Mom of type 1

3049 Views 15 Replies 6 Participants Last post by kkadams, Sep 20, 2011

kkadams

Discussion Starter · Aug 10, 2010

My son Nathan was diagnosed at 16. There is no good time to get this news. However 16 has it's own challenges. Independence, self reliance, rebellion, all are normal parts of growing up. Giving him the support, space and time to figure diabetes out in the midst of hormone overload has been my biggest challenge. Now at 21, and badly managed, he ended up in ICU with DKA. His ICU Dr.'s felt he was very near to coma. He has been given a second chance and an omni pod.

1 - 16 of 16 Posts

Shanny

· #2 · Aug 10, 2010

Hello, KK, and welcome . . . does your son seem to be reacting positively to this wake-up call? Is he taking his diagnosis seriously now? He will need to manage better than he previously was, because he'll still have to manage the Omnipod. Insulin pumps are definitely NOT the "set it, forget it" sort of appliances.

Would he be interested in joining our forum? We have many young members and many type 1s - we even have a few pumpers!

Take care, and I hope your son is on a new path to health and happiness.

Richard157

· #3 · Aug 10, 2010 (Edited)

If that does not result in your son taking good care of himself, then nothing will. I think he will take charge and do all the things necessary to control his diabetes. If he continues to have high blood sugar, he could develop some of those awful complications including blindness, kidney failure, limb amputations....and more. I know he does not want any of that, so he will certainly do the best he can to avoid it.

An insulin pump has given me the best control I have ever had. Learning how to have good control with a pump takes a lot of time and patience. I hope he has a good trainer. I recommend the book "Pumping Insulin" by John Walsh. I bought my copy from amazon.com.

I have been type 1 for 64 years and I am very healthy. It is certainly possible for a type 1 to have a long, healthy life. Good luck to you and your son.

Richard

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kkadams

Discussion Starter · #4 · Aug 10, 2010

Shanny said:
Hello, KK, and welcome . . . does your son seem to be reacting positively to this wake-up call? Is he taking his diagnosis seriously now? He will need to manage better than he previously was, because he'll still have to manage the Omnipod. Insulin pumps are definitely NOT the "set it, forget it" sort of appliances.

Would he be interested in joining our forum? We have many young members and many type 1s - we even have a few pumpers!

Take care, and I hope your son is on a new path to health and happiness.

Thanks for your reply. Support groups are not high on his to do's. He does want to forget this diabetes thing ever happened. He knows he almost died. Omni Pod has its pro's and con's. He is so new at it. I hope it helps him. I like that it can calculate & make adjustments. I like that it keeps record of his blood sugars #'s. It's profile is the hardest part for him. It looks and feels so foreign.

kkadams

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 10, 2010

Richard157 said:
If that does not result in your son taking good care of himself, then nothing will. I think he will take charge and do all the things necessary to control his diabetes. If he continues to have high blood sugar, he could develop some of those awful complications including blindness, kidney failure, limb amputations....and more. I know he does not want any of that, so he will certainly do the best he can to avoid it.

An insulin pump has given me the best control I have ever had. Learning how to have good control with a pump takes a lot of time and patience. I hope he has a good trainer. I recommend the book "Pumping Insulin" by John Walsh. I bought my copy from amazon.com.

I have been type 1 for 64 years and I am very healthy. It is certainly possible for a type 1 to have a long, healthy life. Good luck to you and your son.

Richard

The nurses said that they rarely see someone twice with DKA. He has a new endocrinologist and PA who are allover his education. She calls both of us. I am going to the appts as well. Just until he gets his #'s in control. Your life is a great testimony. Thank you for your input.

Shanny

· #6 · Aug 10, 2010

KK, I'm sorry you're in such a fearful position, and it sounds like Nathan is still deeply in denial. There are many young people walking around living happy lives with type 1 diabetes, and if he were to take a good look at Nick Jonas, he might catch a glimpse of that young man's Omnipod . . .

At any rate, if he can get to a place of acceptance, things will start looking up. You certainly have my prayers & positive thoughts for him to gain some peace of mind about this and begin to develop a routine for incorporating his diabetes into his lifestyle.

kkadams

Discussion Starter · #7 · Aug 10, 2010

Shanny said:
KK, I'm sorry you're in such a fearful position, and it sounds like Nathan is still deeply in denial. There are many young people walking around living happy lives with type 1 diabetes, and if he were to take a good look at Nick Jonas, he might catch a glimpse of that young man's Omnipod . . .

At any rate, if he can get to a place of acceptance, things will start looking up. You certainly have my prayers & positive thoughts for him to gain some peace of mind about this and begin to develop a routine for incorporating his diabetes into his lifestyle.

Thank you for your response and concern. So great that you all are active bloggers. Nathan is an avid surfer. He is in the water all of his free time. I don't know exactly where his mind is with diabetes. He is very soft spoken. I do know this. He ran out of insulin on a Friday eve went to refill at Costco they told him his prescription had expired and they could not get a hold of the DR. until Monday. He left the store thinking he would just not eat carbs. Monday am he was really sick I called his Endo that's how it all got started. Life has changed for the better. Pretty high price to pay. Needless to say I have had extensive conversations with all Costco employees involved. My desired outcome has happened. We get great pharmaceutical service(they probably have my picture posted somewhere), a wonderful new endocrinologist, and hopefully a changed son with a new lease on life.

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onaughmae

· #8 · Aug 10, 2010

If he likes surf and thinks his pump and diabetes gets in his way...have him read this: Surfing with Type 1 - Diabetes Health

Its always so encouraging to see how others manage to live their lives well in spite of having diabetes

kkadams

Discussion Starter · #9 · Aug 10, 2010

onaughmae said:
If he likes surf and thinks his pump and diabetes gets in his way...have him read this: Surfing with Type 1 - Diabetes Health

Its always so encouraging to see how others manage to live their lives well in spite of having diabetes

Thanks, I had read that article. I googled him. He has surfed our beach.

Shanny

· #10 · Aug 10, 2010

Thanks Pam - I hadn't heard of Rob Blase - great news. That's quite some tat too!

onaughmae

· #11 · Aug 11, 2010

I thought the same thing....I had toyed with the idea of some sort of diabetic tattoo....I already have 4..whats one more??

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Katszr

· #12 · Sep 16, 2011

How are things going now for him on the Omnipod. My son is 17 diagnosed when 15 and is just now getting 'tired" of it all..but still doing well.

kkadams

Discussion Starter · #13 · Sep 16, 2011

Katszr said:
How are things going now for him on the Omnipod. My son is 17 diagnosed when 15 and is just now getting 'tired" of it all..but still doing well.

Wow! Just like my son. Just when they want to eat junk food (teen years) they have this happen. I hope that your son is continuing to test. With regards to the omni pod; he felt so odd with it attached to him all the time. He was very resistant at first. He has an amazing nurse practioner who helps him tons. You won't see him w/o a shirt at the beach. That's a good thing (right?) for his skin. NO more injections. He is a very serious surfer. Sometimes the pod falls off in the ocean (full of insulin) and he can easily exceed his insulin allotment with insurance. That has happend twice now. The pods are changed out every few days. I hope this helps.

Shanny

· #14 · Sep 16, 2011

KK? I can't thank you enough for coming back to answer - this is great. I'm glad he continues his surfing & keeps his shirt on, whatever the reason!

jwhoberry

· #15 · Sep 20, 2011

I was on the pump for years at his age. I was diagnosed at the age of two and am now 24. Like your son I did not like being connected to something at all times. I found that injections worked better for me because I had to think twice about what I ate and if I did that I would have to give insulin for it. I found I got lazy with the pump

kkadams

Discussion Starter · #16 · Sep 20, 2011

Nathan has allways been thin. 0% hight /weight. Tall and thin. He is still terribly thin. I think he's eating 500 carbs a day. He is a little more open with his Dr.

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