Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes

prydey · 25-02-2009, 04:16 PM

Having read of a couple of diabetics in another thread I thought I'd start one specifically about it.

My 8 yr old daughter has had it since she was 5. She has adapted brilliantly taking it all in her stride. there are times when some kids at school treat her as 'different' that she gets upset but a little reassurance that she is fine does the job. we are always pointing out tv personalities/sports people etc to show that a normal fulfilling life is more than possible.

one thing i would like some feedback on is different methods of giving insulin. at the moment she has 2 injections a day. before breaky and afternoon tea. this is all about to change though as at the last appointment the doctor said that at some stage this year, probably in the latter half, she will need to change a different insulin as what she is on now is starting not to work as well. (actrapid/protophane). we are also discussing pens and pumps. who on here has what and how have you found them. pumps are quite expensive but i don't know any parent that would let that stop them from providing the best care they can for their kids. having said that we are looking at pens as a bit of an interim.

also would be nice to hear from other parents/guardians. when they are young it is as much about you as them sometimes. not that there is that much to change, we have changed our diet so that we are all eating the same foods. i made it clear from the start that if she had to have/go without certain things then i'd do it too. the main area would be drinks and making sure when you have salads and stuff there are enough carbs etc.

all is good but like i said at the top, later this year we are in for some changes.

swanee · 25-02-2009, 04:35 PM

I am a type one diabetic. Have been for 11 years now.

I have 4 injections a day. 3 injections of Novorapid before each meal and 1 injection of Protophane before bed. I use a pen for each. The needles are small as you probably already know. I just need to alternate injection sites. I find the pens easy and convienient.

I might be changing to Lantis in the near future in place of the Protophane as it is now on PBS, and has been for some time now.

There is no need for your daughter to be treated any different. She is still the same as them, can do exactly what they can do, just she needs to monitor her BSL at times.

prydey · 25-02-2009, 06:49 PM

cheers swanee

there are a couple of things that took a while to come to terms with in the early days. one was going out for meals. can never be sure how long the food will take to come and we'd usually give her the injection before going in hoping that food would come around within half hour or so. since then her 2nd injection has been brought forward to the afternoon so not as much of an issue now. we generally discuss/know what is likely to be consumed and adjust it accordingly.

the other thing that is still a bit of an issue is sleepovers. at this stage we don't get anyone else to draw up the insulin. its mainly a case of not really showing any other family members and also being able to trust them (sounds silly).

good to hear the pens work well. is there still a small waiting period before eating? i would assume so.

the insulin Emily (my daughter) is changing to is called baysol? and bolus? or something.

scradley_6666 · 25-02-2009, 07:40 PM

I've been a type 1 diabetic for just over 10 years and for the first half was on Humulin R & Humulin L which was great for my age but then as I grew to about 16 started to not work as well as i was filling out quickly. I now take about 4 to 5 injections a day, consisting of Novorapid, 4 times, and Lantus, once a day. Both are pen fills and are easier to use than syringes as i used to use. She certainly is not different to other kids and when i was in school, girls loved me coz i had jelly babies.. lol... Just make sure her HBA1C tests keep under control so then shes fine for her older years. Im 21, and diabetes has never controlled what i do or what i eat. I still eat macca's when my mates do, i just take more novorapid and exercise. I do more than my mates do as far as activites and drinking and ive been told im doin alright. The only time you might find it difficult with her is when she starts drinking at private parties with her friends at 16, 17 and 18. I feel like sh1thouse when my level is to high or low... Anyways, just thought id add to the thread and everybody's different. I'm just hanging for the day when i turn on ten news at 5 and the words from sandra sully's gorgeous lips says... "Important news today, they've finally found a cure for diabetes...", Still waiting though...

scradley_6666 · 25-02-2009, 07:43 PM

By the way, no-one has ever given me an injection except for the nurse at the hospital the first day i found out. Coz of this, i feel in control of my diabetes. Try and get her to manage it herself and guide her in the right direction. Thats wat my parents did and i thank them for that. They still care heaps, but treated me as an adult when i got diabetes and i handled it accordingly. But still, i dont have kids yet so i dont know... but it helped me...

AndrewR_AUII · 26-02-2009, 12:20 PM

I'm what's termed a LADA (Late onset, Type 1) and have been for about 10 years.

Unless you are on a pump, pen fills are the way to go - they are much easier to manage than the 'old' syringes.
Waiting time for easting... you should discuss this with your Endo/Educator but with tast acting insulins this should be an issue.

Pumps are expensive, but are can be covered by private cover..if you have the cover, you may like to check with them.
A group that you may be interested in getting in touch with is called 'Reality check', http://realitycheck.org.au/home.htm - although based around 'young adults', there are a lot of people there who should be able to help.