Just Diagnosed Teenager with Type 1

Injecting 4 times a day is a standard regime, they will have started your son on a conservative dose of insulin and will increase it to what it needs to be.

Do you have the phone number of the diabetes team at the hospital? Don't hesitate to ring them to discuss any questions you have.

my daughter is 3 and was diagnosed about 6 weeks ago now, so i am still very new to it all too, i found the youth forum on this site to be very helpfull, maybe pop in there and post x

To save duplicating the post it has been moved into 'Diabetes Youth Club.'

If it hasnt been mentioned to you already it is definitely worthwhile trying to see if you can get onto a DAFNE course.

A few weeks after I was diagnosed my wife sent me this link: http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/

I found it very useful and it set me on the path of carb counting etc and once I got used to it all I have actually been pretty good and it has allowed me to continue to lead a more or less normal life. The "less" part is more that I have to think ahead and remember to pick up pens, needles, testers and some glucose tablets but otherwise you wouldnt know.

Snacks and treat I have moved more to the meaty things like peperami or biltong (like jerky but no sugar so almost no carb) but again in moderation since you get stung by fat in those.

With carbolicious treats it becomes a question of "just how much do I want this?" if the answer is lots then I add an extra shot.

In many ways Diabetes has actually been a good thing because I eat much healthier than I ever did before.

Good luck to you and your lad, this is a great place for information so welcome aboard

/A

Hi Debs D,

Sorry to hear about you've had a new member join your family [diabetes]. After a while it does just become a part of life but initially it is most unwelcome and disruptive.

13 isn't a very nice age to be diagnosed. I hope your child is coping. Don't worry about the high figures at this stage. It is better to reduce levels over a period of time rather than suddenly. It is also important that he doesn't get feelings of guilt because his levels aren't perfect. Try not to have a shocked face when the meter reads something in the 20's or panic when you one day see it saying 2.

As for things to eat you could try chicken wings, egg based foods, cheese dips & carrot, sugar free jelly with yogurt or some cherios type snacks. Meals should be just normal but count the carbs so you can work out how much insulin to give. My son has been diabetic for a while so he can usually have a pikelet, a few chips and fruits at snack time but I wouldn't pick these if he was high.

Kids are kids first and diabetic second. I don't deny my son any food he wants but I'll limit the quantity if it is outside meal times. I just think it is important not to say 'No' if that wouldn't be the answer without diabetes.

The food section has lots of recipes but you shouldn't have to make massive adjustment to diet unless he had a really sugary one prior to diagnosis. Softdrink really needs to be the sugar free type and juice is hard to manage unless you want to use it to treat a hypo.

Wishing you well and hope you still allow a little indulgence for Christmas.