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Like everyone else said, it will get easier. My cousin was diagnosed at 4 years old. My aunt went through a lot of the same feelings you talked about. My cousin is 17 now and does wonderfully. He has been on the insulin pump though, so he hasn't done the shots in a few years.
As far as babysitters go, I wanted to suggest teaching the person you would normally have watch your child how to give him his shots. My aunt taught my grandmother and me how to give my cousin his shots. My grandmother got the lesson right from the beginning, but I was shown when he was about 6 years old. This might actually help your son too. When she had me do it Eric (my cousin) walked me through it. He felt so important because he had this special thing about him that HE had to show a grown-up how to do. I cried b/c I had to stick him and he just looked at me and said, "You did pretty good. Don't cry." You might want to ask around and see if there are any diabetic teenagers who babysit. Eric now babysits for a little boy who's mother was in your shoes. The mother works with my aunt, didn't know about my cousin, was talking about needing a sitter for her son but the difficulties b/c of needles, and my aunt was like, "My son can do it!"
... I was going to go out of town with one of my older children this Friday, but if I do, who will give him his shots and check his sugars? ...
His father must give his injections and you must insist to your husband that he do so. If you do not, it has the potential to be a tug-of-war or control issue between you and your son. It can also become a means to attach way too much significance to something for which no negotiating is possible.
Your child is normal. He has a condition that requires him to take a hormone because his body can't produce it and he is no more special after his diagnosis than before. Things will work out! Keep the faith! You've received good info from the posters here.
The more people in the family who can learn how to give the injection correctly the better. There might be times you aren't available for whatever reason. I would also try to just make it as "usual business" as much as you can. This reinforces that it's going to be okay and less scary.
We had a kid maybe 9-10, I can't recall him being older than that, who did his own injections in a setting I used to work at years ago. He tested his own blood, too. It actually makes the child feel more in control of the situation. I'm not sure at what age it would be recommended. Depends on individual child.
This is a hard dx at times. It involves alot of different learning. Injections, blood sugars, peaks/lows of insulin activity, food choices, exercise/food/insulin balance. It will change as he grows, too.
Maybe he could talk to another child around his age or older who's been through this. He might feel less alone. Also, maybe educational tools for children might help, books age appropriate, etc. There are diabetes educators at major hospitals that you could look into,too. They would have dozens of tips for you.
A friend of mine has a 7 year old girl with diabetes. She has just had an insulin pump installed which monitors insulin levels and continually dispenses the insulin throughout the day. When your son is a little older, this will probably be an option for him. It will free him from the constant vigilance which seems, at first, to rule your life.
Have you read Franklin Goes to the Hospital? It is in his age group and it explains what being brave is--doing something important even if you don't want to. I thought of it when I read that you told him that you knew he didn't like needles, but he had to be brave.
Also, have you checked out agave nectar? It has a really low glycemic index.
Good luck...you will all survive and soon enough all of this will be routine.
Thank you so much for all of your replies. They mean a lot!
We are just over three weeks into this whole thing called Diabetes. Halloween is past... he did really well. He even reminded his dad that he needs his sugar checked before he can have a snack. What a great kid!
There are two other kids at his school with Type I. They are in 4th and 5th grades (he is in 1st). They all had his teacher. In fact, the 5th grader was diagnosed while he was in her class. DS thinks that's really entertaining... The 4th grader has volunteered to be his mentor. They all come in at the same time each day to check sugar and get injections. He's doing tremendously!
I did contact the Diabetes Assoc. They're a great resource.
Thanks again for the support! As always, CDers are the greatest!
This must be so hard on him. My best friend was a diabetic since age 3 with 2 shots at least a day. Reassure him he is just as normal as before just he needs to watch what he eats. YOU need to watch what he eats. My friend ended up going blind when she was 24 during childbirth because she had not taken care of her eating habits all those years. Protect him.
try not to use up his legs and tummy because that may be where he gives it as he gets older. backs of arms are good. Unless you are like another friend of mine who would lean against a wall and push the fat forward to give herself the shot. He is a good little boy, just regulate what he eats, it keeps his mood in check.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtjmom
Wow, what a week. We just found out that our youngest is a type 1 diabetic. We are now on a regimen of finger sticks, documenting everything he eats, and of course, 4 (or more) insulin injections a day.
It is so hard for him to understand what's going on, and why. And he's terrified of needles, to boot. He's really been a trooper. We got the diagnosis on Wednesday, and came home from the hospital Friday afternoon. He's just now really beginning to ask questions. It's so hard for me to keep my cool when he's supposed to have his injections within 30 minutes of eating, and I'm still "negotiating" with him an hour later. I know he' s afraid. He keeps telling me he's afraid of all the needles. I keep telling him that it's okay to be afraid, but that he needs to be brave, and that he could be very sick and back in the hospital if he doesn't get his shot/glucose check.
They told us at the hospital that "nothing's changed, he's still the same." It's in all the "how to cope" literature, too. He's the same, but in radically different circumstances. He's super sensitive anyway... How do I keep from losing my cool with him? Any suggestions? I expected to have more trouble with the shot thing. I'm just afraid more than anything else that I'm going to ley down and let him walk on me, because I'm the one who has to hold the needles and lancets 8-10 times a day. DH has no problem sitting on him, but he also does not give the injections, etc.
He's doing famously, by the way, feeling, acting and looking a lot more like himself. He really is dealing with this very well. Hopefully, he'll go back to school Tuesday, Wednesday on the outside. He's definitely still the same kid, so why I do feel so different?
~D
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