# My 9 yr old son is newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes



## MrsLynchie (Feb 4, 2017)

Hi my son dezzi was diagnosed with type 1 on say 28 jan, he had been ill for few days with what we just thought was a sickness bug but took real bad turn on the sat afternoon started having chest pain & breathing difficulties so we rushed him to A& E & when we ran through his symptoms it was when i sed about him not being able to quench his thirst that they seemed to click what was wrong nd few blood test later confirmed he was type 1 diabetic, he was in diabetic ketoacidosis & was a very poorley little boy & was admitted straight away, talking to the doctors etc over the next few days we learned we had been very lucky we had got him there when we did as they sed we were very close to losing him & one doc told me he was the sickest child he had seen in 12 month. As we have learned more about diabetes over the last few days we have realised there have been signs for a while but we just didnt put the peices together beacuse hes generally fit & well. The docs did tell me that its easy not to pick up on the signs if ur not looking for it & that its not unusual for children to become really ill before the diabetes is picked up on but as much as they have all told me its not my fault & that i have not done anything wrong i am really really struggling with the guilt of not realising sooner & terrified by the fact that we almost lost him. Im so anxious now all the time incase i make a mistake or get something wrong.


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## grainger (Feb 4, 2017)

Hi, welcome. I'm sure there will be some parents of type 1 kiddies along soon and they'll be able to give advice.
Please try to stop beating yourself up tho and be kind to yourself. Mummy guilt is a curse of being a parent but remember that you did catch it in time, he is going to be ok and whilst he was poorly he will soon be charging around again. 
Be kind to yourself - sending you virtual hugs xx


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## grovesy (Feb 4, 2017)

Welcome.


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## Lindarose (Feb 4, 2017)

Welcome MrsLynchie. What a scary time you and Dezzi have been through. As Grainger said please try not to feel guilt or blame. You didn't know how poorly your son was and took him straight to a/e when you did. He has been diagnosed now and will improve quickly with the right treatment which he now has. 
You will get lots of support and advice on here so don't feel alone.


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## Northerner (Feb 4, 2017)

MrsLynchie said:


> Hi my son dezzi was diagnosed with type 1 on say 28 jan, he had been ill for few days with what we just thought was a sickness bug but took real bad turn on the sat afternoon started having chest pain & breathing difficulties so we rushed him to A& E & when we ran through his symptoms it was when i sed about him not being able to quench his thirst that they seemed to click what was wrong nd few blood test later confirmed he was type 1 diabetic, he was in diabetic ketoacidosis & was a very poorley little boy & was admitted straight away, talking to the doctors etc over the next few days we learned we had been very lucky we had got him there when we did as they sed we were very close to losing him & one doc told me he was the sickest child he had seen in 12 month. As we have learned more about diabetes over the last few days we have realised there have been signs for a while but we just didnt put the peices together beacuse hes generally fit & well. The docs did tell me that its easy not to pick up on the signs if ur not looking for it & that its not unusual for children to become really ill before the diabetes is picked up on but as much as they have all told me its not my fault & that i have not done anything wrong i am really really struggling with the guilt of not realising sooner & terrified by the fact that we almost lost him. Im so anxious now all the time incase i make a mistake or get something wrong.


Hi MrsLynchie, welcome to the forum  Very sorry to hear about your son's diagnosis  You really should NOT blame yourself - the symptoms are ones that even doctors often overlook or put down to other things. I was 49 when I was diagnosed, and my symptoms and situation were very similar, it's only with hindsight that I was able to put two and two together! What insulin is he on, and how is he managing with it?

The first thing to say is that things WILL get better. There is a lot to learn, especially at first, but it will get easier as you all gain more experience, and it will not stop him from doing anything he wants to do in the future. There are people with Type 1 diabetes at the very top of their game, popstars, politicians (Theresa May is Type 1), professional cyclists - the list goes on 

I would highly recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas. It's not cheap, but it covers all aspects of living with diabetes and will help you to understand what it all entails and what to look out for. I'd also recommend reading Adrienne's essential guide for parents of newly-diagnosed children - it will help you understand things from a parent's perspective, and hopefully realise that what you are feeling right now is felt by most parents after a diagnosis.

There's also the KIDSAC pack for children with Type 1, free from the charity JDRF.

Please let us know if you have any questions or worries and we will do our best to help out


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## HOBIE (Feb 4, 2017)

Welcome Mrs L. It is a stressful time & good luck with it. You will learn something every day but low carbs is less damaging & easier to control


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## trophywench (Feb 4, 2017)

Hiya - and firstly - I'm always sorry to hear about kids being diagnosed (with anything, especially lifelong things)  BUT - of course there's no blame.  I was older - 22 - but as far as we've ever been able to find out, the absolutely only one in either side of my family ever - so how on earth could my family be to blame for it?

'Shit' - as no doubt we all know, otherwise - simply does happen, sometimes - so please, do TRY not to waste any more of your energy and emotions on that aspect, cos it has happened - so invest your resources instead on trying to just DEAL with it.  Not easy - and seems absolutely unlikely at the moment, I know, but I'm not actually being cruel - it does, absolutely honestly - get easier to deal with, the more time you actually spend with it as time goes on.  Meanwhile, I send you all {{Hugs}} and ask you to read this link, because it explains what stages you'll find yourselves going through - and it often helps, cos you can check every so often to plot your progress along the way! so it's useful -   http://www.businessballs.com/elisabeth_kubler_ross_five_stages_of_grief.htm

And for practical stuff, yep, the Ragnar Hanas book - and most importantly - your hospital Diabetes Team at the hospital, plus the charity website and publications, events and all that JDRF do for kids.

Good luck - and please let us know how your little chap - and you! - are getting on!


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## HOBIE (Feb 4, 2017)

I was diagnosed at the age of 3 in the 60s & sill full time employed.  Good luck


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## Ginny03 (Feb 4, 2017)

I was diagnosed when I was 4, in very similar circumstances to your son. I remember my own mother's anxiety and also how guilty I felt because I was the cause of it. The fact that it wasn't something either of us had chosen or could do anything about didn't enter the equation. Often she still gets anxious about me (and I still feel guilty!) All I can say is - Don't feel guilty and don't be scared. The stakes are high when its your child, but you will both get through this, learn to cope with the treatment routine and get back to a normal life - it'll just be a slightly different version of normal! X


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## Vicki farrant (Mar 7, 2017)

Hi wow very scary for you then !
My daughter is 13, diagnosed 4 weeks ago , shed been losing weight  for a while went for blood tests a Friday but she  got  more ill and weak over the weekend  and her breathing got bad so took her to the  A&e Monday  they put her straight on drips we were kept in till Thursday.
I think I should have taken her to the hospital b4 I did and feel guilty about it  but she was fine and the outcome would have been the same , so I guess you need to stop beating yourself up about it as we cant turn back time
So much to learn isn't there ! and a  big  shock at first I'm still trying to get my head around it
I'm just glad jade is that bit older and understands it all and does all her stuff herself
she really surprised me how well shes coping with it all
she is  a pretty shy /quiet girl and in a way I think this has given her more confidence
Have you any other children ? I have 2 other boys 9 + 16
Where are you  from ?
How are you getting on now ? Hows he finding it ?


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## MrsLynchie (Mar 7, 2017)

Vicki farrant said:


> Hi wow very scary for you then !
> My daughter is 13, diagnosed 4 weeks ago , shed been losing weight  for a while went for blood tests a Friday but she  got  more ill and weak over the weekend  and her breathing got bad so took her to the  A&e Monday  they put her straight on drips we were kept in till Thursday.
> I think I should have taken her to the hospital b4 I did and feel guilty about it  but she was fine and the outcome would have been the same , so I guess you need to stop beating yourself up about it as we cant turn back time
> So much to learn isn't there ! and a  big  shock at first I'm still trying to get my head around it
> ...


Hi dezzi is the same hes managing all his bg testing and insulin injections himself think the fierce independant streak hes always had is serving him well following his diagnosis, he just needs our help with the carb counting but does get involved with it aswell.
Yeah we have 2 other boys age 17 & 11. We live in cumbria inbetween workington & whitehaven. 
Just over a month in we are doing much better now than when i first posted weve got our heads round it now nd am still learning more & more, dezzi is just amazing if im honest he is just getting on with it so well like ive mentioned doing most of it himself, he got straight back into his football & rugby & playing out on bikes & scooters with his friends, he really doeant let it hold him back, hes really good at knowing when hes hypo during the day when awake but isnt waking when has them at night its only that i discover hes hypo when i do his 11pm check nd then if he is ill wake him to give treatment & recheck 15 - 30 mins later to make sure hes came back up & then recheck again 1-2 hours later to make sure hasnt gone back down, so it worries me he doesnt wake but they havnt been majorly low The lowest has been 2.8 but generally in the 3's & our DSN has said that he will wake if he goes badly low_ xxx_


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## Vicki farrant (Mar 7, 2017)

MrsLynchie said:


> Hi dezzi is the same hes managing all his bg testing and insulin injections himself think the fierce independant streak hes always had is serving him well following his diagnosis, he just needs our help with the carb counting but does get involved with it aswell.
> Yeah we have 2 other boys age 17 & 11. We live in cumbria inbetween workington & whitehaven.
> Just over a month in we are doing much better now than when i first posted weve got our heads round it now nd am still learning more & more, dezzi is just amazing if im honest he is just getting on with it so well like ive mentioned doing most of it himself, he got straight back into his football & rugby & playing out on bikes & scooters with his friends, he really doeant let it hold him back, hes really good at knowing when hes hypo during the day when awake but isnt waking when has them at night its only that i discover hes hypo when i do his 11pm check nd then if he is ill wake him to give treatment & recheck 15 - 30 mins later to make sure hes came back up & then recheck again 1-2 hours later to make sure hasnt gone back down, so it worries me he doesnt wake but they havnt been majorly low The lowest has been 2.8 but generally in the 3's & our DSN has said that he will wake if he goes badly low_ xxx_


Oh that's good to hear he sounds like hes managing well
Were from London
Oh god night time hypos sound scary we have not had any yet but a few hypos during the day still trying to work out Jades ratios  last week she had loads of hypos but lowest so far been 2.8 and lucky she don't feel too bad with them sometimes her head hurts a bit but Ive noticed how her hands shake !
Whats the lowest you have had ?


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## MrsLynchie (Mar 7, 2017)

Dezzi had loads of hypos over last 5 days, he doesnt feel too bad with them & his symptoms are usually that he feels sweaty, shaky inc his hands, says he feels wierd, hes been really on the ball knowing something not right nd will then check his bloods.
His lowest so far has been 2.1 after lunch at school yesterday. DSN coming on home visit today so will discuss all with him xx


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