# Partys??



## Dylans mom (Feb 6, 2020)

My son was diagnosed just before Christmas with type 1, we are still trying to get used to the idea it's all so hard. I am confused though we have a few partys coming up and was wondering what we do if he wants any party food?? Thanks in advance


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## stephknits (Feb 6, 2020)

Hi, sorry, not sure how old your son is and thus whether you will be accompanying him to the parties?
Party food can be a bit of a pain, particularly if it doesn't all come out at once.  I have s lot of similar events to go to for work.  I work in an art gallery and tend to think private views are like grown up children's parties.  As such I tend to decide in my head an amount of carbs I will try to eat and bolus for about half of it up front.  Thus, I might decide to go for 40g and bolus for twenty.  I then tot up estimates as I go along and then work out the rest when I'm done.  Not hugely scientific I realise, but gets me through the evening! If I had a young son I might adopt a similar policy, although would necessitate being able to see what he was eating.  I would also err on the side of caution with insulin - I would prefer to do a correction later.


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## Dylans mom (Feb 6, 2020)

Hi sorry my son is 13 and yes they are family parties so I will be there I just dont get it ( sorry if I'm being thick). But if we have dinner a half 5 and then go to party about half 7- 8 how do u work out what he eats do u have to add more insulin to the dinner dose?


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## Thebearcametoo (Feb 6, 2020)

No give him his dinner dose as usual and then give him more insulin at the party when you have an idea how much he’s eating. If he’s mostly eating low carb stuff you can if necessary bolus afterwards instead to make sure he’s ok overnight but any carbs and he needs insulin with it. If you up his dinner dose he’s likely to get a hypo because of the timings. 
Things like parties do complicate it. Often a lot of guesswork in the carbs, lots of excitement etc which affects glucose levels. So expect it to all be a bit hit and miss but as long as you treat any hypos he’ll be fine for a one off event.


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## trophywench (Feb 6, 2020)

Sorry to ask a very basic question - but is this the first time anyone has mentioned at all Type 1 diabetics need the appropriate amount of insulin for any carbohydrate they eat if it doesn't happen as part of a proper meal?


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## Bronco Billy (Feb 6, 2020)

I either stayed at the party and counted the carbs when the food was served, or their plate was set aside at the beginning. I think I got a few strange looks frrom other parents when I was taking boxes and packets out of the bin to check the carbs, but hey, that's the life of a T1 parent. The best advice I can give is to communicate with the parents beforehand.


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## Sally71 (Feb 7, 2020)

Party food is a pain because it tends to be a massive carb fest, and then your ratios don't work any more and you need more insulin than you think you will. So make sure you keep a close eye on his blood sugars afterwards, even if you count everything perfectly he might well go high later and need a correction.


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## trophywench (Feb 7, 2020)

…… oh well tough if it's Pete's family coming to ours, then!  I don't cater carb fests funnily enough!

I don't think Dylans mom has had time to train any other members of the family or friends, let alone mates parents yet - these things takes time !  The last thing D will want is 'a fuss' I should think.


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## Dylans mom (Feb 7, 2020)

trophywench said:


> …… oh well tough if it's Pete's family coming to ours, then!  I don't cater carb fests funnily enough!
> 
> I don't think Dylans mom has had time to train any other members of the family or friends, let alone mates parents yet - these things takes time !  The last thing D will want is 'a fuss' I should think.


Cant get the hang of it myself let alone teaching others and no dylan wouldn't like a fuss as he is keeping it private.  Thanks for help


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## trophywench (Feb 7, 2020)

So what has his Diabetes Specialist Nurse/Consultant at the hospital got planned to teach your son and you, how to count carbohydrates and adjust insulin doses?  What plans have you got personally to teach yourself and him?

It's foolish keeping it secret - I'm sorry, but it is.  What if he's taken ill when he's not with you - eg doing sport at school or going hypo, let alone being in any sort of accident?  Aren't parents legally obliged to inform school?  They are legally obliged to make provision for any pupils with a disability and like it or not (and nobody likes it so we all feel for him there of course) they can't if they are not made aware!


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## Dylans mom (Feb 7, 2020)

trophywench said:


> So what has his Diabetes Specialist Nurse/Consultant at the hospital got planned to teach your son and you, how to count carbohydrates and adjust insulin doses?  What plans have you got personally to teach yourself and him?
> 
> It's foolish keeping it secret - I'm sorry, but it is.  What if he's taken ill when he's not with you - eg doing sport at school or going hypo, let alone being in any sort of accident?  Aren't parents legally obliged to inform school?  They are legally obliged to make provision for any pupils with a disability and like it or not (and nobody likes it so we all feel for him there of course) they can't if they are not made aware!


Well thank u very much for your comments I am not totally incapable of looking after my son, and yes I'm not stupid I said he was keeping it private not from who he was keeping it private. Yes as a capable mother I have informed the school of course I have it's just he wants to keep it private from children as he doesnt want to be bullied and doesn't feel confident enough yet. He has had it about 6 weeks now so it's all still a learning curve he has been through and is still going through a lot of issues. Was only questioning about party food as the dietitian hadn't actually explained that properly to me yet


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## everydayupsanddowns (Feb 7, 2020)

Hope you muddle through the parties @Dylans mom 

As others have said, he will need extra insulin for the carbs in the party food, and it’s a notoriously tricky type of food to guesstimate correctly, so don’t beat yourself up if there’s a bit of BG chaos - treat these things as experiments and learning opportunities. 

And if you work out how to do it... let me know, as party food is my dose estimate nemesis!


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## trophywench (Feb 7, 2020)

Well you didn't give me or anyone else anything to guess correctly with, did you!  LOL

Kids at school will find out soon enough anyway when he tests his BG and does his jab for lunch, or again tests his BG or is allowed to eat before/after/during exercise sessions.  If the Games staff were trained somewhere half decent, they may know a bit about T1 in kids.  (Particularly thinking about Loughborough Uni here with their connection with 'Run Sweet'.)


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## Dylans mom (Feb 7, 2020)

everydayupsanddowns said:


> Hope you muddle through the parties @Dylans mom
> 
> As others have said, he will need extra insulin for the carbs in the party food, and it’s a notoriously tricky type of food to guesstimate correctly, so don’t beat yourself up if there’s a bit of BG chaos - treat these things as experiments and learning opportunities.
> 
> And if you work out how to do it... let me know, as party food is my dose estimate nemesis!


Thank u very much


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## trophywench (Feb 7, 2020)

I'm with whoever was seen rummaging in the kitchen bin for the packets at parties!


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## EmilyCox76 (Feb 9, 2020)

We had a first party to deal with so I phoned the child’s mum and asked what foods would be there she then gave me a list and I sat down with Maisie and worked out what and how much of everything she’d be eating then worked out the insulin for it and wrote it down In her little book she keeps in her kit and she gave herself the insulin and set a timer when she could eat , it was correct  as her bloods were good all night hope this helps x


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