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Father of a 2 year old boy with T1 in need of help!

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parianos7

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My 2 year old son(brother of a twin sister) was diagnosed 5 days ago with type 1 diabetes. I'm a wreck. Can anybody help me, tell me how can we make him accept all this pricking (at least 10 a day) without a fight and without creating a fear to him and his twin sister???
Any tips are more then welcome... ty.
 
I'm so sorry that you're having to cope with this but please beleive me that it isn't a death sentence,yes it's going to be tough at first but kids are resiliant and your son will soon get used to it.

I think the key with little ones is to keep them involved, make it a game 'who can guess what number it will be?' etc

There are a few members here with sons or daughter's with T1, kalebsmum in paricular and they will have more information that willi be useful for you but please believe me that it s a totally managable condition.

Has your diabetes team discussed ooptions with you yet? Pumps, injections, medications etc?
 
hya and a warm welcome, i cant really help as i didnt get type 1 still i was 32,there are lots of mums and dads on here who will be along soon to help :) if u have any specific questions plz ask ...(((((((((((hugs))))))))))))) for little one
 
Sorry to hear

It does get better and the head does stop spining, as at the moment you are having information overload along side the family coming to terms with a different life than you were expecting a week ago...

Keep good diaries of food your son eating with time and the amount of carbs, whether he's been playing a lot, throwing a tamdrum, got a cold, infection or whether he's getting excited looking forward to a treat etc.... As well as insulin dose and blood glucose levels this all helps when reviewing the data, and you start learning the little tell tell sign that might mean his sugar levels are starting to get too high or his heading for a hypo. or where adjustments might be needed to his insulin dose to compenstate for activities etc..

Don't never be scared of asking a question because you think it might be silly, as no question is silly if you don't know the answer... (we asked the same question when we started out, how to you think we know the answers to them :D )

The trick to good control is knowledge...
 
First of all...thank you all for rapid reply!
Questions???... so many in my head dont know which one to pick. I'll start with the one that hurts the most... how can I get my little boy back? Because a different boy has come back today from the hospital.I was thinking that his behaviour the past 3 days was because of the hospital environment or maybe because he was missing soooo much his sister... first night back home,hope he comes back... he seems to be angry,miserable, so ,so sad!!!
Is there any way we can avoid the pricking, at least some of them?
Do the strips, insulin inhalers etc. apply to toddlers?
any news on the artificial pancreas?
 
How to get your little boy back? Get his blood sugars under control and I guarantee he'll get back to the little lad he was before he even got diabetes. Sadly there is no alternative to finger pricking at the moment, he's still a littleyoung to do it himself but as I said, get himinvolved and it will take the sting out of it a little. Maybe you could lead by example,prick your own finger first so he sees it's not so scary?

The strips will be available on prescription, find a meter that works for you, do a little research and approach the manufacturer and you will get it for free. I like the Breeze 2 by Esprit as it holds 10 tests in 1 test 'disc' so it's fast. You then just tell your surgery which strips you need and they should sort out a repeat prescription for you.

Push for a pump for him as soon as possible as it eliminates the multiple injections each day, again, do some research both here and on the web in general.

please don't pin your hopes on an artificial pancreas or a cure, I've been T1 for 16 years now and if you torture yourself with 'what ifs?'it makes it a lot harder. You have to use what you're given and hope for advances in the future. It'already come such a long way, when I was diagnose there was no such thing as basal/bolus regimes or pumps and look where we are now! :)
 
HI,
I completely relate to your how your feeling at the moment. It's horrendous when your child is diagnosed with an illness and you feel so helpless, and at the age of 2 it is so unfair. 2 year olds are not the easiest to deal with at the best of times; mood swings, screaming tantrums are the norm for most, even without having their wee fingers pricked. You have to be strong,expain it in simple terms to your son and daughter, and you'll be surprised how quickly they accept it as the norm.
I took my 8 yr old for a blood test recently, he'd never had one before. Remembering how my eldest had been terrified of needles I expected my youngest to be too. I sat him on my lap, held his arm , and tried to distract him, but he was adamant he wanted to watch the nurse and the big needle! He didn't flinch and I was nearly in tears with pride and relief. He's seen me stick needles and finger prickers in me as long as he''s been on this earth and seen his elest brother go through the mil. Maybe all that made it not so scary for him, I really don't know. He's normally a timid creature, and too scared to go up the stairs in our house on his own. Might sound a daft idea, but have you tried getting your son involved in the finger pricking? Perhaps without the automatic pricking device which may seem frightening if he can't see the pricker.
Kids always surprise us, and they are very accepting, and I'm sure in time you and your son will learn to accept the invasive nature of his condition, even if it doesn't seem that way now.
What insulins and regime is your son on?
Jus
ps I've been type-1, on a basal/bolus regime since 1989. In good health, no complications.
 
When you say 10 pricks a day, how many of these are finger pricks / blood glucose tests (always a bit painful) and how many are insulin injections (many sites possible; generally nowhere near as painful)?

While some tests (as few as 2 on a boring regular day) and insulin injections (typically 2 per day for bimodal insulin, but up to 5 per day on MDI [multi/ple dose / daily insulin / injections]) will always be needed, there's usually scope to reduce numbers a bit after the very early days. While an artifical pancreas is a long way off, an insulin pump might be suitable, and would mean fewer needles associated with insulin, although more work in general, and regular cannula and set changes. But some kids and some parents don't like to be connected all the time or prefer insulin injections for other reasons - it's not ideal for everyone.
 
I'm so sorry to hear about your little boy. Coming to terms with this diagnosis can be very hard and right now you are probably in shock from the events of the past few days. Things will get easier over time and you will find lots of support and help on this forum. My kids were diagnosed at the ages of 4 & 6 so I don't have any experience of managing a toddler with the condition, but I'm sure that someone who has will be along later. Jen another mother has a little boy diagnosed at 18 months and I'm sure she'll respond to you as she is an amazing mother and will be able to pass on her knowledge. All the very best - Leggott
 
Hi

One way of making bg testing a bit better for kids is to get http://www.bayerdidget.co.uk/Home

Twice daily insulin injections( biphasic) instead of multi might be much better for him. If you haven't got any, do ask about BD Nano Microfine 4mm pen needles. Also a company in America called Tiny has produced a very small lancet especially for kids to go in finger prickers. Google - Tiny blood glucose lancets.

With time, diabetes will get easier for you to manage once you've got your head around carb counting and working with exchanges or carbohydrate portions.
 
Sorry to hear you have entered the new world of diabetes. It is very hard at the start!!!

My poor son was actually so young when diagnosed that the testing and injections is all he knows. I do find that I make the finger pricking a bit of a game and make silly sound effects as I do it (keep a smile on your face and think about the impression you are making). You can try to let your son decide which finger he wants done. You can use a toe and plan the odd test for when he is asleep (this was when I usually did the after lunch test). If you feel somewhat confident before a meal not to do a test then while it is new and an issue I would miss that test but do the after meal test just a little bit earlier. Never say you are going to do a test and then not do it though.

As for the process of finger pricking try to use the sides and not the tip of the finger and don't squeeze. If you wait for a few seconds and then push gently you'll do a lot less damage and the healing is much improved. I've been testing Khaleb for more than 3 years and you can barely see where I've been. I do notice the tests that have been done at his daycare leave a mark and I think I need to talk to them again about the process.

The less you are concerned about the testing and the figure that pops up the better your son will cope. Even if the meter says 2mmol or 22mmol you need to smile and say how wonderful your son is. Have you looked down at the meter and gone - "oh that's not good" or something like that?

Watch out for your daughter and any other children also. There isn't much advice for parents but I recently read about parents having a lot of trouble with the non-diabetic child because of the attention, hypo treatment etc...The sibling only sees that they are missing out and not that the child with diabetes is putting up with a lot. My other son is a teenager and he has missed out to some extent because of what I need to do for Khaleb and the time I spent away in hospital with Khaleb. I've been lucky that he was fairly independent before Khaleb was born.

Besides your son putting up with the testing and injecting I hope you are holding up okay. It isn't the nicest having to prick that pristine, unscarred body. You know you have to do it but it just doesn't seem right or fair.

How's the glucose control going? That's always a challenge in the young but it does get easier to manage. We just spent the weekend at a theme park and it caused a few hypos but that's just the way it goes.
 
Hi,

Really sorry to hear your news. The next year will no doubt be really challenging for you but you must keep positive (despite how hard that must be at the moment).

Someone else has already advised about not looking at the meter and going "Oh no that's not good" and this is such a valid point. Do not under any circumstances let your little one see that you are worried / concerned.

One piece of advice I would give you is that as hard is is may seem right now, in 15 years time you are going to have a 17 year old diabetic son that will be completely used to being a diabetic and will not have known any different.

Of course, you must feel terrible now and who wouldn't, you are in effect grieving and kind of saying goodbye to your old baby. I went through it myself when I was diagnosed and now I am stronger, fitter and happier than I ever have been. The same will happen for your son, your role is to stay strong and educate him at an early age on how to look after himself. He can and will lead an absolutely normal lifestyle and will be able to do everything he could have done if he was not a diabetic. He will need to eat more healthy obviously but who wouldn't want their child to eat healthy anyway?

In terms of the testing, suggest you enquire about the toddler lancets that someone else has mentioned but you need to quickly understand that as much as a pricked finger and an injection may be unpleasant it is something that has to happen and the quicker you come to terms with it the quicker your little man will to.

The HUGE positive is that yes your lives feel like they have been turned upside down right now (which will get better) the illness he has is absolutely 'treatable' with insulin and you can look forward to a long and healthy life with your child. Yes a lot of people don't have to go through this emotional and stressful period but some people end up being told that for the disease their child has there is no cure. This is what keeps me in check if I ever start feeling sorry for myself. (I am not for a minute suggesting that you are feeling sorry for yourself BTW. I thought my world was going to end when I was diagnosed and I was 31 at the time. I'd have been going insane if it was my child but I can honestly say that if the worst happened and one of my boys was diagnosed I would come to terms with it because I know it's manageable and you can control the disease as opposed to the disease controlling you).

Stay strong, stay positive and keep your head up for you boy, he'll be fine.

JC
 
Hi,

Really sorry to hear your news. The next year will no doubt be really challenging for you but you must keep positive (despite how hard that must be at the moment).

Someone else has already advised about not looking at the meter and going "Oh no that's not good" and this is such a valid point. Do not under any circumstances let your little one see that you are worried / concerned.

One piece of advice I would give you is that as hard is is may seem right now, in 15 years time you are going to have a 17 year old diabetic son that will be completely used to being a diabetic and will not have known any different.

Of course, you must feel terrible now and who wouldn't, you are in effect grieving and kind of saying goodbye to your old baby. I went through it myself when I was diagnosed and now I am stronger, fitter and happier than I ever have been. The same will happen for your son, your role is to stay strong and educate him at an early age on how to look after himself. He can and will lead an absolutely normal lifestyle and will be able to do everything he could have done if he was not a diabetic. He will need to eat more healthy obviously but who wouldn't want their child to eat healthy anyway?

In terms of the testing, suggest you enquire about the toddler lancets that someone else has mentioned but you need to quickly understand that as much as a pricked finger and an injection may be unpleasant it is something that has to happen and the quicker you come to terms with it the quicker your little man will to.

The HUGE positive is that yes your lives feel like they have been turned upside down right now (which will get better) the illness he has is absolutely 'treatable' with insulin and you can look forward to a long and healthy life with your child. Yes a lot of people don't have to go through this emotional and stressful period but some people end up being told that for the disease their child has there is no cure. This is what keeps me in check if I ever start feeling sorry for myself. (I am not for a minute suggesting that you are feeling sorry for yourself BTW. I thought my world was going to end when I was diagnosed and I was 31 at the time. I'd have been going insane if it was my child but I can honestly say that if the worst happened and one of my boys was diagnosed I would come to terms with it because I know it's manageable and you can control the disease as opposed to the disease controlling you).

Stay strong, stay positive and keep your head up for you boy, he'll be fine.

JC
 
Gosh, my heart goes out to your and your son. You have already had some fab advice on here (it's the place to get it!) so all I will add is the suggestion that if you can, include others in the testing regime? Yourself, your daughter, cousins, grandparents, neighbours, whomever you can drag in off the street :P I was 13 when diagnosed so was able to test and inject myself from day 1 but I have a daughter and remember when she was a toddler that she was very keen to do whatever everyone else was doing, children like to copy! Maybe get him to press the clicker? Even at his age, he may be able to do that? Your son will no doubt surprise you in his ability to cope with all this! Bless him. It's tough, I think we will all agree but it is what it is. Good luck! Keep us posted :)
 
Hi

My little boy was 20 months when he was diagnosed in February this year. He doesn't bat an eyelid now during finger pricks or injections. Its just what he's used to and he doesn't remember anything different. It was awful for us all to begin with but believe me it does get better.

I think the main thing to remember is to act like its all normal and fine around him even when its not.

Erland's behaviour is affected by his blood sugar both low and high. Both make him ever so grumpy! So trying to keep it in range is important. We count carbs and are on 2 injections of levemir and 3 of novorapid per day. We test his blood around 7 times. Before meals, 2 hours after meals, on waking up and when we got to bed. Its all become part of our routine.

There is a lot of good support and advice here. I'm very glad this forum exsists. Please don't ever feel alone.

Annette
 
Hello to all,

I would like to thank you all for your useful and encouraging responses. It's a great support knowing that there are others who understand exactly what my son and family is going through. We'll keep on trying to make this as easy for him as possible using all your helpful advice.

Till next time, thanks again...
 
Hi there, I am new to this site! My daughter Mia was diagnosed in May at 20 mths old. I have to say it was awful time and its still very tough. She was in hospital 12 days (got rotovirus in there) and we have had our lives turned upside down. There is no family history of Diabetes at all. It has been a struggle - shes used to the finger jabs now (we do anything up to 14 in a 24hr period) and not too bad with the injections now. We got a 'rocket' device (inject-ease) to administer her injections with and its brilliant. I am a nurse and well used to injecting adults but for kids the less painful you can make it the better! (especially when its your own). We distract Mia by counting to 10 aloud when we do her insulin injections and she counts too so it takes her mind off it.
Mia was very sick in the hospital and had lost a lot of weight but shes doing so much better now. With toddlers you tend to blame yourself and look at what you are doing wrong - you are not doing anything wrong - it is a very tough age for them to get diabetes. I know any age is tough but you just can't reason with a 2 yr old!
So many people have said to me " sure its not too bad getting it young - she wont know any different" that is true but 2 yr olds are so demanding at the best of times they get so stroppy anyway and unfortunately now with hypos/highs it is exacerbated and saying no to her if she wants chocolate is not easy!
It will get better but it will take time - I have to be honest its been nearly 5 mths for us and we still have lots of sleepless nights with worry. As a parent its so hard to relax with the risk of hypos at night. However Mia is starting on a pump next week - so we are hoping this will be the turning point.
For a toddler you have to watch not only what they do/dont eat but also excersise can really affect their sugars and you will never get 2 days the same. Just when you get 1 great day and all goes well - the next day Mia could be in the 20s all day and you kill yourself thinking why?
We have a 6 yr old son who does not like all the attention on his sister. Its only natural but difficult to deal with. We try and take him away for days out on his own and spend time not talking about diabetes!
1 thing you could do is get a little teddy bear and let your son pretend to do BMs on it - Mia loves pretending to inject her teddys! Try not to get upset yourself be strong, and just think you are doing the best you can. Hang in there - and you will have bad days but this is very early days for you so don't be hard on yourself.
Good luck
 
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