# My 13 year old daughter has type one diabetes



## Fluffy unicorn (Aug 22, 2019)

Good morning to all the parents out there that have children with type one diabetes.
My daughter was only diagnosed a week today and am finding it a very emotional time for my daughter and myself. Any support will be greatly received.


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## Northerner (Aug 22, 2019)

Fluffy unicorn said:


> Good morning to all the parents out there that have children with type one diabetes.
> My daughter was only diagnosed a week today and am finding it a very emotional time for my daughter and myself. Any support will be greatly received.


Hi @Fluffy unicorn, welcome to the forum  I'm very sorry to hear about your daughter's diagnosis  How did it come about?I'm sure you are feeling pretty overwhelmed by everything at the moment, as there seems to be so much to take in and it is a steep learning curve, but there is lots of help and support available so try to take things at your own pace and whenever you are in doubt or confused about anything, please ask - either here, or her diabetes healthcare team, whichever you feel is appropriate  There are loads of friendly, knowledgeable people here who will be only too happy to help, so you are not alone, ever 

In practical terms, I would highly recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas. This is the absolute best book available that covers all aspects of living with Type 1 diabetes, very well written and an invaluable reference guide. Make sure you get the latest edition, as things can change rapidly in the Type 1 world and new treatments and technologies are coming available all the time - things have certainly moved on in the 11 years since I was diagnosed, and it all makes things easier and safer for your daughter.

I'd also recommend reading Adrienne's essential guide for parents of newly-diagnosed children, written by one of our members whose daughter was diagnosed just a few hours after being born.What insulin has she been given?

Above all, be assured that having Type 1 diabetes does not have to limit your daughter in any way. Mostly it just requires a bit of extra planning, to be proactive and prepared  There are people in all walks of life with Type 1, from elite sportsmen and women, to former Prime Ministers (Theresa May!). We have members who have lived with it and managed it well for over 50 years, and things are so much better now than they were all those years ago 

As I said, if in any doubt, please ask - nothing is considered 'silly', and everyone here 'gets it'  Let us know how things go for you


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## Fluffy unicorn (Aug 22, 2019)

Northerner said:


> Hi @Fluffy unicorn, welcome to the forum  I'm very sorry to hear about your daughter's diagnosis  How did it come about?I'm sure you are feeling pretty overwhelmed by everything at the moment, as there seems to be so much to take in and it is a steep learning curve, but there is lots of help and support available so try to take things at your own pace and whenever you are in doubt or confused about anything, please ask - either here, or her diabetes healthcare team, whichever you feel is appropriate  There are loads of friendly, knowledgeable people here who will be only too happy to help, so you are not alone, ever
> 
> In practical terms, I would highly recommend getting a copy of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Adolescents and Young People by Ragnar Hanas. This is the absolute best book available that covers all aspects of living with Type 1 diabetes, very well written and an invaluable reference guide. Make sure you get the latest edition, as things can change rapidly in the Type 1 world and new treatments and technologies are coming available all the time - things have certainly moved on in the 11 years since I was diagnosed, and it all makes things easier and safer for your daughter.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for your reply.
My daughter went to the doctors last Thursday as I was getting concerned that she was always having an upset stomach and looked like she was losing weight. She had always been a slim Jim. When I asked the doctor to check her blood sugar levels he got a nurse to do this and they both looked at each other, which raised concern with me. Her sugar level was nearly 25 and her ketones were 6.6!!! Next thing I know we were in the hospital and was told she has type one diabetes. It has been a week today and only been home a day and a bit. This all happened a week exactly after her birthday too!!! She is a trooper, very down at times and fed up. Only weighs 35kg and I am concerned she does not have much fat to inject in apart from the tops of her legs!!!


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## Kaylz (Aug 22, 2019)

Fluffy unicorn said:


> Only weighs 35kg and I am concerned she does not have much fat to inject in apart from the tops of her legs!!!


Tummy will still be fine to inject  hun don't worry, I was diagnosed a week before my 25th (by the same way your daughters was picked up actually) my lowest weight since being diagnosed was 41.2kg but I still managed to inject in my stomach without a problem, what size of needles have you been given? 4mm ones are great and would suit fine xx


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## Fluffy unicorn (Aug 22, 2019)

Hi Kayla thank you for your reply.
I'm not sure how big the needles are. She has to have the Novo rapid before every meal then she has a night pen. I have the dietitian coming to my house today to work out her ratio which I'm very nervous about as I'm bad at maths. Lol.x


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## Kaylz (Aug 22, 2019)

Fluffy unicorn said:


> Hi Kayla thank you for your reply.
> I'm not sure how big the needles are. She has to have the Novo rapid before every meal then she has a night pen. I have the dietitian coming to my house today to work out her ratio which I'm very nervous about as I'm bad at maths. Lol.x


if you have a box of them it should say what size they are on there 

What basal have they put her on to? (sorry that's the night pen you mentioned, and sorry again if you knew this)

Don't worry you'll be fine, they will go through everything with you and if you need a recap just say to them which part you'd like them to go over again, have a pen and paper handy to write things down as that can be very useful! (I used to make sure I had someone at appointments with me in the hope they'd remember parts of it too lol)

Maths doesn't have to be a strong point either you can always use a calculator if need be to work out how many units she'd need to cover a meal etc, what meter has your daughter been given? there are some that can work out bolus calculations such as the Accu-Chek Aviva Expert 

It all just takes a bit of time to adjust but we're all here if you have any questions etc, we all often just come here for just a rant as well when things get a bit too tough, you've joined a great community with a whole lot of knowledge between us 
xx


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## Thebearcametoo (Aug 22, 2019)

My 9 year old was diagnosed almost 6 months ago and it’s been a difficult time but is slowly becoming the new normal. There will be ups and downs. We have had a wonderful team and got lots of support in the first few months. It’s a big learning curve for you all. We’re here for questions and info but also just for support through the ups and downs.


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## Fluffy unicorn (Aug 22, 2019)

Kaylz said:


> if you have a box of them it should say what size they are on there
> 
> What basal have they put her on to? (sorry that's the night pen you mentioned, and sorry again if you knew this)
> 
> ...


She has got the 4mm and she has 11 units at night  x


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## SB2015 (Aug 22, 2019)

Fluffy unicorn said:


> Hi Kayla thank you for your reply.
> I'm not sure how big the needles are. She has to have the Novo rapid before every meal then she has a night pen. I have the dietitian coming to my house today to work out her ratio which I'm very nervous about as I'm bad at maths. Lol.x


Hi @Fluffy unicorn , sorry to hear about your daughters diagnosis, but glad that you have found this forum.

@Northerner has included much of what I would say at this stage.  Lots of useful ideas and resources for you to look at when you are ready.  It is a lot to take on at the start but it really does get easier and become ‘normal’.

Glad that your daughter has been given the shorter needles.  They will work even for people with less padding.

Many of the test kits have a Bolus calculator that will work out the insulin to deliver if you test and then tell it the carbs  that are being eaten.  If yours does not have this it would be worth asking about one.

Lots to take in at present.  If you have any questions at all, please ask.


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## Mandy moo (Aug 22, 2019)

Fluffy unicorn said:


> Good morning to all the parents out there that have children with type one diabetes.
> My daughter was only diagnosed a week today and am finding it a very emotional time for my daughter and myself. Any support will be greatly received.


Hi, my son was diagnosed 7years ago when he was 8. The emotions you are feeling are normal, trust me. Mine was a lot of guilt like I had done something wrong or was a really bad mum. How are you both doing. Is your daughter on mdi's. Just remember it will get better just takes a little time. Feel free to ask me any thing. ☺️


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## Fluffy unicorn (Aug 22, 2019)

SB2015 said:


> Hi @Fluffy unicorn , sorry to hear about your daughters diagnosis, but glad that you have found this forum.
> 
> @Northerner has included much of what I would say at this stage.  Lots of useful ideas and resources for you to look at when you are ready.  It is a lot to take on at the start but it really does get easier and become ‘normal’.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your reply. I have got that machine set up but I think they have done it wrong as for 170 carbs ( quite alot) I had to give her 20 units!! Now going through a hyper!!! Really stressful at mo. X


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## Fluffy unicorn (Aug 22, 2019)

Mandy moo said:


> Hi, my son was diagnosed 7years ago when he was 8. The emotions you are feeling are normal, trust me. Mine was a lot of guilt like I had done something wrong or was a really bad mum. How are you both doing. Is your daughter on mdi's. Just remember it will get better just takes a little time. Feel free to ask me any thing. ☺️


Hi Mandy. Could you please tell me what MDI stands for please?x


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## Fluffy unicorn (Aug 22, 2019)

Thebearcametoo said:


> My 9 year old was diagnosed almost 6 months ago and it’s been a difficult time but is slowly becoming the new normal. There will be ups and downs. We have had a wonderful team and got lots of support in the first few months. It’s a big learning curve for you all. We’re here for questions and info but also just for support through the ups and downs.


Thank you for your reply. I just received the carb counting blood glucose checker and can't get my head around working out the amount of carbs!!x


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## Thebearcametoo (Aug 22, 2019)

Fluffy unicorn said:


> Thank you for your reply. I have got that machine set up but I think they have done it wrong as for 170 carbs ( quite alot) I had to give her 20 units!! Now going through a hyper!!! Really stressful at mo. X


We found it helped to limit carbs to around 70 carbs for each meal to begin with (my daughter is younger and smaller and it doesn’t mean that’s what will work for you) as the more insulin she took the harder it was to match the timings for insulin and food to avoid hypos (lows). As we’ve got her more in target and got a better hang of what makes her more likely to hypo (hello sushi!) we’ve adapted that. It also helps to mix higher carb meals with fat & protein as it slows the carb release. It’s all a bit of a juggling act and can be hard to balance and highs and lows are to be expected even with well managed diabetes but in the first few months we definitely had more. We do need to have ratios changed at most diabetes appointments as children grow as well as we learn what they need. Don’t worry too much about it being perfect at the moment. You’re aiming for a general pattern of bringing her blood glucose more within target not getting it spot on every time. It will take time to tweak. 

Both hypos and hypers can be scary. It’s ok to call your diabetes on call team (or the children’s ward if it’s out of the out of hours times) if you need a debrief and some reassurance. You’re in a steep learning curve and they’re there to support you.


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## Thebearcametoo (Aug 22, 2019)

Fluffy unicorn said:


> Thank you for your reply. I just received the carb counting blood glucose checker and can't get my head around working out the amount of carbs!!x


Carb counting messed with my head so much to begin with. We use the Carbs and Cals book a lot and have found it well worth the money. They app can be useful too but I find the book easier. We have a notebook where we’ve written the more regular things she eats (including her Dominos order) so we don’t have to look it up each time. You will find it gets easier.


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## Fluffy unicorn (Aug 22, 2019)

It's more the maths part of working it out to put in the machine to get the amount of insulin to carbs.x


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## Fluffy unicorn (Aug 22, 2019)

Thebearcametoo said:


> Carb counting messed with my head so much to begin with. We use the Carbs and Cals book a lot and have found it well worth the money. They app can be useful too but I find the book easier. We have a notebook where we’ve written the more regular things she eats (including her Dominos order) so we don’t have to look it up each time. You will find it gets easier.


How did you work it out? I have that book too.x


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## Thebearcametoo (Aug 22, 2019)

Ah the maths. Do you have scales? Weighing food is more accurate than eyeballing things but you will get the hang of things you eat regularly. The portion photos in Carbs and Cals are useful and saves having to work out the amount from whatever value is given for carbs per 100g. I use the notebook or a calculator to keep track of each element of a meal and then put the total in the meter. I love things like packets of crisps that just tell me what the carbs are for that portion  and when I’m tired she ends up with more prepackaged food than home cooked stuff as it makes the carb count easier. 


It IS difficult to being with and I found it really overwhelming but you will find it gets easier. Hang in there.


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## SB2015 (Aug 22, 2019)

Fluffy unicorn said:


> Thank you for your reply. I have got that machine set up but I think they have done it wrong as for 170 carbs ( quite alot) I had to give her 20 units!! Now going through a hyper!!! Really stressful at mo. X


Hi Fluffy Unicorn

What was in the meal that brought it up to 170g?  As others have said it is often easier to start with smaller amounts of carbs than that, so that you need smaller amounts of insulin.  Do you know what the ratio is that they have put into your machine?  The DSNs often start from 1 unit for 10g of carbs, or a bit less.  From what you said it might me that your daughter is set at 1 unit for 8g of carbs.

If you have a smart machine that works out the amount of insulin, you can just concentrate on working out the carbs.  As you have the carbs and Cals book that can be a good starting point.  You will be amazed how quickly the two of you become experts.  I challenge people to name a biscuit and I can often tell them the carbs in each one!!    If you are struggling with anything just talk to your diabetes team.  They are experts at helping and that is what they are there for.

As I have said before it does get easier, and you will be impressed by how much better you get at Maths.  I used to teach Maths, and my pupils used to work out my insulin before lunch on occasions.  I still checked before I believed them.


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## Bronco Billy (Aug 22, 2019)

Hi Fluffy Unicorn, welcome to the forum.

Everything you and your daughter are going through now is perfectly normal, the important thing to never forget is that it will get easier. Each day, you will learn a bit more and become more experienced. Everything that takes al lot of thought and seems stressful now will become routine to the point where you don’t really notice you are doing it.

Carb counting is a pain in the proverbials at first, but you will soon have a party trick of being able to calculate the carbs on a plate of food just by looking at it!

I don’t want to give you something else to think about, but have the hospital team mentioned training school staff yet? They do it, but it is an important aspect of your daughter’s care. You will find some good information and useful resources at https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Your-child-and-diabetes/Schools

I wish you well and please feel free to ask us any question you want or highlight any concerns you have. It’s what we’re here for.


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## SB2015 (Aug 23, 2019)

In secondary schools most of the students manage their own condition, doing their own tests and injections.  They often keep their insulin in the medical room, but keep their test kit and hypo treatment with them (all the time).  However it is important that all staff are aware of your daughters T1, as a hypo could occur at any time in the day.  This is usually flagged up on their class registers and as @Bronco Billy says your daughter’s DSN can visit the school, usually checking that the School Nurse is familiar with what to do and that an appropriate policy is in place for treating hypos and hypers.

The most important things is that she has her test kit and hypo treatment with her and that staff let her test and treat her hypo in class.  She should not be sent off to do this.  No one will notice most of the time.

Having taught in a secondary school I can suggest some strategies to help when you are ready to think about that.


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## Ditsy daisy (Aug 24, 2019)

Fluffy unicorn said:


> Good morning to all the parents out there that have children with type one diabetes.
> My daughter was only diagnosed a week today and am finding it a very emotional time for my daughter and myself. Any support will be greatly received.


I can understand you are emotional I'm sorry to hear you have found out she is diabetic. I remember I had a really bad tummy ache before being diagnosed when I was 12 aswell. I'm now 29. I find green tea or peppermint tea is good for lowering blood sugar levels but you should ask the diabetes nurse about it because it can make you go hypo if it's not balanced with less insulin. It's good to drink it after meals I find. hope this helps. ☺


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## Ditsy daisy (Aug 24, 2019)

Fluffy unicorn said:


> Good morning to all the parents out there that have children with type one diabetes.
> My daughter was only diagnosed a week today and am finding it a very emotional time for my daughter and myself. Any support will be greatly received.


Blueberries are also good for lowering blood sugar levels


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## Bruce Stephens (Aug 24, 2019)

Ditsy daisy said:


> Blueberries are also good for lowering blood sugar levels



If you eat them instead of fudge I could believe that. But intrinsically they're just berries (10g sugar per 100g of berries, roughly). Surely won't lower blood sugar any more (or less) than raspberries or blackberries (which also won't lower blood sugar)? (Actually it looks like blueberries have slightly more carbs (and sugars) than either of those. And strawberries have slightly less than either of those.)

(Not saying they're terrible things to eat. (I happen to prefer other berries, but that's just a preference.) They're just not going to lower blood sugar levels as far as I can see.)


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## Docb (Aug 25, 2019)

Sort of agree with Bruce Stepphens.  Did not know that blueberries were good for lowering BG and maybe that is why just a few gave me an horrendous spike. It's a message for the OP, there is a lot of fokelore about when it comes to things affecting BG and it is best treated with caution.

Fluffy, if you can handle money then you can handle carb counting.  The maths is no harder, you have just got to start simple and build up your confidence.


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## Fluffy unicorn (Aug 25, 2019)

Thanks Bruce and docb. I think it's just such a shock and at such a short amount of time. I should have noticed when she was losing weight as when we got rushed to hospital she only weighs 35kg!! I was shocked!!!x


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## Thebearcametoo (Aug 25, 2019)

Once you know the symptoms they’re very obvious but don’t beat yourself up about not being an expert. Most of us don’t know the symptoms well enough to know how to catch it early unless we know someone with T1D.


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## Fluffy unicorn (Aug 25, 2019)

All she had was bad stomach quite often and then losing weight. O and sleeping after one every afternoon x


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## Ditsy daisy (Aug 26, 2019)

Bruce Stephens said:


> If you eat them instead of fudge I could believe that. But intrinsically they're just berries (10g sugar per 100g of berries, roughly). Surely won't lower blood sugar any more (or less) than raspberries or blackberries (which also won't lower blood sugar)? (Actually it looks like blueberries have slightly more carbs (and sugars) than either of those. And strawberries have slightly less than either of those.)
> 
> (Not saying they're terrible things to eat. (I happen to prefer other berries, but that's just a preference.) They're just not going to lower blood sugar levels as far as I can see.)


Ok but it works for me although I don't like them alot. Would like to say though, green tea is giving me hypo at night and also bad nightmares confusion and delusions. I shouldn't drink it before bed.


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## Ditsy daisy (Aug 26, 2019)

Fluffy unicorn said:


> Good morning to all the parents out there that have children with type one diabetes.
> My daughter was only diagnosed a week today and am finding it a very emotional time for my daughter and myself. Any support will be greatly received.



I'm so sorry for writing about the green tea. I'm learning here too and didn't know. I think maybe it's good in the day but NOT to drink it before bed it's causing me bad nightmares and hypos in the night. I hope you and your daughter are ok.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Aug 26, 2019)

Ditsy daisy said:


> I'm so sorry for writing about the green tea. I'm learning here too and didn't know. I think maybe it's good in the day but NOT to drink it before bed it's causing me bad nightmares and hypos in the night. I hope you and your daughter are ok.



If you are having hypos at night you need to speak to your clinic urgently. It won’t be the green tea - it will be something else. Any small effect noted has been in insulin resistance - little use to people with T1.

“In conclusion, the daily supplementary intake of 500 mg green tea polyphenols did not have clear effects on blood glucose level, Hb A1c level, insulin resistance or inflammation markers.”​https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/16392704/

“However, there are a number issues that impede using the catechins as pharmaceuticals. These highly soluble and reactive compounds are poorly absorbed in the gut and quickly eliminated by the liver... Therefore, as targeted pharmaceutical agents, these polyphenols cannot be considered a success at this time.“​
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3124776/

With apologies to the OP for the thread hijack!


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## SB2015 (Aug 26, 2019)

Hi @Fluffy unicorn 
How are you both doing today?
I hope that more things are beginning to make sense.
As always we welcome any questions that you have.


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## TheClockworkDodo (Aug 26, 2019)

Any sugar-free liquid will lower blood sugar a bit, but as Mike says if you're having night-time hypos you need to talk to your diabetes team about reducing your insulin, @Ditsy daisy - and Green tea really shouldn't be drunk in any quantity (day or night) as it can, as you've discovered, cause confusion or even hallucinations.

Hello @Fluffy unicorn and a belated welcome to the forum 
How are you getting on with the maths now?  You might find this site helpful - https://www.calorieking.com/us/en/foods/ - put in a food, select the quantity you want (you can put in the number of grams or sometimes something like a cupful if that's more relevant) and then scroll down and find the no. of carbs in the table (ignore everything else, just add up the carbs).


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## Fluffy unicorn (Aug 27, 2019)

Thank you Juliet. We are getting there I think. Just so stressful and alot to take in in such a short time.x


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## TheClockworkDodo (Aug 27, 2019)

I know, it's a lot to get your head round when you are diagnosed as an adult (as I was) but it must be overwhelming when you're the parent of a child or teenager who's been diagnosed.  It does get easier with time - there will always be challenges, but you and your daughter will become much better equipped to deal with them.


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