Increasingly frustrated

CathP

Well-Known Member
Messages
194
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Shivles,
My daughter is a little older than yours, 5, diagnosed at 4 years old about 10 months ago. It's massively frustrating trying to manage blood sugars, and must be even harder with such a young one.
We chose to low carb about 6 weeks after diagnosis, because like you, we found it impossible to control the spikes whilst feeding carbs. We also self-fund dexcom, which in combination with a low carb diet makes control much much easier. Still hard! You obviously can't control growth, exercise, sickness, stress etc etc, which all send blood sugars crazy. But with fewer carbs you use less insulin, so it takes the fear of crashing lows away, as well as the crazy highs. Freya's last hba1c was 5.7%, so we're happy with our decision to low carb so far. Best of luck.x
 
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1Sarah1

Well-Known Member
Messages
304
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi @shivles sorry I've been absent for a while. I can't remember how old your little one is but my 2yr old went on a pump a few months ago. She was discharged on injections as we needed to come home (she refused to eat in hospital and I had newborn twins at home). I debated for a long time whether the pump was right even though it was ordered when she was diagnosed. As I've been t1 since I was 2 too and been pumping I understood the pros cons etc. These are still the same a few months later. Bulky for a toddler can be difficult to insert etc but gives easier control than injections.
As she is such a difficult eater it's helped as we can give doses less than half a unit/corrections if necessary. The nurse shave recommended that we do not basal test like I would myself and don't recommend a low carb diet as they are needed for growth.
We introduced the cgm a couple of months ago and again it isn't great inserting it but the data is good (although does look like a mountain range) and there is a safeguard to stop insulin delivery if it picks up there is a rapid decline in blood sugars. It's useful as it alarms for low/high readings which may have ended up as quite bad hypos as I didn't pick up she was low.
Days are still very varied and one minute she is low the next high. We had quite a bad time when her teeth came through and seem to have had a variety of colds which again send things haywire!

I was personally reluctant too for a pump but I managed to get my hba1c down and wouldn't have been able to have my 3 children without one (last hba1c when pregnant with twins -33). Hope that helps xx
 
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