9 year old Son newly diagnosed type 1

[Helen1976]

Hi all, I am new to the forum although have been looking through the website at all the good information! We are English but live in Cyprus and my son has just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after we realised he was drinking lots of water, feeling tired and losing weight so went for a check and his sugar was very high and his Hb1Ac was 13% and he had high ketones in his urine. We spent 5 nights at the hospital and are now home trying to come to terms and understand what we need to do!!! In Cyprus they measure the sugar level differently so the doctor has told us to try and stay between 140-180 but reading information on here this seems quite high? Also, in Cyprus there appears to be no diabetes team so we r having to seek a lot of basic help privately or through internet which is all very worrying!?!? I hope this forum will help with some of the information we r lacking here and any help would be greatly appreciated! I feel so tired as doctors want me to check his levels every two hours through the night as well!

Many thanks Helen

 

[CambridgeLass]

Hi Helen. Sorry you are here!! The doctor probably wants you to check so frequently to starts with to make sure the dose is correct. My 7yo girl was diagnosed 11 months ago. We measure in mmol here - divide by 18 to get the conversion so 180 is 10mmol. Our clinic says between 4-8mmol. Some say less than 10 for kids. There are a lot of things to get your head around, let alone all the emotion you are feeling! UCLH have some good patient info leaflets to get started with:
http://www.uclh.nhs.uk/OurServices/Serv ... tions.aspx
There are some parents here. There are also a couple of FB groups which are great for help and advice: Diabetic Mums & Parents of Children with type 1 diabetes in the UK.
I hope you find some local support also.
Best wishes, Tracy



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[CambridgeLass]

Feel free to ask anything and we will try and help. x

 

[Eta]

My lovely I am very sorry to hear that your son has been diagnosed with T1D. Honey my son was diagnosed 3 months ago and he will be 9 in december, It was sooo scary, devastating and emotional, .... But.... Now three month later I cant believe myself how calm and relaxed I am, its something that we had to go through and I am sure you will feel the same after a while, we are all here for you and remember to stay strong and positive, everything happens for a reason .


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[mentat]

Think Like a Pancreas is a very good book to get (you can order online).

The main thing is not to put too much pressure on yourself. Two weeks of bad sugars are very unlikely to do a lot of damage in the long run! It's when you don't look after diabetes for months or years that your health is really put at risk.

So don't stress. Of course, do your best, but you don't need to achieve "recommended" blood sugars right away. You have time, time to find the right medical professionals, time to learn about diabetes, time to ensure that your child is happy with life and has things to live for. (Type 1 diabetes is tough; type 1 diabetics need a strong will to live!)

Do be careful about low blood sugars, particularly at night. Better to be too high than too low. Make sure you have a Glucagon "hypo kit".

Cheers

 

[Jofog70]

Hi Helen
Hang on in there. We too were due to move to Cyprus just as our 6 year daughter was diagnosed. We ended up staying in the UK. She is currently with UCLH and as someone has already suggested look at their website they are so good with information. I looked on Angloinfo Cyprus but unfortunately there seems to be no support groups on there at present. It may be worth posting something on Angloinfo Cyprus to see if there are any support groups on anyone in your area dealing with the same situation. The 2 hourly obs are a good idea at the moment, I'm currently doing this 2 as my daughter has just started pump therapy. Once your son is back home and looking to go back to school you will need to see what help the school will give you. He will need his Bloods checked during the day. It's a hard slog to start but you will see what an amazing child you have, and what amazing parents you are, as you deal with this.

Keep on the forum if it helps.

 

[Jofog70]

Hi Helen

Just found the following 2 numbers in Cyprus, hope it helps:
Cyprus Diabetic Association. Tel: 22 669 540

Diabetes Support Group tel: 99 986 588

I did just find this on Anglo info within the health, fitness and beauty section.

Stay on the forum if you need anymore help,

 

[BeckyCerezo]

I have 2 boys aged 9 & 11 both T1. The 9 year old diagnosed first when he was 5. I live in Spain and we use the same readings, my boys target for glucose readings is 80-180. It is hard and soul wrenching, I often wonder what I did wrong when I was pregnant with my boys. They have only asked once, why? I replied, it's the way you are made, they accepted it and Diabetes doesn't stop them doing what they want. Theh boys inject 5 times each per day and cope very well. It just takes time (and a good eye for when they 'cheat').