Hello all :)
I am a mom of a 12 year old boy who was diagnosed with type 1 last week. Any advice for someone just starting out? I have been reading labels like crazy and measuring/weighing EVERYTHING without a label...
He seems to be adjusting well..its me who is all stressed out. :/
Any words of wisdom for this rookie?
Know that you are doing just fine!!! We have been at it for almost a year and a half and it can still be stressful and frustrating, but you just keep moving forward. We still measure and weigh and read labels, and make educated guesses when we have no other option.
We're a little over 2 years into this. We still measure, weigh, and read labels too. I always say, who would've thought a calculator and a scale would become my best friend. We don't become overwhelmed anymore. My son was on a meal plan for a little over a year counting carbs, protein, and fats. Now THAT was overwhelming. We switched to a new endo and now we only count carbs and ever since his numbers and A1c has been remarkable! Plus it's soooo much easier.
Good luck to you.
1) Get a good food scale. There are some cool ones that will do the carb break down if you enter a code.
2) Read "Think like a Pancreas". Lots of good information.
3) Prepare to be frustrated by blood sugar numbers. Remember "It's an art, not a science". Anxiety, insulin sensitivity, absorption rate, etc all have an affect on the reading.
4) When in doubt, check blood sugar.
5) Find a local JDRF chapter and know that you aren't alone.
My 2 cents,
Tim