My 8 year old was just diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes

[mesa]

We just got out of the hospital yesterday.  It was all very frightening and dramatic.  I noticed he was going pee a lot more than usual, like 3 or more times an hour,and drinking large amounts of water...then he fell asleep in class a couple of times, and I decided it was time to take him in.  I was at a PT conference last Friday, discussing some in class problems with him, his teacher, and the guidance counselor, and the conversation steered to my concerns about his health.  The guidance counselor agreed that she thought he might need to be tested...but then she gave him a freaking DR PEPPER before we left her office, she said it should make him feel better.  We went immediately to the on post clinic and requested a blood sugar check.  It was greater than 500...so they tested him again...still >500.  So they drew blood.  >600.  They loaded him on a helicopter, as I was frantically calling my husband and pleading with him to race home from the field (30 minutes away) so he could ride in the medevac with him (I had my 4 month old with me, and we couldn't fly with him).  My friend raced to the clinic and we loaded up in her car for the 2+ hour drive to the nearest children's hospital in Seoul.  They told me he had diabetic ketoacidosis, and he was VERY sick.  We spent a week in the hospital, staying in hotel rooms, taking turns sleeping in his room with him, shuffling the other children amongst various friends, and staying in temporary lodging because the base hotel was over $100 a night.  Thank goodness I took him to the clinic when I did, they told me that if I had taken him home that day (especially after the freaking Dr. Pepper) he might not have woken up. 

So I guess we will be flying home sooner than September.  Our base clinic isn't equipped for pediatric diabetes cases, they don't even stock his insulin here.  I guess now my next order of business is to have him tested for celiac disease, and get ready to go home....oh yeah, and go read that guidance counselor the riot act.  I'm not sure if I'm prepared to send him back to school...not sure if I can trust them to follow his care plan...he will need a lunchtime shot and accurately timed meals now, and I might just homeschool him the rest of this year, because I'm neurotic and I'm not sure if I could handle giving control of part of his daily care to a bunch of you know what's at his school...people who think a Dr. Pepper is a good idea for a possibly diabetic child.

Any tips or advice for me?  I'm still reeling over this, it hasn't even sunken in yet, I don't think.  Our world is upside down for a while, I guess.

[LaughingHyena]

That must have been a scary week. I was diagnosed with type one last September. It defiantly takes some getting used to. I imagine it's harder still when it's your child involved.

I found the first few weeks were OK, I had been feeling pretty rotten for a while and felt so much better after starting on insulin, however it really hit home after a month or so that this is for life. December was a pretty rough month for me, things are looking up now.

I would think a bit of time off school while you and your son get used to the new routines and so on would be a good idea. I'd be a bit wary of pulling him out altogether though, for me it has been really important to know I can still do all the stuff I did before. That may depend on how he feels about school though :lol

I've found this book http://www.amazon.com/Carbs-Cals-Carbohydrate-Counting-Diabetes/dp/0956443052/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298123538&sr=1-1 is great for being able to work out my doses. There a pictures of different sized portions of foods. Each one has the grams of carbohydrate listed. It's been great when eating out.

Also http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/ has been a good resource when I've had questions. They have a section for parents too.