How did your parents take the fact that their little child has diabetes?

JAT1

Well-Known Member
Messages
563
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I was diagosed aged 10 in 1964, during the school.summer holidays. My dad was a pharmacist and had evidently been disturbed by the noise I made when I went to the toilet in the middle of the night. He instructed my mother to take me to the doctor's with a urine sample and the GP said (it was a Friday)there was sugar present at 2% and told my mother to cut out all cakes, biscuits and sweets over the weekend. On the Monday we went back with a new urine sample which still showed sugar. He sent us home and rang back a couple of hours later, giving instructions to take me to Alder Hey, the children's hospital in Liverpool, later that day.

I was in hospital for three weeks, basically because I was kept in until my parents and I could carb count and do insulin injections. The last few days were spent in transferring me from two injections a day to one.. Nobody ever told me I was diabetic, because I burst into tears on being told I had to stay in hospital, which interrupted the doctor's careful explanation. I realised I was a diabetic, because my dad had brought home Rose's Diabetic Orange squash for me two days earlier, so I had asked for some explanation of the term.

The hospital staff varied from the good to excellent in dealing with me, but I refused point blank to do any injections when I got home. It hurt too much. I only did the injections to be allowed to go home. My dad took over the injections. My mum refused to do them point blank.

It was five years or so before I finally started to inject myself. Nobody told the hospital I wasn't doing my own injections. I suspect they would have re-admitted me, so an endless loop of admissions and discharges would have resulted. My dad, being more informed, was the one who acted as the judge over what I should or shouldn't eat, which worked pretty well. The only time I argued with my mum over food was when I wanted salted peanuts when everyone else was being bought sweets in the newsagent's. She referred to my dad whenever a decision had to be made.(She did over a lot of things.) I feel I owed my dad my life. He recognised the symptoms, he did my injections and covered for me, he bought me disposable syringes as soon as they became available (but not on the NHS). Thanks to him, I didn't miss half my education. The hospital teaching was a bit patchy, even for a primary school level.
I didn't get diabetes until I was an old lady. Back around the time you were diagnosed, my friend was diagnosed and sadly she died blind and with complications when she was a teenager.
 

Zhnyaka

Well-Known Member
Messages
633
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Homophobia, racism, sexism
GPDR is a European rule, so may not apply in Russia.
If you have a name and a profession or city, chances are Google will know if they're still alive.

And there's always the other direction: a hospital can choose to send on a note to a retired employee, rather than giving information to a former patient.
I even know her address, but I don't know how to behave if I go there, and I don't have her phone number :) What should I say? "hello, you saved my life 18 years ago"? It seems to me that a woman of 80-90 years old will not be happy about this
 
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Grant_Vicat

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,176
Type of diabetes
Don't have diabetes
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Dislikes
Intolerance, selfishness, rice pudding
I even know her address, but I don't know how to behave if I go there, and I don't have her phone number :) What should I say? "hello, you saved my life 18 years ago"? It seems to me that a woman of 80-90 years old will not be happy about this
This was the reaction when I tracked down Kathleen:
Dear Grant, It gave me great pleasure to receive your Christmas card and the photograph [me with my wife and daughter]. I have never forgotten you and have often spoken of the night when your mother brought you into the Children's Ward so very ill. I have a ver nice photograph of you sitting up in your cot, laughing at the house physician and myself. I wondered if you would like a copy of it? She sent me two! We exchanged letters until 2011, when sadly she passed away. I'm so glad I wrote.
Maybe you could send her a card with a recent picture? The worst that could happen is that she throws it away. I would imagine you would get a similar result to mine, and you might make an old lady very happy!
 

Grant_Vicat

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,176
Type of diabetes
Don't have diabetes
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Dislikes
Intolerance, selfishness, rice pudding
GPDR is a European rule, so may not apply in Russia.
If you have a name and a profession or city, chances are Google will know if they're still alive.

And there's always the other direction: a hospital can choose to send on a note to a retired employee, rather than giving information to a former patient.
"And there's always the other direction: a hospital can choose to send on a note to a retired employee, rather than giving information to a former patient."
That's exactly what King's College Hospital did, way before GPDR was even dreamt up!
 
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Zhnyaka

Well-Known Member
Messages
633
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Homophobia, racism, sexism
"And there's always the other direction: a hospital can choose to send on a note to a retired employee, rather than giving information to a former patient."
That's exactly what King's College Hospital did, way before GPDR was even dreamt up!
Ours attitude towards people in any government structures is such that it is better to stay away from them if possible:facepalm:
The letter is a great idea. It's a little weird to use the mail if I can get around my whole city in a few hours, but it's better than an uninvited guest
 
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Zhnyaka

Well-Known Member
Messages
633
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Homophobia, racism, sexism
GPDR is a European rule, so may not apply in Russia.
If you have a name and a profession or city, chances are Google will know if they're still alive.

And there's always the other direction: a hospital can choose to send on a note to a retired employee, rather than giving information to a former patient.

Sometimes it's completely unclear to me how I ended up on the British forum and what I'm doing here, even if I don't speak English, but thank you for your attitude and for allowing me to be here! This is a wonderful place, probably the only one where no one talks about the threat of military invasion, political repression, nuclear war and default. Just thank you!
 
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Antje77

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
19,222
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I even know her address, but I don't know how to behave if I go there, and I don't have her phone number :) What should I say? "hello, you saved my life 18 years ago"? It seems to me that a woman of 80-90 years old will not be happy about this
I fully agree with Grant_Vicat, sending a letter is the way to go, everybody loves getting a thank you note!
Sometimes it's completely unclear to me how I ended up on the British forum and what I'm doing here, even if I don't speak English, but thank you for your attitude and for allowing me to be here! This is a wonderful place, probably the only one where no one talks about the threat of military invasion, political repression, nuclear war and default. Just thank you!
I have no idea how you ended up here, but I'm happy you did!
Besides, even though the forum is based in the UK, it's welcome to people from all over the world, currently we even have 3 non British moderators. :)
 

Circuspony

Well-Known Member
Messages
959
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I was 43 when I was diagnosed but, considering my mother went into deniability mode and kept thinking it was all a mistake or perhaps I should do the 800 calorie diet as a cure, then I dread to think what my childhood would have been like! She was never great with poorly kids and I got sent home from school with mumps (lopsided face), German measles (obvious rash) and multiple vomiting bugs. She was a stay at home mum in the 70s/80s too, but just didn't like sick people near her.

She's another who'll make a sugary dessert and try and push it on you then be hurt when you explain it's going to be 2 more hours until you can even think about trying it.
 

Zhnyaka

Well-Known Member
Messages
633
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
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Homophobia, racism, sexism
Besides, even though the forum is based in the UK, it's welcome to people from all over the world, currently we even have 3 non British moderators. :)
UK is even in its name, but somehow I didn't pay attention to it when I registered, and when I noticed, I already liked it too much:hilarious:
 

Antje77

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
19,222
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin

EllieM

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Staff Member
Messages
9,189
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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forum bugs
The logo at the top of the page says "The global diabetes community" and that is what we are.
 

Zhnyaka

Well-Known Member
Messages
633
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Homophobia, racism, sexism
Dear @Grant_Vicat, today I decided to write a letter to my doctor. I bought a postcard, but considering that I know where both the house and the apartment are, but I don't know what the house number is, I had to go to the house itself and look at the address. I even had the courage to ring the doorbell, but no one answered, so I just threw a postcard in the mailbox. I don't know if anyone will answer me, but thank you so much for inspiring me to write a letter.
 

Grant_Vicat

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,176
Type of diabetes
Don't have diabetes
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Dislikes
Intolerance, selfishness, rice pudding
Dear @Grant_Vicat, today I decided to write a letter to my doctor. I bought a postcard, but considering that I know where both the house and the apartment are, but I don't know what the house number is, I had to go to the house itself and look at the address. I even had the courage to ring the doorbell, but no one answered, so I just threw a postcard in the mailbox. I don't know if anyone will answer me, but thank you so much for inspiring me to write a letter.
I'm so pleased. It will be fascinating, and I think highly rewarding, to see how she responds. For some reason I kept all records, cuttings, equipment and correspondence from very early on in my life, almost like a museum. Although we should aim not to let diabetes take over our lives, deep down I am conscious that it had a direct bearing on my philosophy and outlook in life. The longer I live, the more I owe to one hunch of Kathleen's back in 1959. Thus her letters and photographs are very important to me.
 
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Zhnyaka

Well-Known Member
Messages
633
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Homophobia, racism, sexism
I'm so pleased. It will be fascinating, and I think highly rewarding, to see how she responds. For some reason I kept all records, cuttings, equipment and correspondence from very early on in my life, almost like a museum. Although we should aim not to let diabetes take over our lives, deep down I am conscious that it had a direct bearing on my philosophy and outlook in life. The longer I live, the more I owe to one hunch of Kathleen's back in 1959. Thus her letters and photographs are very important to me.
This story, unfortunately, ended sadly. I posted a post on social networks that I would like to find my doctor, her neighbors answered me that she died in 2020. Of course, I understood that the person who pulled me out of the other world was not immortal, but still I hoped that I had a couple more years left
 

Zhnyaka

Well-Known Member
Messages
633
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Homophobia, racism, sexism
Today I reached the cemetery where my doctor is buried.Grave grave, I thought I could find her grave and put flowers, but there are so many graves here that I just got lost. Eh, that feeling when you think you can find a person, but in the end you can't find even the grave:(