I am new to this group. My 7 year old daughter was diagnosed with T1D almost 6 years ago when she was 18 months old. She has had an insulin pump since she was 20 months old. We have always kept a detailed record sheet. we record Time, BG, amount of carbs, type of food/drink, insulin given, the pump recommendation for insulin, insulin on board and any notes such as exercise or illness. We have a small clipboard that we keep with her meter. This is very helpful for transitioning to and from school and if she has been with a grandparent. My daughter is in the 1st grade. The school nurse, who is full time and usually there thankfully does a great job. As a side note our daughter was also diagnosed with Celiac disease last March and the school and nurse do a good job managing both conditions. However, the nurse and her teacher have made a big push lately for J to record EVERYTHING on her record sheet. I am very frustrated bc she already has to take extra time to test and count out her snack and get separate gluten free food. I don’t think she should have the added responsibility or be singled out. J is the kind of kid who already has a hard enough time completing tasks on time. I know by about 3rd grade she should be pretty independent but until she is able to dose her own insulin etc I don’t think she should have to record everything.
My questions are…when did your children become independent with their care at school? Are any of you dealing with both T1D and Celiac disease? J is the only child currently at her school with T1D and only one other student has Celiac out of about 600 kids. This is a great private school and we sacrifice a lot to send her there so that she will receive good care for T1D and Celiac.
Hi Jen,
My daughter has had T1D for 2.5 years and is 10 years old. She still does not do her own insulin at school, but has input of how much. The nurse at school and her come to an agreement on how much to give. She does have a low carb snack everyday, but normally is less than 5 grams so she doesn’t do insulin. Next school year, (middle school) I will try it where she gives herself insulin and see how it goes. You can ask the doctors to help write a school plan where you chose who gives insulin and when and how often she has to test.
Hope that helps.
Hi there! My son will be 16 in May and was diagnosed at 9. He does not have celiac but we do keep records about his MDI etc as well. He started to self carry as a Freshman because that’s when HE was ready. He has just started taking over his own Lantus shots but I give him shots when he asks. He’s very busy on the baseball team and attends our math/science academy taking 3 AP classes. We do whatever feels comfortable for him and his stress level. He was also the only child at his middle school with T1 so the nurse was very protective of him. He missed a lot of class time because of clinic visits. High school has been much better as he has more control and likes it. When they are ready they will let you know.
Our daughter is 7, too (Dx’d 9 mos. ago). Also has celiac (Dx’d 2 yrs ago). She’s on NPH, essentially because the Dr. knew it would be hard for her to manage insulin at school, but FWIW:
I’m all for encouaging self-care, responsibility,and independence, but I also understand your concern about time. Maybe you, your child, and the nurse could agree on a few things that are your daughter’s responsibility to record (time & BG, maybe), and let the rest be the nurse’s? (You might even let some of the info go unrecorded; you could talk with your endo & CDE about how detailed your notes need to be).
Good luck!