Hello

Newly Diagnosed
1

My daughter was diagnosed with T1D May 20, 2016…I sometimes feel like a chicken with my head cut off.

2

Hi @tassiamac,

Thanks for the smile, and seriously, you may have come to the right place. “Chicken without a head” I interpret to hearing you saying that you are running here and there trying to help your daughter [you don’t mention her age] figure out how to balance her food, activity and insulin; I’ll certainly offer suggestions. And By “coming to the right place” I’m saying that there are many people here willing to offer suggestions, many caregivers who have been in your situation and many people with diabetes learning how to figure out how to live with this condition. T1D is a lifetime learning experience that gives us strength.

Share with us, if you wish, some particulars that concern you. And YES, it is OK to vent here. We are here together to learn, to assist and just maybe to find a cure for T1D - a primary goal for JDRF.

3

Oh @Tassiamac,

What I left out of my previous response is some great information you may want right here on-line.

Click on the “Resources” tab at the top of this page. You will find tool-kits, wonderful articles - ideas, and a way for you to receive assistance and possibly contact information for diabetes affiliate meetings in your locale.

4

Thank you so much Dennis. I apologize, my daughter is 13 and we are almost at a year with her diagnosis. The drs gave us apps to use to help but sometimes I don’t feel they are useful. Right now we are going through the steps for her to get the pump and that’s nerve racking. Especially when they want us to the food logs and my daughter isn’t always compliant with it. I think it’s the measuring that she hates the most.

5

Tell her that everyone hates measuring food and using food logs. Is this requirement temporary or more permanent? Maybe a specific end date would help her stay motivated. Eventually, she will “just know” most quantities and corresponding carbohydrates. The pump is really so much better than MDI.

6

I agree. The measuring is only temporary. I don’t measure anything anymore because I can eyeball measurements so well now, and I know what a cup of X looks like on a plate or in a bowl.

You could try making it a game. Take a plate of food and have her guess the volume, then measure it and see how close she was. Have some kind of prizes or rewards for her if she gets it right. Then the next time she plays, she’ll be even better. I still use the “1 cup is about a tennis ball” thing all the time!