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Morning all!

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Christwodogs

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As i type this my daughter currently lies in the HDU at Manchester Infirmary having collapsed in her uni room and thankfully rushed to hosp where her blood levels were described as 'sky high'!

This is a real shock to me, my wife and family as we have no knowledge of this condition and wehat she will have to live with.

The consultant is pointing it all to Type 1, but at the moment they are slowly trying to reduce and control her bloods/fluids. We thought her quick weight loss might have been down to stress of teacher training and being very busy, but obviously shes been very poorly and finally collapsed.

I now look forward to using the this site for information support etc at a difficult time.

Thanks!
Chris
 
Christwodogs said:
As i type this my daughter currently lies in the HDU at Manchester Infirmary having collapsed in her uni room and thankfully rushed to hosp where her blood levels were described as 'sky high'!

This is a real shock to me, my wife and family as we have no knowledge of this condition and wehat she will have to live with.

The consultant is pointing it all to Type 1, but at the moment they are slowly trying to reduce and control her bloods/fluids. We thought her quick weight loss might have been down to stress of teacher training and being very busy, but obviously shes been very poorly and finally collapsed.

I now look forward to using the this site for information support etc at a difficult time.

Thanks!
Chris
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Hi Chris, welcome to the forum 🙂 My goodness, what a shock for you all, very sorry to hear this! :( Had she complained of any symptoms beforehand? Diabetes, particularly Type 1 in young people, can become very critical in a very short time, and symptoms can be missed. Rapid weight loss is a strong indicator, but people often attribute it to other things - like stress and being busy! It's good that she is receiving the help she needs, if it's anything like when I was diagnosed then she will soon be feeling much, much better - I very much hope so.

The good news is that Type 1 diabetes is a very manageable condition these days, with the right knowledge and a bit of planning - it doesn't have to spoil your life or stop you from doing anything you had hoped to achieve (well, apart from a few jobs, like airline pilot). Most likely, she will be put on an insulin regime where she injects two different types of insulin, one injection of 'slow' and then an injection of 'fast' insulin each time she eats a meal. This regime is known as MDI (Multiple Daily Injections), and also called 'basal/bolus', where the basal is the slow insulin and the bolus the fast. The aim is to match the amount of insulin to the body's needs when consuming carbohydrates so that it can use them for energy. It is the sudden loss of insulin-producing capability that caused your daughter to end up in hospital.

There is a big learning curve, so try not to be overwhelmed by it all! I would highly recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas which covers all aspects of living with Type 1 and is a superb reference.

Please let us know how things go, or if you have any questions at all - nothing is 'silly', so please, if it is concerning or confusing you, ask! 🙂
 
Morning Northerner, thank you for your speedy response. wow steep learning curve and utter shock come to mind. No, no signs or symptoms but now explains the weight loss, then her friend said these last few days she had been drinking quite a lot of water, but other than that out of the blue.

Whilst the interent is great for something it can be quite scary to read stuff too. But already this page and site looks like theres loads of support and info. So we have some reading to do.

Its very early stages but obviously looking like type 1 due to her levels, the consultant seemend pretty sure but was still looking at results. Progress has been slow, which is good, rather than a rapid recovery which could aggravate or make worse. She is now conscious and speaking/understanding some things that are being said, so when we visit later today we will see an improvement. Shes in very good hands in Manchester and the staff have been great with her, but then wouldnt expect anything less really. A Dr from the Diabetes team has spoken to us but as shes still in HDU my daughter is under their control until moved out.

Once again, thanks Northerner!

Chris
 
You're welcome 🙂 Yes, it's better to bring things under control steadily - less stress to the system generally. She sounds like she is in good hands 🙂
 
Hello, Chris, and welcome to the forum, but sorry you have to be here. I hope your daughter is back on her feet soon. I joined this site a year ago, and have found it a mine of information and friendly support.
 
Hello Chris, and welcome to the forum even if in such rotten circumstances. Steady progress is a lot better than rapid as your daughters body is healing without dire effects so to speak and hopefully she wont feel quite as pole axed. Yes a very steep learning curve and something new everyday to learn.

One word of warning though, you will read lots of negative reports (horror stories) about diabetes this is mainly due to people loving to hear the bad about everything.

On the other side there are plenty more who have none of the complications and do lead a healthy normal! life. There's quite a few on the forum with 40 - 60 years with type1 diabetes with no problems at all.
Sending your daughter and both you and your wife the very best.
 
Oh my goodness i hope she is ok, i am an A&E nurse and it can be very scary to see a young person with DKA, i have cared for many and she will be fine, it can come on so quickly bless her but she will manage it with insulin, she can have a normal life once she gets used to managing the condition, takes a while but she will get there, good luck xxxx
 
Hi and welcome Chris - sorry to hear about your daughter - how bloody scary for you all! She will get good help and advice from her Diabetic team though so she will be ok.

Get her to join here when she is feeling better. There are lots of type 1's who will be able to help and advise her if she is having a problem or is confused by something.
 
Hi Chris - please tell your daughter, welcome to the Club no-one wanted to join!

As Sue said - both yourselves and she will hear plenty of tales from the doom-mongers - unfortunately this can get rather depressing when your brain's already overloaded so instead tell yourselves that the vast majority of these people whose legs dropped off etc obviously weren't controlling their diabetes properly then, were they? There are odd 'other reasons' but they are the exception.

None of this is going to happen to her - for the simple reason that she has to decide right now, not to let it! It can be done I assure you.

All of you should read the Ragnar Hanas book, but she needs to keep it since it's full of useful info.

Main thing is - never stop asking questions about anything and everything you don't know or just wonder if ....

Good luck to all of you!
 
Welcome to the forum, glad you found us. 🙂 You will be bombarded with info over the next few days as a family, but don't worry about taking it all in at once. You can ask any questions here -we like to feel useful! Also, the book northerner and trophywench mention is a great reference. I would recommend taking a notebook and pencil to write down any questions as they come up to ask the team at Manchester and any test results etc. Even if she/you don't know what they mean now, it might prove useful later on. Best of luck to you all.
 
Welcome here Chris. I have found this forum so helpful and I have learnt so much from many helpful people that are happy to share their knowledge of the condition.

There is a lot to take on board at the start and no gentle introduction with Type 1, so your daughter will be on a steep learning curve, and clearly has a lot of support from you both, which will be invaluable.

You mention that she is in teacher training at present. Is this a degree course or post grad? I was diagnosed whilst teaching and the school were great at enabling me to gradually get back to full speed.
 
Evening all.
Thank you so much for taking a few minutes of your time to respond so supportive at this time for us.
My daughter has slowly improved today, although a mention of 'depressed' was made by consultant.
Ive read on here a few good things already and will continue to take note but remain positive throughout now.

Thanks all again!

Chris
 
Welcome Chris. I can assure you its not easy but it is not a life stopper. From someone who has been T1 since England won the world cup. Try to take it all in & you will learn every day. Good luck & ask pls 🙂
 
SB2015 said:
Welcome here Chris. I have found this forum so helpful and I have learnt so much from many helpful people that are happy to share their knowledge of the condition.

There is a lot to take on board at the start and no gentle introduction with Type 1, so your daughter will be on a steep learning curve, and clearly has a lot of support from you both, which will be invaluable.

You mention that she is in teacher training at present. Is this a degree course or post grad? I was diagnosed whilst teaching and the school were great at enabling me to gradually get back to full speed.
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Hi there SB, My daughter is just finishing her 2nd year of her teaching degree. Luckily shes just completed her attachment with a school for this year but now has some essays etc to do, which im sure we can sort with the help of the uni.The more ive read about this now, especially on here, I realise "we are not alone nor is she' which is heartning and supporting. Tomorrow we see the Diabetes team so will know more and the next phase, not her levels are around the right areas and levels. Thanks again!
 
Hi Chris and welcome, though sorry you are here in these circumstances. I'm glad to hear your daughter is slowly improving though 🙂

I was also rushed to hospital on diagnosis, though it wasn't quite so scary as I was conscious (and in my 40s at the time). I think the most useful things I was told were "don't google it, there's a lot of rubbish on the internet" and "there's no reason why someone with diabetes can't live a long, normal life without any complications", which were both very reassuring.

Your daughter's Uni should have support in place for people with chronic illnesses, and I'm sure they'll be able to help with postponement of any deadlines etc, so she can have time to recover before carrying on with her course.
 
Hi Chris and welcome to the forum. This is a great place for help and advice.
 
Welcome aboard. The people on here are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, so ask away! It's a steep learning curve, but you and your daughter will soon have loads more confidence about dealing with it.
 
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