returning to school

Hi there, this is a worry for you.

Your diabetic nurse should contact the school and arrange for him to have the Novarapid injections before lunch and when he needs them, also he should have his BG tested before lunch and approx 2 hours after to make sure he is OK. HE will need to be supervised by staff, also, the nurse needs to tell you all about carb-counting, if he is on Novarapid, as he will need to work out how much NR to give before each meal.

Don't send him back to school until he is ready and prepared.
Is he doing his own blood tests & injections ? (as he's 13 ?)
If so, he will need time to get used to doing this. There is alot to take on, for a TI. He will need help & support from school etc, don't be fobbed off, make sure he gets the support & his OK with everything.

Take care,

Hi

Also I forgot to mention, make sure the nurse gives the school all the training/ support needed.
If possible try to avoid carbs, aim for approx 90g or less per day, this will make life better for him.
DM

Hi, I'm sorry to read about your son's diagnosis. There is so much to learn and get used to in the early days following diagnosis, it does get easier and starts to make a lot more sense with time I would keep your son off school until he is confident about injecting and testing himself. It is also a good idea for your son to experience a hypo (low blood sugar) before he returns to school so that he knows what symptoms to look out for and how to treat the hypo. I think experiencing a hypo for the first time at school would be a frightening experience for him. I would also make sure before he returns to school that all his teaching staff and the school nurse are aware of his diagnosis and know what to do if he experiences a hypo. Your diabetes nurse should make an appointment for her, you, your son and all necessary staff to meet and discuss his treatment, diabetes in general and what needs to be done to manage it whilst at school. Particularly his PE teacher also needs to be aware of his condition and the fact that exercise will lower his blood sugars and potentially put him at risk of a hypo unless he eats a carby snack to keep his blood glucose stable. He should not miss a meal at school and ideally meal times should not be delayed too much either so concessions may need to be in place at the school canteen to guarantee there will be something he likes to eat and it can be eaten at the correct time. All teachers need to know that your son may need to eat during class to correct a hypo, or if his blood glucose is high he may need to drink and use the toilet more frequently. Things like detention needs to be correctly planned and not imposed on him without much warning over a lunchtime or snack time. There is a lot to discuss with the school and your diabetes nurse should be able to lead this discussion and make sure everything is covered. The school may also be able to put your son in touch with other diabetics at school, it may offer some moral support to your son from others with the same condition - your son may be apprehensive about injecting infront of his friends or of talking about diabetes. Some children cope well with the diagnosis and others find it more challenging, make sure support is there for him if he needs it, it may be an emotional journey for him after a few weeks as everything starts to sink in.

Each school has a special needs co-ordinator {SENCO} These people have considerable power. Arrange an appointment with him/her and you can be told exactly what your son's rights are and what your responsibilities to the school are. Remember it could be pretty scary for the staff if they've never dealt with a diabetic child before. Especially since many of them will have only encountered diabetes on TV and we know how accurate that is or T2 in grandparents, which is also not relevant to this situation. If the school is halfway good, they'll go all out to help.
hana

Hello my daughter of 12 was also diagnosed of type 1 diabetes over the weekend, she returned to school today although i felt she wasn't really ready the school assured me she would be in safe hands, which she was however she did have a hypo at 2.45pm and had to come home, she nearly made the whole day though but is extremely tired now.

dannymum what does your son eat and what insulin regime is he own. jane is on novomix30 and having 150g carbs a day. i would like her to reduce it more but school food is so high carb
thankyou xx

also senco is the person to talk to first. allchildren with diabetes are on the register. only found out a month ago and 90%of problems at school have be dealt with xx

Although I believe in watching the carbs we don't reduce carbs too dramatically. Jess has around 150g carbs a day, for growing and active children I feel carbs are an important and necessary part of their diet. I don't think we would cope very well with 90g or less of carbs per day. Having said that Jess has good readings so if the carbs were adversely affecting her bg then I might consider reducing the carbs further, consider what types of carbs she's eating, or I'd look at why the insulin is not covering the carbs properly.

estherem said:

Hi
My son was diagnosed last week(aged 13) with type 1.We have a meeting with his school on Friday. What can I expect with him returning to school and also when is he likely to go back? He was in hospital for most of last week due to DKA and is still very tired with varying levels of BG. Nova rapide before meals and Lantus at night. Any experiences you have had would be very helpful. Thanks. Estherem

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I just wanted to say good luck to your son returning to school. It's half term in a weeks time, so he will be able to have a little break from school and all the questions from his classmates. He's bound to be shattered, it's a big shock to the body, but in time, I'm sure it will get a little easier for him.