Thanks Alyssa. This happened tonight actually, about 2 hours ago. There was a birthday in the family and they had cake. She wanted some, so I took her to Maggie Moo's (ice cream place where we live). I asked for an information chart, but everything on there was loaded with carbs, the frozen yogurt, etc. We left and I told her we'll go to Rita's water ice, but they didn't have any info charts left. We went home and she had her head down because she was upset. That's really when I feel anger like she's being robbed of a "normal" childhood. It's so frustrating.....
Its like looking in a mirror every time I talk with a member; I know exactly what you mean about being robbed, like she was cheated out of being a kid.
Free, low-carb snacks are always good to have on-hand. Pickles, nuts, cheeses, boiled eggs, water crackers. Just a quick note, so if she's looking for a snack then it won't be a hassle to work around carbs.
Don't worry so much about the carbs. There's going to be carbs in practically everything. One thing you can always do is buy low-carb ice cream from the grocery store. A neat idea is (let's say your daughter's name is Sally lol) make "Daddy and Sally Sundaes" or shakes or something, using low carb ice cream or frozen yogurt; you can add things like berries, nuts, sugar-free caramel, sugar-free chocoalte - the whole shabang :D It can be like tradition, like my dad always helps me with my medical ID bracelet - you and your daughter can make sundaes or something the diabetic way. Does this make sense? And it might even be neat to her, judging by her age, to show the rest of your family her and her dad's sundaes some time.
Hi - I've been wanting to respond since I first saw your post but haven't had the chance. If I repeat something someone else has said please forgive me. I was diagnosed when I was 9 as well so I've had it now for 3/4 of my life. I do not have a T1 child, however, I think I can add some perspective from someone who was once in that position.
Times were different when I was diagnosed - we had food exchanges not carb counting and no home blood testing machines so we had to test our urine all the time. My advice to you is try, the best you can, to let your daughter manage her own disease. Granted, you will have to help, but the more she learns now, the better she will be. I was pretty independent from the start, mainly because my dad was not very understanding in the hospital so I felt I had to take care of it myself. I remeber him saying "stop being a baby" when I was having trouble giving my first shot. Years later, I realized that he wasn't being mean, he was just scared and felt guilty thinking he was the one that passed on the disease. It was irrational but very real to him. (he had a distant cousin who had T2) The reason I tell you this is because we T1's often feel 'diabetic guilt'. It is important that you don't feed that. If the blood sugar is high, try to stay calm and know what needs to be done. Communicate with her about it. Say something like, hey, it's okay, lets try to figure out what caused it. Keep in mind, it may go up or down for no reason. If you work with her to help manage she'll be more apt to want to find the answers. I know this might be very difficult for you but that's why so many parents are on here, you'll have the support you need as well. The more you work with her, without showing the anxiety you will ultimately feel, the better it will be. My parents were all over me if I showed sugar in my urine and it got worse once home meters came out - "you can't take care of yourself", "this is why we can't leave you" etc. While I know now they were just scared, being constantly at odds with them made it very difficult at times.
All that being said, it looks like you are doing everything right. I can't believe you have already come on here and let your daughter talk with people here. I don't know if you realize how big a step that is! It's something you are doing together and that's important. Just keep up with what you are doing. Gather info and communicate with her. It will remain difficult for sometime but just stay the course, it will get easier. Take a deep breath and know you are on the right track. Best of luck to you. Be well.
Doug
Just a little tip, Something that helped us a lot was a free book we got from our pump rep.. It is small and fits in her supply bag. It has carbs for almost every food, including most major fast food chains. Helps when no nutrition sheet is available and you don't have internet access.
I found it on amazon too for less than $10.00.. here's the link
hope this helps
Fred
Another idea is to make something yummy and free with her!
when it gets hot here I really like to freeze sugar-free koolaid (you have to check, some flavors have carbs, some don't) in a cup (or you can buy the popsicle shape things pretty cheap too) with a stick in it to make popsicles, its definately a yummy and better alternative to say a real popsicle or ice cream.
Doug,this was very helpful to me,and I can relate.Whenever my kids-EXample -maybe fall down when they were little-I would run to them first,if they were ok,then I would snap at them-Why did you run on the driveway,I TOLD YOU to run on the grass..... Everytime I would do this,I was SCARED,plain and simple.My daughter called me out on it once,she was right to.----Move on to testing blood sugar---I found myself in one or the other place if #'s were high-mad or down about the whole mess!! SO,now my teen calls me out on this--Tells me she dosn't want to test for worry of my reaction--This daughter was right too--I did some reading,that said to look at readings as way to learn and fix what's going on. Now,if I see a # we don't like,I say,lets work on this....I told her she was right on this point.I'm not going to say I won't fuss,I will,but I have tried to do better.
Hey, Daddy,
Keep in mind it's going to take a little while for her BS to settled back down into the "normal" range. She'd probably been living with higher than normal BS for a while before onset, so at this point 200 might feel "normal" to her. It took our son 4-5 weeks before he didn't feel hypoglycemic at a normal 85, because he wasn't used to it. And, she's not going to suffer any long-term effects if she's on the high side for a little longer. It takes time, and it doesn't have to be perfect.
I'm also wondering what insulin she is on. The hospital initially put our son on a R/N combination with Humalog for corrections, and we had to stick to his meal plan. Same amount of carbs, same time of day. Any deviation from the plan was a problem. Our new endo switched him to Humalog at major meals, and Lantus at night, and it's been fabulous. His doses are based on what he's going to eat, so it's very flexible, perfect for kids. We had three birthday parties in the first five weeks, and I just gave him enough Humalog to cover the cake and ice cream (small servings!). And, if I goof and underestimate carbs for one meal, I can correct at the next test and dose.
I was concerned about his brothers resenting the family's diet changes, but so far it hasn't happened. I didn't make huge, stark changes, just small changes here and there. Smaller servings of carbs with each meal (which I serve out to control portions), but enough other stuff to fill in with. We still have ice cream, because it's a good complex bed-time snack, we just don't have it as often. Switching to apples and peanut butter instead of carb-only snacks. We've reframed our talk about food to emphasize keeping everyone healthy, not just the child with T1. And, I think it helped that his brothers immediately took an active interest in William's care, and learning about T1.
It doesn't all have to be right now. I know you probably feel a sense of urgency because you're still in crisis mode, and trying to learn everything at the same time. It really is okay, it's going to be challenging for the entire family for a while, and it's absolutely going to get better. Just hang in there, try to relax, and remember to enjoy your daughter and your family for the great people they are.
Mo