Everything changed for me a week ago

moopf

Just a quick message to explain my absence, which is likely to continue off and on for a while. I saw a couple of posts where people mentioned me and thought I'd better post about why I'm not around.

A week ago yesterday my 9 year old son got rushed into hospital as he had been ill but pretty quickly got much worse. Anyway, long story short, we now know he has Type 1 Diabetes so our son, myself, my wife and our daughter have gone from knowing nothing about diabetes a week ago to being bombarded with lots of information. The good news is they stabalised him quickly and started him on his insulin regime that he'll now follow for the rest of his life. He came out of hospital on Tuesday early evening and since then there's been a million things to organise, get used to and find a routine for. But it's getting easier (apparently the first month or so is tough and I can easily believe that) and the important thing is he's well and being well looked after by us and the incredible hospital staff that we've dealt with.

He's been doing his own injections on and off since Sunday and now he's pretty much doing them all and his blood tests. He's been staying really positive about it - for a 9 year old he's incredibly pragmatic about it. His first question to the doctors was "can I get back to playing sport soon" as he's just been accepted into a Lacrosse team (he's been playing that since he was 5). He was so happy that he could and, not only that, sport is incredibly good for people with diabetes which explains why it's not uncommon for top athletes to be type 1 diabetics. The other good thing is that the way it's treated now we match his insulin to the carbohydrates he has in a meal - so nothing is really off limits and he can pretty much eat what he wants. The last few days he's eaten us out of house and home as he puts his weight back on and his body kicks back into gear. He's handled it much better than we have, but we're all getting there.

So anyway he's going back to school next week on and off as he's desperate to go and the school and hospital consultants want him back in his normal routine as quickly as possible. I'm going to start getting back into work next week, as I need some respite from thinking about one thing all the time. My clients have been fantastic and incredibly understanding.

It's amazing how your life can change so quickly.

SinisterSoft

@moopf I'm glad to hear that your son is doing ok, it must have been such a shock and understandable why you have not been around. All my best. - Anthony

Mells

@moopf

It's amazing how your life can change so quickly.

I echo that. Hopefully your son is fine and can wear his new Lacrosse equipment with pride

GregBUG

@moopf

all my best.
Gianluca.

ar2rsawseen

@moopf that must be awful, sorry to hear that.

It seems that Diabetes is a new plague, so many people I know got it and it always was so spontaneous.

But all in all yes, many of them live their life's happily (including my granddad, who will be 70 soon), so once you get used to it, there's not much to worry about

OZApps

@moopf, sorry to hear that. I am sure it will be nothing as it can be managed with a combination of keeping both health and diet with a strict regime. I know of a couple of people in the family that have dealt with diabetes and managed it well. It will take a bit of getting used to a timetable.

moopf

Hi everybody, thank you for your kind words. There are two main types of Diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is commonly known as childhood diabetes as, if you're unlucky enough to get it, it happens when you're a kid. In Type 1 the pancreas stops producing insulin (and it's not reversable - the body basically kills the insulin producing cells, hence the injections and blood sugar tests you have to do). Type 2 is the diabetes that's massively on the rise and is generally controlled through diet, rather than insulin injections (in Type 2, as far as I understand it, insulin is still produced - but may be reduced - and either doesn't get to where it's needed or loses its effect). In the UK there are around 3 million diabetics, but only around 10-15% of those are Type 1, the rest are Type 2. It's estimated that there will be nearly 4 million diabetics in the UK by 2020, the rise coming almost solely from Type 2. There is no known cause for Type 1, for Type 2 there are established risk factors such as being very overweight etc.

We know a number of people with Type 2 diabetes, but know nobody else personally with Type 1, however, online friends are putting me in contact with people they know with Type 1 and our son will be going to meetups not far from us so he can meet other kids with it. In the village we live in we thought he was the only one, although apparently a little kid moved into the area very recently with it as well. But it's pretty rare.

Anyway that's my understanding of the difference between the two currently but we knew little about it until a week ago and since then have had to deal with such masses of information it's difficult to take it all in.

bowerandy

@moopf, so sorry to hear about your son, it must have been very difficult for you. I'm sure, once things have settled down, everything will be fine for the future. All the best to all of you.

best regards

gorkem

@moopf sorry to hear that Hope he gets well soon. All the best.

talis

@moopf i am happy that everything is ok now, i am sure in time it will be much more better.
I always believe in that the good thoughts of people is effecting the future or destiny of others. I hope our thoughts will also work this way.
All the best and positive thoughts for you and your family.

Best Regards.

Nascode

@moopf sorry to hear that..
Be strong for you and your son

zvardin

So sorry to hear that, I can't imagine. Glad to hear the little one is being such a trooper though! It always amazes me how strong children can be. I hope everything continues to go well!

thanhquan1512

It's amazing how your life can change so quickly.

This remind me about my father's stroke last year

Sorry to hear that, be strong. All the best to all of you.

moopf

Just checking in, thanks again to everybody who's sent their best wishes - it's really appreciated. We'll all be back up and running soon, having put diabetes in its rightful place around his life, rather than him living his life around it.

petec

Just checking in, thanks again to everybody who's sent their best wishes - it's really appreciated. We'll all be back up and running soon, having put diabetes in its rightful place around his life, rather than him living his life around it.

@moopf Your last sentence is an important one. I have a son aged 31 who has lived his whole life with a medical problem, but has really enjoyed himself by being treated as a normal person doing normal things, which of course to all intents and purposes he is. All strength to you and your family.

techdojo

Hi Moopf, just seen this post and I wanted to add my best wishes for you, your son and the rest of your family. It can be devastating when your child gets ill and must be the worst kind of hell any parent can go through.

My thoughts are with you and your family, glad to hear your son is getting a good handle on this - I think being able to stay positive is the most important part of getting through any situation.

Jon...

plamen

@moopf: I am sure your son will be fine. Modern medicine can deal with this effectively and soon after the procedures become routine everything will be ok. All the best to your family.

moopf

Hi again, been to a clinic appointment with him this morning to go through the first week with the consultant and nurses. They're really happy with how he's progressing and his blood sugar readings are getting closer to where they would be in a normal person now. Some more insulin level tweaks we're going to be using going forwards and it's all positive at the moment.

And once again thank you all for your kind words

john26

I'm sorry to hear about this. I have two children myself including a nine year old so can imagine what you are going through. Your son is doing well to manage the injections himself and be so positive. That shows considerable maturity at such a young age.

I had my own medical "bolt from the blue" medical crisis a few years ago but it came down on me rather than my children (which I'm actually glad about). So I know how life can seem so safe and fair -- and then everything changes.

soy_ismael

I'm sorry to hear that.I have a son and I wish that everything goes better now

paul_k_clark

@moopf glad to here your son is handling it well, this can be the biggest hurdle. Hope everything goes well for you.

atilim

@moopf glad to hear that everything is getting better and better.

Scouser

Hi @moopf: I somehow missed actually reading this thread and now that I have I'm sorry to hear your news but am glad to hear things are coming under control. I hope things continue to improve for both your son and the rest of your family..

deniz

As a mother I can only imagine how you must have felt. It must been shocking and a lot to handle. But it is a relief everything is getting better now. Going back to the routine and school is great. Children are more stronger than we think. I hope everything will get better and better everyday. My best wishes for you and your family.

moopf

Hi everybody and thanks again for the messages. My son is back at school now, although we're going in and out to do blood tests and injection before lunch, until tomorrow when the nurses come in to train the staff. It's all going well and he's keeping his chin up, although school yesterday made him very tired as his body's still rebuilding. Anyway, I'm getting back into work now and we're getting to grips with it (slowly, but more and more each day).

phongtt

I was off during this week and just happen to know your story. Glad that things are getting much better now. All the best, @moopf.