Isn't that the famous line from Jaws?
We thought life was bumbling away nicely here at the moment
And then something comes along to turn the world upside down
Nick has been not his normal self since we returned from Sark
Perpetually thirsty
Never out of the bathroom
Generally under the weather
Starting to lose weight
Is this ringing any alarm bells with any of you?
Those alarm bells rang with me earlier this week when I quizzed him about these things - he's the sort of kid who always suffers in silence so it could have carried on for some while yet had I not interrogated him
So I booked him in with our doctor this afternoon - fortunately with the British National Health Service this is all free and we didn't have to worry whether we could afford the appointment
The long and the short of it is he has Type 1 Diabetes
It has come on suddenly as apparently it often does - he will have to live with it and manage it for the rest of his life
Lots of aspects of life in Chez Bebbs will have to change
Most particularly for my gorgeous, funny, crazy, clever boy
But we're looking on the bright side
He could have had something far worse
He's been admitted to the local hospital so they can stabilise things and will possibly be in there for several days - because it's the weekend the steep learning curve we'll have to climb won't really start until Monday when the specialist staff are back on duty but again thankfully we won't have any of this to pay for
He was more than happy for us to come home to sleep - I shall be back in with him first thing in the morning - think I'd better dig out some handstitching - and maybe a pack of cards :o))) As you can imagine posting may well be a little sporadic - bear with me
31 comments:
*hugs* to you all as you start this journey.
Big big hugs.
I'm sending hugs to you and your family.
Oh Anne, how hard to get this news but you seem to have a positive attitude about life and this will really help. We have had some young children in our school over the last few years with diabetes. Prayers for your whole family as you learn and adjust.
I'm glad you found out early, and insurance is not an issue. Wishing you a quick smooth transition.
(I'm not sure if you read her blog but upstatelisa has a teen with diabetes)
My well wishes are with you all.
Lovely photos of your son.
Oh, what a shocker, Anne! I suspect you'll learn quite a bit, the whole family will learn to eat differently, and Nick will manage his disorder like a trooper.
Much love,
n, np
Oh dear - I hope that the transition to this change will be an easy one for you all. I'm glad that it has been a quick diagnosis - hope he's feeling better real soon.
Classic symptoms and he looks to be the classic age. It is amazing how well these kids adapt to their new lifestyle.
Takes lots of notes....ask lots of questions...
Thinking of you all especially Nick. He will be okay I'm sure. He's bright and ready to learn and hopefully will just take it in his stride, with the help of his supportive family.
As you said he may he been feeling a bit yuk for a while.
Hugs to you all, Ali.
In no time at all it will become a way of life. With your love and support to help him deal with the changes I'm sure he'll do just fine.
tell him not to worry as there are lots of very active people who have Type 1. Isn't Sir Steve Redgrave Diabetic. I'm sure I read that somewhere.
I'm glad that this was caught really early and that he is young enough to deal with all the changes easily.
Take a tip, the Diabetic chocolate is horrendous. Just don't even think about it.
love and hugs Gina xxx
Love and hugs Gina xxx
Best wishes to you all, Anne. I'm glad you're getting all the help you need and am certain you'll all rise to the challenge!
Oh how horrid for you all. Something like this must come as such a shock but as the others all say I am sure you will come to terms with it and learn to live with it in due course and isn't the diet these days the usual "healthy" one anyway so maybe you will all benefit! My thoughts are with you and I'm sending you a big hug as I am sure you need one just now!
Love
Jane
Oh Anne - so glad you found out before too long. Jess's boyfriend has this so I know something about it - never did before. I'm sure once you know more about it everything will slot into place. God bless the NHS xxxx
Oh Anne as soon as you started listing the symptoms I knew exactly what you were about to say - a friend at work had the same thing happen to her 2yo daughter. Thank goodness you were on the ball. The earlier you catch it the better, so I understand. I am glad he is in good hands with you and Nigel. The good news is once they sort out the treatment regime quality of life for kids is pretty damned good. And you know there's lots of research going into Juvenile Onset Diabetes, so hopefully Nick will benefit from it before too long. Hugs to you - so worrying for a mother.
oh lots of changes but yes he can learn to manage it and will be fine........on the up side there are lots of far worse things that could go wrong.........goodluck........
A good friend at work has just been through exactly this with her 13 year old grandson. It was a horrible shock for everyone in the family but as soon as the levels stabilised and they became familiar with the regime he was back to his old self, doing all the mad things that teenagers do.
Good luck, Nick - your next challenge (if you choose to accept it!) is to win a few Olympic Gold medals like Steve Redgrave
Oh Anne...what news.. My grandmother had Type 1 diabetes and my father often spoke of her managing it all. So much has changed since she had to deal with it...that's for sure! It will be a steep learning curve, but the good news is that the treatment and management is very clever now and once you both get the hang of it, it will become second nature. I'm really glad you picked up the symptoms now and not when things got a lot worse. (((hugs))) to you both and I hope the next weeks and months go well as you figure it all out.
My Dad had it and my brother has had it since he was 24 so I knew immediately what you where talking about. My brother is now 47 with a very good job married with 2 boys so as long as he controls it he can lead a perfectly normal life.
Just watch if he has a sweet tooth some sweeteners in chocolate if you eat too much, now how can I put this politely give you the runs.
I hope the new changes for your family and particularly Nick will be easy to make. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts *hugs*
Not the best news, but as you say, not the worst either. I'm sure Nick will be fine, and not to get too political, but at least we've got an NHS that we can rely on at times like this. Best wishes for you all.
It is a life long disease, systemic and affecting every bit of your boy, but is manageable and he can live a long life, growing into your happy, crazy man child!
I know this may sound crazy --- but I'm so thankful you found out what was wrong. This is very treatable. It's harder sometimes on Moms', I think. My prayers are with you. I think it'll be a journey for the whole family... He'll have a great support system.
Glad that you noticed the symptoms and they were able to catch him early enough. MY father had Type I, and I luckily only have Type II. But with the advances these days I'm sure you'll help him make the adjustments he needs to have a perfectly normal wonderful life!
PS: Oh no, not that horrid awful government healthcare that will certainly kill all us Americans if they ever institute it here...we'd rather not be able to go to afford the doc and have to take half our meds to survive. Okay I'll climb off my soapbox!
I think when the cards are down our NHS comes up trumps.
I am sure you will all come through this much stronger.
Love from Jenny
Anne, Sorry to hear about your son's diabetes and wish him well. You will hear from a lot of people how they know someone who has it - be it Type 1 or Type 2. My husband has been with Type 2 about 5 years ago now so has to control with diet and drugs. It's then you realise just how common it is.
It will be a steep learning curve and it'll change the way you all eat, fortunately children are very adaptable so hopefully he should learn very quickly. There is a lot of info out there and Diabetes UK has an informative website for a start.
My best wishes to you all.
Sue
Oh no, that just came out of the blue, didn't it. It is so crucial to eat right. My uncle came down with it at 16 way back during the Depression and lived an extremely long life I'm sure because he always always ate properly. Hope all goes well for that darling child.
So sorry to read this news, but so pleased you have found out so soon.
My thoughts for Nick and the family and I'm certain you will do what you must to help him with these changes to his life. Let me know if there's anything I can do! Much love to you xka
Oh Anne, yes it does tilt everyone's life a bit doesn't it. I have two good friends with children who were diagnosed the same but they often say how wonderful it is to live in this day and age when it can be controlled. Give Nick a hug from all your blogging friends.
My DH has Type 2 and it was a learning curve for the correct diet along with pills to control his diabetes. At some point he will have to take insulin (apparently it will come to that regardless of diet and exercise and pills); but life goes on and we go with it. Last resort would be the pump (I have a niece that had to go that route to control her Type 1 diabetes) and who knows what else the medical scientists will develop in time. Best wishes for your son in controlling this disease!
Hugs to you and your family Anne, I'm sorry for the diagnosis, but glad that it was made before he suffered too much. You are so lucky to have national health care. In the US, he probably wouldn't be able to get health insurance as an adult with a pre-existing condition. Soooooo lucky. Bless you all.
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