He's having 3 day time injections of a fast acting insulin before meals and a slow night time one. Sorry if all the terminology is wrong. He gets very upset and tearful with the finger prick tests and the injections. My heart breaks a little seeing that.
Unfortunately my husband doesn't care about me and the marriage has been crumbling for a while. He couldn't get away from the hospital quick enough so feeling very alone. He may be struggling with it but he won't discuss his feelings.
Welcome to the forum Cheryl, and sorry to hear about your little boy's diagnosis. My son was diagnosed aged 4 (he's nearly 16 now) and I have a vivid memory of the diagnosis, the shock and devastation, and how it turned our world upside down. You are experiencing a kind of bereavement and it will take time to adjust - but please let me reassure you that your son will still be able to lead a full and happy life, eat a normal diet, play sports, do well at school, etc etc. Sending you a big hug from one Mum to another
🙂
You are in at the deep end, and there's a steep learning curve, but you'll be a type 1 expert very quickly - I highly recommend the Ragnar Hanas book that Northerner mentioned above - this book is written in a clear approachable style and is positive and upbeat, and I found it invaluable in the early weeks, especially when I needed advice out of hours. I also recommend if you're on Facebook joining the group "CWD - Main Group", to connect with other parents of children with diabetes and draw on our collective experience. There is usually someone online on that group at any hour of the day or night!
Re your son getting upset over the injections and fingerpricks, I well remember that as being one of the most upsetting things - I literally had to pin my son down to inject him as he screamed and pleaded, heartbreaking
. But the fear is worse than the actual feel of the needles - make sure you have 4mm or 5mm needles, much gentler. For the fingerpricker, use the lowest (shallowest) setting - this is relatively gentle compared to the butcher's device that they use on the wards! Only prick the sides of the top part of the fingers, never the pads (these have the most nerve endings and so hurt more), and avoid pricking index fingers and thumbs. He will get used to it before long and it will be much less traumatic, but in the meantime you need to be brisk and no-nonsense about it, and then move on to doing nice things immediately afterwards. Don't let the clinic push your son to do his own injections unless he himself wants to - some kids are happy to do this, but most want the support of an adult at that age - my son didn't self inject until he was 11.
Sorry also to hear about your husband's attitude. I was married at the time my son was diagnosed, but although his Dad did care in his own way, he didn't get properly involved in learning about the diabetes care, and certainly wasn't supportive of me. We have since divorced (unconnected with the diabetes), and though he regularly sees our son, he doesn't have him overnight because he can't/won't support him with his diabetes. That doesn't mean that he didn't care/grieve about the diagnosis, and it could be that your husband is upset but can't express his emotions. Whatever the situation, is there any other family member who could offer you some support, and maybe even come along with you to clinic and learn about your son's diabetes care? I speak from experience when I say I feel vulnerable as a single parent with nobody to fall back on if I were ill. None of my family live nearby and none of them know anything about type 1 management. So do try and get Grandparents or aunty/uncle on board from the start if you can.
{{{hugs}}} xx
