School Holidays

[fireamythyst]

My daughter was only diagnosed with Type 1 six weeks ago. Everything is going well but the Easter holidays are coming up. My daughter has always been very active and during the holidays used to go out in the morning and basically come back when hungry, or to tell me where she was going. I'm concerned that she'll forget to come in for her blood glucose tests, injections and meals. How do other parents deal with the holidays?

 

[Redkite]

Hi and welcome to the forum 🙂

Sorry to hear about your daughter's diagnosis - you don't say how old she is, but I'm guessing teenage? She needs to make sure she always carries hypo treatments (dextrose tablets, jelly babies etc.) with her when she goes out, and lets her friends know about her diabetes so they can help if she has a bad hypo. Has she experienced a hypo yet (ie. does she recognise the symptoms)?. Is she doing her own injections? If she is coping well and wants to go out, she ought to get in the habit of always carrying the following: hypo treatments, BG testing kit, injection pen, and phone. If she is not yet confident injecting or is unwilling to test her BG while out and about, then perhaps she should only go out for a couple of hours at a time initially.

It's very hard to be diagnosed in your teens, because there is inevitably a temporary loss of some of the freedom and independence that she's built up - but she needs to look on it as a period of adjustment - there's nothing she can't do, but most things need some planning and forethought. My son was diagnosed aged 4, and is now 13, so his journey to independence has always had diabetes woven into it. He is only just starting to go off out independently, but always tells me where he's going and takes all his diabetes kit and phone - mostly it's to other friends' houses to play computer games. I'd be a lot more worried if he was just "hanging out" in town! Also, activities such as going out for a bike ride with his mates need a LOT of pre-planning, as cycling is quite strenuous (very hilly round here) and hypos are almost inevitable - I would only allow him to go with a sensible friend!

 

[Copepod]

Life with diabetes means adapting diabete to life, not adapting life to diabetes. So, if your daughter is used to spending school holidays out doing things, then she should continue doing this, just carrying essential kit with her, as Redkite has outlined. Being able to recognise how she feels at various blood glucose states is vital to your daughter. Although I was diagnosed as an adult, I think the technique of always estimating my blood glucose level before testing, then noting association between feeling (plus things like how long since last insulin, what dose, what food, what activity etc) and number, is useful when getting to know type 1 diabetes.

Whatever age she is, she needs to know her dreams, and work towards them, although a few things like armed forces service, professional SCUBA diving, driving some vehicles etc are banned, no matter how well controlled.

 

[fireamythyst]

She's 11, and so far she's been really good. We have had a few hypos, once she forgot to have a snack before PE at school, and we underestimated how much activity was involved in her taekwondo class, so she does recognise the signs. I am determined she be able to carry on as close to normal as possible, to me that's the point of all the testing, injections and carb counting, to let her carry on with her life. I'm trying not to let my nervousness get the better of me. Guess I'm just going to have to trust her. Thanks for the advice.