Hi everyone-- I'm new here and I'm hoping that you can help give me some advice....
My son was diagnosed 3 weeks ago with T1. He is almost 2 years old (will be 2 at the end of July). Before he was diagnosed he was enrolled full time (8:30A-4:30P) at a daycare which is located near my office. He was very sick when he was diagnosed-- and we stayed in the hospital for a week. The first week home was really rough...he got an ear infection and a fever and his BS numbers were all over the place. At first i didn't think things were ever going to get easier and I couldn't imagine how we would ever get back to our old routine. But each day things are getting better. Both my work and his daycare have been very supportive and flexibile. I've taken some time off work through FMLA but unfortunately I will need to go back to work in the next few weeks and I need a plan for how to transition my son back to daycare.
We are planning to put him on a pump in the next few months but until then we will be doing Novalog shots after meals and snacks. I will be able to leave work throughout the day to give him shots. But I'm not sure how to handle the blood sugar checks-- I'm hoping that one of his daycare teachers will be open to checking his blood sugar throughout the day. If they aren't willing to do that i think i will need to find somewhere else to take him, right? i mean that is something that HAVE to be willing to do,right? Does anyone have expereince/ advice for how to make this work?
I am planning on spending the first few days with him at daycare doing the BS checks and the shots myself and then teaching the teachers how to do the BS checks.
If you have any advice or words of wisdom for how to make this work I would REALLY appreciate it! If I could wave my magic wand and make it so I didn't have to go back to work- I definitely would but that's just not an option for us so i have to figure out how to get him back in daycare and ensure that he will be well cared for
You are thinking about the right things. If his day care provider is willing to learn and cooperate you could get text messages a few times a day about his glucose levels. Perhaps they have already had to deal with type 1 before and it won't be an issue. If not then you will have to find another school.
Get your doctor's advice on the best way to handle the situation. Some kids do fewer glucose checks and shots during the school day and they just run a little high and correct at night. It's not ideal, but it's not the end of the world either. I was diagnosed at age 4 before glucose meters were available. I took 1 shot of long acting a day, which was standard treatment back then. Obviously modern technology has made things a lot better and allows for much better control, but I survived and didn't have any long term problems.
If the multiple glucose checks are necessary then visit with the daycare workers and discuss your son's needs and what they are/are not willing to do. Many kids have health issues that daycare workers help with. If his daycare cannot, you might try having him in a home daycare. My son is not diabetic but has had eye problems that required surgery, glasses and patching when he was 2-3 years old. His babysitter was really cool about helping us with whatever was needed and I was reassured knowing that she was the only person taking care of him, rather than a team of people who do shift work, like at most larger daycare centers.
Just be cool and reassure the workers that if he's low, give him juice. If his blood sugar is over 250 (or whatever you consider high enough to give a shot) then call you. This online Pink Panther books might help give them a quick overview too. www.ucdenver.edu/.../UnderstandingDiabetes.aspx
Thank you ver much for these replies! I met with the daycare and they have never had a diabetic child attend so this will be new territory for them. They are willing to help but are a little unsure about how things should work. At first i was thinking that i would come to the daycare throughout the day and check his BS and visit again to give the shots. I really like the daycare and wanted to make it as easy on them as possible. But as the reality of our day to day routine has started to sink in, i'm realizing that anyone who cares for my son will need to be able to do a blood sugar check, know what to do for highs/lows and also be aware of how to use the glucagon if (god forbid) it's ever needed.
So in the next few days I'll meet with the daycare again and show them how to do the finger pricks and walkthrough the basics of diabetes (highs/lows- what to do for each), etc. I'll stay with him through the first few days and show them how things work and then start to hand the reigns over to them. Hopefully this will go fairly smoothly. I'll talk with our endo like you suggested jenna about maybe not doing shots after snacks maybe.
Thanks again for the support and advice-- i feel like i'm slowly starting to get a handle on things
on a lighter note-- Even thought Marshall is not quite 2 yet, we've been explaining to him what we are doing with the BS checks and the shots in hopes that it will reduce some of his anxiety and help him feel some ownership of what we are doing. We walk through the steps and let him help...like putting the stick in the meter and pushing the button on the finger pricker, which we call a click-click. Well, it's starting to sink in :) we gave him a meter that we don't use and a 'click-click' without any lancets and last night i found him giving one of his toys a BS check-- he knew exactly what to do and at the end he said 'YEAH-- GOOD JOB!" just like we do for him :) kind of heartbreaking and yet cool at the same time
Your son sounds so cool and you're doing a great job!
The only other advice I would give is instead of giving the daycare glucagon for a severe low, a tube of cake frosting is a good alternative. If your son is so low that he's not conscious or cannot swallow, they can squeeze cake frosting between the gum and cheek and the sugar will absorb while they call 911.
When I was first married I'd had diabetes about 25 years and took shots, which caused me frequent highs and lows. I had 2 scary, unconscious lows that year (caused by hypoglycemia unawareness, which usually happens after decades of lows) and my husband saved me both times with cake frosting. Soon after I got an insulin pump and rarely have lows anymore. Don't have the hypoglycemia unawareness either (it usually goes away once blood sugars are more regulated).
I just posted about the back to daycare topic. How has it gone since you started him back? Any advice on what to do different? Looks like you got great advice back at the time of your post.