them through my son's hospital team when he was on multiple injections). With Insuflon, you would insert a short Teflon cannula (inserted with a needle that is then withdrawn and disposed of) - this cannula can be left in place for about a week (in any of your normal injection sites). It has a tiny "bung" which sits on top of the skin surface, and into which you would insert your injection pen every time you need to inject. This is suitable for one type of insulin only (ie only novorapid or only novomix - if your daughter moved on to multiple daily injections, she could inject all novorapid through an insuflon cannula, but would have to inject her basal insulin separately).

Your daughter's hospital clinic team should have a psychologist attached, and it may help her to have a session with the psychologist to find out about any help or techniques she could use to try and overcome her phobia.

For general type 1 advice, you can't beat this book: Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young People, by Ragnar Hanas.

I hope things improve soon for her - a type 1 diagnosis is a massive shock and turns your life upside down, but it needn't be the end of the world 🙂
 
Many thanks for your suggestions, my daughter was fast tracked to see the clinical psychologist and had her first appointment Friday just gone. He has advised to carry on with what we are doing currently and to try and regulate her breathing whilst trying to inject. Would you recommend the parents forum as my daughter is 23 or is it usually for parents who have younger children.
She went to the diabetes day at MK today and found it extremely useful.
 
I would guess the parents' forum is mostly going to be parents of younger kids (I'm not on that one). There are loads of Facebook groups too - I'm mostly on parents' ones because my son was diagnosed aged 4 and I'm not type 1 myself. There is a FB group "Parents of Type 1 Teens" which might be good for you to find advice as the parent of a young adult. As for support sites that your daughter might like to join, it might be a case of trial and error! People are generally kind and supportive on this forum, but that isn't always the case on Facebook. Great to hear your daughter went to a diabetes day and found it positive 🙂

Just for perspective, here's my own experience of injecting - my son was diagnosed aged 4, and I was needle phobic myself (in fact at the time I couldn't imagine anything worse than injecting my own child). He was terrified too, and while we were in the hospital (he had a four night stay on diagnosis) he would cry and scream and beg me to hide him whenever the nurse came in to do his injection - I had to physically hold him down :(. For me, it was a case of someone had to inject him or he would die, so I got to grips with it quite quickly. My Mum "didn't want to hurt him" and so never learnt to help out with the injections. After a couple of years of injecting into legs and bum, we needed to start using other sites, so had to persuade him to use his tummy, lots more traumatic times until we achieved that, and actually he realised it hurt less. He went onto an insulin pump when he was 7, so rarely needed an injection, but it is still necessary to know how to inject in case of a problem with the pump, so eventually when he was about 11 he was brave enough to learn to inject himself....and since I never ask him to do anything I wouldn't do myself, I injected myself and let him inject me too (with no insulin cartridge in the pen though!), and I tell you it took me a good thirty minutes to pluck up the courage to jab the needle into myself. But it was surprisingly painless (I'm not skinny!) and that gave him the courage to try too. I'm sure your daughter will find a way to cope eventually, and although it's not an enjoyable procedure, it won't be so daunting for her.
 
Hi Valentinofan, welcome to the forum 🙂 Your daughter might be interested in joining 'Circle D', which is an organisation for 18-30 year olds that arranges social get-togethers and mutual support. They're a really great bunch of people, I have met quite a few of them. Their website is:

http://www.circledrocks.co.uk/
 
Thank you for the info it helps to know that there's someone out there. Do you know though, it doesn't matter how old they are, that need to fight and protect your children never leaves you, when she was admitted to hospital I was prowling round like a lioness defending her cub. This has all been a huge shock to us. I'm sure you know that feeling. Thank you so much for your replies 🙂
 
Valentinofan said:
Thank you for the info it helps to know that there's someone out there. Do you know though, it doesn't matter how old they are, that need to fight and protect your children never leaves you, when she was admitted to hospital I was prowling round like a lioness defending her cub. This has all been a huge shock to us. I'm sure you know that feeling. Thank you so much for your replies 🙂
Click to expand...

Oh absolutely, you're always going to look out for your kids no matter how big they are, and also you're never too old to need your parents' support 🙂. Mine have been fab with my separation and divorce...

Do get the Ragnar Hanas book, it's really positive and upbeat and "can-do". Also, in a way, the better informed you are about diabetes, the more help you can be to your daughter, even if eventually your role will just be someone to grumble to about what a pain type 1 can be. It's always good to talk to someone who "gets it"! 🙂
 
Hiya, I was 22, married a year and I never really got on terribly well with my mum but you know what? I got home from the docs where I'd gone after work, my husband was already on his way home from work 20 miles away so who did I ring?

My mummy of course !

Had a good weep and that was that.

None of us LIKES it. However I certainly found the choice of either mastering the jabs or dying to be somewhat persuasive! I felt that ruddy ill before I started on insulin, I'd literally have done anything within my power to NOT feel so utterly vile again. So 'merely' having to jab really didn't seem so bad. In comparison!
 
Hi, thank you for your rationale and I agree that it is a strong argument. It is something we have discussed however her fear of course is not rational. She has had this fear since she was very small. Her physiological response is that her blood pressure plumits and she collapses, even when my mum was in hospital recently just seeing cannulas caused her to collapse, we are unsure of when and how this has happened. It does not appear to be linked to pain as she knows the needle on the pen does not hurt. She can do her own bm's though it took a while for her do it without getting cold and clammy. She just cannot get passed the needle 'thing'
I'm going to let her practice on me today with an empty pen........🙂
 
Valentinofan said:
Thank you for the info it helps to know that there's someone out there. Do you know though, it doesn't matter how old they are, that need to fight and protect your children never leaves you, when she was admitted to hospital I was prowling round like a lioness defending her cub. This has all been a huge shock to us. I'm sure you know that feeling. Thank you so much for your replies 🙂
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome to the forum.
I'm 54 and been diagnosed for 50 years and guess what, my Mum bless her still worries about me 🙂
Hope your daughter manages to overcome her fears about needles soon.
 
My Mum never knew I had diabetes because she was sadly suffering from dementia when I was diagnosed aged 49, but I know she would have fretted and fussed over me had she known! 🙂 And although I might have found it annoying, I would secretly have appreciated it 🙂
 
Hi & welcome ! I was at a kids event at Duk & in control of 6/7 14yr old girls. Same age as my daughter at time. It came to lunch time & one of the 6 had never self injected with lots of persuasion from her parents. With the help of the other girls she did it ! 😎 I know its hard work but these events are good for everyone involved inc parents. Good luck 🙂
 
Many thanks for all your support, I just noticed there was a second page of resposes🙄 the guys at the MK day were hugely supportive of her, so yes maybe a bit of peer support would help. You're all great I'm sure you know how support goes long way, again, many thanks 🙂
 
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