I am a single mother of an 11 year old who was diagnosed with type 1. Her diagnosis came as a total shock because we don't have type 1 in the family (at least not that I am aware of). Her diagnosis has been quite devastating to me. I am soooooo upset that my little girl has had to grow up too fast. I know that they say that kids are resilient and I have to tell myself this almost every day.
I moved my children 600 miles away from my family for work, but am now regretting the decision. I have no real support system where I live and feel so alone. I don't have any time off because I am afraid to leave my daughter with anyone for more than a few hours at a time. I am hoping to move back to family, but right now the job market is just not there.
Her blood sugars have been up and down. There doesn't seem to be any real pattern to it that I can decipher. She is starting on the Minimed pump Thursday, so hopefully we can get her blood sugars more in line. I am hoping with that with the varied basal rates and the bolus wizard that the pump allows will help us to normalize her blood glucose.
I am really looking forward to meeting other individuals who are in my same shoes and those that can help me when I have questions
Hi Ursie,
I’m sorry to hear about your daughter’s diagnosis. I don’t have children, but was diagnosed 17 years ago, at age 14, to a single mother of three. Only diabetic in the family, Type I as well. We didn’t have any real support system either, so I thought I should write. You are not alone. This is very devastating and stressful. Your daughter’s blood sugars are going to go up and down, don’t be hard on yourselves, as you are just new to this and working toward control. Heck, I just switched from MDI to a pump a year ago, and after several sessions of fine tuning my dosages, I feel that as of last week I am just NOW at a stage where my basals and ratio’s make sense, as my sugars are more in control than they have ever been (with the exception of soon after diagnosis when my honeymoon phase kicked in.) My best advice coming from your daughter’s point of view is: Be there for her, and try to put yourself in her shoes. It’s a fine line to walk, but don’t be too hard on her either! Everyone knows that when you are a teen, your parents never say the right things, so just stay as a constant for her. Work with your doctors and express all of your thoughts, ideas and concerns. Realize that even though we want our BG to be perfect (as of yesterday) sometimes it takes a while to work out, and we need to be patient. Sometimes with no rhyme or reason, it will spike. It’s frustrating, but a part of this condition. You will come to a point, when you recognize trends, and what to do on sick days, etc. You have come to a great place for support (I’ve found more here than at any place/time and oh how I wish I knew about this earlier. How I wish my mother saught out support for me.) I commend you for reaching out! Hang in there. You can do it!
there’s a lot of parents here who completely understand what you’re going through. Please feel free to join any discussions, or start your own. If I can help you find something special here, please leave a comment on my page.
Gina,
Thanks for responding to my post. Your response makes me feel much better. When I talk to others about her blood sugars and what their average is, they act like I am doing something wrong because they aren’t perfect. It is just frustrating, her doctor seems to be okay with our progress, but friends and family just don’t understand type 1 diabetes. When I take my daughter out for ice cream or allow her to have a piece of candy, they act like I am actually killing her. When she first was diagnosed, I was like a dictator with food. Of course, she rebelled and ended up having very high blood sugars because of it. Since I have relaxed a bit, she is much more compliant with her insulin and blood sugar checks. I am doing my best for her and continue trying to improve my knowledge so that she won’t suffer because of my decisions.
Ursela, you will find many helpful discussions in the parents’ group. I second everything that Gina said too. I’ve had it for 47 years and sometimes I can’t figure out why I’m high or low. I just pick myself up, and start again. being here at TuDiabetes has really made it so much better for me. didn’t get the support I needed either when I was a teen, but all my friends here are making up for that. It’s very healing for me to see how parents here are supporting their kids.
You are certainly not alone on this forum! I’m fairly new here, but so far what a positive experience I have had.
I remember so many details of when I was diagnosed with T1 Diabetes. It was on my 12th birthday and like your daughter, I grew-up pretty darn fast. I bet it is a scary time for both of you, especially since you don’t have too many friends & family members around you. I’m gonna say probably more for you than your daughter since you have a better concept of the disease.
I remember my mom cried for days when I was diagnosed. Still to this day, she blames herself for the disease, which is silly. However, she did everything possible to educate herself about the disease and learned to change our family’s lifestyle to ensure I was well. I bet you are doing the same thing.
After 20 years of being a diabetic, I am a happy and healthy gal. Life has been very good to me. I’ve lived a very normal life through my teens, college years, career (so far) and trust me, your daughter will too. Continue to be there for her. Support her. Encourage her. Go to the Diabetes Education appointments. The Endo appointments and join some ‘D’ camps/activities. Also, for xmas or as a gift, buy your family “Type 1 Diabetes for Dummies” or any book on the big D. Encourage them to read it before they make a comment about a disease they probably know nothing about ;}
Marie, Thanks. We are going to have to learn to just pick ourselves up and starting over. We are trying, but I just get frusrated when there is no reason for her highs (and because she has cheated in the past, I always feel like she is lying to me when she tells me that she hasn’t eaten any carbs). I need to learn to control my frustration, I am doing much better than I used to, but I have my times.
Thanks Desdomona, I am definitely going to do the Dummy book for my family, I think that that is a great idea! That way, they can get educated and if they have questions about it they can refer to it.
