We have had one night off in five months. No one can watch out kids but my parents. they aren’t retired they work full time and still have two adult children living with them. It’s sooo hard not getting time together or to ourselves. We are a young couple with two kids. Our daughter (4yrs) has type 1. No one else knows how to manage our daughters type1… & it’s too hard to train people up because everyone’s so busy with their families and jobs. Is this the same for a lot of parents of type 1 kids?
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It is exactly the same for my wife and I. We have 3 boys - 9, 7 and 3. My 7 year old was diagnosed when he was 2. It is impossible to find someone to watch all 3 and we do not have anyone who is trained to care for my son’s type 1. We have not had a night out in a very long time.
can you network in your community, maybe find another type 1, either adult of parent of? would take less training! Maybe your endo-type would have resources.
Hi Claudia @Cloudydays93, I hear what both you and Mike @mullane77 are both saying and I empathize. And to both of you, Welcome to the TypeOneNation Forum! I hope each of you will find here information and support as you work helping your kids to live full and active lives. None of our children or grandchildren have any form of diabetes [thankfully] so I’m offering my support only from the standpoint of a person living with diabetes into my seventh decade.
I don’t want to sound too arrogant, but once the correct insulin amounts are “working properly” - be that background insulin [basal] and mealtime bolus ratios - your child with diabetes, a person with mature judgement could very safely watch over to give you and your partner an evening away. Very minimal training, other than to know “warning signs” is needed and then if the child is hypoglycemic to provide appropriate carbohydrates.
@Val has a very good suggestion. You will be able to find good support and resources in your area by networking with others affected by TypeOne from your local JDRF Chapter. Yon can get that contact information by clicking the “Events” tab at the top of this page and selecting “JDRF Near You”.
Good traveling to both of you!
You don’t sound arrogant at all. I do agree with you. However, those around me have said they are not confident enough. Doing a finger prick to our daughter is nothing to us but … for example…when her kinder teachers did her first one they were shaking while doing it because they were so nervous. They simply don’t have the time to build that confidence with all that’s going on in their own lives. So it comes down to how confident they feel with it all too. I have two friends with young children with type 1 & I don’t think I could ever ask them, as they’re in the same boat lol… as for networking, it takes me a long time to trust someone with my kids regardless of any medical condition. You always hear those crazy stories about baby sitters… definitely open to meeting and talking to other parents with children with type 1, hopefully more beautiful and strong friendships are made but I definitely couldn’t leave my kids with someone I hardly know just because they have experience with type 1 management. I may just have to put myself out there more but it is exhausting lol. Thanks so much for all your replies everyone. Feels good to not be alone on this but also feeling sad for others going through the same thing.
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Why couldn’t you ask them? Seems to me you have the perfect chance for a co-op situation. Someone watches them on a night they are available and then you watch their kids when available, etc. Or set up an on going schedule if they are willing. Everyone deserves (and needs) a break every once in a while. Even just a dinner out or a walk around a park together. You’ll never know if these other parents are willing unless you ask 
Who knows, they may be feeling the same way as you and not know how to bring it up. The very worst that can happen is that they are not on board but that doesn’t mean you lose them as a friend. Good luck!
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The summer after my son was diagnosed, we hired a teenager with Type 1 to watch him. She was a lifesaver!
Hi @Cloudydays93. Like @Dennis I don’t have children with diabetes (I don’t have children period) but am a person diagnosed with it - inmy case at 3 years of age. We had no BG meters back then, much less CGMs, and the advent of those devices has made things both easier and harder. A mixed blessing. Fingersticks are something we share, and it is hard to do them especially on such a young body. It’s been a few months since you first wrote in, and I’m wondering if you’ve gotten a CGM? I think even young children are using them now, and you could do a calibration before leaving so your sitter would not have that unpleasant task. You could give them instructions on snacks to give if your child’s numbers hit a certain mark, and even have them prepped to make it easy.
Insulin pumps and pens are much less painful than the wide gauge needles we used to use, and while you certainly wouldn’t want to trust that to just anybody, a responsible teen with diabetes, parents of a diabetic child, or a friend who’s a nurse or has some form of medical training should be able to handle any dosing needed while you’re out.
Your daughter is young but in a few years she will be old enough for summer camp, and there are camps for children with diabetes. I went for a few summers as a child and had a great time. They are geared towards helping children learn about diabetes at a level appropriate for their age and level of development. Some if not many of the counselors are living with diabetes themselves and there is plenty of medical staff on board. So you might start researching ones in your area and planning - summer camps can be costly but it can be a good investment for your daughter’s health and your own peace of mind.
Hi, I can’t imagine how difficult that must be. My 6 year old was diagnosed last November. I have a large family so I have myself and my 14 year old daughter and a 20 year old daughter who is home only infrequently because of college who can take care of her. My husband does not give shots. But I leave her with him anyway. I leave instructions on how often they should check her bg (glancing at cgm) and my husband sets timers on his phone so he won’t forget. I even leave her for short periods with my 12 year old who doesn’t give shots. I just plan to feed her and maybe lighten up on the insulin a bit so she maybe running a bit higher than normal, so I’m not worried about her crashing. I do check the deacon follow app occasionally when I’m out and call home with instructions for my husband or daughter to with give carbs or to have her run around a bit and drink water if she is high. It doesn’t always work out perfectly, but it gives us the freedom so she doesn’t constantly have to be with just my 14 year old or me. It is possible, it is hard and it does feel like leaving a newborn baby sometimes. My husband is terrible with sticks so it was even harder before we got the cgm a month ago, but thankfully my little one learned to check her own bg the week after being diagnosed so even leaving her with my husband, she did the stick. I understand it may be harder with an active boy😊
I try to be a positive, encouraging person, which I hope shows in most of my posts although sometimes I do “shoot from the hip” as the saying goes. But I am probably going to incur some wrath here when I say I have an awfully hard time understanding why some parents will not give their child their shots or do finger sticks, but leave it to someone else.
I know it’s easy for me to say “Just do it” - one of the benefits of being diagnosed at such a young age (3 years old) is that I got used to needles very early in life. By the time I was 4 or 5 years old I had probably taken more shots than most people will take in a lifetime, so I try to be sensitive to the fact that some people are scared or even terrified of needles. But here’s the thing: some of those same people who are terrified of needles develop diabetes or other conditions and may have to use them - at least for a while. And if the person with the illness has to swallow their fear and do what needs to be done, why should their family members - at least parents - have the luxury of taking a pass?
Another condition that could require shots is allergies that cause anaphylactic reactions. If a child eats a peanut or other trigger food and started to lose the ability to breathe, would the parent waste precious moments trying to find someone to help? Granted, if the child’s BG numbers are good at the moment, a delay of insulin may not be life threatening: but what if they’re high and rising, and need an injection to bring them back down; or unconscious and need an injection of Glucagon?
Of course we know that insulin can be dangerous if administered incorrectly; but that is why people learn what to do and how to do it. My parents learned; so when I was older and learning to take my own shot, one of my parents checked my measurements as I drew out (and mixed) my insulins - using a needle and a bottle, not the pens we have today that allow you "dial your dose. It’s something that can be learned.
As for the pain factor - of course no one wants to see their child hurt. But needles today are MUCH finer than they were when I was coming up, and the pain is probably fleeting - and I think some people use ice or some type of numbing agent if need be; and many lancet devices have depth gauges you can set that help minimize the “ouch factor.” That moment of pain may be minimal when compared to the possible consequences of not knowing the numbers, or waiting too long to treat them.
So I would encourage parents of a child with diabetes - swallow your fear or whatever it may be and learn to give a shot. Whether it’s their insulin or glucagon for diabetes; or your friend is stung by a bee and needs you to administer their Epipen, familiarity with needles could help you do more than just give basic medical treatment, you could be learning the tools to save a life.
And yes, Epipens are a bit different from insulin syringes - I’m referring to the overall principle.
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