We live in Las Vegas, NV. I’m looking for a mentor for my 10 yr old son who was diagnosed T1D when he was 3. He’s having a hard time managing things now & I think it would help if he had someone to talk to that would understand better what he’s going through.
Hi,
sorry to heard that, my son also T1D he is 4 years old now, we don’t have a big problem with him for food or eatings sweets until now he understand that he is Diabetic and he can’t eat a lot sweet things, we have difficult when we change his pump supply but please I want to know if your kid was ok before (I mean from 4 to 10 did he accepted his Debetic or no? if yes, why do you think he changed ? in school with his friends or his brothers at home ??? thanks
I don’t want this happen to my son, we are trying the explaining him every time…and I knew it not easy at all.
hello djworkman23,
I had the worst time in tween and teen, mostly because I realized I was so different from my peers and because I desperately did not want to be different. It is such a tough time. I am sorry he is experiencing it but it’s part of growing up and accepting that he, unlike his peers, is different, has to do different things, and it is not a curse or a punishment even though for me it felt like it was.
I think it can be tough because I am sure he has seen you fix things, he has experienced being sick and you and doctors could fix it, and he’s beginning to wonder why no one can fix this or why everyone he trusts failed him, including himself. This one issue took me over 20 years, therapy, and a lot of my own work, to understand.
In my opinion, the best thing would be to experience diabetes with peers. that way he can’t continue to believe he’s the only one. a pain shared is half the pain. I don’t think it would matter much if it was an adult or even a mentor that was only slightly older. I believe it is a powerful thing to experience this with you own age group.
Could you maybe take a look at a camp where other children have diabetes? Maybe the JDRF local chapter so he can go to a fundraiser and meet other peers?
Hi - yes he was fine. He was diagnosed at the age of 3 and I was always amazed at how well he took to it. I think part of it is just the age - I see quite a bit of what he’s going through in the other kids his age. Part of it is also “burn out”. This disease required attention basically 24/7 and you never get a vacation from it. After 7 years, I just think he’s tired of it. Trying to work things out without someone to talk to on a regular basis who truly understands what he’s going through isn’t easy. I can support him but I haven’t walked in his shoes… I don’t know what it feels like to have high/low BG. He goes to camp but that’s just a few weeks a year. I would recommend trying to connect with someone your son can relate to with the disease as he gets older.
Thanks for your reply Joe. You offer some good insight.
He does go to camp but that’s just for a short period every year. I would like for him to have someone to talk to on a regular basis. I support him, but I can’t truly RELATE to how he’s feeling & he’s getting to a point where I think he really needs that outlet.
He’s the only diabetic in his school, and so far there haven’t really been any issues with people MAKING him feel different but I know it doesn’t have to come from an outside source. He can simply FEEL different.
The fact that he was diagnosed at such a young age is a factor as well. Crazy to think that at the ripe old age of 10 he could be experiencing “burn out”!
My son was diagnosed about 6 mos ago and is 11. I know he would love to have a friend going through the same junk if your son would be interested in texting with him. He is very active and soccer is his love. Let me know if you would be interested!
@akhall14
This is a great idea! To help make a connection with @djworkman23 you may want to mention the name as I have done with the @ sign. I believe this sends a notification to the person so they know to look for a new post.
Otherwise, try sending a friend request to that person on here, that will be the most direct route.
There is also a group on here for teens/tweens to join and post too. Good luck!
Hi everyone, Hi @akhall14, @djworkman23, @akhall14
I just recently found this community and Im so glad I joined. We also have a ten year old son who was diagnosed exactly a year ago with T1D, shortly after relocating to Las Vegas with my wife and his 12 year old brother. He seems to have adjusted fairly well but he still has his many moments, as you can imagine. He is very talented and has learned to animate on his computer and has started a youtube channel called “thatguylikesemeralds”. IF you have a child about his age chances are they probably have the same interests such as MineCraft, gaming, etc. My son actually has a great following on his channel and has become pretty influential among his subscribers (200+ and climbing!) We decided to home school him when we found out about his Diabetes. Although he has found outlets and hobbies, it has limited his social interaction physically. We still religiously check his glucose through out the night in fear his levels may drop too low. We have decided to enroll him in a class room setting next school year as his personality type really needs more structure and face to face interaction. We know that every school has a nurse but we still have our fears about how things will go. Does anyone know if there is a group in LV with kids with T1D that meets together? Would anyone be interested in this? In the meantime, if your kids would like to reach out to my son and make a connection, feel free to check his youtube channel. He also has an email address but doesn’t pay as much attention to it as his channel lol. I’ll see you guys in the forums! God Bless!
Hi!
Sorry for the delay in answering, it’s been a rough week. My son is NOT computer savvy, but he is 11 now and loves MineCraft, Yu-Gioh(sp?), Pokemon…all that kind of stuff. He will be going to diabetes camp during spring break but I would love to set something up to get together with your son. I’m always looking to hook up with other diabetic friends. We live near Buffalo & Sahara. What part of town are you in?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Debbie
Hi I have a little guy about your sons age that is now struggling too. He has had it since he was 2Y. Is there any more room for T1 Friends from another state? We both hope that your son is doing better and you as well as we all walk alongside our T1’s in the up and downs of navigating their world of diabetes. I recently started a support group locally for families in the hopes that he will meet more friends his age to hang out with. The teen years are hard on children I have seen after raising two already so we can empathize with anyone having to deal with what we call their diabetic twin side… Best to you! L
I’m am ready to be his mentor… Please inbox me for my WhatsApp number
Which device u r using for him?