# new member



## BEEFY (Jun 13, 2009)

just connecting into your forum as a real newbie to this sort of thing. My daughter was diagnosed last week with type 1 just 6 days after her 3rd birthday, great birthday present for her!! My wife and I are struggling with this at the moment and we are questioning whether we are up to it? I know we will be but to be honest we're petrified, in such a short time our daughter seems to have become obsessed with food and won't stop eating. We are obviously finding our way round this condition and will probably be on this site regularly asking for help and advice, not just about the condition of our daughter but the impact it has on the family and friends who surround her.

Thanks for your time..it's much appreciated


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## Sugarbum (Jun 13, 2009)

woooops! Just replied to you on Ruths thread, but there is no harm in saying it twice, WELCOME!

Lou

Oh, and incase you havnt checked out this website yet, its a good resource for an all round ton of info....
http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/uk/


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## Steff (Jun 14, 2009)

hi beefy and welcome x


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## mikep1979 (Jun 14, 2009)

hello and welcome


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## bev (Jun 14, 2009)

Hi Beefy,
Welcome to the forum - even though you dont want to be here! My son is 11 and diagnosed 7 months ago - so i know how desperate you feel about it all!
We are still learning and i am sure this will never stop as diabetes isnt easy. But i promise you that you will all feel a lot calmer and relaxed in time - this is different for everybody though.
If your daughter lost a lot of weight pre-diagnosis - that is why she is wanting to eat everything in site! Dont worry about this for now - it will settle down. What regime is she on? 4 a day or a mix? Dont be afraid to ask anything on here - someone will always have an answer for you. Bev


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## sasha1 (Jun 14, 2009)

Hi Beefy,

Welcome to the forum..Glad you've found us..
My son was exactly the same after diagnosis...wanted to eat everything...he had lost alot of weight before hand..as Bev said..don't worry to much it will settle down.

Heidi


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## BEEFY (Jun 14, 2009)

bev said:


> Hi Beefy,
> Welcome to the forum - even though you dont want to be here! My son is 11 and diagnosed 7 months ago - so i know how desperate you feel about it all!
> We are still learning and i am sure this will never stop as diabetes isnt easy. But i promise you that you will all feel a lot calmer and relaxed in time - this is different for everybody though.
> If your daughter lost a lot of weight pre-diagnosis - that is why she is wanting to eat everything in site! Dont worry about this for now - it will settle down. What regime is she on? 4 a day or a mix? Dont be afraid to ask anything on here - someone will always have an answer for you. Bev



Thanks for this Bev, daughter is on 4 a day (3 fast plus 1 slow). Really frustrating as can't believe it's the same little girl at the moment, food obsessed and gets really angry and upset when we say no.  Prior to this she was a picky eater but know scoffs everything on her plate. Want to give her a big meal but find it scary to do this as frightened her B/S will rise so much. She's so up and down at the the moment and we are really stuggling coming to terms with it all. We are really worried to give her too much insulin that she goes off the scale.


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## Northerner (Jun 14, 2009)

BEEFY said:


> Thanks for this Bev, daughter is on 4 a day (3 fast plus 1 slow). Really frustrating as can't believe it's the same little girl at the moment, food obsessed and gets really angry and upset when we say no.  Prior to this she was a picky eater but know scoffs everything on her plate. Want to give her a big meal but find it scary to do this as frightened her B/S will rise so much. She's so up and down at the the moment and we are really stuggling coming to terms with it all. We are really worried to give her too much insulin that she goes off the scale.



Hi Beefy, and welcome! Although quite a few years ahead of your daughter, I too was ravenous after I was diagnosed and started receiving insulin. I ate everything I possibly could off the hospital menu and cleaned every plate! Now, I eat normally, with a healthy appetite. I think in these early days the body will respond in all sorts of unusual ways until it has received what it requires - it may be certain proteins, vitamins or trace elements and minerals that have been depleted in the body due to the illness prior to diagnosis. Make sure her diet is as varied as possible and perhaps try to fill her up with things like eggs and meats (or soya protein based stuff), as these will have little impact on her blood sugar levels. I'm not really sure what to suggest as I'm not a parent of a 3-year-old - perhaps the hospital has a dietician who could advise you? I wouldn't worry too much about the hunger at the moment, I think it will probably subside to normal levels before too long!

I hope things improve for her soon!


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## insulinaddict09 (Jun 14, 2009)

Hello and Welcome Beefy


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## bev (Jun 14, 2009)

BEEFY said:


> Thanks for this Bev, daughter is on 4 a day (3 fast plus 1 slow). Really frustrating as can't believe it's the same little girl at the moment, food obsessed and gets really angry and upset when we say no.  Prior to this she was a picky eater but know scoffs everything on her plate. Want to give her a big meal but find it scary to do this as frightened her B/S will rise so much. She's so up and down at the the moment and we are really stuggling coming to terms with it all. We are really worried to give her too much insulin that she goes off the scale.



Hi Beefy,

Your little girl is hungry - so she will want everything in site! Are you carb counting? If you are - she can eat anything she wants as long as it is covered by insulin. Why are you not giving her a big meal? She will be up and down at the moment as her levels are not stable. Can you imagine being really hungry and being told that you cant eat? That is why she is angry with you. If your not carb counting then you need to ring your dsn asap to find out what you should be doing - this is not good for a hungry child! I am not being critical in any way - but - a hungry child cannot understand why they cant eat. Your daughter should not be hungry and if she is there is something wrong. Please ring your dsn and let us know what she says.  Bev


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## grahams mum (Jun 14, 2009)

hi to you aswell  danielaxxx grahams mum now 5 diagnosed at3


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## BEEFY (Jun 15, 2009)

bev said:


> Hi Beefy,
> 
> Your little girl is hungry - so she will want everything in site! Are you carb counting? If you are - she can eat anything she wants as long as it is covered by insulin. Why are you not giving her a big meal? She will be up and down at the moment as her levels are not stable. Can you imagine being really hungry and being told that you cant eat? That is why she is angry with you. If your not carb counting then you need to ring your dsn asap to find out what you should be doing - this is not good for a hungry child! I am not being critical in any way - but - a hungry child cannot understand why they cant eat. Your daughter should not be hungry and if she is there is something wrong. Please ring your dsn and let us know what she says.  Bev


thanks to everybody for greeting us and offering advice, it is very much appreciated. Bev, perhaps I didn't explain myself very well when I used the description big meal, what I meant was something that will really fill her up and not in any way skip giving her a substantial breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's just that we cannot fill her, as soon as she finishes one meal she's after the next one. We are carb counting and perhaps we are paranoid but at the minute that's the way it is, we're only a few days into this so when the BS rises from ie 11 to 22 after a meal and ins injection we struggle to know if we have got our figs right. Our nurse is due this afternoon and we will discuss this with him.
Thanks again to everybody for your time and advice


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## Proudspirit (Jun 15, 2009)

Hi beefy, 
Welcome to the forum. I know that there are lots of parents of children with Diabetes that are better giving advice about Diabetes. 

I just wanted to tell you that when my daughter was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at 18mths old I greaved, it has to be one of the worst things in the world to hear that your healthy baby isn't going to be the same as all of the other children. 

You will grow with your daughter and learn about her needs just as you have until now, just that the needs are a tad different now. 

Have you been told about DLA too? You and or your wife will need time off work for hospital apts and other things so this is something that you as a carer are entitled to. 

Do take care and don't worry about this upsetting you for a while, i still well up when i think about my daughter and she is 17 and leads a very normal life! 

Julie x


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## bev (Jun 15, 2009)

BEEFY said:


> thanks to everybody for greeting us and offering advice, it is very much appreciated. Bev, perhaps I didn't explain myself very well when I used the description big meal, what I meant was something that will really fill her up and not in any way skip giving her a substantial breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's just that we cannot fill her, as soon as she finishes one meal she's after the next one. We are carb counting and perhaps we are paranoid but at the minute that's the way it is, we're only a few days into this so when the BS rises from ie 11 to 22 after a meal and ins injection we struggle to know if we have got our figs right. Our nurse is due this afternoon and we will discuss this with him.
> Thanks again to everybody for your time and advice



Hi Beefy, i just read my reply and it sounded as if i was critisising you - but i honestly didnt mean it to come across that way! I was worried that your dsn hadnt told you that the little one could eat as often as she likes as long as you cover it by insulin. Some dsn's are rubbish - but it sounds like you have a good one there. Dont worry about her levels though at the moment it will take a while for things to settle into some sort of routine. How soon after a meal are you testing? Also if she is in honeymoon then she will still be producing some insulin herself so it will take time to learn how to alter her ratios and corrections etc.. It is still very early days for you all and your doing brilliantly! Joining this forum is the best thing you could have done - someone will always have an answer for you! Hope things settle down soon for you all.Bev


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## Northerner (Jul 8, 2009)

BEEFY said:


> Now a month in to daughter's Diabetes, as mentioned earlier she's just turned three in June, her appetite seems to be decreasing and although her BS still high on occasions it keeps on average around the 10....ish mark. We've had a couple of episodes where she has gone down as far as 2.8, she was agitated but when suitable snack given she was fine.
> Although we've had success with her BS testing, she sometimes does it herself, she doesn't understand the readings etc but she knows that there will be one and asks what it is. The injections are another matter, she used to get a little bit upset ie a cry or whimper but in the last few days she is fighting, struggling, screaming and to be honest it's not a pleasant experience for all concerned. We were advised against the promise of a treat to her however we have been trying the use of a star chart which hasn't worked. We are aware to alternate the inj sites which we do but it doesn't work either. Any body got any ideas???? also her behaviour has become very challenging which may be a part of growing up but it really has come on since she came home from hospital....../is this normal





Hi Beefy,

I'm going to move this to the Parents section with the title 'Daughter hates injections' - other parents will find the post more easily there. I wish you well, but I'm afraid I can't offer any help on this.


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## Mojo (Jul 8, 2009)

BEEFY said:


> Thanks for this Bev, daughter is on 4 a day (3 fast plus 1 slow). Really frustrating as can't believe it's the same little girl at the moment, food obsessed and gets really angry and upset when we say no.  Prior to this she was a picky eater but know scoffs everything on her plate. Want to give her a big meal but find it scary to do this as frightened her B/S will rise so much. She's so up and down at the the moment and we are really stuggling coming to terms with it all. We are really worried to give her too much insulin that she goes off the scale.



Hello Beefy - I just joined today too!

I'm a Dietitian, and I hope you and your daughter have been able to meet one since she was diagnosed. If not, have a word with your Diabetes team asap.

Hunger after diagnosis is normal, especially if there was alot of weight loss before she was diagnosed. It's important that she regains any lost weight, and she can't do this without insulin! Her diet shouldn't be adjusted around her insulin, rather insulin is supposed to fit around her diet and lifestyle. This is where carb counting would be a big help. The great thing about carb counting with basal bolus (i.e. 4 injections/day) insulin is that your daughter should be able to eat until she is full, then you can give the right amount quick insulin immediately afterwards.

I hope this is helpful. Don't be afraid of accessing help and support from your Diabetes team. It's your daughter's right, and that's what they are there for!

Wishing you all the best,
Mojo


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## runner (Jul 9, 2009)

Hi and welcome.  Hope the visit with the DSN went well and has reassured you a bit.  Don't forget to look after yourselves too!


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## sweetsatin (Jul 9, 2009)

Hi Beefy & welcome to the forum


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