Last November, when our only son was 16 months old, he was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes.
Since then, my wife and I have had to poke his fingers a minimum of four times every day to check his blood glucose level (including the occasional lovely 2 am readings). And have had to inject insulin into his little arms and legs before breakfast and before dinner every day. We have also had to take him to a Pediatric Endocrinologist every three months as well as call them every single time he gets sick.
The little guy has been a real trooper since we brought him home from the hospital after three long days and nights in the Pediatric ICU when he was diagnosed. He barely complains about the finger pokes, and does fairly well with the injections.
I am extremely greatful that I work for a company that provides excellent bennies. I am also greatful that he was not diagnosed with some other chronic health problem that cannot be treated as well as diabetes. My wife (bless her soul) and I have been able to cope pretty well with our new life these last 9 months thanks to the support and prayers of our family and friends.
I have Type I diabetes and so does my son. It does suck.
If you haven’t already found it, I’d suggest going to the Children with Diabetes website. There’s a lot of info on that site. We just went to the conference down in Orlando and it was great.
Sorry to hear about your son. It’s tough for a kid to handle but it also can bring out parts of their character that might have remained hidden.
Type II here myself. Type I sucks way more, but it’s still bad in the damage done that you can’t really feel until it’s too late.
Take heart, though. There has been a lot of great advances recently that benefits mostly Type I’s. Hopefully, in the next few years, (if there’s not an outright cure) then treatments will be so much more easy, convenient, automated and painless/hassle-free.
Here’s to your telling your little guy stories about what you had to go through when he was a baby compared to how things will have advanced.
Qad, God bless your little one too. I had a friend in HS that had CF. At the time I didn’t know the implications. Lets hope that the new advances pay for you guys too.
My partner has Type I diabetes, and he now uses an insulin pump. If there is one piece of advice I can give for dealing with type I diabetes, that is get a pump! It has turned his life around! I think that you can get a pump even when your son is fairly young, around 6 or 7. Mr. Jeeves is a fairly brittle diabetic, and for 4 months before going on the pump, he was taking 6 shots a day to try and control his blood sugar. Even then it didn’t work all that well (He also has severe gastroparesis so that didn’t help). Now he is on the pump, and he difference is amazing. He doesn’t get those high highs or lows very often. Now, if they can just come up with some way to accurately check your blood sugar without blood.
Diabetes does suck big time, and it is especially hard for infants and children. Your son is very lucky to have you as parents. I do believe that there is a very good chance that he will see a cure before he turns 18. Best of luck to you, and to your son.
I hope that wristband glucometer becomes available soon. I think it is available in other countries, though I could be talking out my hat.
My husband is a type II diabetic, which he didn’t discover until he had a heart attack at age 33. It’s a horrible disease, though I am hopeful that some of the advances in medicine will begin to help those with diabetes.
My wife is a type 1 Diabetic, and was at the Dr.'s office yesterday as a matter of fact. She got the latest pump info while she was there. She has been on the pump for the last 5+ years and routinely upgrades it when the newest version comes out (the last one she got is fully water proof). The newest version will have a tester that comes with it that transmits the data to the pump to aid in programming. The version after that will have the ability to test sugar levels through the needle allowing the pump to pretty much automatically monitor B.S. levels and give the correct insulin dosage.
Things are really looking up for diabetics in the near future.
You might want to try the OneTouch brand glucose testers- you can draw from the arm or other less-sensitive areas instead of the fingers.
I’m on hold between meds- I was sent to an endocrinologist by my PCP, who told me immediately that he was going to put me on insulin instead of the Actos and glyburide I have been taking. He said that he would set it up for me to get my training in the needle at the hospital within a week. I just found out today that I might get in by the end of the month. Now I’ll need to refill my prescriptions just a week before- and waste the rest of the month’s pills.
One touch elite I believe, requires the least amount of blood, and can use the arm which is fairly painless. Also there are quite a few good things happening with diabetes. There is an insulin called Humalog that works as quick as human insulin, and the needles are fairly small. It’s not like the old days where you had to eat 3 starches, 2 milk, 1 fat at 12:00PM, now you can usually eat most things.
Man, you guys have my sympathy and good wishes. My little girl is frighteningly allergic to several foods and has eczema, and that is plenty to deal with on a daily basis. Thank goodness for modern medicine…
I’ve had a diabetes question in my head for several days now, is it OK if I ask it here? Someone said the other day that insulin is involved in the production of fat from food. Is that true? If so, why don’t diabetics suffer from being underweight? The problem is usually the other way round. Or are the weight problems suffered by many diabetics a sort of side effect?
Additional sympathies here. My brother and I are both Type II. My grandfather died from complications from a foot infection because of it (of course back then the treatment wasn’t as good). My brother has stints in both legs for circulation. Mine is under control at the moment, since it was caught early, and Type II is nowhere near as problematic as Type I. I agree with the recommendation for the One Touch Ultra, and you can buy extra-fine lancets for it.
I also have been thinking about that since reading about why low carb diets are supposed to increase fat loss. If I understand correctly, type I diabetics make no or very little insulin. Most of the type I diabetics I know are quite thin. The systems of type II diabetics have trouble recognizing insulin, therefore when they eat certain foods that normally raise glucose levels they release too much insulin for the amount of glucose and therefore store too much fat. The majority of type II diabetics I know at one time were overweight. I could be wrong but it makes sense to me.
That’s just horrible. The other day I saw that commercial where the kid says, “I’m 11 years old, and my mom says I’ve had over 11,000 shots.” o_O I don’t know if it’s true or typical, since it’s obviously just a commercial, but I’m sure that’s the case with some kids, and I can’t even wrap my mind around it. I’m nearly 20 and I’ve only had maybe. . . 20 shots?
Poor kid. At least technology is developing all the time to help eliminate these kinds of things.
Well, thanks to both long-acting and ultra-short acting insulin, along with ACE inhibitors and some promising treatments in the pipeline for preventing the complications of DM, the outlook is a hell of a lot better than it used to be.
The trick is getting the diabetic to take control and responsibility, notably a difficult feat for nearly everyone, but especially problematic for adolescents.
My kid’s HgbA1C was a nice normal 6.2 today.
But her pulmonary function has declined.
If it would cure her, I would burn the world, and use my soul for kindling.
I was just diagnosed with type II about 3 months ago, and though it means some life changes that I’m not necessarily looking forward to, I am grateful that i’m not insulin dependent and that I’ve been given the chance to get it under control because I caught it very early.
I. Too. Hate. Diabetes.
I also hate when people get overly anxious around me when they find out I’m diabetic. Most don’t know there are different types, much less that I’m on the low end of the less traumatic type. I typically don’t tell people, unless it’s on a need to know basis, because I don’t like being bombarded with the, “Can you eat this…? Can you drink this…? Is it time for your shot…?” types of questions. Or worse, the food police who watch every bite I put into my mouth, like they are waiting for me to drop into a diabetic coma like the guy on E.R. did on the last episode they saw.
Married to a Type I right here (since she was 10). The doctor’s got her on Lantus, which is a great long-lasting insulin, and Humalog for meals. I’ve been watching for news about the Edmonton Protocol ever since I first read about it.
Good things looking up for your son, Daddy.
It’s an awful thing to live with, but there are a lot of support groups out there. For us and them.
I also hate diabetes.
I am diabetic and on the pump, as somene else suggested. I would definitely recommed the pump when he is old enough. It is a life changing item.
Also wanted to chime in on the food police thing, it’s true you have to watch what you eat and so forth but it does get old having everyone you know watch it for you also, when you’re an adult.
The glucowatch is available right now, I think it is in the second generation, I have heard mixed reviews on it’s efficacy.
