New here

Butterfly Betty · #1 12-09-2010, 08:38 AM

Hi, I'm new here, ovbiously. My daughter, Sophie who is 8, was just dianosed with type 1 diabetes in Sunday night. She showed all the typical symptems; dramatic weight loss, increased thirst and urination, sweet breath, hungry all the time. She's also had some stomach aches and nausea but not too much. I had began to suspect that something was wrong when because she had dropped two pant sizes in three months so I took her to our family doctor. The first words out of his mouth was Diabetes.

He ordered blood work to be done but didn't check her blood sugar in his office. Because we live an hour away from him, my daughter and I had gone to my mom's house to spend the night so we could do the lab work Saturday morning. She has type 2 diabetes and my step-father has type 1, so we checked her blood sugar on their meter. It just said hi. When we read the manuel it said that meant over 600. Since we were going to do the blood work the next morning, we didn't think much about it. However the lab was closed and her blood sugar was down to 248 so we went home, planning on coming back up Monday morning to do it.

However, we took my Mom's extra meter with us so we could monitor her over the weekend. Her bs kept getting high' 456 Sat night, 439 Sun Morning, and 579 Sunday night. When her bs came up that high, added with leg and arm plan and sudden fatigue, we called our family doctor and talked to him about taking her to the ER, which we did. The ER doctor ran another bs and it was 479. They confirmed the diagnoses of Diabetes and they admitted her to the Pediatric ICU Sunday night and started her on Humalog and Lantic, as well as some Potassum. She was also very dehydrated. She has responded very well to her insulin and has been doing her own finger checks and shots since Tuesday morning. We just came home yesterday and she will go back to school tomorrow.

Christopher · #2 12-09-2010, 09:32 AM

Just wanted to say welcome, but sorry you have to be here. You have found a great site for support and information. The early days are very tough, you are overwhelmed emotionally, sleep deprived, and scared. But over time you will become more comfortable dealing with all the things you need to do to live with this illness. You will find a "new normal" believe it or not and things will get into more of a routine. All the parents here are proof of that.

Here are some books you may find useful:

Understanding Diabetes (aka The Pink Panther book)
by Dr. Peter Chase of the Barbara Davis Center at the University of Colorado.
http://www.childrensdiabetesfdn.org/publications.html

Think Like a Pancreas: A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes with Insulin
by Gary Scheiner, Barry Goldstein
http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Pan.../dp/1569244367

Sweet Kids: How to Balance Diabetes Control & Good Nutrition with Family Peace
by Betty Page Brackenridge, MS, RD, CDE & Richard R. Rubin, PhD, CDE. Published by the American Diabetes Association, 2002. 250 pages. Softcover.
http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Kids-Bal.../dp/1580401244

Type 1 Diabetes: A Guide for Children, Adolescents and Young Adults -- and Their Caregivers
by Ragnar Hanas, M.D. Published by Marlowe & Company, New York,
http://www.amazon.com/Type-Diabetes-.../dp/1569243964

Finally, in addition to the forums there is a chat room here where you can talk to other parents in "real time".

http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/chat/

5kids4me · #3 12-09-2010, 09:49 AM

Welcome! I'm so sorry about your daughters diagnoses...my son was 8 when he was diagnosed this past April.

Your daughter is very fortunate that you got her into the ER! Glad she is adjusting and doing her own tests and shot, she sounds like a very resilient little girl. The first few weeks (heck, months) are tough and feel like an emotional roller coaster, but it gets better.

One thing I would recommend is looking for a pediatric endocrinologist if you haven't already. I see you are in TX ( we are too) and some parts are rural and it can be tough finding a doctor that knows the ends and outs of type 1 and specializes in children...we travel a couple of hours to ours but having someone who is more up to date on treatments, etc is very important with this life long illness. Many family doctors and even pediatricians do not fully get how important proper management is with type 1 or it is confused with type 2 in treatment/diet restrictions (as im sure you know, in type 1 there are not set dietary restrictions like in some type 2 treatment plans). A pediatric endocrinologist can help keep your daughter healthy and make sure she is dosed correctly with her insulin until you are comfortable making those changes on your own.

Good luck to you and feel free to ask questions and search around on this site...so much great info on here! With your help your little girl will have a long healthy life!

Butterfly Betty · #4 12-09-2010, 10:13 AM

Thank you both so much. I know we don't have a pediatric endo in our area, my Mom works in the health business and has been asking around. We have heard about a wonderful Pediatricion who works with kids with Diabetes. We are going to go see our family doctor on Tuesday but when we talked to him Sunday evening, he told us that he was looking for a ped for us to start seeing. He doens't have much practice with kids with diabetes.

obtainedmist · #5 12-09-2010, 10:33 AM

Hi and welcome! Sorry for the diagnosis and the rollercoaster ride. If you have the time, reading as much as you can will really help you gain confidence. Best wishes in finding a fabulous care giver!

Becky Stevens mom · #6 12-09-2010, 08:53 PM

Hi Lisa

hello and welcome. Im so sorry about your daughters diagnosis

How are you guys doing? Is Sophia doing ok? I bet shes feeling lots better now that shes on insulin. I know there is alot to think about and learn and remember, just be patient with yourself and come here anytime to ask questions. No question is stupid and we all understand what youre going through right now. If Sophia is in a public school you can discuss writing up a 504 plan with them. The person that is in charge of this will usually be the schools social worker or psychologist. This plan is a legal paper that guarantees your child the right to an education while having her diabetes cared for at school. Let me know if you have any questions about this or anything else

Butterfly Betty · #7 12-09-2010, 09:50 PM

Thanks, Becky. Tomorrow is her first day back at school and I am honestly terrified about sending her. Sophie is doing pretty good. She had a few moments today where she begged for ice cream and candy. It was hard to tell her she couldn't have them right now. We are looking for a few things that we can add in, adjusting with her carbs, but we just got home yesterday so today has been a day of just breathing. Overall, she's just amazing me. She's taken this thing and is controling it and I am so proud of her.

Amy C. · #8 12-09-2010, 10:27 PM

Welcome to the forums and I am sorry you find yourself here. I am from Texas as well. My son was dx'd when he was 3 and has been living with it for over 13 years.

I wanted to reiterate that the best care you can receive will be from a pediatric endocrinologist. A pediciatrician is not going to have enough experience with Type 1 diabetes to be much help to you. Not that many kids get Type 1 diabetes. It is worth the effort to drive to the nearest pediatric endocrinology clinic. There is one in all the major cities in Texas: Ft Worth, Dallas, Houston, Corpus, Austin, San Antonio. I don't know about west Texas or south Texas.

Christopher · #9 12-09-2010, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Butterfly Betty

She had a few moments today where she begged for ice cream and candy. It was hard to tell her she couldn't have them right now.

I understand that you just got home, and this is all new and you want to take it slow. That is fine. But what if she was begging for an apple, what would you do? You would figure out how many carbs were in it and give it to her, right? The same is true for the ice cream and candy (when you are ready) and obviously in moderation.

I use the Salter 1450 scale and I cannot recommend it highly enough. In the case of the apple, you would simply place the apple on the scale, type in Apple, and it would tell you how many carbs are in that apple. I use mine everyday.

StageMom · #10 12-12-2010, 03:16 AM

Hi Lisa,
We're pretty new, too. My son was dx on November 1 with T1. He just turned nine two weeks before. His attitude is great, and he seems to be adjusting pretty well. I actually think it was harder for me at first...just scared I think. Now we're almost 6 weeks into this, and I'm starting to breathe again. This seems to be a great place to get questions answered, and not feel so isolated. People are also very encouraging. Getting a food scale I think is very helpful. Plus we are using a book that lists the amount of carbs in foods. The one we are using is the 2010 Edition - The Calorie King Calorie, Fat, & Carbohydrate Counter. I think we picked it up at Target. My son is still on a carb consistency "diet" right now. We were at clinic this week and they are going to teach us carb counting to insulin ratio in January. I'm anxious to learn that because I think it will make eating easier, and hopefully help with the pesky lows he gets. We are also in the process of finding a ped. endo. I'm convinced from the folks on this site that it's going to be best for my child if we find one. Sorry you have to be here, too, but at least you know you are not alone in this. Hang in there.