Our daughter was just diagnosed with T1D at 17 months old. What advice do you have about keeping her calm during BG checks and shots? She recognowhats coming as soon as you wipe with the alcohol swab.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Hi Heather @Hdp6212, first I’ll off you a Warm Welcome to TypeOneNation!!! and then I’ll invite you to visit here often to listen and learn, and also to vent your frustrations or just want to lean on someone’s shoulder. We are here for you - and many here have lots of experience living with and caring for someone with TypeOne.
Thanks for sharing your daughter’s picture - it is always nice to know with whom I’m sharing. I don’t have a child with T1 but I had a granddaughter living with us who was born at 22 weeks and needed tons of medical care - I even learned to start her antibiotic IV four times every day; (she is now 21 and a Company member of a professional ballet). I suggest, that rather than using an alcohol swab for injections or finger-sticks that you simply wash her hands or injection site with soap and water. It has been years since I’ve used alcohol swabs except when I’m away from running water such as at a work-site or on a bike ride. Alcohol wipes can distort a BG value; in fact the DexCom manuals tell us not to use alcohol when doing BGM [blood glucose Meters] to calibrate CGM [continuous glucose Monitor].
I wish you well, especially during the first few trying months as you are attempting to learn all you can - don’t despair even when frustrating times overtake you - your precious bundle needs you and she will really be fine.
Thank you @Dennis for your advice and encouragement. We definitely did not expect to get the news that our daughter was diabetic. We are arming ourselves with as much information that we can in order to help our daughter.
Heather @Hdp6212, very few families or individuals expect to get this information - only about 10% of those diagnosed have a first degree relative with TypeOne.
I will advise you now that it never gets “easy”, but as she grows and you learn good diabetes management will become a routine part of her life and it will appear much more simple. Certainly she will go through many different stages of acceptance, denial and just about anything you can imagine; you will have similar feelings and experiences. Best advice for you, be a good listener and show empathy and understanding.
She will possibly be more healthy than many girls she will meet during her life and there isn’t any reason that diabetes will hold her back from living a long full life. I got my diagnosis on my 16th birthday in 1957 and I’ve “done it all”.
My daughter was diagnosed at 2 years old. She is now 8. I remember her crying every time I would finger prick or giver her a shot and it broke my heart! One thing that worked with her is we made a sticker chart and every time she got a shot or finger prock without crying she would put a sticker on the chart. Once she got 20 stickers, she would get to pick a prize (could be anything…stuffed animal, special movie at home, picks the dinner, plays a game with mom or dad, small dollar store prizes, anything). She loved it and soon stopped crying just to get the prize. We didn’t have to do this forever, eventually it just became part of her routine and didn’t need stickers as reinforcement.
Your daughter is so cute!! When doing BG checks and shots, it may help if she’s preoccupied. Have her do something to keep her mind off of the needle. If she’s not old enough yet to do thing like color, have her cuddle her favorite stuffed animal or toy. It may help. I know it helped me when I was first diagnoses at 6 and sometimes it kind of still helps as a 13 year old when I’m stressed out and don’t want to do my shots and stuff anymore. No doubt, as she gets older she’ll get more used to it, but I’m sure it’s ard right now at such a young age. Hope this helps Heather @Hdp6212.