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Emotional and not sure where to go next..........

IslesCass

Active Member
Messages
26
Type of diabetes
Parent
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Hi Guys

I thought I would ask on here to see if anyone has experienced any of the following as a child.

My little boy (10yrs) was diagnosed in Jan, I have posted a few questions but basically he was diagnosed 12 Jan and since then, we have had no DN for the whole time due to sickness & maternity leave. I have had to learn very quickly and hit the ground running, making decisions on reducing/increasing insulin amounts, learning to carb count teaching my little lad.

This has been fine and he is amazing but I am a little concerned now as his temper is shocking and I know some of this can be attributed to high/low sugars and just wondered if any of you guys who are T1 have experienced this and if you had any tips for me as his mum what I can do to help him some more.

I am currently feeling emotionally drained and guilty even though I know I haven't given him T1.

If his sugars are high in the morning will this make him really tired? Likewise if they are low will that have the same effect on him?

His sugars over the last 2 weeks are all over the show again he is having Hypo's when he shouldn't just after breakfast even though I've counted the carbs correctly. So one minute he is really high next he is really low, he doesn't have a cold or tummy upset or anything like that apart from 2 of the teeth that came out are growing back so could this have an effect?

He has gone pale again even though we only came back from holiday 2 weeks ago and he had a lovely glow on his face.

I'm so proud of him and want to make sure everything I do helps him not hinders him.

Any advice would be greatly received, we do now have a DN as from today but I am not seeing her till Wednesday.

Isles
 
Its sounds like your doing an excellent job and being a great mum so well done.....its just a shame your healthcare professionals aren't pulling the finger out, I hope that changes soon.....

Yo yo-ing blood sugars will cause mood swings.........for me these mood swings can creep up on me but I soon realise its my blood sugars...how can you help at these times I don't really know.....getting the sugars back down is the obvious next step...

High morning sugars will make him tired too.......this was the main reason for me going on the pump.....

It sounds like he could doing with some basal testing.....which hopefully your nurse will explain in some detail on Wednesday....

best of luck....
 

Hi

Thanks for this I will def pick up with DN on the Basal Testing and see what she says.

I am looking at the pump for him but not sure if he is too young or the right thing for him?

x
 
I would say the pump is right for any type one diabetic.......

lack of funding means they need to choose those patients who would benefit most from it.....so, its very early days now for your wee boy to actually go on the pump.....

once you can confidently say the pancreas isn't still producing its own insulin and you have got to grips with basal testing and dose adjustment, that would be the best time to think about it....

children are favoured due to unpredictability that comes with growth and hormones....so keep it in mind....
 
Hi @IslesCass I agree with @novorapidboi26 it easier for children to access a pump than adults because of growth spurts and hormones, it is also alot easier to manage more stable BG control and therefore help his moods, please press your DN for this and good luck
 

Thank you I will press for this x
 
IslesCass said:
Hi

Thanks for this I will def pick up with DN on the Basal Testing and see what she says.

I am looking at the pump for him but not sure if he is too young or the right thing for him?

x
Click to expand...

Hello there. I can't make an sensible comment on your little boy, being neither T1, nor a parent, but I wondered if you have looked into local support groups where you are?

I know in my area there is a strong parents' group and a children's choir. The choir don't all have Alled Jones or Charlotte Church voices, but they enjoy singing and have the most incredible bonds with each other. Almost all of them are pump users, and during their time together they're all comparing and talking about it, as it they're the most natural thing in the world.

Some of these groups are hospital led, and others allied to Diabetes UK (DUK). The DUK list of local groups can be found here. Maybe you could enquire hen next in contact with the hospital?

Good luck with it all. These early days can't be easy for your whole family.
 

I worked in a primary school up until recently and had a 7 yr old diagnosed. Within the year she was on a pump and all relevant staff within school had been on a course to know how to manage this. I know they are very keen for children to be on pumps now.
 
One thing to remember is that basal doses and carb ratios can change several times in a year. Your son may need a higher/lower ratio for breakfast than lunch or dinner. (I'm hoping you know about carb ratios but you may not.)
Wednesday isn't too far off so your DSN should be able to give you lots of advice then.
 

Hi

I do know about ratios I have taught myself, will have a really good chat with his DN on Wednesday.

x
 

Hi, well done you, it must be an exhausting and terrifying time. I used to be FURIOUS when my blood sugar went low, no reason, and *hangs head looow*..swear like a trooper... I think there was a post on here a couple of months ago about all the different feelings member of "the society" experienced as their blood sugars altered. There will be different ways of reacting to his different moods; I know that I can be very unreasonable (MrGrumps would second that) so it could be about working with his altered state. Hope this helps, and happy to answer anything more specific. Good luck x
 

I was diagnosed when I was 4 - I'm 55 now and yes to this day when I test in the 12-14 range I'm behaviorally miserable. My spouse picked up on this about 30 years ago and when I'm in a bad mood she asks me if I have tested my BGs lately - by this time I know that my BGs are probably running high - I'll test myself and 90% of the time my spouse is right.

The other thing that was hard to accept (as a pre-teen) was the fact that I had to do extra things while my friends did not - this affected my mental disposition too. You gotta keep in mind - most 10 year old kids want to conform they don't want to stand apart or be seen as being unique or different especially when it comes to their health.

I've always thought that more needed to be done in respect to mental health for those people and their caregivers but I've never encountered that in all the years I've been living with Type 1. In fact I can say I have never spoken to a Councillor or Physiologist and there were probably times in my life where maybe I should have.

Hopefully things will change and there will be more mental health professionals involved with newly diagnosed Diabetics of all types.
 
You have a 10 year old and haven't been able to see an endo yet? That's bad healthcare IMO.
 
I have a 10 year old girl (had it 18 months) abs the mood swings are awful if her bloods are on. Shes been on a pump 2 months and it is easier to see trends and give correction doses. I wonder if hormones play a part as well at this age. Good luck
 
I think you and your lad will become the experts in his diabetes care but you need some good tools so fight for the those. I was 10 when diagnosed with T1 and as a mum now, I get how utterly scary it was for my parents so well done for fighting for him and for the tools/knowledge you both need.
Blood sugars do affect mood - normally the body keeps these stable but its tough in type 1 to do this with all the variables of food, hormones, growth, activity. You will not get it right most of the time but do make a note of key events and try to encourage him (year 5 or 6 so close to going to secondary school?) to be independent with self monitoring and hypo/hyper awareness (physical and emotional symtoms). When I was diagnosed at 10 I was not scared of my condition and was motivated to be independent and not be defined by diabetes. Good luck to both of you xxx
 
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