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Mom of Type 1

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My kid had just been diagnosed as Type 1. Was shock and unexpected. How do you stay strong for your kid and continue to motivate him ?
 
Welcome @Mom of Type 1 Sorry to hear your child has been diagnosed with Type 1. It’s a massive shock. I know it doesn’t seem like it now but it will gradually get easier. How old is your child?
 
I almost had a blackout..how do you help to monitor his food intake ! Sometimes his sugar went up and sometimes ok, still trying to gage the best insulin dosage + food intake.
 
Ok, well I think I’d try to model calmness and hide my concerns. Even if he has a hypo, don’t show your panic. Let him know it will be ok and that you will support him. It’s a stressful situation but I see a parent’s job as modelling calm - an anchor for their child.

Do acknowledge his feelings though.

Does he have a Libre @Mom of Type 1 ?
 
Inka said:
Ok, well I think I’d try to model calmness and hide my concerns. Even if he has a hypo, don’t show your panic. Let him know it will be ok and that you will support him. It’s a stressful situation but I see a parent’s job as modelling calm - an anchor for their child.

Do acknowledge his feelings though.

Does he have a Libre @Mom of Type 1 ?
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Libre as in Glucose Monitoring tool ? Not yet. Will need to get one..
 
Mom of Type 1 said:
Libre as in Glucose Monitoring tool ? Not yet. Will need to get one..
Click to expand...

He should be given one for free as he’s Type 1. They’re very helpful. In the meantime, keeping to a routine helps. Reassure him he’ll be able to have more flexibility later, but in the beginning keeping things regular helps kind of make a framework to build on. So, mealtimes at the same time each day (doesn’t have to be exact) and keeping the carb content of those meals very similar. This is especially easy for breakfast and lunch. That will help keep his sugars a little more regular to start with. As he learns more, he’ll be able to be more flexible.
 
To add to the books above, Diabetes U.K. also have a free basic guide you can download @Mom of Type 1

shop.diabetes.org.uk

Your guide to type 1 diabetes

We’ll take you through everything you need to know, including treating with insulin, counting carbs, advice about work, travel and more. Wherever you are on your journey with type 1 diabetes, we’re there with you. Available on Diabetes UK Online Shop.
shop.diabetes.org.uk shop.diabetes.org.uk

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For a person who just diagnosed with Type 1, what is the normal unit of insulin to start with ? Is it higher than Type 2 ?
 
People need as much or as little insulin as they need so there is no 'normal' amount either on Day 1 or the day you drop dead! We are not clinicians anyway, just people with diabetes.

By the time I was 18, I'd already been at work for 2 years though still living at home - and I wouldn't have wanted my mom trying to tell me what to do.
 
Mom of Type 1 said:
For a person who just diagnosed with Type 1, what is the normal unit of insulin to start with ? Is it higher than Type 2 ?
Click to expand...

No, it would normally be a lower amount than a Type 2 would take because many Type 2s are insulin resistant so need more insulin. However, obviously it depends on the individual so that’s just a general rule.

When I was first diagnosed, I was put on a sliding scale (insulin drip in hospital) so my estimated dose was worked out from that. They can also estimate using body weight, but these are just estimates. People with Type 1 need different doses and that’s ok. It’s whatever works for the individual.

It’s great you’re supporting your son. Be guided by him and reassure him you’re there when he needs you.
 
Hi @Mom of Type 1 and welcome to the forum!

Diagnosis for loved ones can hit just as hard if not more sometimes, especially when you're a parent. The beauty in mothers, I think, is that there's no age limit, for when you'd 'stop caring' or 'telling them what to do'. It comes with age, experience and wanting what's best for your child.

It will take some time, but both of you will get into a routine. The amount of information at first can seem overwhelming and it's all a bit trial and error, however he's got you so he doesn't have to do this alone. There's an entire section on the forum for parents supporting their children, so please have a read. Parents need the support as well and you'll see that a large part of the forum's community have gone through this themselves, so any question, big or small that you might have - fire away.

He'll inevitably look to you for support, so I agree with @Inka that reading up on things is the way to go. This might be something that you suggest to him as well, as going down the Google route can become both a blessing and a curse.
 
Inka said:
No, it would normally be a lower amount than a Type 2 would take because many Type 2s are insulin resistant so need more insulin. However, obviously it depends on the individual so that’s just a general rule.

When I was first diagnosed, I was put on a sliding scale (insulin drip in hospital) so my estimated dose was worked out from that. They can also estimate using body weight, but these are just estimates. People with Type 1 need different doses and that’s ok. It’s whatever works for the individual.

It’s great you’re supporting your son. Be guided by him and reassure him you’re there when he needs you.
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Thank you all for the encouragement. It helps
 
Hello @Mom of Type 1. Great advice, as always, from @ Inka. I'm still quite new to this D malarkey, with only 4 + yrs under my belt.
Ieva DUK said:
He'll inevitably look to you for support, so I agree with @Inka that reading up on things is the way to go. This might be something that you suggest to him as well, as going down the Google route can become both a blessing and a curse.
Click to expand...
Personally I think the Google route is more of a curse at this early stage. There is a lot of opinionated rubbish out there and any advice from outside UK has the added difficulty that, even if correct, it won't necessarily be a treatment route that the NHS uses. At first it's way better to try and stay clearly within NHS treatment options, because that's what will be prescribed.

The Diabetes UK website is a sound place to be for that; this Forum is an offshoot of D UK, and is hosted by them but members express their knowledge and experience of living with D. The D UK website also has a huge amount of information and rummaging in their site may provide you and/or your son with much of the basic stuff that I certainly wasn't told by the Hospital based Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN). If you go into the Learning Zone from the drop down menu at top left, that used to need a seperate, independent, registration from this Forum registration.

However, @Mom of Type 1, that said about initially staying in UK for searches, I strongly agree with @Inka about Gary Scheiner's book "Think Like a Pancreas". It may originate from the US, but anything involving units he helpfully provides the European conversions from the American start point and there is so much straightforward explanation about Diabetes "peculiarities". One of the points he makes early on in the book is that "Diabetes is Complicated, Confusing and Contradictory". It is so true. So don't feel too bad if a certain amount, or even a lot, doesn't make sense at first - just take moral support from the Complicated, Confusing and Contradictory. I was indoctrinated as a young adult with a concept of Knowledge Dispels Fear and because I found my D was initially frightening, I retreated to trying to progressively learn about and understand my D. Think Like a Pancreas was a huge help and I read it thoroughly, just skipping the segment about insulin pumping since I knew that wouldn't be available to me.

Anyway, good luck with your researching and investigating and as @Inka said try to stay calm and just be there for when your son needs you. I know it's difficult; my 11 Yr old grandson has suddenly shown an independence that is terrific and at the same time really frustrating!
 
Thank you so much. I know I need to decide best method of injections. Do you start with pen injection or pump ?
 
Pen.

Once your son has basal (=background) insulin and bolus (=faster acting) insulin he will be on what is referred to as Multiple Daily Insulin (MDI). Even if from the outset he was started on a pump, he would need a high level of confidence with MDI to allow him to quickly intervene and carry on if the pump failed.

Not sure he initially will need to make any "decision" about this; the specialist will decide what is initially best for him and prescribe accordingly. With time (=experience) he may increasingly influence what is prescribed.
 
People start on injections @Mom of Type 1 Some later move onto pumps, but lots of Type 1s don’t use pumps - either because they don’t qualify to have one or because they don’t want one.
 
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