Our 7 yr old got sick last week with the flu. We took her to the urgent care thinking she was had pneumonia on top of the flu. They sent us off with prednisone and an antibiotic. Within 2 hours we were in the ER with a very sick little girl. They did a blood draw and within 15 minutes told us she had diabetes. I was in shock. We were transported to another hospital that had specialists in this area. I spent the first 24 hours in denial, thinking surely there was something else that could explain this. We then spent another 3 days in the hospital getting her numbers down, fluids in her and becoming educated. Wow, so much information to take in. I’m still in shock that she has to deal with this for the rest of her life. She is being such a trooper but it is scary as a parent. Tonight her numbers are above 370 which is where we were when we were in the ER. I know there were other factors and we are still working on getting her numbers regulated but it is so stressful putting her to bed with a number that high. I know the lows are the real worry and we will do a blood check in the middle of the night. Looking forward to having a better handle on things and worrying less.
Anyone else a parent new to this?
I am not a parent of a diabetic…but I’m 24 y/o and have had it for 20 years I also Nanny for a diabetic 4 y/o. I am very sorry that your daughter got it. To be honest I don’t thoroughly remember getting it. But I can tell you working closely with your doctor’s and more understanding you obtain it gets easier and more controlled! 7 is young but you’ll be amazed how quickly she picks up everything. I was pricking my finger at 5 years old and telling my mom I felt low. It takes time but it gets better!!!
I to am a newly type 1 parent, but of a teen…yes I am a crazy over protective mom and this has made it worse, so I know where you are coming from. I fear everything now. She has always been a very independent active young lady and this makes me want to just keep her under my wing even more. She is very good about taking her insulin and checking before she eats but that’s about the extent of it. No more no less. She gets very angry and fussy when I ask her how was your numbers today. Or what have you eat. or no you don’t need to eat that or drink that. Her A1C’s have been staying around 8. She has a great DR. that works out of Brenner’s children’s hospital. They are very good with telling me to just be patience. which I have a hard time doing. I just happened to be looking for a support group to try and help with her learning about what is going on inside of her and how important it is to keep her sugar in check. She refuses to read or learn anything about what is going on with her. Right now I think she is still just going through the motions. But in the last few weeks we have had real high numbers 300 to 400’s and it scares me to think about what is going on inside her. She just takes her shot and goes on about her day. She was diagnosed Jan 3 of this year and it has been a roller coaster ride since. I was right there with you that first day and thro-out the next few weeks I second guessed everything. I thought what if they are wrong. But they weren’t, and here we are. I still lay in bed in the morning and listen in fear for her to turn off her alarm. It was a big shock to us, and she wasn’t sick. We had gone to the Dr. for a retinue visit and came out on our way to the hospital. I am still in denial some days but it does get better the more you learn and read. she refuses to so it is up to me to keep researching and reaching out to do what is best for her. I am looking for a local support group here in my area and hope to take her to a meeting with some other teens. Just so she can meet some other teens who live just like she does and are just fine. so she can understand that she is still that same girl who she was, just with a little modifications to keep up with. I wish you luck and will be praying for you to find comfort in knowing you are doing all you can to help.
Thanks for the replies…it is nice to hear from others that have gone through similar things. I’m sure it will get better with time. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. It is nice to have a place just to vent a little 
Prednisone will make anyone’s blood sugar go up, for diabetes it can make blood sugar uncontrollable. If you are injecting extra insulin please make sure you monitor, as the steroids wear off you may find you will have to back off a little (or a lot).
I hope you have access to an endocrinologist and CDE, and I hope everyone is aware of all medications.
good luck, this will get to be more routine after a while.
In type 1 the pancreas doesn’t work at all so within a couple hours a blood sugar can easily get to 370. So it’s not normal to have blood sugars that high all the time, but it can definitely happen if the body doesn’t have enough insulin for a few hours.
There are a lot of factors that affect blood sugar so even after you get the insulin dose more set you’ll still be making changes. Dealing with those changes will make you and your daughter into really quick and creative problem solvers, which is a good skill to have in life.
I was diagnosed at age 4 and am 41 now. No complications and I’m just an average wife and mom who has worked, traveled and done other normal stuff. Your daughter’s life will be a little different with diabetes but she’s going to be completely okay.
Yes, thanks for the prednisone info. We learned about that in the hospital. Thankfully, she hasn’t needed that again. We are working with a great medical team and are in daily contact with her endocrinologist for these first few weeks. We will continue to double check medications, etc…
Appreciate the input.
My daughter got dx at 7 just 7 months ago. It took me this long to be able to me out of the bubble and find this group. Please reach out anytime as we are all here for each other and you will have mixed emotions which will be ok and is normal. Keep reaching out.