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Parent of type 1 diabetic

G

gail1984

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Parent
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi.
My son has recently been diagnosed as type 1 diabetic, about 3 months ago.He has just turned 5 and today we
Wet told we have to change insulin routine and start carb counting.. Any tips would be gratefully recieved
Thanks
 
Welcome :)

You mentioned changes to your son's insulin - what regime was he on and what has it changed to?

Carb counting is crucial for control. It soon becomes second nature :)
 
He was on humbulin m8 before breakfast novo rapid before his dinner and levemir before his bed.. Now we are starting novo rapid breakfast, lunch, dinner then lantis before bed.. Just seems so much to take in ....
 
gail1984 said:
He was on humbulin m8 before breakfast novo rapid before his dinner and levemir before his bed.. Now we are starting novo rapid breakfast, lunch, dinner then lantis before bed.. Just seems so much to take in ....
Click to expand...
Humulin sorry
 
It sounds like he's being swapped to a regime that's similar to the ones many Type 1s (and some Type 2s) are on :)

The Lantus is a basal/background insulin and the Novorapid is a bolus/meal insulin that deals with the food he eats at meals. Carb counting will allow you to match his insulin to his food. When you're not diabetic, your body does this for you - secretes just the right amount of insulin to deal with the carbs you've eaten - but with Type 1 that becomes our job.

You asked for tips - what are you concerned about in particular?

I promise you it does get easier. It's all a bit overwhelming to start with, but gradually you and your son will find your feet :)
 
Any tips that Will make it easier to get used to... Feels like it's making my head mince thinking about it all...
 
gail1984 said:
Any tips that Will make it easier to get used to... Feels like it's making my head mince thinking about it all...
Click to expand...

I think the more you learn about diabetes, the more confident you feel and that can help a lot. There's a good book called Think Like A Pancreas that you could have a look at if you want. It's got lots of info in so you can dip into it as you choose, but it's a good book to have, in my opinion, and is often recommended here.

Also, I found keeping a notebook helped too. I'd record what I'd eaten and how much insulin I had, and then my blood sugar results before eating and two hours after. That showed me whether the amount of insulin I had for that meal had worked and kept my blood sugar in range. You can also record common family meals - the amounts your son has and the carbs and the insulin he had. Then when he has that again, you know how many carbs it has and what insulin worked for that meal. I hope that makes sense! I also write carb counts by my favourite recipes in my cookery books.

Another random tip is to make sure you order your son's prescriptions in time. There's nothing worse than realising you're low on supplies! So keep spares.

And always keep plenty of hypo treatments around, including when you go out.

Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. Diabetes is a condition where the person or their parent or carer has to become an 'expert' as its us who deal with it on a daily basis.
 
@gail1984, as well as the book Azure mentions there's also another good book worthy of purchasing, its called Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young Adults by Ragnar Hanas.
 
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