Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Doris D on February 28, 2010 at 9:39am

Thank you! @ with Type 1 and I thought I was bad with me and my daughter both having Type!. Your a trooper!

Permalink Reply by Jan on August 30, 2010 at 12:31pm

Hi. May need your advice in the future (she is 13). So far, so good for the most part. We could not get by without her pump, though the school nurse told me the trend is for the older teens to resist pumping and go on MDI. She had good control on MDI for the four months she was on it before pumping. Once she is older, I am assuming BGs will be more stable, I'm sure MDI would work well once again, if she should ever choose to go back to shots. Hoping Smart Insulin or one of the other newer insulins will be released before too many years. That will make her life so much easier.

Permalink Reply by Renata Pellino-Porter on August 30, 2010 at 1:02pm

My kids are now 17 and 11...can't believe time is flying by. Ask away...

Permalink Reply by Jan on September 5, 2010 at 5:25am

Here's a question I'm curious about. There have been various ups and downs with management since she was dx'd at age 8. Extremely wacky highs and lows were experienced for about six months before she was dx'd with Hashimotos at 9, which fluctuations became more stable when she went on Synthroid. At 11, puberty and huge increases in insulin evening and early a.m. hours, which would stop on a dime the very same evening when her basals were back to normal. Therefore very little sleep. Since menstruation, have noticed a different pattern (highs a few days before, lows a few days during) but TDD has dropped quite a bit, as well as her evening, early a.m. basals. She seems much easier to manage overall. However, occasionally (not always) she experiences a need for more insulin in the early a.m. hours (4 to 9am). I think this is the start of the adult "Dawn effect." This is new but does not happen every night. Wonder if, as the child becomes a teen (and their body transitions into adulthood), their basal pattern changes and they will experience Dawn effect? If so, once they experience Dawn Effect all the time and if the basal pattern does shift, does that indicate they are now an adult as far as adjusting insulin/basal rates are concerned? And, do adult Type 1 women have a stable basal pattern in general (even taking into account menstruation)? Is there more stability regarding blood sugar control for adult women? I would hate to think she will spend her life sleepless and adjusting insulin as we have had to do throughout her childhood.

Permalink Reply by Renata Pellino-Porter on September 5, 2010 at 11:53am

Well, first and foremost woman or not...she will always be changing her regemin. Anything and everything can affect her bs numbers. As you have already noticed puberty and growth switches things up a bit. My daughter has about 3-4 months in a row where she is high just before her period. Then she has that month where we can't get her numbers up. Same thing with growth. My son will have about one week a month where is taking HUGE amounts of insulin...then he goes back down to a lower number. It should calm down a bit as they get older, however it will never just be one program for the rest of their lives. Thats why it's ever so important to have them involved now in why you make adjustments because it's going to continue throughout their life. They need to understand their body and what's going on and why this time they need more insulin...and then why they are backing off. It's not an easy disease and never will be. They (and you) just need to accept the fact that you have to stay on your toes. Sorry, wish there was an easy answer.

Ps, I have never heard of Hashimotos. Kelsey's thyroid quit working at around 8 and went on Synthroid herself.

Permalink Reply by Jan on September 6, 2010 at 9:21am

Hashimotos thyroiditis. Not sure this is one of the official names for hypothyroid or a variation of hypothyroid. But she takes Synthroid and everything has been fine, just a pill once a day. I need to post a thread in the adult Type 1 forum asking for experiences with Type 1 at various ages. I had assumed that, apart from menstruation, blood sugars would remain much more stable because she would be fully grown and there would not be the constant adjustments from growth hormone at night. I know after menopause there is a problem with hypoglycemia at night, sometimes severe. And pregnancy/childbirth a whole other issue. Worried mainly about the college years when she will first be on her own........

Permalink Reply by Renata Pellino-Porter on September 6, 2010 at 10:46am

Mine has hypothyroid, been on Synthroid (now a NZ comparable) for almost 10 years.

We all worry about the moving out part, that's why getting them to work with you early is essential. They are going to screw up, but hopefully you have taught them enough to where they realise their mistakes and how lucky they are and move forward.

In their youth is when it's craziest, however along with the monthly hormone imbalance there is going to be stress, tiredness, over activity, lack of activity....all of that and more affects BS#'s. She will get it, have faith in that.