It is a great encouragement to read all these replies and gives me hope that my son will soon be able to manage his BG at a near “normal” level. It will be 3 weeks tomorrow since he started insulin and we are seeing some downward movement in general, but still some pretty high numbers pop up. He does tell us when he gets a “low” reading in mid 100s (that’s his bottom end right now). He’s doing well checking and dosing and following doctors orders, so that us encouraging. He isn’t interested in reaching out to anyone about t1d (very private), but it’s so early and maybe he will make connections in the future. I want him to know He’s not alone or a freak" (that’s the way some teenagers talk). He’s a good kid and it tears at me that I can’t do more. Feeling helpless I guess. But you all are a blessing and I am greatful for this community.
puberty is the worst time his hormones will be all over the place
Robert, you have had a lot of great responses. I’ll chime in for what it’s worth. My son was diagnosed sophomore year of college at age 20. He too lost 20-30 pounds in the process. He was / is big into working out, so he had to totally relearn how to train and diet. First step is build the team around him, which someone else mentioned. Endo doctor, diabetic specialist (including a phone in number for frequent questions especially early on, nutritionist, and psychologist). That plus good family support is real important. Then get organized around insurance, prescription drugs and medical supply houses for equipment. Next comes trial and error of meal planning, how much carbs he is comfortable dosing for, learning how to eat out when there is no nutritional guidance and getting into the routine. Then how to deal with unexplained periods of highs/lows due to a cold, flu, stress or who knows what. It’s a process that takes time. Everyone is different, but there is a competency that is reached. Although a lot of work it can be done. The tools to control are so much better today and advancements are coming every year. Hopefully we get to the point where Type 1 is a managed nuisance instead of the 24x7. Good luck and let the Forum know any time you need some feedback.
Robert,
I’m new to the forum but we went through the same thing. Almost exactly.
My daughter was diagnosed Nov 13th, 2018. She was 13 years old. I work as a firefighter/EMT so I thought I had a leg up. I WAS SO WRONG.
We ran high in the 350-400 for about 4-5 months after diagnosis. Then tapered off a bit. We are almost a year into it and through multiple basal changes and the ratios for meal intake, we are just now “cruising” in the 150-220 range. I’m sure there will be many more changes. My daughter is very active (soccer, exercise, shooting sports, and anything outdoors.) She has a tough time getting the levels to always stay in the good range. She goes high with exercise so we try to adjust her meals accordingly.
This is a new experience, it was rough on us for a while. I wanted to change her diet to a low carb so bad but the DOC kept reassuring me that this was not necessary. Keep good communication with your diabetes educators, they have been the best resources for us.
Chris
Chris,
My son is 13 and was diagnosed two days ago. He’s a junior firefighter and his dad is a firefighter. Dad has type 1 too. My son is coping but is shocked and devastated. I’m crying myself to sleep but never in front of him. Was your daughter in shock after diagnosis. How long before she felt mentally stronger?
Our son was diagnosed 9/20/19. He’s 8. I truly believe he’s going through stages of grief. So are my husband and I. Every new day brings new concerns. I’m still waiting for the acceptance stage.
I’ve been diagnosed for a little over 5 yrs now. I still have those random thoughts that this is not real! I struggle with the realization, sometimes daily!
I know it sounds stupid to say what I’ve said. It doesn’t mean that I don’t think it though.
It is really tough to comprehend that you have some disease or problem that if you screw up, the consequences can be fatal! But that is where we are at.
Understanding, comprehension and acceptance are three different concepts. Each play their own separate roles in this.
Time and reflection are our only recourse in this. Just hope that we don’t do anything to ourselves that can’t be reversed, because we refuse to accept reality.
It’s just plain hard to do. For some it comes easy, for others it’s still a daily struggle. Everyone around you has to do the same too! Not easy no matter how we react.
It looks like I’m a little late here, but I want to add my thoughts to the mix. First I’ll affirm what everybody’s been saying so far – work closely with your endo and diabetes educator, and you’ll get used to it in time.
As a teenager myself, though (18 now, diagnosed at 12), I just want to say this to parents: it is hard, and yes, @CoopsMom, I think I went through the stages of grief myself. It took several months to realize this terrible disease would NEVER go away, and I would have to deal with it till the day I die. But eventually I came to terms with that, and I realized that it doesn’t define who I am. Now it’s just part of life. So, anyway, parents, from my experience, the best thing you can do is just be there for them through it. My parents have been excellent (most of the time 
) at being supportive without pushy. If blood sugars are running consistently high or low, and they aren’t doing anything about it, maybe say something, but please be gentle, because T1D is frustrating. And (yay teenager-ness!) it’s full of crazy hormones without adding lack of insulin to the mix. Realizing that I could be open to my parents about my frustrations and they wouldn’t immediately try to starting fixing my blood sugars and assuming they knew better than I did what my body was doing – that was a reassuring realization.
One more thing: insulin is a hormone that affects emotions just like all the others. I’ve realized that when I’m high for a while, I get just plain grumpy. Often when I’m low (or dropping), I’m lethargic and tired. Either way, it probably comes across as moody sometimes. So just be aware of that.
All right, I’m done now. Thanks for all the wisdom and honesty here!
I am a T1D and going high is something that tends to happen. If your son was diagnosed in Oct that means he is still in honeymoon stages. When coming out of honeymoon everything evens out for a while. Right now I would suggest changing insulin intake. If your son wants someone to help him through his you can have him contact me or even if your needing a little help. It’s nice to talk to other people with your disease it tends to help cope with it. @ viviann12056@gmail.com or if you want my # you can email me and I can give you that info
It’s a always hard when you find out. My son is 23 years old. He was diagnosed at 16 years old. He works and just bought a house. I always worry about him. I call every day just to see how his sugar is. Just always be there for your child no matter how old they are.
Awesome job getting a house at 23. Something to be proud of.
Thanks for the encouragement everyone. I’m feeling a little better about things, as my son is doing well (so far) managing this T1 thing on his own. He is very independent and only mentions his BG when something seems really out of whack. He went really low while snowboarding over Christmas but was able to correct and learned from that. He almost always has a daily high but nothing over 300 so I guess he’s managing well. I have nothing to compare. He just got a CGM last Friday and he seems happy with it so far. He is only 3 months diagnosed so I’m waiting for him to get pissed and go “off the rails” sometime, but maybe I’m wrong. I’ve already learned that diabetes is different for every person who lives it. So thanks for the words and advice, it is much appreciated.