Hi all, my 9yr son was diagnosed just over a week ago, the doctors say his body is still producing a trickle of insulin and yesterday he had 2 hypos.....he was playing in the garden and didn't feel any symptoms....,this is really worrying for me and wondered if anyone had any advice if there child had the same experiences at all? Grateful for any advice or tips please xx
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My son is still producing insulin..
- Thread starter Kell.711
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Northerner
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Hi Kell.711, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your son's diagnosis, how did it come about? It's not unusual for people with Type 1 to continue to produce insulin after diagnosis, it's often referred to as the 'honeymoon period'. How long it will last is anyone's guess, but it does make control especially unpredictable at times. What insulin is he on? It's likely also that his initial insulin doses will need to be adjusted in the coming weeks, as the first few weeks are involved in trying to set the levels correctly to suit him and the way he responds. I hope you have good, regular contact with his team.
I'd highly recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas - it covers all aspects of living with Type 1, and may answer many of the questions I am sure you must have, or prompt questions for your team.
You might also like to check out the Children with Diabetes website - a very supportive and active site, that operates a Facebook group for advice from lots of knowledgeable UK parents 🙂
It can be difficult sometimes to detect hypos, especially when playing, as sometimes the symptoms appear to be similar to excitement. How did you detect the hypos, and what levels were they at?
He Was just generally playing in garden, the first one was just before lunch he was 3.5 so had a small can of coke then lunch after insulin. The second time was after playing and was 3.7.....
He has novarapid for meal times and lanctus before bed.
Thanku, detected by chance as was playing and he said he felt fine so it was by chance really....this worries me even more! I will check out the website and book thanku!! He has novarapid for meal times and the accu-check meter tells us how much to give as to how many carbs about to eat......also has lanctus for bedtime- 3 units.
Kaylz
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He may have gradually fallen and not felt the syptoms, if I test and have a 3.8 I often didn't feel it before but feel it when I see it, it happened on Thursday actually, symptoms can be stronger if the bs has suddenly fallen, some people find they need to reduce their insulin if they are going to be active but don't worry too much about that, call your team and ask them to see what they think, your doing great 🙂 xx
Northerner
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I agree with @Kaylz - if the first was just before lunch then it is likely it was a slow-falling one, and these often don't give very pronounced symptoms. Exercise can cause insulin to be absorbed a little faster, and also make a person more sensitive to the insulin. It's a tricky thing to deal with at first, but make sure you record everything and before too long you will be able to spot patterns and make adjustments so these things can be pre-empted (but not always, it doesn't always play by the rules!). Just keep doing your best, keep a close eye on things, but also try and let him live as normal a life as he can, stopping him doing things can lead to resentment and most things can be overcome. People with Type 1 diabetes can achieve everything their 'muggle' (non-diabetic!) friends can - there are people at the top of every sport and profession who have it and manage to live fulfilling and often exciting, demanding lives (Theresa May was diagnosed Type 1 just a couple of years ago, and there is a professional, world class cycling team whose members are all Type 1 🙂). We've got lots of members who have lived with Type 1 for decades (over 50 years in several cases!), without problems, and remember that they were diagnosed when there wasn't the great amount of treatments and knowledge that are with us today (and it's getting better all the time! 🙂).
You're probably feeling a little frazzled yourself. I'd suggest having a read of Adrienne's essential guide for parents of newly-diagnosed children, written for parents by one of our parent members 🙂
ANY questions you have, or any concerns, please let us know and we will try our best to help 🙂
You're probably feeling a little frazzled yourself. I'd suggest having a read of Adrienne's essential guide for parents of newly-diagnosed children, written for parents by one of our parent members 🙂
ANY questions you have, or any concerns, please let us know and we will try our best to help 🙂
SB2015
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Hi Kell
Welcome to the forum. It is all a bit confusing st the start and the honeymoon (when you carry on producing a trickle of insulin sometimes) makes it difficult to manage.
Exercise often makes BG drop so worth checking before and having a bonus biscuit if levels are at the lower end. I tend to think of gardening as a chance to have a biscuit for free, as I don't give insulin for it as I know that I will be using it all up very quickly. Other times I just reduce the insulin. These things are only found out by keeping records and spotting patterns. Your team will help you to gradually develop these skills.
Just keep diong your best and try to keep things as normal as possible for your son.
Welcome to the forum. It is all a bit confusing st the start and the honeymoon (when you carry on producing a trickle of insulin sometimes) makes it difficult to manage.
Exercise often makes BG drop so worth checking before and having a bonus biscuit if levels are at the lower end. I tend to think of gardening as a chance to have a biscuit for free, as I don't give insulin for it as I know that I will be using it all up very quickly. Other times I just reduce the insulin. These things are only found out by keeping records and spotting patterns. Your team will help you to gradually develop these skills.
Just keep diong your best and try to keep things as normal as possible for your son.
Thanku! Slowly getting our heads around it all and my son is so active! He has agreed to have a freestyle libre sensor put on so hopefully will make things easier! It's crazy how quick the bg can drop and go un-noticed! Thanku for your advice x
It's crazy how quick it can fall, hopefully in time he will get to know his symptoms more....Thanku X
thanku so much, it is all a lot to take in....one thing- he is having a snack around 11 and usually is fruit but I wonder if maybe it isn't holding enough for him? He does seem to do better wiv a biscuit of some sort??? Any ideas why? Xx
Kaylz
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As I say I had a 3.8 the other day without feeling it as such although I had a suspicion as when I went to test I couldn't see the end of the test strip or the blob of blood properly and that's happened every hypo I've had, it sounds like both you and your son are doing great in managing this 🙂 xx
Kaylz
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What kind of fruit do you usually give him? and what time does he generally have lunch? also if he has a biscuit instead what kind of biscuit is it, I believe some fruits can be slower than a biscuit so this could be the reason though I'm relatively new to it too so someone with more knowledge will be able to help you more, and no doubt someone will be along soon 🙂
Usually it's a mix of grapes, strawberries, watermelon, apple...something like that....counting to around 10-15 carbs.....
I found these new Oreo thins and they're 4 carbs per biscuit so he has a couple of those....
Lunch is between 12/1 so has snack 11/11:30.....I think at school his lunch is at 1 so seeing what works best to keep him hunger free till then....u sound like ur doin well urself considering ur new to it too!
I notice a difference in him when he goes under 5/6 he is defo much better between 6-10.....but I don't know if that is 'wrong' ....?? X
Gonna have a read now thanku! Any advice on the insulin and stinging??? Are we doing it in the wrong areas? He only will let us do his arms and legs but is starting to say that it is stinging wen we inject....?? He had his lanctus tonight in his thigh but said it was stinging wen we got to 3.....(we was told to count to 10 to make sure the insulin was in).....he's been doing so well I don't want this to mess things up Xx
Kaylz
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That sounds very reasonable and not doing any harm, what do you mean by see a difference? you are not doing anything wrong between 6-10 and as he's so newly diagnosed his target ranges will be different to other people's, I was to aim for between 6-9 for a month but they changed it to the 4-7 as I was managing quite well. they will also want to bring his levels down slowly into the 'normal' range, you are both doing so well even getting his range in 6-10, the day I got out of hospital I was 19 at bedtime 😱 xx
SB2015
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- Type 1
Shorter needles can make a lot of difference. I went from 8 mm down to 4 mm and it was much better.
I also found that the abdomen was a lot more comfortable to use as I had some padding.
The Libre is a great help to know the ups and downs. The direction of travel along with the glucose level is very helpful. It makes a big difference. When you see an level between 4 and 5 but with a downward arrow you know to do something. If it is showing a rise in levels then nothing to do. Let us know how you get on.
I also found that the abdomen was a lot more comfortable to use as I had some padding.
The Libre is a great help to know the ups and downs. The direction of travel along with the glucose level is very helpful. It makes a big difference. When you see an level between 4 and 5 but with a downward arrow you know to do something. If it is showing a rise in levels then nothing to do. Let us know how you get on.
Robin
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Lantus does tend to sting. It works by being more acidic than the human body, unlike Novorapid which is neutral. ( I mean it's the same PH as the human body) I don't know why it should be the case, but I find some times it stings more than others.
Northerner
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Lantus sometimes stings a little because, as @Robin says, it is slightly acidic. It works by reacting with the body's own fluids and forms little crystals below the skin, which then dissolve slowly over the next 20-24 hours. There is an alternative insulin, called levemir, which works differently, so tends not to sting. However, when I was on lantus I got used to it, and found it better just knowing how it worked! 🙂 Here's a full explanation of the difference between lantus and levemir:
https://www.diabeteshealth.com/lantus-and-levemir-whats-the-difference/
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