Daughter newly diagnosed T1-many questions!

MamaIzzy

Member
Messages
13
Welcome to the forums @MamaIzzy, and I'm really sorry that your daughter (and your family) have to go through this.

I was diagnosed at 8 and had the carb values booklet memorised pretty soon after diagnosis, so if your daughter is motivated I'm sure she'll soon be on top of things. At 15 it's good that she wants to take control, though I can only imagine how hard it must be for you to offer support in the background without being over bearing. And honestly, it's bad enough just getting through your teen years without adding a T1 diagnosis to the mix.

But modern T1 treatments are fantastic. Getting a libre should make life massively easier, and a lot of people love their pumps.

As regards the boarding school. will she be home at weekends? I'd hope you have a contact there who can liaise about the T1. (I actually went to full time boarding school between the ages of 10 and 12, but this was pre glucometers so all I had to do was inject, carb count, make sure I didn't go hypo and do a couple of chemistry tests a day involving a test tube, a tablet and some drops of urine. Kids were kept high in those days, so I almost never went hypo.)

I'd encourage her to talk to her friends about hypos, so that she has people around her to help if she ever needs it. (Unfortunately one of the symptoms of a hypo is confusion, so though most T1s manage to grab some glucose while they are still compos mentis sometimes it can be hard to work out that that's what you need to do.) While at times I get deeply irritated by family members who are me solicitously "Are you hypo Mum?" because sometimes I'm just tired or sad or cross, I'm still glad that they ask. )

Good luck. If she wants diabetic support for herself, she could get her own account on the forum. Virtual hugs freely supplied to any and all who want or need them.
Hi EllieM!
Many thanks for taking the time to reply-I have had a busy couple of weeks so only just seen your message!

My daughter is a full boarder and though we only live about 30 mins from the school she won’t entertain the idea of being a daygirl for a while, which I can understand. She has had sooo much time at home because of COVID and hasn’t seen her pals since before Xmas so is desperate to go back. Since my last post I have had a productive zoom call with several members of staff including the catering manager who said he will supply me with the three-week menu rotations all carb-counted so that will make life easier as she can then know what she is dosing for. They have yet to arrive so I will send him a gentle nudge today!

My daughter doesn’t like being the centre of attention so will not want to “make a fuss” about her diabetes at school. I have told her that telling her close friends about it and what a hypo looks like/how to deal with it is not making a fuss but being responsible! I think her House Mistress plans on having a chat with them at the start of term, and is going to put her in a room near to her accommodation for peace of mind. I am also hoping that she will have her Libre before the start of term which will help too.

Lockdown plays havoc with morale...if I was T1 my daughters would be asking me everyday if I was having a hypo as I have felt much grumpier than usual!

I have suggested that she might like to set up her own account on here and have a look on Instagram etc for others her age with T1 but she is very resistant at the moment. She is in a “it’s my thing, I have to deal with it” mentality and isn’t open to learning from others right now. Frustrating as I think it would help, but I think she still feels a bit angry about her diagnosis and so I don’t want to push her. Hopefully she will be more receptive with time though she can be very stubborn!
 

JMK1954

Well-Known Member
Messages
520
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I don't think it's surprising she's feeling angry. I was diagnosed aged 10 and felt intermittently angry for several years. If that's how she's feeling, it's probably why she's not interested in coming on this forum. 'Why read about all sorts of other people's problems when you've got enough of your own' summed up my attitude at the time. I understand that. The anger should gradually wear off, but remember it's not irrational. After 56 years, I still get angry occasionally. She is facing a changed life with problems most of her contemporaries will never face. I was also unwilling to explain hypos and type 1 at first. I think she just needs time. Having diabetes is one thing, but coping with everybody's concern and personal reactions can be an additional burden. It was for me.