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6 yr old just diagnosed

J

Joelo55

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3
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United Kingdom
Hi all,

My 6 year old niece was diagnosed with T1 on Tuesday and we're really struggling to do her blood tests and give her insulin. I know it's going to take a while for her to get used to it but at the moment it's taking 3 of us to physically reatrain her in order to get it done. She's getting herself so worked up at the moment and we're probably hurting her more restraining her that the needles do!! Does anyone have any advise on things we can do to make it a bit easier for her? Distraction is working afterwards to stop her crying and calm her down but until my sister is able to do the injections on her own she will have to go back to the hospital twice a day to do them and she wants to get her daughter back into her routine as soon as possible.

Many thanks

Jo
 
my son is 2 and was diagnosed in september at first it was awfull ,but he got over it and now he acepts it .It is very hard to try and explain this to a child ,but i think if you try to be as normal as possible and do not make it a big deal then soon she will accept it :|its just an excuse to give thm lots off other cuddles*****
 
Poor thing! I was diagnosed at 4 years old...and my Mum still tells me teh story of having to pin me down. As has been said, I did get used o it in the end. I think what worked with me was...

bribery! If you are a good girl and do your injection, you can go and stay with your friends, go swimming etc.

Not watching the injection. They had me practice on an orange. I started doing my own at about 6 (ish..it is a long time ago alas!). I struggled then, and I am still screamish about watching the needle go into the skin. I still sometimes do my injections through my clothes. Not really recommended, as it isn't terribly hygienic, but it meant that I was able to overcome my fear a little bit.

The other thingthat helped a lot was on a trip t the hospital, I was introduced to other kids who were in the same situation, and peer pressure worked a treat! Can your hospital help with this? There is nothing like meeting a younger kid, who is happily getting on with the injections, to make an older child come round to the idea a bit!

Sorry if the above is no help. Alas, there is no magic answer alas. Everyone is different, so all I can tell you is what worked for me. It is difficult to express teh fear that your niece is feeling..but she has my sympathy.
Good luck!
 
Many thanks for your replies. Hopefully it won't be long before it gets easier for her. The hospital have made her a sticker chart so when she's good she get's a sticker then after so many stickers she gets a present. Hopefully this will help. There is a boy at her school who is a year younger than her who already does his own blood (not sure about insulin) so after half term that might make it a bit easier, watching someone else do theirs.

Thank sagain for your help

Jo
 
My daughter was diagnosed 3 months ago. Its amazing how quickly things have settled down. She found it easier to watch the needle going in.............I know it wouldnt help me but it did the trick for her. Being age 8 and loving anything pink and sparkly we looked at diabetic identiy braclets. She now thinks it great that she can wear a braclet to school and her friends can't. . We got the tag engraved and very time she was good she got points to buy beads to make more braclets.She now has one for very outfit. She also has a handbag that she keeps everthing in hypo remedy, carb snack, blood tester and injections.It has helped her take ownership of everything. It took four weeks for her to check her own blood, but I go into school every day to do her injections. Hope this helps. Good Luck.
 
Hi,

My son was diagnosed at 6 and to be honest was really good about it. He was doing his own injections after 1 month of diagnosis which I think is remarkable.

After he was first diagnosed I used to go to him everyday with an injection prepared and said 'Are you going to try it yourself today?' to which (as expected) he replied 'No'. Then one day I said the same thing but followed with 'One day you are going to really surprise me and say Yes'. He then said 'Oh OK then.' and to my surprise injected himself in his thigh with no fuss at all.

4 years on and he still does his own injections every so often with reminding, but I still agree to do them when he asks.

I agree with the 'rewards' to encourage the minimum of fuss, she will eventually come around to the injections and hopefully you can try a similar tack as I did and it will have the same effect for her.

Good luck! :D
 
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