I’m having a really hard time coping. Some days are easier. I know it’s still new but it’s really tough today for some reason. I’m a licensed practical nurse so I have the medical experience which is a big help, but I can no longer work because he needs my 24 hour care. My husband is wonderful and working all he can to help us, but I’m just exhausted. Mentally & physically. I’m just praying this all gets easier. I was really excited & thankful to find this support group online.
I completely understand as my story is somewhat similar. Our daughter was diagnosed at 18 months after going into ketoacidosis. I was a licensed mental health counselor working in the managed care field and became a stay at home mom shortly after her diagnosis. She is 3 years old now and although I still feel defeated sometimes I rely on my faith in Jesus Christ to help me get through. What a wonderful thing that you are a nurse and can help your baby. I hope things get better. I am more than happy to answer any other questions.
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While I cannot relate to the age your child was diagnosed at, my ten year old was only diagnosed 4 months ago. I was also glad to find forum two weeks ago. Until today I still struggle with coping with our “new life” and most importantly, I struggle with knowing my child’s life will no longer be the same for him. I am starting to learn that it is ok to feel scared, that it is ok to cry sometimes because there is nothing else that comes to mind, and truly, sometimes you just have to let it out. I agree with @TookieTina33, my faith has kept me going, it has given me hope at times where nothing else mattered. Like everything in life, I have hope that time will heal, that time will also come with a cure and if not a cure with something that can make life easier for anyone living with T1D.
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I completely understand what you’re going through. While I don’t know what it’s like to have a child diagnosed with T1D, I watched my parents struggle to come to terms with my diagnosis when I went into DKA at age 7. It hurts. It really does.
But it’ll get easier. I promise. I’m so glad you’ve discovered TypeOne Nation; it’s really helped me lately and I’m sure it’ll help you too. You’ll learn from experience and eventually–as impossible as it may seem–it’ll become part of your daily life.
Please don’t hesitate to message me if you have any questions or just want to talk.
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Hi Lauren. First of all, hugs to you! You are doing great! Everything that you are feeling is totally normal, and I can relate 100%. My 3 year old daughter was diagnosed 2 months ago. Unfortunately, I am unable to stay at home with her, so we are relying heavily on a network of caregivers including her preschool and family members. We are training EVERYONE about her T1D: How to do blood sugar checks, what the numbers mean, how to treat low/high blood sugars. We came to the realization that this is not something that we should face alone. If anything were to ever happen where me or my husband could not be there, we want to be confident that our other family members could care for her.
One of the best things we did was to get her a CGM. This was possibly the biggest stress-reliever for us. Early in her diagnosis, she would have frequent lows as her insulin was being adjusted and her appetite was going back to normal. The uncertainty of her blood sugar throughout the night kept us in constant fear of the worst.
It might be helpful for you to reach out to your local JDRF chapter and get connected with other families in your area. My husband and I are actually going to our first local event in October at an arcade where we’re hoping to talk to other parents about our concerns and to find out what “normal” really is. I also think it would be cool for our daughter to have some friends that are similar to her.
While it definitely sucks that our kids must live with this condition, I find comfort in reminding myself that by being diagnosed at such a young age our kids will never remember a time that they did not have T1D. This will become part of the norm in your life, and our kids will still be able to live full lives.
Best wishes to you and your family,
Sara
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Thank you so much everyone