just wanting some info

[hdreeves]

i'm not the parent of a child with diabetes. my nephew was diagnosed and as we speek is being airlifted to a special icu unit. everything is a little overwhelming, it was hard finding a doctor to even treat him without having insurance. i was just wondering if you could provide me with some resources for parents with young children with diabetes. the baby is just 2 and my brother really has no idea where to start or where to look for support. its very scary for all of us and just don't know where to begin. so if anyone could point us in a direction to begin...books, organizations etc, it would be greatly appreciated.

thank you and God bless

[Kirsten]

For starters, contact JDRF. They should put your brother in touch with a local parent of a child with diabetes. They will bring a "bag of hope" which includes some supplies and educational materials. http://www.jdrf.org

I'm so sorry to hear about your nephew. Your brother and his family have a tough year ahead. Everyone here is very helpful, so if your brother has any questions, he should feel free to ask them here. We've all BTDT. There are lots of folks here, myself included, who have children that were diagnosed as toddlers.

Kirsten:cwds:

[Jeff]

You can search for families near you using our own Family Support Network:

http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/fsn/

I also highly recommend our conferences, especially the summer Friends for Life conference at Disney World in Orlando:

http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/activities/orlando2007/

[Boo]

Welcome to the forum...glad you found us. You don't need to be a parent to be here...I believe we already have at least one other Uncle.

Sorry to hear of the diagnosis. The good news is that if controlled, T1 sufferers can lead a relatively normal life with very few restrictions. But, you need to be diligent about care, and the treatments/maintenance can be quite costly. Hopefully one of his parents can get some health insurance that will cover his medications and supplies. Where do you live? Depending on where you live, there may be other programs in place to help with medical costs. (example-Pennsylvania, USA has a program through the welfare dept. that is not even income-based; children can be deemed eligible strictly on the fact that they have a chronic illness).

Good luck to you all. Remember we are here when you need us...for suggestions and/or support!

[Mama Belle]

Love this book:

The Pink Panther Book (http://www.uchsc.edu/misc/diabetes/ud11.html)

A lot of folks on here use this book on a regular basis. I would highly recommend it to anyone going through a new diagnosis. This is the online version, so you can only view it online. But you can also order them here (http://www.childrensdiabetesfdn.com/publications.html).

[Momof4gr8kids]

The ADA also has a lot of info, as does this whole site. The forums are just a tiny part of the children with diabetes site.

www.diabetes.org

I am so sorry to hear about the dx. I am glad your nephew is getting treatment. We were uninsured when our daughter was dx'd. We were lucky to have so many people work with us. I am sure that you will find those willing to help as well. Keep us posted, and feel free to vent, ask questions, and read the many posts here. Take care, Jamie

[hold48398]

I'm so sorry to hear about your nephew. At the hospital, they will try to stabilize your nephew and put him on some sort of insulin regimen with injections to help bring down his blood sugars. There will probably be a nutritionist who will come in and talk to the parents about the effects of food on blood sugars, and it will all be pretty overwhelming at first. The good news is that once on insulin your nephew will feel a whole lot better soon! Your nephew will be put on a meal plan to help with the insulin dosing. There are quite a few life changes ahead...at least initially, planning for a meal and doing shots will be difficult but it is amazing how quickly everyone will adjust....and things will get easier and more manageable as time goes on...so hang in there!!! We have all been there.

The most important immediate thing to do is to find a good pediatric endocrinologist for your nephew. You will want to build a long-term relationship of trust and support with the entire staff there! You are looking for a "modern" office who is open to different treatment options, who has a friendly knowledgeable staff, communicates well and is supportive and sensitive to the parents and child.

There are probably not a whole lot of choices in your immediate area (depending on where you live) but I encourage you to call around and talk to at least two different ones. Maybe you can also go in and have a look to get an idea of whats going on.

After we got released from the hospital, we initially and naturally stayed with the doctor we met during admission but soon realized that her office was small and simply didnt have the same resources and knowledge as another ped endo who was a bit further away. It has been the best decision ever to make the switch! The nurses, educators and doctors have simply been fantastic!

Good luck, and come back soon with an update. BTW this forum also has a tremendous amount of information and knowledge to share, and the community of parents and caregivers is fantastic. It's a place to vent, get answers to some simple question and find people who really get it and "know" what you are going through.

[selketine]

Is the major problem (assuming your nephew is stabilized - so sorry about that) the fact that the family does not have health insurance? I was just curious if you were looking for info for help for those without medical insurance specifically? If that is an issue perhaps knowing what state your nephew lives in would help as some members here are familar with what resources are available for those with little or no health insurance.

It is wonderful you are helping them out by finding info for them. There was a good thread awhile back on advice for newly dx'd families here: http://forums.childrenwithdiabetes.com/showthread.php?t=3265&highlight=newly+diagnosed

I hope your nephew is doing better now - please let us know.

[Mom2rh]

Since they don't have insurance, there will probably be a State run program (depending on your state) to help with the financial aspects of diabetes. When our DS was diagnosed, we were told about this program while he was at the hospital and sent several letters. We are blessed to have private insurance and didn't need the program, but I'm sure there will be something for your nephew.

[hdreeves]

he is doing much better today. he has safe sugar levels now. i'll try and answer a few of the questions i remember. we live in odessa, texas. Austin was air lifted to lubbock texas last night and is being treated at texas tech medical center. i think they found a specialist there. no, they have no form of insurance...but i think they will probably see if they qualify for emergency medicaid. thank you for the web sites and book suggestions, i'll definately find what info i can for them, they have too much on their plates right now as it is. thank you for your support, i'll write more when i know more.

[deafmack]

Welcome to this forum. This forum and the other forum on the American Diabetes website called A Place for Parents are both full of parents that have many years of combined experience in dealing with diabetes in their children.
As far as help if a family has no insurance, it depends on where you live. Also most drug companies and testing and diabetic supply programs have assistance programs to help with paying for insulin and other supplies.
Let your brother know about this forum and the one on the American Diabetes website. We are here to support him and hold him up whether things are difficult or great. You are also welcome to come onto this forum at anytime. I can tell that you are a very caring aunt. Your brother is so blessed to have someone like you.

[EmmasMom]

Wow! I just saw your reply that you are here in Lubbock! I would love to bring your nephew a "Bag of Hope" from the JDRF. I have visited a few recently dx'd families here, but joined up to work with JDRF last week.

My daughter is 2, and was dx'd at 9 months, so I understand what your family is going through. The good news is that Dr. Varma and Dr. Bourgeois have learned a lot about toddlers recently, my daughter was one of the first in the practice, but there was another 15 month-old dx's a few weeks ago as well.

If you send me a private message it will send an email and we can get in touch!