Hi everyone! Im a worried mom of a 15 year old boy who was diagnose with t1 6 days ago. Saddest day of my life. If i could just get his diabetes, i would. thinking about diabetes complications, hypo and hyper breaks my heart into pieces. I cant help but cry. Thinking of what my son’s life would be. Doing great in school, obedient child and dreams to be an endocrinologist. The day he was hospitalized, he asked me how could he become an endocrinologist now if he has Diabetes? His only 15 but already sure of what he wants to become. I just hope we can cope up with this life soonest. I really need help.
Im still confused with the treatment, normal, hi’s and low’s and everything about it but im doing my best to know everything. His weight is 34 kg. and the doctor gave him 10 units of humulin 70/30 every morning and 8 units in the evening. Rescue dose of 6 units humulin regular if his bs rises by lunch. For the past 2 days his bs is low before lunch so no need for the rescue dose. But 2 days ago at 3 pm before his snack his bs was 242. Worried and confused i gave him a shot of humulin reg 6 units. Gave his meal of 2 wheat bread and 4 sausages. By 6:30 i noticed his weakness and his bs was 72, gave him a juice and 2 crackers. 8:00 pm 189 bs, gave him 70/30 of 8 units then dinner. I really dont know if im doing it right. Yesterday he got a high at 3 pm again 245 bs. Decided to call his dr and told me not to give the rescue dose since its for lunch time only. The dr said to just skip his snack. By 6pm yesyerday his bs was 142. He took the 8 units 70/30 and ate dinner. Please help. Midnight bs was 105 and woke up today at 125. Im also worried that he needs to go back to school next week. I dont know if he can do it on his own. Knowing that he’s not the type of person who says what he feels. Thanks for taking time reading my post.
Hi Michelle,
First let me tell you that you are not alone in the way you feel. It is a whirlwind if information that you were feed over the last few days and most of it is scary. The lows, the highs, the complications that they reiterate about a hundred times… My daughter was diagnosed at the 11 years old. That was about 3 1/2 years ago. It gets easier in most ways. You’ll get your “groove” when dealing with his diabetes soon. It took me about 2 months to feel confident in what we were doing.
First off, it sounds like you have done everything that you’ve been told to do and the call to the doctor was good. There are never any stupid questions when you are dealing with this disease. Insulin doses are never exact.", especially at first. The goal is to bring him in a normal range gradually not suddenly. He’s probably had the diabetes for a while now and a low of 70 probably feels like a 30 would for someone who has had better bg control.
As for school, make sure you talk to the school before you send him. His teachers all need to know what to be on the lookout for. Is there a school nurse? My daughters last school had 7 diabetics in it so most of the staff was already trained when we started there. Google diabetes 504 plans for information that you need to ask your school about and how a plan should work for your son. Make sure above all that they are educated, have a plan on what to do if an emergency should take place, and that you are comfortable with him going back so soon after diagnosis.
Hope this helped. :). Ursela
Thank you so much Ursela for your encouraging words. Knowing someones experience helps ease the pain and worry. Nice to know that you and your daugher are doing well.
im coming to his school monday. Im not sure if schools here in the philippines are knowledgeable enough about diabetes. They have a school nurse and i hope they can assist him if he needs a shot of insulin. His bs before lunch today was 158. I gave him his lunch and told him to exercise/dance after for 30 mins to lower his bs. Is it fine? Thank you again.
I can remember the feelings you are describing - sleepless nights worrying and second guessing. Just know that it does get better and with knowledge and time you both will become more comfortable with the routines. I would recommend getting Dr. Bernsteins book - The Diabetic Solution - he is a Endocrinologist and diabetic and has been both for over 50 years. Very insightful book with lots of good info. Ursela is absolutely right - get A 504 plan in place before he heads back to school.
Michelle,
My 12 year old was diagnosed about 5 months ago and I am still sick with worry at times, yet at other times everything feels normal, and he is dealing with it so well. The next few months will be about you hunkering down with your son and learning everything there is to know. Don’t hesitate to call your doctor ( we were expected to call several times a day at first). Read everything you can- we do not do any particular diet, but you find what works for your kiddo. It is huge and scary. It will feel traumatic and you may feel a bit lost. Hold on and let life come to a halt, let yourself be sad. I am not sure this is ever easy, but it will feel more normal. Know that you have a community. Is there someone you can ask a doctor or social worker to connect you with who is also dealing with this. I find that helps a lot.
Much love. You both will be ok…but it doesn’t feel like it now.
Hi Michelle,
Diabetes never plays fair , my dd is 9yr she has been diabetic for almost 7yrs and she still is up down and all over the place. We are on a pump so I don't have muc advice for you, just were all here for you and your son,its great he wants to be an endo what a special insight he will have. hang in there, its devastating and your still in the very early stages of this, your doing great.
Rhianna
Dear Michelle,
My son was just two years and 4 months when he was diagnosed with diabetes. I will never forget those days (april 14, 2009 onwards) when for the first time i felt so helpless. I didnt know what to do, but wanted a cure for him at any cost.
I simply couldn't reconcile to the fact that i would have to give him insulin with every meal. But, i was forced to do exactly that and put him on 4-times-a-day insulin regime. Since he is so small, we have to take care of his growth needs also. Initial 2-3 months were really tough. The sugar levels would travel all over. We ended up checking his sugar levels 7-8 times a day. FInally, after careful watch and some help from doc we managed to stabilise it in 2-3 months. Not to say, it doesnt fluctuate now, but we usualy manage HBA1c of around 7, which doctors tell us is good.
My Advice:
1. Spend more time with him, if possible even in the school. This is the best way to keep serious trouble at bay and know the ailment in the best manner. Doctors help to a point, but in the end it's you. Do this for a few months atleast.
2 Always keep sweets with you and him, even for shortest of drives.
3. There is no way you can avoid fluctuations alltogether, but you control it better with time.
4.Keep an eye for lows and don't panic even in the worst lows. If need me, put him on the sides and force feed him. This is to avoid choking in difficult moments.
5. Night time checks are very important.
Amit Singh, India
Hi michelle, we all feel your pain, but it does get somewhat easier with time, my son was diag at 10 now 14, one day my husband said at least god have us 10 years without diabetes. so at 14 your son sounds like a great responsible kid with big goals for his future, he is old enough to be a big part of his treatment, but this is still so new to him, be partners for now once he gets to know the ropes allow him to make decisions, this will empower him to care for himself, while scary for you this will help him tremendously. with you always monitoring in the background for now! after 4 years my son is now pumping we still keep a paper log book to see trends. my other thought was most children in the US use lantus for basal, long lasting once a day and short or rapid insulin with meals, novolog or humulog, i am not sure if they have this where you live but i would suspect it would make things simpler and better to control, ask your endo. best of luck dear, your son is still the wonderful child he has always been, this may bring you closer and will surely make him stronger. those with easy lives have no depth or appreciation. allow your self to grieve and worry we all still do, but acceptance will come, this brings the comfort that we have the medicine and skills to treat this, coping one day at a time, some days weeks actually slide by pretty easily with diabetes in the background! best wishes amy
I read all your replies and somewhat makes me feel that im not alone with this. Still down up to now and i dont know if this feeling will ever fade. I have two other boys which are 9 and 6 years old to take care of. I pray to be more stronger so i could handle all thing properly. My time now is mostly consumed by reading, worrying, crying and thinking about my son. Thank you so much for taking time to respond and i wish all of us the best.
Oh my heavens... tell your son that his dreams of being an endocrinologist are NOT over by a long shot! My own endocrinologist has a T1 nurse, and lemme tell you, knowing that someone in your doctor's office "gets it" on that level is a huge help. If anything, he could help MORE patients by being a living example of the fact that having T1 diabetes doesn't stop anyone from living their life and dreams. So please don't let him give up on that dream! There are people in all walks of life with this disease. Jay Cutler is an NFL quarterback, for heaven's sake. If they can do it, so can your son.
My own son was 18 months old at diagnosis. Yes, it's challenging. Yes, it takes a while to get accustomed to it. But he, and you, will come to terms with it and learn how to manage it while still doing all the things you want. The first few months will be hard, and I encourage you to visit this forum frequently and ask all kinds of questions — there are NO stupid questions. Some books I recommend are "Think Like a Pancreas", "The Everything Parent's Guide to Children with Juvenile Diabetes," and my own book "100 Questions & Answers About Your Child's Type 1 Diabetes" — these books give very concrete, step-by-step advice about what to do and when to do it.
This will pass, Michelle. It WILL. We've all been there, and I promise you it gets better. *hugs*
Every diabetic is different. What I do with my daughter is not exactly the same as what someone else does with their t1 child. With that said, my daughter reacts crazy with exercise. She drops unpredictably,so at 158 I would only treat her with the insulin. You will work out what is best for his body. Just test, test, and test some more. For the first year we were testing 10-12 times a day.
Hi Michelle. I live in the US. My 12 yr old daughter was diagnosed almost 2 years ago. I was exactly where you are when we found out. I want to encourage you to stay strong and learn as much as you can about T1. I have learns more on my own researching reading everything I could get my hands on. The most helpful were blogs from people who have type 1 and can give insight and perspective.
I agree with what was written in other responses that it does get better. Never easy because its your child and we are moms after all 
I also want to encourage you to encourage your son to follow his dream of being an endocrinologist. Soapy people live full happy successful lives with T1. Some of the best Dr.s, nurses, PA’s we have etc. have been the ones who have T1 themselves and really GET IT!!
As you learn, share with your son. He is old enough that you can both learn together. The more you learn and understand, the more in control he will feel. The fear comes from the unknown. I know so much about T1 D I’ve been asked to help at the free clinic in town with patients with T1. This is what is possible with the right motivation!! Knowledge is power. If you have a local church or group of friends, that is also helpful. Hopefully you can find a group of other parents of T1 close by where you can meet others and learn from them, or to just be able to talk to someone that understands.
I’m sorry for the long post. I relate so much to how you are feeling and I just want to encourage you to stay strong!! This disease stinks but happy is possible again!!
Sorry about the type errors. I responded on my phone and I couldn’t go back to edit.
My son was diagnosed 2 years ago at age 12. I can tell you it never gets easy, but it does get easier and you feel much more in control. Just remember that there will be good and bad days. He will be cruising along with great numbers for an entire week and then BAM he gets these crazy highs that we can't figure out. My son was at 255 after breakfast this morning (yes, while at school) after eating a breakfast that he always eats. Maybe it was human error (didn't give enough insulin), maybe it was stress, or maybe it was growth hormones sneaking in (he's in the middle of puberty) ... the point is don't beat yourself up over the numbers. Keep logs of what he eats, how much insulin you gave for that meal and how he reacted to it and that will help you just a little bit for tomorrow and so on. Be there for him and let him do as much as he can for himself (with you guiding him). That way at school, when he needs to, he will feel more confident that he CAN do it. Good luck & God Bless.
** Also, my son is insulin sensitive. We usually one need one to two units (of Novolog) to bring down a high bs reading. You will need to figure out his correction factor (how much insulin he needs to bring him back down into his target range). 6 units to correct sounds like a lot, to me, but again you will have to figure out his correction factor.
Michelle,
The only good news is that your son was diagnosed later like my son (his second year of high school) and has an interest in medicine so he will do fine and will go on to become a great doctor. His obedience and discipline will help him to cope well with this disease.
After 3 years with diabetes at high school, my son is now away at college and doing great. He still plays ice hockey at the college level like his idol Toby Peterson who has Type I diabetes, plays in the NHL and is very active in fundraising for Juvenille Diabetes. His numbers were really good on his last visit home. Although he is considering his diabetes in his career choice, he has not felt (except the military) that any career is ruled out due to it.
Sonia Sontamayor, our newest US Supreme Court Justice, recently released her biography. She was diagnosed with Type I in elementary school, details her care in the 50s in her book and how the disease changed her perception of her life.It is a good read for parents that have time. Although we feel like advancements are moving at a snail's pace, we have come a long way in treatment options and convenience. We still all hope for a cure that makes this all unnecessary!
My son received a lot of support from the nurse and the Sports Medicine teacher at his high school. I hope your son has access to some support. The administration should at least be notified and an emergency plan created - we never had to use ours but it gave me comfort knowing that all of his teachers and the school staff knew what to do if he passed out with low blood sugar. Good luck to you and your son as you adjust to this new normal.
Hi we were given the bad news 3 days ago that my 11 year old son has Type 1 i also are devastated, i cant believe this has happened to my wee boy.
Michelle,my 12 yr old girl was diagnosed one year, one month and three days ago. I cried reading your post becuase I (and everyone here) knows the devastation of having your child diagnosed. Honestly, T1D is worse than I ever imagined. However, you will get in the groove and figure out what works and what doesn’t. The best thing we did was start our daughter on an Omnipod a month and a half after diagnosis. It was very empowering for my daughter because she was in control (with me hovering anxiously at all times!) I know some people are more comfortable with injections, but for us that was one less burden on her if we could have a pod instead. She went to a diabetes sleep away camp this summer (her first time away from home) and had an incredible time. When we dropped her off and the counselors had their insulin pumps exposed, and all the kids were in the same boat as our daughter, it was such a comforting, welooming feeling. Also, I try not to restrict her too much food-wise when she is out and about with her friends, but at home I rarely make pasta, never rice, white bread, etc. I also have a younger son and we all eat our new, healthier, lower carb diet. I cross my fingers everyday that he will not develop T1D as well. Good luck and know everyone is here for support. xo
Metteryogy - I am so, so, sorry. My daughter was diagnosed when she was eleven as well. It was over a year ago and I still have trouble accepting that my baby, my sweet little girl, has this huge burden upon her. I know you feel the same way about your son. While I still struggle with this daily, it is absolutely remarkable how much she has bounced back and takes T1D in stride. Of course she has moments where she gets frustrated and upset (sooo unfair!), but she is doing great. Your son will do the same. I already said this in an earlier post, but if you can afford it, try to send your son to T1D sleep away camp. It helped my daughter cope seeing others in the same boat as her, having carefree fun and living a normal life. Even the coolest counselors had T1D. Good luck and utilize any support you can find, whether online, through your local JDRF chapter, or in your endocrinologist’s office. Everyone here understands the pain you are in, has been through it and knows there is happiness again.