I wanted to see how parents are coping with parenting their t1d child during the pandemic. We have stayed quarantined, however my son is really missing his friends. He wants to get out and see them. We are worried about letting him see friends. How are other parents dealing with this? Do you feel it is safe for them to be around friends? Is there more of a risk with a Type 1 Diabetic child? Any thoughts? Thank you!
hello @jsmith2203 welcome to Type One Nation and the forum. I am not exactly in that situation but I have an at risk child. I do NOT want to be the guy who went overboard nor do I want to be the one who did nothing and then something bad happened, so I am not travelling and I let my son see friends at a distance… and it’s better when I know the parents and I know they are not going to raves and being as safe as possible.
My son also zooms and facetimes his cousins and some of his friends. I have to tell you it stinks but it’s been “okayish” for him
There is no data that suggests that people with type 1 can catch covid easier, nor is there data that says that if you have t1 that you will develop horrible symptoms so nothing to be gained by a section/community poll and it’ll always come down to best judgement and practices. Hope this helps a little.
Hey there @jsmith2203! I know I’m a few days late, but I just wanted to reach out and welcome you to TypeOneNation! As you’ve no doubt already seen, this is a great place to get advice from folks who know the ins and outs of life with T1D.
I’m 18, and my parents haven’t been letting me out much. I live in Chicago, which has been an epicenter of the outbreak, so we’re not taking any chances–but as things begin to improve in my city, I have been able to have a few friends over to my backyard and we sit on blankets 12 feet apart. If your son is older, this might be a viable option for him; but if he’s younger, it might be hard for him to resist the urge to break social distancing guidelines.
@joe is right that people with T1D do not necessarily have a higher risk of catching COVID-19; however, you are no doubt aware that anytime a PWD is sick, our blood sugar skyrockets and we are at risk of going into DKA. For that reason, my endocrinologist has recommended that I stay home as much as possible and avoid getting close to people outside my immediate family.
A good alternative is for your son to have Zoom or FaceTime calls with his friends–I’ve been doing weekly lunchtime calls with a group of my friends from school. If your son plays video games, he can also play virtually with his friends and connect with them that way. If he wants a virtual T1D email pal, I would of course be happy to connect with him!
Stay safe and good luck. 