help!

[sharinnes]

My 13 yr old daughter was diagnosed 8wks ago with T1 and was getting on fine we thought but now shes always worried and crying and saying she hates this.. Im having to sleep with her aswell as shes scared what do we do, im a my wits end xx

 

[Northerner]

Hi sharinnes, welcome to the forum 🙂 Very sorry to hear about your daughter's diagnosis. It's not unusual for things to suddenly hit you a few weeks down the line, but hopefully with the right guidance and encouragement she will be able to get through this and learn to feel more comfortable about looking after her diabetes.

I would highly recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas, a truly excellent book covering all aspects of living with Type 1. What insulin regime is she on? Is there any aspect in particular that bothers her e.g. injecting, testing, being different from her friends?

You might also be interested in the Children with Diabetes for lots of support from other parents, as well as here, and she may feel better if she is able to discuss things with others her own age. I'd recommend having a read of Adrienne's guide for parents of newly-diagnosed at

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=23853

and also having a browse of our Useful links thread for other souces of good information. Please ask any questions you may have and we will do our best to help! 🙂

 

[sharinnes]

hi megan is on 48 units humulin in the morning and 20 before supper, shes coping fine with injecting, constantly started checking her bg levels and if go below 4 she panics and if shes at school i get a call to go pick her up as shes getting into a heck of a state. Shes had a lot of lows in past few weeks,before bed and before lunch what we doing wrong, was gona phone clinic tomorrow as its more scarier than people think and ive got to be the strong parent for her.

 

[Twitchy]

Hello... 🙂
Calling the clinic is a good idea, as if she's having lots of lows maybe some of her doses need trimming back a touch...does she tend to go low at a particular time?

It does get easier - it's a lot to come to terms with at her age, but you'll get there, & we're all here to help & support if we can. Sending you a big ((((hug)))), it sounds like you're both having a tough time at the mo. xx

 

[Northerner]

hi megan is on 48 units humulin in the morning and 20 before supper, shes coping fine with injecting, constantly started checking her bg levels and if go below 4 she panics and if shes at school i get a call to go pick her up as shes getting into a heck of a state. Shes had a lot of lows in past few weeks,before bed and before lunch what we doing wrong, was gona phone clinic tomorrow as its more scarier than people think and ive got to be the strong parent for her.

Are her team in contact to help you to adjust the doses? I don't know much about humulin personally, but I'm sure there are others who do. The most common and flexible insulin regime is called MDI (Multiple Daily Injections) also known as 'basal/bolus', and consists of a long-acting insulin (usually levemir or lantus) given once or twice a day and a quick-acting insulin that is given with meals and snacks to cover the carbs in the meal. This may mean more injections, but it does give much more flexibility over when and what is eaten. You can adjust the doses of the quick-acting according to the amount of carbs using a simple formula known as 'carb counting'. You should ask your clinic about this regime as it may help your daughter to control things better so that she has fewer lows.

 

[sharinnes]

Hello... 🙂
Calling the clinic is a good idea, as if she's having lots of lows maybe some of her doses need trimming back a touch...does she tend to go low at a particular time?

It does get easier - it's a lot to come to terms with at her age, but you'll get there, & we're all here to help & support if we can. Sending you a big ((((hug)))), it sounds like you're both having a tough time at the mo. xx

hi meg has her lows late at night and mid morn/near lunch time, i know it will get easier for us all its just getting her on a dose that suits her.xx

 

[delb t]

Hi Sharinnes- sorry your here - but glad you found us.We are about 17 months diagnosed now and the first few weeks are hard.BUT it will become easier honest.Ring your team with all your numbers/ any pe activities at sch etc tomorrow or do you have a 24 hr number?.We are on a different regime to you we have a long actingx1 and then a fast acting with meals which varies depending on whats being eaten.Make sure she carries hypo treatments at school and tells her teachers that she may need to test in class if needed and treat. Have your team been into school to discuss a care plan? if not ask them too. The first few weeks/ months even we were constantly having to change various numbers /ratios etc and we were constantly on the phone-thats what they are there for.Tell the team how upset she is getting they may have other support they can offer- Its hard I know but keep being strong -IT Hasnt stopped my son doing anything he didnt do before[ Except major partying-hes 16] we just have to plan more now- welcome again

 

[sharinnes]

Are her team in contact to help you to adjust the doses? I don't know much about humulin personally, but I'm sure there are others who do. The most common and flexible insulin regime is called MDI (Multiple Daily Injections) also known as 'basal/bolus', and consists of a long-acting insulin (usually levemir or lantus) given once or twice a day and a quick-acting insulin that is given with meals and snacks to cover the carbs in the meal. This may mean more injections, but it does give much more flexibility over when and what is eaten. You can adjust the doses of the quick-acting according to the amount of carbs using a simple formula known as 'carb counting'. You should ask your clinic about this regime as it may help your daughter to control things better so that she has fewer lows.

we have never been told about carb counting at the clinic... yeh i will speak to the clinic tomorrow, thank you very much.

 

[Northerner]

we have never been told about carb counting at the clinic... yeh i will speak to the clinic tomorrow, thank you very much.

If you'd like to get an idea of what it is about, have a look at the following from Diabetes UK:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Food_and_recipes/Carbohydrate-Counter/

 

[Twitchy]

Hello...did they tell you if she needs snacks between meals & in the evening? It's been a long time since I was on the old insulins (2 jabs a day, humulin too I think?) & I had to have a mid morning, mid afternoon & before bed snack every day - maybe until you can get hold of her team tomorrow just check her levels this evening & if she seems on the low side give her an apple, or a digestive biscuit, or a couple of cream crackers etc just to nudge it up a tad? If she's slightly high over the evening / night until you can discuss doses tomorrow it's not the end of the world if it makes her feel safer, it's only one night. 🙂 All the best xx

 

[sharinnes]

Hi Sharinnes- sorry your here - but glad you found us.We are about 17 months diagnosed now and the first few weeks are hard.BUT it will become easier honest.Ring your team with all your numbers/ any pe activities at sch etc tomorrow or do you have a 24 hr number?.We are on a different regime to you we have a long actingx1 and then a fast acting with meals which varies depending on whats being eaten.Make sure she carries hypo treatments at school and tells her teachers that she may need to test in class if needed and treat. Have your team been into school to discuss a care plan? if not ask them too. The first few weeks/ months even we were constantly having to change various numbers /ratios etc and we were constantly on the phone-thats what they are there for.Tell the team how upset she is getting they may have other support they can offer- Its hard I know but keep being strong -IT Hasnt stopped my son doing anything he didnt do before[ Except major partying-hes 16] we just have to plan more now- welcome again

thank you very much for your help and advise its all taken on board will phone the team in the morning. Yeh they gave her a locker at school so she has a stock there of things she needs... its the mood swings,crying its hell.

 

[delb t]

thank you very much for your help and advise its all taken on board will phone the team in the morning. Yeh they gave her a locker at school so she has a stock there of things she needs... its the mood swings,crying its hell.

keep strong- stuff in the locker is fine - hypo stuff in blazer pockets is a must.maybe its hormones too at that age my daughter [ not diabetic] was always teary/mood swings still is!!

 

[sharinnes]

Hello...did they tell you if she needs snacks between meals & in the evening? It's been a long time since I was on the old insulins (2 jabs a day, humulin too I think?) & I had to have a mid morning, mid afternoon & before bed snack every day - maybe until you can get hold of her team tomorrow just check her levels this evening & if she seems on the low side give her an apple, or a digestive biscuit, or a couple of cream crackers etc just to nudge it up a tad? If she's slightly high over the evening / night until you can discuss doses tomorrow it's not the end of the world if it makes her feel safer, it's only one night. 🙂 All the best xx

oh thank u very much for that info, yeh she was told to snack morn/noon and night..x
🙂🙂

 

[Northerner]

thank you very much for your help and advise its all taken on board will phone the team in the morning. Yeh they gave her a locker at school so she has a stock there of things she needs... its the mood swings,crying its hell.

If her blood sugar levels are fluctuating a lot then this will be affecting her moods - hopefully as she gets better control then she will start to feel much better 🙂 She should also carry some hypo treatment with her so she can treat any hypos straight away and not have to go looking for things 🙂