My 7 year old has been diagnosed for a little over a year. He has adjusted and is handling his diagnosis really well. At times, I feel I am handling it and other times I am still so angry this happened to him. His levels will be great for weeks at a time and all of a sudden his numbers are high and he is throwing ketones, even with a pump. Sometimes I struggle with why this is happening to him. We want him to feel normal, however even traveling isn’t a simple act. It was humiliating what he went through going through security when traveling for a funeral. Does this feeling ever subside? Is there really ever a feeling of being normal? How do I help him adjust fully to his diagnosis so he does not rebel when a teenager or in college?
Thank you.
Hi @acrhawkeye,
I am so very sorry that you are feeling this way. All I can say is that as a person living with T1D for 13 years, it does get better! We all go through shifts in blood sugars even as adults where we have to adjust accordingly. It can be a pain though and I completely understand.
I think as long as you keep your son involved with his care and help him to understand his diabetes it could help. Also I would try and get him involved with other kids that have diabetes so he doesn’t feel as though he is the only one that could help for later years too. They have diabetes camps for the summer months, JDRF has events throughout the year too! It helps to know other families where you can have get togethers etc…
If you don’t know your local chapter you can plug in your zip code on this page of the JDRF website and it will give you all chapters in your surrounding area: Find Local Chapter for Type 1 Diabetes Support
I am scared to death to go through airport security with my T1D son who is 14. I fear he may feel violated.
Hi @Tumorhead,
Don’t be scared! we all go through this in airport security. We have an entire group dedicated to Traveling with Diabetes here: http://t1n-migration.10uplabs.com/groups/traveling_with_diabetes1/
Gina
I know this is against the official advice, but I have had the greatest success with airport security when I say nothing about having a medical condition.
I take my pump off in the rest room and put it in my carry on. I keep all my medical supplies in my carry on, in case my checked luggage is lost. Doing this I’ve never had any problems going through security.
When I’ve notified airport security I have diabetes and wear a pump and am carrying syringes, I have had a body search and my luggage has been torn apart every time.
The reality is, I am not a security threat. I follow the rules to a reasonable degree, but I also avoid needless trouble by avoiding scrutiny.
My 12 year old daughter was diagnosed just about 1 week ago. I am frustrated with everyone and everything. She is handling it so much better than I am. Her numbers are still rather high and I feel like the bad guy all the time limiting her snacks and such. I even feel as if I am the only one that understand and cares. I feel my husband and family believe I should know everything because I’m a nurse but this is not my specialty area and let face it…this is my baby not a stranger.
I am glad that this forum is available and any suggestions/stories about other experiences would be great! Be blessed!
First, breathe! I was diagnosed at 10 (I’m 15 now) and trust me, you haven’t hit the worst. But - you are handling it fantastically. Don’t worry about her number being high right now. She was just diagnosed, and your ratios are most likely not exactly right. They calculate your dosages based on BMI, but one size doesn’t fit all! Try reducing her insulin to carb ration (i.e. if she’s at 1U/15g maybe take 1U/12g). Also, if she is consistently hight, maybe raise her 24-hour insulin (if she’s taking one, which hopefully she is!) by a unit or two. However, you may not want to hear this, but try not to limit her snacks and meals. I’ve learnt that it’s better to up the insulin than lower the snacks. You may want to try different foods, but try not to differ the size (if that makes sense!)
One thing I have learnt is that diabetes is different for every. single. person. You are going to have to experiment and find what fits your daughter. It’s all about trying to see what her body does.
And I’ve educated my nurses more than they’ve educated me! People need to remember that nurses don’t know everything about every disease. You are a fantastic nurse! and you are right, when it comes to you’re own child, the whole game changes.
And lastly, you are only a week in, cut yourself some slack! I’m 5 years in and I still haven’t figured it all out. One step at a time! And we are here for you every step of the way! Good luck!