New parent of T1

Emily,

Successful parenting needs to be a unified front. This is even more important now. Work together as a team. Learning and sharing the difficult times so neither of you feel independently burdened. Diabetes is a game changer for sure. Ditch the shame and guilt as soon as you can. It’s not anyone’s fault. I remember having those feelings myself and no one gains by dwelling on the negative.

It’s early in your learning about all things diabetes, but the routine will get easier with time and education. One day at a time they say and it’s true.

Be strong and be well.

Sincerely, w. bryan

We will be coming up on our daughter’s second “anniversary” this Memorial Day weekend. I just joined this group (and this organization) today and feel a need to reach out to you. She is twelve now and I can certainly empathize. Although things have become “easier” this is a diagnosis that you can never forget about. My daughter recently got a Dexcom continuous monitor which has made our lives a bit simpler (I can just glance at my phone when we are home to see her blood sugar readings without nagging her constantly). Right now having the Dexcom helps her too, since she doesn’t have to prick herself before she eats each and every time she eats.
The difficult part about this diagnosis is that outsiders just don’t understand – they think that as long as my daughter is not offered sugar everything is fine! Even my folks and in-laws still don’t “get it”…fruit is not better than cookies. Everything must be reviewed before it is ingested. There is certainly no "free lunch."
Hang in there though – things become simpler to a certain extent. I am more comfortable now when my daughter is in school. I don’t feel a need to know her numbers every hour anymore. I will stop now, since I can truly go on and on, but I will leave you with this thought: Although that attainable “cure” has been just around the corner for years, we certainly have seen many more advancements in the treatment of type one each and every year!