“No one living with diabetes should ever feel alone” This is why TuDiabetes exist. This post exemplifies what we are about.
I would like to give a shout-out to everyone that has replied here, especially @Robyn_H, I was so moved by what she said. Many people have lived what Chloe and or @ChloesMom is going through and it shows in the quality of advice and understanding in all the replies.
For @ChloesMom, this community considers you one of us, while you may not have diabetes yourself, diabetes will be a part of your life as you care for your daughter. Please remember that you and your questions will always be welcomed here.
Sorry I’m so late to the conversation. @MM1 brought up the fact that I’ve lived with a diabetes alert dog for many years now. Not sure it’s the solution you’re looking for but I do sense that your love and caring will find a way to help your daughter.
You’ve read many ideas here that could help you and your family. I have a distinct feeling that you will find a way even if it’s just enduring. You will likely have the perfect advice for some other family when your time appears to pay it forward!
I was also diagnosed at age 8, in 1955, and, LOL, hated diabetes camp, mine didn’t match the description above much at all, but it was probably mostly my loner personality. One of my older sisters, 3 years before my diagnosis, had started going deaf, from another autoimmune disease, and I think I thought mine was much easier. But, I’ve been reminded recently, by some letters I found, how hard both of these things were on our mother. Her “nervous breakdown” and ensuing psychiatric hospitalization when I was 11 were much more traumatic to me than my diagnosis, I think. With the sister at the hitting-puberty stage that by itself often leads to, shall I say, not as endearing behavior, also, I certainly sympathize with you – please treat yourself kindly, as well as your children. I hope you all have people you can talk about it with, and the activities suggested by others are really good ideas. And, JDRF, or your doctor or CDE, might have suggestions of both support groups and therapists: it’s perfectly normal to seek help at this stressful time, for all 3 of you. Hugs!
im a little old to be a fan of the jonas brothers, however, i do recommend watching their documentary on amazon prime…Nick’s diagnosis was the most memorable part, and it might help her…there is a lot of great information offered in this topic as well as others, but it can be overwhelming… seems like the most important thing to remember is that type 1/lada is approximately 5% of the diabetic population, and most of the “diabetics can’t eat anything with sugar” is geared towards 1908 diabetes knowledge and type2, 114 years later, most decent endocrinologists, nurse practitioners, and diabetes educators have learned it’s just a lack of a hormone(insulin) that needs to be given via a pump, injection, inhaled, etc…finding a knowlegeable professional may be your most important challenge…in the 80s i was diagnosed and my endocrinologist adjusted my nph and regular insulin without any explanations, no insulin to carb ratios, no correction insulin amounts, utterly useless…i learned more about type1 from my dentist, and eventually from more knowledgeable nurse practitioners who can help to establish a starting point for all of the important math that will hopefully become 2nd nature soon…maybe a donut breakfast and cgm is all she needs, just make sure her insulin to carb ratios are correct and memorize the carb values ahead of time… jelley or boston creams are probably closer to 70grams of carbs each, where a normal glazed is probably closer to 40grams…
A camp for young diabetics is good idea. I am type 2 35+ years. Diag. In my mid 30s. Hard for children, even hard for adults. I knew one diab. consultant who was herself in denial early years, for some time, then she finally took control, lots tips, knowledge. Jim
@ChloesMom I received the following article and thought about you and your daughters. I am worried about the child without type 1 as much as Chloe, while I didn’t see anything about helping siblings of a type 1 child, perhaps one of the contacts can help.
I was only a little older than her when I was diagnosed (58 years ago!) and it took me close to a year to actually accept it. I can attest that I hated it, truly hated it, for that first year and was extremely resentful and hurt that something like that could happen to me! It is a huge change and it will take some time before she accepts it and learns to live with it. If she wants to talk to someone, feel free to contact me.
I truly thank everyone for responding from the bottom of my heart, I feel so hopeful and not alone in this! Every single thing said has been so informative.
I agree 100% with this. Part of your daughter’s anger is masking a large amount of fear that she is feeling & even might be sensing from the adults in her life. – Knowledge and “matter-of-fact,” “no bulls*@#” language will help bring down the heightened anxiety. – And therapy for mom & dad in particular. Chloe needs to go to diabetes camp every year until she goes to college. From teacher of 20 years
No matter how much they want to grow up, or how kids on TV act, an 8 year old is still a very young child, totally dependent on its parents to protect it.
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You are seeing her understandable anger at her world changing. She’s experiencing fear, confusion and doubt about who she is now. The more you change from how you treated her before, the greater her uncertainty about your love. A child’s concept of love is 100% how she is treated. A parent changing behavior is scary to both your children.
Listening to someone vent when you don’t fully appreciate how they feel know isn’t what a child needs. Neither is letting a child do whatever she feels like doing. If you treat her like she’s now special, you may be making her more scared than she already is.
You know she is grieving, but don’t understand that grief can’t be accelerated from the outside. A grieving person needs to reshape their world view and relationships in their own time.
There’s a new book being released a chapter at a time about a young person just diagnosed that may be of value to both your children. I’ve received the first 4 chapters. They reminded me of feelings and experiences I had decades ago and had forgotten. I was lucky that I wasn’t a child. It was hard for me as an independent adult.
The book so far is quite good and educational as well, showing not just what every person who is recently diagnosed goes through at some level, but how 100 years ago, pre-insulin type 1 diabetes wasn’t inconvenient, it was a literal death sentence.
Imo, No one with diabetes or a family member could read this book and not sympathize with the feelings the newly diagnosed experience, but how lucky we all are that they are going to live long and productive lives.
From teacher of 20 years