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[Priyamhere]

Hi,

My 8 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 a couple of weeks back and we are still shock. She is on novorapid and lantus and has been absolutely brilliant with the medication. Her levels are normal in the morning which apparently means that the lantus is working but during the day her levels are anywhere between 11-20 ( sometimes higher)...I'm really worried and trying to work out how to keep it stable....she is also wants to snack in the evenings and am trying to give her proteins and non carb stuff but would really like to know what other options are there ????


Itz heartbreaking to see her undergo all this at this age and I want to help her...especially to keep her levels stable...any inputs from personal experience will be grt...thanks !

Cheers!

priya

 

[Northerner]

Hi Priyamhere, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your daughter's diagnosis Have you been told about 'carb counting'? This is where you adjust the dose of novorapid according to the amount of carbohydrate in the food she is about to eat - have a look at the following link:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Managing-your-diabetes/Carb-counting/

It is still early days for you, and it is not always possible to get things right, especially in a growing child, but things will improve! I qould highly recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas - the best book available about Type 1. There are links to other good resources in our Useful links thread Also, please ask any questions you may have here, there are lots of friendly and experienced people who will be happy to help out! 🙂

 

[Redkite]

Hi Priya and welcome to the forum 🙂. Sorry to hear about your little girl's diagnosis - my son was diagnosed aged 4 so I know what you're going through. It's really early days for you still, so don't panic if her BG levels are on the high side. Your clinic team are likely to want to take a cautious approach, because sometimes when a newly diagnosed child starts insulin treatment, their pancreas can have a temporary regeneration and produce a little insulin for a while (known as a honeymoon period), which can lead to hypos all over the place if you're not careful. Not everyone experiences a honeymoon (my son didn't), but what your team wants is to achieve a gradual reduction of your daughter's levels until they are closer to target (4-7mmol), which btw you can't expect them to always be! So I expect you will be in frequent contact with your DSN for the time being, and when you give her your daughter's BG levels, she will advise on small increases in your daughter's short-acting (meal) insulin.

Do get yourself the Ragnar Hanas book, as it is incredibly helpful, easy to read and optimistic:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Type-1-Diab...8&qid=1392638786&sr=8-1&keywords=ragnar+hanas

 

[Priyamhere]

Thanks for the input...I guess it will take time to adjust and understand how it all works...will definitely check out the book and the link....I had a query, which I hope you will know about...basically I was advised to check her level before any exercise and then if it is 15 or more to give a correction, as the body could take more glucose to make more energy.

So this saturday, she started out with 6.3 before breakfast and she had her dance class immediately after....when I checked her after 2 hours, she showed 21....I wasn't sure whether I should correct, so I let her be....she was hungry, so gave some non carb stuff and then she had her swimming and after that she showed 8.3 before lunch...So now I'm confused...please help !!

 

[delb t]

Hi Priya- sorry you have to be here -but glad youve found us so soon .My son is 17 and we have been diagnosed for 2 yrs now.The early days are so hard , there is so much to take in but it will get easier honest.Do you have to give your team the results every few days? because we did and then they would tweak the ratios of the mealtimes- one meal/change at a time till we got it almost right but will still get random numbers out of the blue!. Dont be worried about contacting your team often -thats what they are there for!.As for snacking I tended to stick to 3 substantial meals per day[ well he's a growing lad] and this seems to work for us.If you havent been taught to carb count then push for this - after a while it becomes second nature! And to add- diabetes hasnt stopped him doing anything! [ hes ski-ing as we speak] just more planning needed! welcome from me I have found everyone on here truely fab

 

[Northerner]

Thanks for the input...I guess it will take time to adjust and understand how it all works...will definitely check out the book and the link....I had a query, which I hope you will know about...basically I was advised to check her level before any exercise and then if it is 15 or more to give a correction, as the body could take more glucose to make more energy.

So this saturday, she started out with 6.3 before breakfast and she had her dance class immediately after....when I checked her after 2 hours, she showed 21....I wasn't sure whether I should correct, so I let her be....she was hungry, so gave some non carb stuff and then she had her swimming and after that she showed 8.3 before lunch...So now I'm confused...please help !!

It's worth keeping records of what she ate, what dose she had, and her levels so that, in time, experience will allow you to make better informed decisions.

Exercise is a difficult one. People vary a lot in their reactions to it so it can be a very individual thing, plus different types of exercise can have different effects! The reason why you shouldn't commence exercise with levels in the high teens is because it can cause your levels to climb even higher, whereas you might expect them drop lower. I find that my best option is to time my meal and insulin dose prior to exercise so that I have food digesting and insulin circulating during the exercise. Stress and excitement can cause your levels to go higher during exercise, so this might be why she went high, plus the dose may have been insufficient for the food or the peak of the insulin's action might not have coincided with the food's peak digestion. There are many factors, unfortunately. After exercise you become more sensitive to insulin, so many people find they need to reduce subsequent doses (or eat more carbs!).

Sorry if I've just made i more confusing for you, as I say, in time and with more experience you will be able to predict things better 🙂

 

[Priyamhere]

Thanks a lot Del...willl definitely contact our nurse....just didn't want to trouble them every time I get anxious 🙂

Thanks Northerner...your reply was really helpful...I think probably the bolus was not enough....will get in touch with the care team and check with them.

I feel a lot better knowing I can talk to someone who understands and who definitely knows a lot more than I do at this point...so thanks everyone !!!

 

[Copepod]

Welcome to the forum, Priyamhere, and sorry you (and your daughter have to be here).

As others have said, it's early days, so please don't blame yourself for not getting perfect results immediately. Honeymoon phase plays havoc with everyone who gets one. As Northerner says, keeping records of food in (types & amounts) and doses of insulin is vital in uncovering any patterns. However, you really need to include other factors, such as activities: physical such as dancing, PE lessons, walking / cycling to / from school; psychological / mental / stress eg school or dancing tests etc; weather (hot / cold (extremes of both take more energy from body) / windy (extra effort walking) etc; illness (especially infections) etc.

Don't worry, even those of us who have had type 1 diabetes for years still don't get it right all the time, even with good support of diabetes team. There's more to life than perfect blood glucose levels, although of course, good control gives the best chance of the longest period with no complications - I got T1D aged 30 years, 18 years ago, so didn't have the teenage rebellion phase myself. However, a few years before my diagnosis, I was a leader on an expedition to Greenland, and had a 17 year old young man in my group, who'd had T1D a couple of years - he coped with bimodal insulin (much less flexible than basal bolus like your daughter and I use), 6 weeks in tents, some on glaciers, long ferry & boat journeys through iceberg strewn fjords, long flights across times zones etc. When we made contact again a few years ago, we both wondered how he'd done it. He's now a doctor, and we were both volunteer Games Makers at London Olympics & Paralympics, although at different venues.

A long way of saying that as your daughter learns to deal with her diabetes, she should also keep hold of her dreams and follow what's important to her. The only type of dancing I can do is ceilidh, usually at the end of an adventure race in Scotland 🙂

 

[Priyamhere]

Thanks copepod...thatz really reassuring...shez such a bright and talented kid and I really hope and pray that she adapts and learns to cope with it ....one step at a time I guess...

right now, apart from trying to figure out the carb/ insulin ratios, I'm finding it hard to say no to her when her friends offer her sweets/ cakes...how do parents with small kids who have type 1, deal with this???

 

[HOBIE]

Hi Pryamhere & welcome. Keep at it & good luck. It will pay off

 

[Hanmillmum]

Hi and welcome

Thanks copepod...thatz really reassuring...shez such a bright and talented kid and I really hope and pray that she adapts and learns to cope with it ....one step at a time I guess...

right now, apart from trying to figure out the carb/ insulin ratios, I'm finding it hard to say no to her when her friends offer her sweets/ cakes...how do parents with small kids who have type 1, deal with this???

Regarding being offered treats, could you suggest that yes she can have them but take them home for later, so you can work out carbs and tag them onto tea-time injection? Unfortunately we have had to say no more recently to things because of a recent Coeliac diagnosis but I always say that I will find her something similar or better to what has been offered so she doesn't feel she is missing out and resenting her conditions. Perhaps as well when her friends get used to her new routine they may adapt a bit too and it might become less commonplace (may be worth a chat with them and/or their parents when the opportunity arises).

🙂🙂

 

[Priyamhere]

Thanks Hobie !

Thanks Hanmillmum !....will definitely put your advice to work...i think it might work for the both of us coz it just breaks my heart to say no....and hopefully she will adapt to this lifestyle soon enough ...thanks again for the support everyone !!