Hello... I never really know how to start this sort of an introduction so here goes.
My daughter Moo (nickname) is 7, at 5 we discovered that she was allergic to lots of food items... the biggies being CORN, SOY, PECANS, and RYE. So from that day forward she's been on an extremely restricted diet....
That diet has been a God send really because when she was diagnosed this past June, we really didn't have to change what she ate, just start counting carbs.
Her diagnosis of T1 was a nightmare in its own right. You can read about it on my blog if you would like http://estirbune.typepad.com/blog/2011/07/oh-my-its-been-since-april-since-ive-blogged.html and since then, like the rest of you, my husband and I are running on zero sleep and we are still reeling from all the new expenses that go along with T1.
and now, as I type this, we are waiting to see if she has a broken foot - the clinic doctor thinks there might be a fracture on her growth plate and sent the x-ray off to an expert for verification and we still haven't heard back - meanwhile we carry her everywhere or she hops. Her numbers are all over the place and our diabetic team told us to expect that with an injury.
We are looking to get on a pumping system and possibly a CGM by the first of the new year. Right now they have us on vials, but next month we are trying the pens. I have been told that there will be less waste with the pen and I am grateful for that . Nothing is worse than throwing 1/2 a vial away at 28 days!
Well, this is my story in a nut shell - I hope I didn't ramble too much!
:)
You've had a lot of crazy things happen in the last couple of years. I'm so glad your daughter's diabetes was diagnosed. Bet it's amazing to see how quickly she's recovering now that she's using insulin.
There are a lot of us type 1s out there who are just normal people, living our lives. I was diagnosed at age 4 and am now a 38-year-old working mom with a non-diabetic son of my own.
Pumps are great because they better mimic how a pancreas works. There's an excellent book you should read called "Pumping Insulin" by John Walsh. Pens are a little easier to use than syringes.
Your medical team will give you a lot of ideal recommendations, like only using a bottle of insulin for 28 days. In the real world you don't have to be quite so strict. I use bottles of insulin for months at a time and have never had problems with its effectiveness. You may decide to stick to the 28 day recommendation for peace of mind, but know that your daughter and you will quickly learn more than a doctor can know about managing diabetes day to day.
This site has tons of diabetes books. Any of the highly recommended ones are especially good.
www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/d_06_b00.htm
Take care and I hope your daughter's foot heals quickly. -Jenna
T1 since 1977 Minimed pump since 2002