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Hi

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Rose3748

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Type 1
Hi,

My 4 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 yesterday. Still in shock about it and trying to get my head around all the new information.

What seems to be a bug issue at the moment is doing the bloods and injections with an upset 4 year old fighting us all the way. Any tips or tricks?

thanks
Simon
 
Hi @Rose3748 Sorry to hear about your daughter’s diagnosis. It’s a massive shock and a huge amount to get your head round. I really feel for you all.

Let me tag a few parents for you @Thebearcametoo @Bronco Billy @ky333 @Sally71 There are more but my brain’s gone blank after a long day. Do look around the Parent section here too.

There was something called a Tickleflex discussed here recently to help distract from injections. For blood tests, perhaps testing yours first?
 
Hi and welcome. Poor kid. Are you at the hospital still or home? The team will work with you and her on getting her used to it and into a routine. It’s distressing as a parent when your child is upset but you have to do the finger pricks and injections anyway and having that battle is exhausting so be kind to yourself in amongst all the big feelings you already have.

There are various ways to make it hurt less of its the pain that’s the main problem but often it’s just the whole business that’s too much and then the anticipation is horrible and the child gets upset and actually adding more stages to it can make it even harder. Talk to your team. They will be able to suggest different things and work with you as a family to make it as easy as possible.

My daughter was older (almost 9) when she was diagnosed and did her own injections from the beginning which was helpful in a lot of ways but hard when she was struggling as I couldn’t just get on and do it.
 
Hello @Rose3748
It's good that you have joined the forum at this difficult time for you and your daughter. As you can see, there is plenty of help and experience here from other parents. So please keep posting, let us know how it is going and ask any questions.
 
Hopefully getting home soon. Once staff are happy that we are both competent on bloods and injections. Already have lots of follow up appointments.
My daughter is already suffering from being “hangry” so that will be a challenge. I think I am more daunted by the carb counting and what snacks she can have.
 
Hi @Rose3748, welcome to the forum.

My two were a similar age when they were diagnosed, we found numbing the injection site helped. An extra trick was to use a sugar free ice pop to numb the site and let them have it afterwards.

It’s great that you will be home soon, the familiar surroundings may help your daughter. Carb counting takes a bit of getting used to. Take your time and keep checking until you are certain. Eventually, you will be able to look at a plate of food and accurately guess what the total carbs are. It’s quite a party trick! Cold meats are a good snack as they are carb free (except sausages). Cheese is also a good option. A lot of vegetables are very low in carbs, so insulin may not even be needed, depending on the blood glucose level.

Take care and feel free to ask whatever you need to know, there’s no such thing as a stupid question.
 
You will get the hang of carb counting. We had a notebook for scribbling calculations in and listing regular meals so we didn’t have to do as much maths. Carbs and Cals book is still used regularly but a lot of stuff we just know from repeated eating. It seems like a huge deal to begin with but it does get easier.

As for snacks etc you’ll also build a repertoire of things you can offer that are lowish carbs or carb free that are acceptable for your child’s taste. We give big meals (including dessert) which cuts down the need for snacks most of the time.
 
Sorry to hear about your little one @Rose3748

How are things going after your first week? Are you at home now?
 
It’s starting to sink in now. Emily has become really good with her bloods, n even bothered about the finger prick. The insulin injections are still challenging.
Her blood levels are still high after eating, but we have an appointment tomorrow at the clinic, so maybe some adjustments to be made.
The eating side is still hard, never seen her with an apatite like it. Perhaps portion control may need some work. The snacks seem repetitive at the moment, so some work to find other alternatives within the 15g limit is required.
 
We do big meals and rarely snack but my daughter is older so not using up energy in the same way as a younger kid. It may be a case of you doing both and offering things like a small meal for a snack instead of something less substantial. But chat through it all with your team and see what strategies are likely to work for you. It’s not unusual for them to eat a lot post diagnosis but that will likely ease a little (except for during growth spurts).
 
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