New and overwhelmed

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KitKatt

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Hello all,
I am so grateful for all the information available. We were on holidays in France when my parents noticed my 12 y o boy was drinking excessively and decided to get him checked. This resulted in a trip to the local A&E on Friday night and we’ve been there since, with a diagnosis of ‘Diabetes discovery Type 1 suspected’ We’re waiting on confirmation of Type 1.
I’ve discovered what the pancreas actually does … and I’m trying to keep it together so as not to panic him. But there’s so much. I’m lost and overwhelmed, uncertain of what it means for him, of the changes we need to integrate into our daily lives, or how we need to do the transfer from France back to the UK.
Anyway, sorry about the offload of panicky emotions - I will keep reading as much as I can and learn as much as I can. Thank you all so much for sharing links, experiences, news and the rest, I feel like I have found something I can hold on to which will help me in keeping my little man healthy.
Cat.
 
KitKatt said:
Hello all,
I am so grateful for all the information available. We were on holidays in France when my parents noticed my 12 y o boy was drinking excessively and decided to get him checked. This resulted in a trip to the local A&E on Friday night and we’ve been there since, with a diagnosis of ‘Diabetes discovery Type 1 suspected’ We’re waiting on confirmation of Type 1.
I’ve discovered what the pancreas actually does … and I’m trying to keep it together so as not to panic him. But there’s so much. I’m lost and overwhelmed, uncertain of what it means for him, of the changes we need to integrate into our daily lives, or how we need to do the transfer from France back to the UK.
Anyway, sorry about the offload of panicky emotions - I will keep reading as much as I can and learn as much as I can. Thank you all so much for sharing links, experiences, news and the rest, I feel like I have found something I can hold on to which will help me in keeping my little man healthy.
Cat.
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Hello @KitKatt ,

Welcome to the forum. I am so sorry to hear about your sons diagnosis. It must have been a complete shock to you. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you and your family right now. How is your son holding up? Is he in good spirits?

Since you are in France, they may have a different health care system/process compared to the UK in terms of diabetes care and diabetes management.

Also when are guys coming back to the UK? It may be helpful to make an appointment with your sons GP ahead of time before you come back to the UK.
 
Welcome @KitKatt

All to be expected with news like this. However, there is an unlimited amount of information, support and help for you.

Could also do without this happening abroad. I'm sure you'll get advice regarding this.

Try to keep calm. That's easier said than done though.

And I'm sure you will do more than your best for your little man.

Good luck.
 
He'll be fine (as will you!)

Interesting to see how the transfer back goes (in terms of hand-over and what insulins he's setup with), please let us know, but equally don't worry, as far as I understand we have very good juvenile T1 diabetes care (we did when I was diagnosed at 7 quite a few years ago now.)

The things I would say are to let him own the condition, but be there for advice/guidance and support (as you say there's lots to take in and remember), and also don't let it stop him and you from doing anything you want to. It may require a bit more planning, but it should never be a limitation.
 
Goodness @KitKatt! What a rollercoaster for you all! Feeling overwhelmed and slightly panicky is completely normal, but be reassured things will get easier..

I’ll tag some of our regularly posting parents who may have some wisdom and experiences to share:

@Bronco Billy @Thebearcametoo @Sally71

You may also find the Ragnar Hanas book a helpful source of information that you can dip into as and when you need to.

Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas - considered to be the 'bible' for children and young people on insulin regimes​

And feel free to keep asking questions too. We have centuries of lived T1 experience on the forum, so ask away!
 
Right now you’ll be feeling all sorts of things, but it does get easier, honest! My daughter was 6 years old at diagnosis and it does feel like your life is ending. But we have a fab hospital team who really looked after us and helped us to manage it as independently as possible. She is 17 now, does almost everything herself and can’t really remember not being diabetic, it means a bit more planning before you do things and a bit of clutter to carry around with you all the time, but you don’t have to stop doing things. There’s absolutely no reason that your son would have to stop doing his hobbies or going out with friends. it’s a bit scary at first but you get used to it fairly quickly.

Just take it one step at a time. Learn how to do his blood tests and injections. Then find out about carb counting. Then when you‘re ready you can start to learn about pumps and sensors and things which can make life easier. I can’t help with being in France but that sounds like a good idea to get an appointment with your GP booked asap and ask to be referred to a paeds hospital team. GPs tend to be not particularly well educated on type 1 (they see mostly type 2 and tend to base all their diabetes knowledge on that) whereas the consultants and specialist nurses in a hospital team are dealing with type 1 kids all day and don’t do anything else, so they are real experts. They will also be able to give you all the lowdown on pumps and stuff.

Make time for yourself too, you have to grieve (for the life you have lost), but just learn it all a step at a a time and you’ll soon get used to your new normal. If you have any questions just ask, we were all in your situation once and nothing is too silly. Let us know how you get on getting back to the UK! Good luck 🙂
 
I have a 13 year old who was diagnosed aged 8. It is overwhelming in the first few weeks and months and you have the added stress of travelling home to deal with too. Give your GP a call and get the process started of a referral to the paeds diabetes team. You’ll be sent back with enough insulin, strips etc to cover you while they set you up with your UK team. The experience we’ve had with the kids team has been that they give a lot of support and repeat lots of info etc so you get the hang of it. It does take a while to get your head around everything though.
 
Feeling lost and overwhelmed is absolutely normal at this stage. It won't seem like it at the moment, but it will get easier as each day gives you more knowledge and experience.

Any questions, just ask. 🙂
 
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