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Originally Posted by brynnbowen
My little girl was diagnosed as type one upon her admittance to the hospital and learning she was on ketoacidosis. She spent a week in the icu she has stabilized and we are home now. I am slowly getting used to this new life change. One thing that is terrifying me is what affect do all the highs and lows have on her little body over time? Do the numbers ever become predictable and manageable or are they always all over the place. Right now we are instructed to check her every two and a half hours. Any insight would be appreciated especially if you have had a child diagnosed so young
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I was diagnosed at 9 months old. While I will never know what it is like to have to deal with the stress of having a child with diabetes, I can offer some insight from the child's perspective.
The best gift my parents ever gave me was to teach me that I was Jenny, who happened to have diabetes. Not Jenny - DIABETIC. They told me that as long as I did my best in managing my diabetes there was nothing I could not do. Blood sugars are unpredictable. Highs and lows will happen, even when you do everything right. Don't beat yourself up when the numbers aren't right where you want them. Just do your best to get them back to normal ranges. From what I have been told my numbers were crazy until I was five, or so. Then they went crazy again during the adolescent years when hormones strike. Frequent testing helps make this manageable.
Ask as many questions as you can think of, and then ask more. The more involved you are with the treatment team, the easier it is to manage. Do your own research (once things settle down, of course!) and stay on top of the latest advances and research. And my best advice. Teach early, teach often and lead by example. My parents taught me early on about my diabetes. There are lots of books and resources that can help. And they always approached testing, injections, food management with calmness in front of me. Even if my bgs were way too high or low and they were panicked, I never saw it. This led to me being able to look at my own numbers and determine the correct course of action without panicking.
It won't be easy, but it can be done. And you can do this. You have already taken a great step by reaching out. Good luck!
Smiles,
Jenny