my 2 and a half year old son was diagnosed just about a month ago - so everything is still pretty new to me
i am looking for support. i don't even know where to begin because it is all too much.
seeing him moments away from death was unreal. i had two attempts in the ER and both times they sent us home, the last time (3rd) we were admitted right away and he was in a severe state of DKA.
anyways
i need to go right now but the main things i want to start with are good and sufficient snack ideas, ways to not feel so overwhelmed, and i guess a thousand other things but really i just need support - somewhere where i know people understand.
and of course now my son has a cold too and won't eat - grrrrr
You’ve come to a good place. There are a LOT of us here. My 4-year-old son was diagnosed just about 8 months ago when he was 3.5. I remember our hospital experience was fairly horrific too!
I can tell you that it will get easier and that there will be good days where it almost seems like he doesn’t have diabetes at all… and there will be bad days where you cry for him.
Snack ideas? If Tyler (my son) wants a snack and we don’t want to “count” for it or he’s high so it’s a bad time to have carbs – then we’ll tell him he can have a cheese stick or a beef jerky - which you don’t have to count for. If it’s a time when we’re ok with him having carbs then generally fruit, crackers, granola bar, etc… most typical healthier snacks that you’d give a child anyway.
Our management of Tyler’s diabetes got A LOT better (read, NOT EASIER but better) when we started pumping last July on an Animas Ping. Have you had time to consider this?
Welcome to our community, Matilda. It’s a warm and wonderful place with lots of folks who can answer your questions.
I was diagnosed as a child 20 years ago and am finishing up my first pregnancy right now, healthy and happy. So, first off, know that this is a manageable condition.
Secondly, expect that for the first couple of months, while they are teaching you the ropes, they will be a little more regimented with snacks, etc. In time, they will allow you to match insulin to food so that you can give him additional insulin injections when he wants additional food. (Another plus about the pump - no injections, just button presses.) But until you know how to manage the basics, they are going to hold off throwing in a lot of variables like extra snacks, splitting or timing dosages, extra technology, etc.
My favorite post-diagnosis snacks were protein-based, too (though they have a delayed effect on your blood sugar). And occasional sugar-free candies like gummi bears (though some sugar-free snacks have just as many carbs and should be avoided over the real thing in general). Sugar-free jello is a “free food,” too. But back in those days, I was required to eat a big breakfast, big lunch, big dinner, and a bedtime snack, so I was rarely hungry for anything beyond it! The philosophy used to be “stuff the child with carbs, then chase with insulin.”
Like Chris said, most healthy snacks are good choices. You just have to have a new understanding that, for every X amount of carbs ingested, his blood sugar will rise X mg/dL. In time, they’ll teach you how to match the insulin to that.
wow, three tries…unbelivable. My son was diagnosed in 08 and was also extremly sick. We were in PICU for two weeks. It is very stressful. having the very life of your child in your hands. I struggled trying to find people who could understand as well. Unless your the mother of a diabetic you can not understand. We are much better now. I think by month three we were on our way. Month six we got the pump and a whole new learning curve came. It took me a year to get comfortable with his night numbers and not panic about weather he was going to wake up or not. I still worry, but it’s not panic. You can do this. You have to be stong, for him. Show him this is not going to control your lives, that it is managable and that he will still be a normal kid, just one who has to check blood sugars. My son is very open about it with his friends. We had our closest family members take classes to learn the basic care of a diabetic. A support system is important also. Of course we only let him sleepover at my mom’s a few weeks ago for the first time. some advise…don’t cover his carbs until after he eats! until you are comfortable that he will eat what he says. Be prepared with a backup…pasta or juice or extra fruit. You can see our story at michaelsmiracles.net
good luck
Kim
My daughter was diagnosed on 09/09/09. She turned 9 in December. She is the strongest and bravest person I know. She wasn’t in the ICU when diagnosed because we caught it so early. My husband saw a commercial and recognized the signs in my daughter. He had never seen the commercial before and hasn’t since. The Lord was looking out for us.
We will be going on the pump shortly. Becky has chosen the OmniPod.
Part of our training included a part on snacks. We check BG before the snack, if she is good, then she can have a 15 carb snack without a shot. If she is high, we allow her to choose whether or not to have the snack. Most of the time we talk her out of it. LOL.
I have taken some of her favorite snack foods: Fruit Loops, Cheez Its, Teddy Grahams and figured how many ounces she can have. i.e. what equals 15 carbs. Using the small snack size zip lock bags, I make snacks for her. They are all in a jar on the counter. When she needs a snack, she just grabs the one she wants.
I am lucky in that she will also eat raw brocolli, carrots, and her favorite is spinach.
I usually buy the items one day and spent a few minutes dividing. This saves a lot of time and doesn’t try her patience when she is hungry. It turns out that my son also will sneak a 15 carb snack from the jar.
My daughter was diagnosed a year ago September at age 10 and I couldn’t imagine how we would cope. After a few months it was better and now it is just a part of our daily routine. I was just saying a couple of days ago to a friend that in the beginning I never thought I would be as comfortable and less freaked out as I am now. We do need to be on top of eating healthy and carefully monitoring BG (and ketones during illness), but life is pretty much back to normal now and her diabetes care is just part of the daily routine like showering and toothbrushing. Maddie went on the pump (Omnipod) in November which made a huge improvement in her control. She tolerated the shots well, but we could not get her regulated (always high or low). She now goes on sleepovers and all day outings with friends without me being a basket case. Trust that it does get easier and the feeling of being overwhelmed and panic ridden really does fade in time.
I would check with your endo/local children’s hospital for support groups in your area if you want to meet other moms and kids near you. JDRF is a good resource as well. This site was the biggest comfort when I had questions as there were lots of people here going through a similar situation who had great advice.
I have heard with younger kids that it is sometimes easier to dose after eating to make sure they don’t go low if they decide they don’t want to eat half way through the meal:) My daughter’s favorite “free” snacks are string cheese, deviled eggs (all time fav!), sugar-free Jell-O, turkey roll-ups with a tiny bit of cream cheese, beef jerky, baked cheese slices (it gets crunchy) and every now and then when craving a chip-like crunch… pork rinds. For low carb (15g or less) snacks before activity she likes satsumas, 1/2 bag sliced apples, strawberries, celery with peanut butter, nuts, cheese & crackers, 1 slice of double fiber bread with butter or peanut butter, popcorn, low-carb tortilla with turkey & sprouts, low carb ice cream bars and Atkins bars. There are lots of websites with good meal ideas too; it’s just a matter of finding out what your kiddo likes to eat. The book Calorie King (available at Barnes & Noble and online) has carb counts for tons of foods and includes restaurant chains. We keep a copy at home & one in the car and use it all the time.
Good luck and hope your son is feeling better soon… our whole house has colds too.
Hi, Matilda!
My daughter was diagnosed at 15 months and is now 4 years old and on the insulin pump. We also just started the CGM which I love thus far. It is really tough, especially in the beginning, but will get easier with time. I’m glad you’re online, I’ve found it so helpful to get suggestions from other parents and to know there’s a place to go when you’re having a tough day.
Some snacks we love, low-sugar applesauce, string cheese, scrambled eggs, etc. Unfortunately, Elisabeth doesn’t like the sugar-free drinks (crystal light, etc.) and right now is in a eating rut. I have a little lunch bag that’s like an insulated purse and I put all of Elisabeth’s stuff in it. I always pack at least 2 juice boxes, plus a tube of emergency glucose gel along with her glucagon. I also always have some carbs like graham crackers, whole wheat crackers, etc. I also carry an extra insulin pump set should I need to do an emergency change, plus her blood check kit, log book, etc.
I too have felt overwhelmed quite a lot, but I’ve found the more prepared I am for the day, the more comfortable I feel. We keep extra juice boxes in our car as well, plus anywhere else that she’ll be (upstairs in her bedroom, downstairs in the kitchen, etc.)
Feel free to email us…we’re happy to answer any questions. the more you learn, the more comfortable you’ll feel, but also be careful of not reading so much that you feel overwhelmed. I go through phases of reading a lot, then digesting it and putting it into practice and taking a little break from reading.
with the teddy grams and fruit loops, don’t you also have to worry about the white sugars? or because it is small is this ok then for her. i know every child is different and i am just starting out.
thanks for the awesome list of snack ideas - i don’t want to feel like i am always giving him the same thing - i try to be creative and i guess for me too it will be a matter of figuring out what works and what doesn’t
Welcome to the boat ! I have a 3 yrs old diagnosed at 13 mos. It was definitely scary having her at the PICU for 2 days…I’ll just never forget it…
As most moms told you it does get easy.
Some things that can help you:
There’s a tiny book: The new glucose revolution - low GI guide to diabetes (Fr.Brand-miller, Foster-powell and Dr.Colagiuri), it’s a great book to understand how different foods are absorved different by your body and impact your glucose in different ways. It will help you decide which foods are better for him.
Calorie King book - helps you find out how many carbs are in the food when you eat out
Salter Nutri-weight scale - It’s a scale where you can weight everything and get accurate carbs (I use it mainly for veggies, fruit -I did realize that what I considered a small banana actualy had around 30 carbs not 15 as I thought), pasta, etc, etc. It’s a little expensive (around $60) but it’s gonna help you a lot in the beginning, and I still use it today (I used to take it to restaurants too for example if we eat pizza depending on the crust it could have more or less carbs)
No carb snacks: nuts (all types if he’s not allergic), sugar free jell-o, cheese strings, rolls of turkey or hay with cheese, cream cheese, all type of low fat cheeses (as fat does impact her numbers), eggs, small portion of carrots -they have very low carb-, etc.
Snack ideas with carbs: glucerna cereal bar (specially made for diabetes you can get then at walgreens or target), glucerna cereal, graduates (it’s a brand they sell for little ones on publix and I found that much of their products are low in sugar and made with whole grains) like apple wheels, cheese puffs, crackers, etc. and my daughter loves them, slices of apple with skin so it has more fiber, special k cereal (has a lot of protein), there’s a brand that they sell at publix and whole foods called Envirokids organic and they have some amazing peanut butter cereal balls and peanut butter and chocolate cereal balls, they are low on sugar and have peanut butter (protein)…my girls loves them and they do not raise her blood sugar like cheerios for example. Then you have strawberries, etc…
I don’t give her candy or sugar free candy as I don’t want her to get used to things that are not good for her. I love to teach her what’s best for her so it comes natural and does not have to struggle with her blood sugars.
Her dietitian recommended me always to make her meals and snacks with combination foods, protein (meat, eggs, cheese,etc), fruits. As if you combine them they are better for her BS (blood sugar).
Breads and pasta have sooo much carbs that she has to eat a very small portion so I just switched her to everything whole wheat.
Although I do all this, it doesn’t mean that when she goes to a birthday party she does not eat cake, she does too like any other child…once in a while at a birthday…I do know she is a child and needs to still be a child regardless of her diabetes.
Hope this info was helpfull and let me know if I can help you with something else,
My son Sam is 9 as well. diagnosed almost 3 years ago. He is celiac too which is such an added bonus–…3 months ago we started on the Omni Pod. While it is not as painless as they say, it has made such a huge difference in our lives. The freedom from the shots, the chasing around for a snack at the right time and the freedom to eat what he wants so overrides the once every 3 days application of the pod it is hard to put into words.
My son Sam is 9 too, and started on the Omnipod in August! I completely agree with what you said about the Omnipod - we just LOVE it. He literally said “I’m finally FREE!” after his first day wearing it - he could have been a commercial.
Our daughter was diagnosed 13 months ago - she had just turned two. Some of the things that have helped us are:
Ketone Blood Meter - if you do not have one ask your doctor/diabetes educator - see if you can get a prescription for it - that way when they are sick(or high) you can get ketone readings at any time(our daughter .
Scale - we weigh all the fruits and cereals we give her
Consider a pump - it is more complex than the needles but is much more forgiving (can correct with .05 unit of insulin) - especially with little kids eating habits. (Though our first month was really hard bringing her numbers in line - didn’t help that she was sick during part of that time).
Hi there. My son, Jude, was diagnosed when he was 9 months old. His one year anniversary is Feb 5. I know, personally, that it is hard trying to get a toddler to “conform” to a particular eating schedule and that snacks are a necessity. Fortunately for us, Jude is a meat eater. He loves lunchmeat, turkey dogs, sausage, pretty much any thing like that he will eat. We also give him cheezits, fresh veggies, fruit (be careful with grapes! very high sugar), teddy grahams and pretty normal stuff you would give your kiddo anyway. Jude just made it through his first stomach virus, which was a difficult experience. His BGs were all over the place. All in all, it has been a very trying year for us. I still have days where I feel super overwhelmed but I try to just keep trudging through to the best of my ability. Judeis now on the Animas Ping pump and it has made both of our lives a lot easier.
If you have any questions about anything, please feel free to ask. You can also check out my page to see how horrific Jude’s initial diagnosis was, too, and updates through the past year. I wish you the best of luck.
My son was dx 2 months after he turned 2yrs old, he is now 4 1/2! as hard as it seems right now you will fall into a routine that will become what is life for you now. I think it’s great when kids can be so young when they get d! It’s so manageable and they will never know life with out it. It make things harder on you right now but in the long run will be so much easier for the kiddo!!! I am here if you need any advice, support or just a sounding board!!!
my son was diagnosed a year ago at age 4. we knew what it was before taking him to the hospital (a friend who is a nurse checked his urine and he was large for glucose and positive for keytones) and we literally had to fight him there and wrap him in a blanket (the only time he rode in a car without a seatbelt) and drag him there kicking and screaming because we could not promise him that he wouldn’t have to get a needle. I thought there was no way we could deal with this, but we did. he has handled everything amazingly for one who is 5.
some of his favourite free snacks are: cheese strings, sausage, free jello, broccoli, carrotts and celery with dip.
not free snacks: animal cookies, fruit bars, granola bars, and if it were up to him, he would eat candy all day long-lol:)
Hi! My son Kristian was diagnosed a year ago when he was 2 years old. There was a lot of behavioral issues going on with him that seemed to happen overnight, and he started losing a lot of weight. He was peeing to bed every single night, sometimes twice in the same night. We took him to his doctor twice, they said nothing was wrong with him so we believed them. Then one day he started vomiting, I couldn’t keep him awake and he was making this strange noise when he breathed. ER visit, ICU- you know the rest. It will get easier with time, you will learn through trial and error. The worst times are when they are sick, my son just got out of the hospital just because of a minor stomach bug. He couldn’t hold down anything and it was frustrating as hell! Other than that things have been great! You will do just fine and good luck to you both!
You will find support here and it will get better. OUr son is now 7, dx. in 1/09…His favorite snacks are Low sugar applesauce , cheese sticks, hard boiled eggs, low carb warps and even the low sugar fudgepops and popsciles (some only have 8 carbs!!) He can still have most of his fav foods just use moderation. Chicken noodle soup isn’t terribly high in carbs either if he has a cold !! Hang in there - PROMISE it does get better and this group is an AWESOME bunch with great support!!
I am new to this site and hope you are still looking at these replies–my son was diagnosed in April09 and just turned 13. It is a hard thing to live with and I have not had alot of experience but always trust your instincts—and get a great endocrine team that is on call 24/7–that is your best bet. We go to Children’s in Pittsburgh. Reading some of the other replies–my sons go to free foods are sugar free jello w/ whip topping. Mrs Buttersworth makes the lowest carb syrup out there that I could find–only 8 carbs! per serving–just look for mrs B sugar free. My thoughts and prayers are with you!
