ugh.. PANIC, wow, YIPPY PANIC

[zimbie45]

Ok.

So here is the story, as many of you know Charlize starts Kidnergarten this year.. 8-7-06 to be exact.. ok i have been relitivly calm... We have a plan.. schools great. from what I have been told all teachers are trained in Diabetes care, they have a school nurse.. SChool has medical instructions on file already for charlize, we where meeting up with the school nurse b4 school starts adn a 504 is set to be discussed adn set up right after school starts.. SHe is also only going half day.. so no lunch really.. i only have to worrie about basic stuff... So what happened.... I get a phone call and all day kidnergarten has been approved for all kids at her school FREE.. WOO HOO.. yeah i dont have to pay.. MY BABY GIRL IS GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL ALL DAY.. (((*** submit sudden panic attach here***))) UUUUGGGHHHH ok this is not the plan.. The office is not oppen yet, I now have 2-3 weeks to re think this whole thing... figure out the plan.. snacks, lunch, bolus, finger pokes.. OK breath... I was going to get to ease in to this whole thing and take baby steps.. YES this is a good thing.. but I am petrified now.. I know some time between now and who knows when i will get a clue that my baby is growing up, but i was going to be able to take baby steps..

OK so NOW i need some great advice on what to do in her 504, what to set up for snacks, how do we do lunch.. who counts the carbs.. What do i do??? i was doing ok.. i had the plan.. I knew what to do.. i forgot it all.. OK i know when i calm down some will come back to me.. :eek: :eek: :eek:

[sammysmom]

First off, dont panic. This is where the 504 comes into play. You need to call the school and have the meeting and plan set up and in place before the first day of school. The school if providing lunch (if she wants to buy lunch) MUST provide the carb count for all food that is served. Sam is also going to kdg and here is how it works for us: we get the monthly menu and on sams menu, all the carb counts are listed next to the food, including a la carte items!!! the school may fuss a little bit about this, but they are obligated to provide you the carb count of all food.....oh by the way, i am assuming that you are speaking of a public school, if not ,throw everything i said out the window, private school are under no obligation to do anything if they dont want to!!! your childs aid will have to watch what she eats and then plug in the correct carb amount. for snacks that you send, make sure that they are labeled with the correct carb count and even break it down into portions, half of the food = this much and so on.........i am assuming that you are asking for an aid or some other type of supervion for your daughter during snack and lunch time?? kdg is way too young to do any school diabetes care by herself.....hope that helps
shannon

[zimbie45]

yes school she is going to is public, sorry i didnt mention that,

[hold48398]

Hey Chandra,

We too are in the same boat...Mia will start Kindergarten on 8-14, and she will be gone from 8am till 2pm...this includes a snack and a lunch, and possibly another snack.... I have already submitted our paperwork too, and there will be a nurse on staff but I have yet to talk to her...was told to wait till "closer to the school start"...once we meet, I will write down how we settled everything...maybe that will help you.

Don't worry. You will have a plan. You will be ready. :)

[Karin]

Scott is going to be starting Kindergarten from 8-3 on August 9. I've got my scheduled worked out so that I will show up at 12:30 to see how much lunch he has eaten and give him his insulin. The owner and his teacher will check him at noon. We got a letter yesterday from the owner saying that she thinks she could do the insulin--which has got me all in a whirl thinking about how she would really do that with 20 other kids to be looking after as well. The real reason we are doing private kdg is because lunch is served at noon instead of 10:15 as in the public schools. I don't know how anybody does this easily, with confidence.

[Sis]

Ok here is something I know somthing about. Dustin was in K last year. It was an all day also. He has been home with me since he was born. So going off to school was a very sad and scarry thing! I have to tell you when I walked in to the K screening and started talking to his teacher I LOST it! Crying and panicking. Yep that is a first impreshin! Thankfuly his teacher went to school with my brother years ago. And she is a great lady.

First we set up an IHP. Than a week before school started I met with the nurse, cook, and his teacher again. The nurse went over lots of stuff with his teacher about diabetes. I was wonderful!

Now about lunch. This is what they did for me every month I get a print out of the total carb count for each day. Than I set down and figure out how to make it fit Dustins needs. Like mabey only half of some stuff and so forth. It workred great! Mabey you can check into it.

And last but not least I made sure everyone had my home and cell phone #'s! Nurses even call me at lunch to say this is what Dustins sugars are and this is what we are doing. Plus they had to learn about the pump half way through the year!

As for dealing with the growing up I still have not figured out how to do that! sigh If you figure it out would you inlighten me? hee he

[selketine]

The ADA has excellent resources on its website:
http://www.diabetes.org/advocacy-and-legalresources/discrimination/school.jsp

I suggest that you read through that material and some sample 504 plans - the CWD site has those also which are very useful.

The school may discourage you from getting a 504 by saying the IHP is enough but the 504 offers protections in case the plan is not followed so I would proceed with the 504.

You might check to see if you local school district has a policy for students with diabetes - that can be a helpful starting point. Your state may have a policy or guidelines as well.

At William's future school there is not a nurse - but a health aide - and she is not there all day - and no one covers for her (that I can tell) when she isn't there. I would suggest that you find out who in the school will be responsible for your child's care if the nurse is out (sick or to a conference or to lunch or whatever). Also that someone is there at all times who can give an emergency glucagon shot. I would not let them talk you into using glucose gel (cake gel) and calling 911 (what our school proposes) if no one is around to adminster glucagon.

[zimbie45]

Hi I have calmed down abit,, let me give a bit more back ground, SCHOOL is wonderful.. every teacher is trained in diabetes care... its and excelling school.. :) we have a plan to get a 504 going, ( which the office is the one the offered it, they have no problem) STarting this year many many changes most i found out yesterday.. They are getting a new principle, a new nurse, adn are changing there kidnergarten class from half day to full day... THey have not officially notified all parents yet, there was am artical in a paper last week...I have talked to both the district and the school office and they did confirm "yes all day" but they still have not worked out the details and have no further info yet, because this was just thrown at them a few days ago... Just many many changes adn we havent even started yet.. my org plan, and ideas now down the toilet and haveing to re start all the planning... and only till 8/7 to get it all worked out... NO biggie, i can do it...Thanks so far for the info adn support you all are great :p

[hold48398]

Hey Chandra,

I know how you feel, I really really do!! I just called our school today, and they don't know anything yet...with less than a month before school starts!!! They don't know who the nurse will be yet, who Mia's teacher is, or ANYTHING!!! My only consolation is that there is already a student in 5th grade who has been on the pump and going to the school for several years, so this is nothing new to the school....but still...talk about uncertainties!!! I was told to call back next week to see if they know anything more....sigh...I just want to get a plan in place NOW LOL.

Hang in there, we will do this!!!

[bethdou]

Deep breaths, mommies, it's going to be OK!!:)
It hasn't been so long since my babies started K, and it's HARD - and Meghan hadn't been dx'd yet, so I KNOW you are struggling!! It's so hard to send our babies out into the world! {{hugs for mommies****

OK, as a K teacher (of an all-day class) I can tell you that the biggest thing you need to do is talk to your teachers, LOTS, and keep them informed. OK, I have a kid with D, so I had a bit more of a clue than most teachers might, but at this time last year I didn't, and I learned quite quickly. I guess I had a little more incentive to learn ;) but we all do it.

I can say that I have NEVER met a K teacher who wasn't willing to do what it took to keep her students safe, even if it meant doing BG checks or whatever. The other teachers on my team were really worried about the little boy that I had last year who has D (and is brittle, so it scared me, even as a D mom!). We just talked a lot about what symptoms to look for, what to do if they saw him "acting funny" or having problems, and kept my classroom supplied with juice boxes, PB crackers, etc.

Really, communicating with the teachers (but keep it basic, since most of them won't have the D background and know what you're talking about :) )and making sure they have supplies are the keys to success. Even though my own daughter was a 3rd grader at DX and was at my school, I was freaking out when she went back to school. She would come to me for checks and shots at first.

I would set it up to where the nurse calls you w/BG checks and carb counts, if eating school lunches, or else pack a lunch with carb counts included. We didn't do snacks as a group; kids were allowed to bring them as they wanted to eat at recess. Z, the boy in my class, had one for every morning and every afternoon (our day was 8-2), and would either check in class and show me his meter or else go to the nurse's office. Health Aide's office, I mean. If she was out, he would check and then I would call his mom or stepdad's cell phone with #s.

OK, making a short story long. Here's some tips for sending your babies to K (sniff, sniff - not making fun; I cried when mine went to K too!)....

Make a short note for teachers with a picture of your child and some basics:
name, teacher's name, symptoms of high BG, symptoms of low BG There's a sample on CWD - will look for it and post the link in a bit....

Ask your homeroom teacher to give it to all the "special" class teachers (art, music, PE, etc) This can be part of your 504 meeting, or just do it on your own.

Give your teacher a box/bag/whatever with extra juice, snacks, water bottle for them to keep in the classroom, so that if your child has a low and the nurse has to come to them, he/she won't have to go back to the office to get juice or whatever. We did that a few times; she would come to check Z and if he was low, we'd start him on juice in the room, then she would take him back to the office to check him and update his mom.

That's on top of whatever you need to give your nurse's office supply-wise - I tried to always keep juice, crackers, a Cake-mate, glucagon, ketone strips, and plenty of alcohol swabs, lancets, etc. in a Rubbermaid tub in her office.

BE SURE TO SEND WATER WITH YOUR CHILD EVERY DAY, and make sure that the teacher knows that no matter what, your child needs to keep it at his/her desk, or always have access to it without having to ask. We had an issue with an older child who wasn't being allowed to drink as needed - not good.

Definitely go for the 504 - at least in AZ, when it comes to the lovely state testing (which starts in 2nd grade) if your child has a low or hi during the test and doesn't have a 504, too bad - they can't retake the test or have extra time. I'm sure it's similar in other states - everyone's got hi-stakes testing now, and it's not fair for kids to have to be tested when they are suffering from lows or highs. Or to have their grades reflect that.

One last tip - volunteer in your kids' classrooms! Then you get to see how it's going and be there to see how they deal with your child's treatments...and teachers ALWAYS need help! Just don't do it the first week; it makes the separation anxiety worse for kids and moms! :D

[hold48398]

Hey Beth,
Thank you sooooooooo much for the GREAT tips - it is truly appreciated!! I have printed out your post and will go through it step by step and as Mia starts Kindergarten, we will be ready by Gosh!!!! LOLOL.

Thanks again, you are a lifesaver!!

[pookas]

Hunter was dx'd in Kindergarten. Here's what I did. 504 a must. He has an aide [which is also the classroom aide-so the kids don't see anything different] In the nurse's office, I keep small bottles of juice and water in her fridge, all supplies plus extra snacks and Ketostix. I made sure the nurse has a complete carb count sheet on all lunch items from cafeteria. When I send his lunch, I have a small sheet of paper w/ all carb counts on it. If he doesn't finish something, she calls to get the estimate. B4 gym class, he is to have 4 oz. grape juice. I had a nurse from the PA. Dept. of Health come in to do an in-service to train his aide, teacher, nurse and bus driver [who keeps a small bottle of juice on the bus, he's also pre-diabeteic which kinda helps] The school nurse has my home and cell # and calls if ANYTHING is up. I go on any field trips for his care. He also has an emergency bag w/ all supplies in it for any evacuation [we live near a power plant]. Hunter gets his snacks at 10:30am and 2pm in class [lunch is at 12:30pm]. He goes to the nurses office to check BS 5 minutes b4 lunch. Here's a good tip, establish a good relationship w/ the nurse. The first 2 weeks of any new nurse, I was at the school for 2 weeks at lunchtime to check her carb count, insulin dose, etc. Maybe overkill, but I HAD to feel comfortable leaving him w/ someone else.You will also have to provide Dr. orders w/ insulin type and dosage and what to do for highs/lows. If anything changes, the orders will have to be faxed directly to the nurse. Good Luck. Don't be overwhelmed, just be prepared and it will work out fine. Yes, Beth is totally correct, have Glucogon and icing there as well. If you think an aide is needed, push for it in your 504. They don't need to SIT w/ the child, just be in the classroom if anything is going on and escort them to the bathroom and nurses office. OK, scarey situation in our case. Two weeks wfter dx, I didn't know too much yet. Went to the school right b4 lunch when they were at recess. I found Hunter playing on the playground and the 2 teachers watching the children across the field. SO, if he went low, noone was there!! That's when I INSISTED on an aide.

Linda-[NEPA]-Mom to:
Hunter, 5 yrs, dx'd 11/14/05 type I
Colby, 7 yrs, migraines