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The Qualls Family

9 Comments on “The Qualls Family ”

• Lori Jul 24, 2010 (2 years ago)
  Give yourself and your family time to adjust. Remember, everything is going to be okay. There is a tremendous amount of support and the research they are doing is very promising. I think you can go on the pump anytime you want. Your son just as to be ready. We want our 8 year old son to be on a pump but he doesn't want anything to do with it.
  I wish you all the best and stay strong you will be okay!
• Maggy Diaz Jul 24, 2010 (2 years ago)
  My daughter was diagnosed 1985, two days before Christmas, when she was 2 yrs. old. I was 26 yrs., had 2 kids and couldn't even talk about it for 2 years. I would cry all the time and developed depression. I eventually got a grip and accepted the condition. My daughter became my 1st priority, she would get the best balanced diet and her A1c's were around 6 until she went into puberty. In her senior year of high school she got an insulin pump, her diabetes management became easier. Now she is almost 27 years old, she is working on her CPA, married and wants to have a child. I raised her believing she could do and be like anyone else, the only thing is she needed insulin because her body couldn't produce it. She played competitive soccer, received an academic scholarship of $70,000 due to all the leadership roles and volunteer hours she had done during high school. Please be patient with yourselves, it hurts but it gets easier and the sooner you accept it the easier it will be. God Bless!
• lucia Bettencourt Jul 23, 2010 (2 years ago)
  Hi Quall's family! My son was diagnosed at age 9 April 2008 it was a shock . I really dont no if it gets easier over time , 2 years and some days i cry and cry cause it is not ease to tell your kids you cant eat this, sepecial occasion, movies with friends the snacks ... popcorn chocolate all that ir is hard.. my son check his sugar before he gets in the pool. He drops fast in the water, but not all the times the lowest that i see was 1.1 and i panick it was very scary that day Cause i didnt have a snack for him
  cause he had a good one before left home and is numbers where very high 22.6 how can it drop so fast , we are talking of 30 m of swim.and some times he gets so high that i dont understand .... i wish you and your family all the best ..my son is not on the pump >i cant wait for him to bee on it .
• Angela Brinegar Jul 23, 2010 (2 years ago)
  Hello, my son was diagnosed in Oct of 09 at the age of 17 mon. It was a shock and although I have worked through many things, I still get frustrated sometimes. He is doing great and he was able to start the pump in May. It has been wonderful having the pump and being able to give him the small doses he needs. Wish you all the luck!
• Chris Jul 23, 2010 (2 years ago)
  My daughter was dx at age 6...she is now 14. The shock does wear off, but on occasion years later the tears come back...only briefly. We are mothers, we hurt when our child hurts. It gets easier over time, but it still hurts. I always have my daughter check her sugar before she gets in the pool, if she is under 120 she has a snack. From there she just has to get out at least every 20-30 minutes to check her sugar. She drops fast in the water, though I've heard from other moms that this is not the case for their child. I give her a glass of milk before bedtime on days with rigorous activity as she continues have her bg drop hours after the activity, especially over night. Don't ever be afraid to let your child do what other children are doing. Sometimes it takes time to prepare or adjust, but I have always found that my daughter can do any activity that any other non d child can do. She wears a pump and even water balloon fights have turned out o.k. because she keeps her pump in a ziploc bag in her pocket. So someday when he is on the pump and riding his four wheeler just splash through those mud puddles with his pump safely in a ziploc and have the time of your lives.
• Jody Jul 23, 2010 (2 years ago)
  My son was dx'd at age 3 and he's now 16 - he is extremely athletic and does not let his diabetes stop him! I have to admit there are still days that I cry in the shower so no one can see me...I still wish it was me. But the advances we have realized thanks to diabetes research are incredible. We are looking forward to the new wireless pump that will replace the Omnipod this December that combines a meter and a PDA to run it. I hope it's half as good as I think it will be. Pumps are awesome - they give you flexibility that shots cannot. Also, I support the JDRF's efforts for a cure, which brings you in touch with many families in the same situation. You will find most families are happy to help others who have newly-diagnosed children. Another great site to find the answers to questions is childrenwithdiabetes dot org. Check that out for sure. And hang in there! It does get better once you get into a routine. These kids often end up healthier than most of their friends if they watch what they eat and continue to check/correct and exercise. Pumps allow insulin to be delivered in so many ways/different times that they are great! (Pizza can make a kid low if fast acting is given when he starts eating it, since the fat goes through the system first. The pump allows you to give a % of insulin at the start of the meal, and then to time more four hours later when the carbs seem to hit - things like that which are great!)
  Good luck to you and try to relax - my son has never had a seizure even though he's been as low as 27 at one time. We can only do our best and equip these kids to make good decisions as they grow older. :-)
• Lora Ackerman Jul 23, 2010 (2 years ago)
  Hello Qualls' family. My name is Lora. My son Justin(9) was dx'd on 10-21-08. I am sure it is different for everyone, but for me, it was a few months before the shock wore off. And though I still have my days where I am frustrated... the tears have gone away also. I may have taken longer than most because it took me almost 9 months before I reached out to the D community... your already ahead of me :) Reaching out has been the best decision I have ever made. There are a lot of wonderful moms(and dads too) that offer constant encouragement and support. THEY GET IT. We have a FB group, blog community and we even chat every Sunday night. If you would like me to get you involved... look me up on FB Lora Lovely-Ackerman
• Beth Bosarge Jul 23, 2010 (2 years ago)
  Hi Quall's family! My son was diagnosed at age 12 in Nov. 2000 and some days I still can't believe he has to depend on insulin to survive each day. It's okay to mourn for the days without Type 1 diabetes, but keep telling yourself how lucky we are to have insulin to treat this problem. It helped me to read the history of insulin discovery. Follow this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin - You don't have to read the entire article - scroll down to the history (discovery and characterization). Very interesting. Also, regarding the pump, your doctor can tell you when he's ready for that. My son started on pump therapy around age 15, but everybody is different. We now have the sensor that works with the pump to keep up with his blood glucose, but he still has to calibrate it by testing with his kit. I hope I haven't overwhelmed you. Sounds like you have a good support system, so you will do a wonderful job. Take care. Beth
• Charlotte Jul 23, 2010 (2 years ago)
  When Thomas swims we wait an hour after his insulin, see where he is and keep a close eye on him. Then we test him when insulin peaks, give him a snack and then correct. However, when he was younger we would give a snack before he got in thr pool because we knew he would need it. I guess it depends on how active your child's going to be.
  The tears haven't stopped for us but they are fewer and further between. What stops them is knowledge, practice, keeping track of how different foods hit him etc. Seeing what the numbers are but not panicking - think about where he is in the cycle of insulin. I've met some great diabetic moms on fb that have been lifesavers. You need to have moms around you that "get it"
  best of luck! Enjoy the waterparks!

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