Diabetes - DS has just been diagnosed ...

[Millie1]

Am hoping that parents of diabetic children will be able to give me lots of advice and words of wisdom on how to move forward. DS was diagnosed last week and is still in hospital being stablised - DH with him tonight - we're hoping he'll get home tomorrow. Still trying to get our heads around it and get used to the idea. It will mean some changes to our diet and the way we do things but nothing too radical, I hope. Healthier! I'd love advice about altering recipes, suggestions for snacks (after 5 days in hospital he won't even look at a digestive biscuit or toast!) and just any hints/tips I may find useful.

Thanks!

Spidermamas ds was diagnosed last year and he is very young.I will keep this bumped for you so that she sees it Good luck with yuor little boy I hope things go well for him xxxx

bumping this message for you too!!

i've got the diabetes cookbook from diabetes UK which has a section on baking snacks eg apricot & apple bars, chocolate brownies, peanut cookies. my dh is insulin dependent, type 1 diabetic.

hope your ds is out of hospital soon and good luck.

you will be fine.
dh is insulin dependant and we dont change anything really. i guess it is much easier though as he is obviously not a child and understands fully why he cant eat certain things etc.
his mum has told me in the past it is a big shock and takes time to accept (dh was diagnosed at 7- literally dying by the time the docs realised) and most importantly, dont blame yourselves- it is no ones' fault.
spidermama will sort you out!

Thanks for bumping it everyone, and for your good wishes - I appreciate it. It's been such a shock and in many ways it hasn't sunk in as we've spent the week running to and fro hospital taking turns to be with both children.

Am going to order 2 cookbooks from Diabetes UK tomorrow so it's good to hear them recommended, Autumnlover.

Hope Spidermama sees this and can share some words of wisdom. I won't be around much tomorrow but if we get home tomorrow night will try to get a few minutes then to check in again.

Thank you!

We'll point her in this direction if we spot her, Millie

Thanks Miaou ... and shamelessly bumping again !

Am off to the hospital now so if we get home tonight will check in then.

yeps, the smoked salmon and tarragon mousse is great!

dh got was diagnosised in his late twenties so it was much much harder for him to change his habits. it took him about a year to get used to it all and mostly good.

btw my dd1's name is the same as your nickname.

.

Hi Millie,

My ds was diagnosed with type one diabetes just over a year ago. He's six.

His diet needs to be low GI. There are loads of books about it. It's a very steep learning curve and I wish you all the best. You will all be quite shocked and I won't lie to you, it takes up a fair bit of time and planning. Sponteniety is a thing of the past here. BUT it's managable and things are far better than they used to be.

Please feel free to CAT me. Oh, it's called Contact Another Mumsnetter now at the top of the page.

If there's anything specific you want to ask I'd be more than happy to help. I found MN a brilliant source of support at the time.

I can also thouroughly recommend the family support weekends organised (and heavily subsidised) by Diabetes UK. They're fantastic for meeting others, talking to the experts, the kids can see each other self injecting and there are people of all ages at all stages of diabetes there. My ds felt less alone after our visit ther. We'll try to go again this year but they give priority to others who haven't been so you would be in with a good chance. I think you need to book it fairly soon though.

Lots of love to you all. I know it's tough believe me. xx

Millie how is he? Do you have him home?
How old is he? Have you managed to inject him yet?

I have to say the injection side of things gets much easier. My ds is self injecting and there are various ways to encourage this when you think the time is right.

There are a couple of good books as well for children which help to explain the condition and how it is managed.

Oats are great. Brown rice too. Pulses. I don't know what your diet is like at the moment and what sort of things you eat.

I could waffle on for ages Millie so I'll wait until you get back in case you have specific questions. You'll be so glad to have him back and out of hospital. He really will start to look better and get stronger now it has been diagnosed and he's begun an insulin regime. You'll notice the difference very soon.

Hope you're all ok? You will be fine. I've had type 1 diabetes since i was 9. I think i took it better than my mum did! Have always done everything my friends did and never felt i was missing out.

What insulin regime is he on? I was on 2 injections when i was first diagnosed and diet was more restricted. Went onto 4 injections and things were much easier. But think most people start off on 2 till stabalized. I've used insulin pens for years and they make injecting very easier, i swear i don't even feel a thing now!

Hi Paddyclamp. It's great to hear from grown ups like you who are managing things so well. Very inspiring.

I like the idea of four injections a day and the greater freedom to eat what you want, but it would mean injecting at school and ds doesn't want to stand out from the rest at the moment. Were you the same?

Millie I hope all's well and your ds is glad to be home.

Thanks Paddyclamp and Spidermama. I'm sorry you've both had experiences of this but it is really good to hear people sounding positive. We're still getting our heads around it and trying to get used to the idea of having to have so much structure to our day with regards to times fo injections and meals. It was a real shock although I had worked out what was going on before I took him to the GP.

DS has just turned three and is on two injections a day . He absolutely loathes the injections but I'm assured that he will get become more accepting in time. The finger-pricks, he's great at - chooses which finger, which side of the finger and 'helps' with the 'pricker'. And yes, he's home thank heavens. DH and I have been doing the injections since Thursday when he came off the 4 x rapid injections and went onto 2 per day (mix of fast and slow acting insulin). His BM readings are low-ish at the moment (4's, 5's) and I imagine that we'll be told to reduce his dose tomorrow but we'll see when we call the hospital.

For me, the hardest part of injecting is the emotional side. I've absolutely no problem with giving an injection but it's so difficult doing it to your own child when he's screaming and shouting at you to stop. First time was the worst and now I just don't let myself think about if, IYKWIM.

Diet-wise, our aim is lots of carbs (is that the same as low GI??). We're working on x number of exchanges per meal and per snack. Sounds easy in theory but he is not a potato eater and pasta/rice dishes are hit and miss, just depends what they are. Breakfast is fine, lunch is fine. Snacks will be okay but evening meal is more problematic. If you have any recipes/suggestions, I'd really appreciate it. He's pretty picky.

Mealtimes have become a nightmare over the last few days cos he knows we really really want him to eat and just refuses outright. So in hospital he was offered choice after choice after choice and it ended up a disaster. Am hoping that now we're home, things will settle down and he'll get his appetite back and it will become less of a battle.

Spidermama - I've been on Diabetes UK website and ordered two recipe books. Our fantastic paed diabetes nurse speaks very highly of the organisation and recommended the family weekend/camps which you mention so we'll certainly keep them in mind when they're next on in our area. Must get the application form filled out and join up! I'm sure I'll have lots of questions and thanks for offering to answer them!

Meantime, thanks for the support. It's great to have it. Now we're off to check his blood before bed as he was only 3.8 before supper so want to make sure it's high enough to allow us all a good night's sleep!

Blood readings of 4s and 5s are good. Ideally you want to keep it between 4 and 7 as much as possible. But I guess in the early days they're keen to avoid hypos so they may well adjust your dose.

I'm sorry to hear he's upset about the injections. Fair enough. He's only three after all. That must be really tough for all of you. How do you get round it?

My ds was that bit older (just turning 6) when he was dxed and the doctor made it quite clear to him that his life now depends on insulin. For this reason we've never had to convince him to inject, though he still has the odd brief protest.

One year down the line though, it's so much part of family life that I almost don't remember how life was before.

GI just means glycaemic index and foods with a low GI are foods which slowly release their sugar so you get smoother readings and no shocking highs. It's healthy for all of us. Complex carbs.

I don't know what your son eats but I put lentils in soup then blend it and I make flapjacks. I have a few recipes from diabetes UK too. They do things like put dried fruit into biscuit mix so less sugar is needed.

It's maybe a bit early, and I don't want to bombard you with information, but you will get a Disability Living Allowance if you apply. I think you have to wait a couple of months after diagnosis but it might be worth putting a note in the calendar for you to remember to apply because it's well worth having.

Like I say you're welcome to CAT me anytime. Good luck. x

Thanks Spidermama. Lentils sound like a good addition to soup. Would you mind posting your flapjacks recipe. He's pretty good with snacks but I want to go back to how we used to do it in the old days (before bad habits slipped in!) and make one snack fruit and the other something 'sweet' like a muffin or biscuit so I'm having to look out new recipes and am thinking about what 'old' ones I can adapt.

Diabetes nurse mentioned the DLA too and we have the leaflet so thanks for that.

Injections are better at home. Much less fuss all round - touch wood.

Thanks again.

I use a very basic flapjack recipe (not specifically for diabetics) with slightly less sugar and the addition of nuts, seeds and dried fruit etc. Whatever you happen to have in. It's worth playing aorund with it.

Two very basic recipes here.

Here are three hempseed flapjack recipes because hempseeds are really great. If he's not keen on those you could put sesame seeds or some other sort of nuts.

Hempseed Flapjack
Ingredients
3 oz vegetarian margarine/soya spread
2 oz light brown sugar
2 level tbs golden syrup (light treacle)
6 oz of oat mix (see below)
Melt margarine, sugar and syrup in large saucepan. Add the oat mixture, mix well and turn into a greased 8 inch baking tray, pressing well down. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4 for 15 to 20 minutes oe until golden brown). Leave to cool for a few miutes then mark into desired pieces. When cool and firm, break into pieces.
Oat mixes: For Plain Hempseed Flapjack
4 oz oats
2 oz cleaned hempseed

1. Oat mixes: For Fruity Hempseed Flapjack

2 oz oats 3 oz oat/fruit muesli mix 1-1.5 oz cleaned hempseed

1. Oat mixes: For Coconut Hempseed Flapjack

4 oz oats 1-1.5 oz coconut 1-1.5 oz cleaned hempseed

1. Oat mixes: For Nutty Hempseed Flapjack

4 oz oats 1-1.5 oz chopped mixed nuts 1-1.5 oz cleaned hempseed

Cheese and lentil loaf also goes down quite well.

I'm glad the injections are gettng easier. What a relief for you. I was going to say I've done the prick test on myself and let my son do it on me too so he knows that I really know how it feels. I also asked him if he wanted to put the insulin needle in my thigh to show me how it feels (without dialing up the insulin obviously). He did and I was surprised at how little it hurt. It made me feel better about the jabs and helped take some of the tension away.

It sounds a bit radical perhaps, but it was a way of sharing his feelings a bit.

Millie1 - my brother was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 8 years old - he'll be 48 in May !!!

It was a lot different when he was little - the old "pig" insulin and mum had to sterilise those awful old syringes and needles too!!

Anyway - suffice to say - he is still in fine fettle - enjoys a drink (or several) and adapted well when he was young - to be sure it's a way of life now !!

Also - my DH has type 2 diabetes and regulates it mainly through diet - so all in all we're "old hands" at it now !!

A point of interest number one son (18) is being sponsored to have his long, long curly hair chopped off for Diabetes UK on Sunday afternoon in our local pub - he has about £300 of sponsorship already !!!

Hi Millie
Sounds like you're all coping really well. I can imagine the diet aspect being hard work in a 3 year old, especially on 2 shots, as you have to make sure he eats enough carb to cover the insulin injections.

Pasta is great for maintaining levels (if i go out drinking / know i'm gonna be doing sport i swear by pasta to stop me going hypo). Anything with oats is also good. Will he eat weetabix or shreddies for breakfast cos they're also good for levels.

Spidermama - i know where your son is coming from not wanting to inject in school. I can remember feeling "different" when i had to go and be first in the dinner line, and when i had to have digestive biscuits at the teacher's desk so for me injecting in school was the easier option. My teacher let me show the class how i did my injection and blood tests and they were all like "wow, cool!".

I just remember the diet being so restrictive on 2 shots although think times have changed and it's not as strict as it used to be. My mum used to have to measure out my food and weigh everything! And to this day i don't like easter cos when my older brothers got easter eggs from elderly aunties i got given an apple!!!! But then when i went onto 4 (basal bolus they call it) i was allowed some sweets in moderation so long as i took enough short acting insulin to cover it.

Are there any other kids with diabetes at his school? It's much more common now which is kinda scary

Hi everyone. Hi Millie1 - sorry to hear about your little one. My ds2 has type 1 - diagnosed 18 mths ago - 8yrs in March. We have had our ups and downs - and also make and eat lots of flapjack! It is on the increase, but having said that we rarely meet another type 1 on a day to day basis. It's a lot to take in at first for all of you - I found it almost like a grieving process. I am much more relaxed now, especially since moving to a four injection routine. Do you have any more children?

I also make lower sugar buns and put in fruit and a few choc chips. Sometimes you find something which is not too high in sugar and they like it, but then go off it quickly because you "overdo" it. Some "commercial" brands we buy which are a bit lower in sugar are the Quaker Chewy Bars, and sometimes the mini bags of Maryland cookies so long as they are with his lunch or some fruit. I was really puritanical at first - see how his blood sugars go with different things. I find yoghurts one of the most difficult things - so high in sugar whether natural or added - they don't always like the taste of the low sugar ones. Sweets were the hardest thing at first - especially when they are little - this gets easier, and they don't crave them so much. I sometimes get the Chupachups (wrong spelling I know) no sugar lollies - strawberries and cream I think, but don't make a habit of going down this route.

So much more information and so many positive comments - thank you!

Funny day today - low of 2.2 before lunch and 3.8 before supper but now 9.6 so reckon his dinner hadn't had long enough to kick in (salmon pie with loads of potatoes and white sauce) before we checked it when it was 3.8. Took about 45 mins to get supper into him which means bedtime is getting ridicuously late.

Spidermama ... thanks a million for the recipes. Am feeling a bit dopey tonight but can i use butter instead of the veg marg/spread as we live in the sticks and I'm quite sure I won't be able to get either. Also, is it just ordinary golden syrup? Is it okay? Finally, is there anything apart from sesame I could substitute for the hempseed? DS1 has a nut allergy so sesame is out the door and I'm not sure they'd eat the hempseed! I do like the sound of the coconut version (heavens, what's coconut like for sugars? although I'm sure it's fine if you're using it!) and will try that in the next day or two!

Whilst in hospital I offered DS the option of injecting me - there was a nurse in the room at the time and she looked at me as though I was a lunatic! Why not? If it helps him.

Paddycamp - yes, the carbs bit is difficult. We do weetabix or readybrek for breakfast. Tomorrow night will be pasta for dinner but it seems like he'd have to eat an awful of it to get more than 1 exchange. On the sheet we have, it says 20 strands of spaghetti = 1 exch. Heaven help your Mum having to weigh everything when you were ill. Thank heavens for the advances of science.

And LisaHy ... grieving is exactly what I feel like I'm doing although after 2/3 days of bursting into tears each time someone mentioned the word 'diabetes' I decided it was time to pull myself together and just get on with it! Shall make a point of looking into the bars you mentioned. Got some oat and apple bars in Sainsburys at the weekend - no added sugar and nearly 20 carbs per bar although obviously the fruit sugars are high.

Thanks again everyone!

Just on my way to bed. It sounds like you are doing really well. I have never weighed or counted out things (don't tell my ds' dietician)! I think they will adjust his insulin levels down - you can't be expected to practically force feed him to get his blood sugars up. It's tricky at first because the insulin levels are so small and tiny adjustments make a big difference. Just post here or CAT us if you need a chat or any info. I usually look on Mumsnet every couple of days. Try not to worry too much - life has a habit of throwing these things at us - you WILL be able to cope.
Good night for now.

Hello Millie,
It sounds like you're doing really well. You've already done the 'inject me' trick, which I found really worked.

I use syrup in the flapjacks because you need it for the chewy-ness. Remember nothing is out of bounds, just so long as he has the slow release carbs along with it and enough insulin to cope with it.

Hello Paddy, lisa and yeah. We meet again.

I'm impatient to get ds onto the basal bolus system and mention it very casually now and again. He knows all about it (thanks largely to the family support weekend last year) but he's not ready to inject at school which is totally understandable. I'm playing it cool for now and ordering books on carb counting.

Actually we use our own version of the system and the diabetes team seem quite happy to let us at the moment. We give him the two injections but then freely use Novorapid if, for example, he's at a party eating loads of sugary stuff.

Millie isn't it great to hear from adults who are taking in their stride and have been for years? I remember at the family support weekend at mealtimes in the hotel there were pens galore at every table and adult diabetics just casually injecting themselves without even stopping the conversation. It was great for ds and for me to see.

Thanks Lisa & Spidermama. Dosage reduced a bit today and his blood levels are up a bit which is good.

It's really reassuring to read your comments - the party comment really struck me this evening as it would be a worry. Do you let your DS eat freely at parties (with a good slow release carb as a snack beforehand)? At only 3, DS isn't caught up in birthday parties as yet but there are family parties and I'd feel so mean if I said no sweet stuff - although they've told us to give him carbs beforehand and just make sure he doesn't go too mad.

What is the basal bolus system? Would that be what DS was on for the first couple of days in hospital when he had insulin four times a day?