Just a little nervous!!

[nantomsuethom]

I'm not sure if this is where I should post this...

I knew this was coming but haven't thought about it until last night.

Thomas' cubscout group met with the boyscouts last night. He will be joining them in February.

They talked about their camping trips. They camp 1 weekend every month. They are going for a three day weekend in December and we are invited to join them. That's not the one I am worried about because they said that we can sleep in the tent with our boys. Once they cross over as a boyscout they sleep in their own tents and if parents are registered volunteers they are welcome to come to camp but have to sleep in your own tent on the other side of the campground!!

Thomas is very responsible but we still keep a very close eye on him. He does spend time at friends and relatives houses and most of the time counts his carbs and gives hmself his own boluses but we are just a phone call away. Plus, when he sleeps at his grandparents house they use the monitor (and so do we at home)when he sleeps so they will hear if his pump alarms or if he has a seizure (has never had one, thank God).

He is not scared. The first thing he said last night when we got home was that he couldn't wait to go camping!!

I am sure he will be fine. I am just a little nervous.

Sorry to babble.

Nancy

[Eri's mom]

I can understand totally Nancy!!!

Eri will only spend the night at one friends house, and it's my best friend...Eri is best friends w/ her daughter and Elle and her other daughter are GREAT friends also, so it works out well. Amy is one of those ppl who was like, just tell me EVERYTHING so I know what to do.
Don't get me wrong, Eri will stay w/ my mom and up north she has no problem staying w/ my dad(he's T2 anyway), but when she went on the overnights to St. Augustine(4th grade trip), I was beside myself....the saving grace was: 1) Austyn was there w/ her and 2)...an RN was there as well...and 3)...another diabetic...mom, was going along, and her teacher also knew what to do.
Also, for her one 5th grade field trip they spent the night at Sea World in the dolphin center...I wasn't as worried that time b/c all the same ppl went.
I try to accompany her on most field trips. The overnight ones are hard, especially w/ 3 other kids at home, but if and when she does go, she seriously takes everything seriously. Surprisingly shocked on my end, but when she knows she is really the "only" one in control, she does pretty good :)

OK, I babbled!!!
Good luck w/ the camping trips!!! Thomas sounds like an amazingly good and responsible child...I'm sure you have NOTHING to worry about!!!(although it's only natural, isn't it?) :)

God bless ...

[archimeech]

You guys can babble about this as much as you need. I don't consider it something that should be taken lightly. I was 13 when I was diagnosed but traveled all over the world by myself. My mother is Greek and I used to go to Athens to see my relatives. If you think that your son is up to the mature challenge of a weekend camping trip just reimind him that the stresses of a camping trip are different than those of sleeping at home. He may wind up exerting himself a lot more than usual, and also the change in routine and the foods they will eat may be a factor. He may not be the only diabetic there. Remeber, not just your and your son's education is important here. It is very important that all in charge and involved know what is going on and how to handle situations should they occur. Make it an adventure in freedom and a learning experience for all of you. Kids are very resilient, and often suprise all of us.
p.s. it would be a good idea to take more than one meter, possibly putting it in a different bag or having one of the adults hold onto it should anything happen to the one he regularly uses. Remind him to check his sugar often, and maybe even talk to the endo about reducing his night time basal rate by .1 or .2 units/hr, just in case. better to be a little high in the morning than dropping into a bad hypo in the middle of the night.

most importantly remind him that he has responsibilities to himself, but that he should also have a lot of fun too!

[dpav]

I have personal experience in this area as well. I was in the Boy Scouts also as a diabetic. The best thing that was given me was that I had to be responsible for everything on my own. If I did not take care of myself I would suffer for it. I know this sounds harsh, but I simply did not want to suffer. So I took care to have sugar on me for hiking and for over night lows and I also took what I needed to have for insulin for heavier activities. I learned very well to care for myself. What is very important is that every diabetic knows themselves better than anyone else. And it is important for every diabetic to be extremely knowledgeable of ones diabetes. The best way to get very well trained to do this is going to diabetic camp one year. This can help a lot to give oneself great independence. I lived very well knowing myself. And I felt quite confident to do rock climbing, camping, Gymnastics, football, and baseball. I think that the scouts helped me gain a lot with learning to care for myself as well. My only bad experience was when I was riding a horse and was trying to tie him up I was kicked in the head by the horse. That one hurt. And I still have a horseshoe crease in my head. But I think this will be very good for any youth. (not the horse experience) The Scouts told me I had to take care of my own issues without expecting anything from them. I used a buddy plan. I had a friend who knew me and my needs and relied on him to help if I needed anything that I could not do for myself. This never happened to me though. But this is a good help.
I hope this is encouraging.
Don

[barryh]

Hi Nancy,

I think the camping trip will be a huge confidence builder for both you and your boy. And if he does have any problems he will have to deal with them on his own. You will not always be there for him so the sooner he learns to be self sufficent the better off he will be.

[HeatherP]

Awww. I'm sure he'll be fine, Mom. He sounds like a very responsible young man who is very good at taking care of himself. The added independence will probably be good for him. I'm sure it's hard to do at first though!

HeatherP

[nantomsuethom]

Thank you all for the encouragement!

I talked to Thomas last night. I forgot that when the scout master was telling us about the camping trips that Thomas was off with the boys. So when I told him he was a little nervous. "What do you mean you would have to be on the othe side of camp. What if my sugar goes low" But he still wants to go. My husband doesn't think Thomas is ready yet.

Thomas can manage everything on his own except putting in a new site. He probably could if he tried hard enough be he is afraid he will leave too many bubbles in the tubing.

We are going to start having him change his site on his own from now on so that he will become more confident. But then there is last night his site went bad. We checked his bg at 9:30 (he was already sound asleep) and it was 430! He couldn't even cope with trying to change his own site.

Well we have at least 6 months to work on it.

I am not sure if there is anyone in that troop with diabetes. I am going to ask one of the leaders (the one that knows Thomas very well and is a pharmacist). I told him that if me or his dad didn't go that we would teach the leaders what needs to be done in case of an emergency and also one of his good friends that will be going with him.

Thanks for listening.

Nancy

[Dewey]

Hi Nancy,

Though I don't have children (I have 2 nieces ;)), I remember growing up with Diabetes. It is good that Thomas is concerned, but it's also good for him to be aware of everything (as he is) and still go, rather than miss out and reminisce (or regret not having gone) later. I only say that, cause sometimes I wish I'd gone to the Diabetes Summer Camps (which, I never have).

It sounds to me like you are very clear in your thoughts and that is extremely helpful to your family's success. In light of that, I think Thomas will do very well on his camping trip or on any adventure you (and/or he) decide to go on. :) I hope everything works out well, and it sounds like he's extremely aware, so I think it will.

Sorry to hear about his 430 reading. Sometimes, the cannula sets can start out working, then quit (at the worst times...or a bad spot can be hit...:(). Have you (or he) ever tried the bent needle sets? They don't hurt as much as some folks claim, and it's worth a try if he's interested in something new. He (or you) could insert it, but it needs to be done manually, so you will see that it's going in. Just a thought... :)

[nantomsuethom]

Hi Dewey,

We are going to have Thomas go to a diabetes camp this summer. I think after that he will feel a lot more comfortable about going camping with the scouts (and so will we). We camp out as a family quite a bit and he loves it, so we dont want him to miss out on this experience.

I think his cath. slipped out last night when he was 430. Within 2 1/2 hours after giving subq insulin and a new site his bg was 128.

What is the bent needle? I am actually going to call his CDE today, I am going to ask if she has samples. We try it all to see what works best.

[archimeech]

Also, don't forget the shorter canulas if you haven't tried them. I use a 6mm canula instead of the usual 9mm. I'm fairly thin and the 9mm reams a big old hole in my side when I use it and hurts quite a bit.
If it's falling out or sliping it could be that his site isn't adhering as well as it should. If you like I can post the method that I use to attach my site. I live in the hot-muggy-sun shiny most of the year-south, and I sweat a good bit. I have had the tapes come right off of my skin within 1/2 an hour of putting a new needle in.

[nantomsuethom]

Meech

PLEASE POST YOUR METHOD!! Last night we were at church and he kept going in the office and putting scotch tape over his site!!

We actually switched from the 6mm to 9mm with our last order about 2 months ago. We haven't noticed much difference. He doesn't have much fat but we thought his site would last longer.

[Dewey]

Hi Nancy,

The bent needle sets look like:

http://store.minimed.com/images/mmStore/product_images/MMT-365-366_L.jpg

They are available through Minimed, and they've finally released them for the Paradigm family of pumps. I was going to also ask if you happen to use any extra adhesives such as 3M or Tegaderm, as they might be helpful in keeping Thomas' sets in as well. What I used to do was cut a hole in the center (to fit around the top of the Quick Set or Silhouette), and carefully placed it over the set (leaving the connection area exposed only) to help keep it down. Since Florida's more humid, that method may help some (if you haven't already tried it). Hope this helps. :) (Also meant to say, that the Polyfin bent needle sets require the adhesives <3m or Tegaderm, etc...> to hold them in place.)

[Shalyndria]

Nancy, Dew has given you some fantastic advice and I second everything that she's said. In particular, the bent needle sets as Dewey suggested, might be worth a shot (no pun intended lol).

I have very sensitive skin and am allergic to the tape used in the conventional teflon sets, as well as a slight suspected allergy to the teflon cannula's. Like Thomas I have a difficult time keeping tape on (I tend to get an itchy rash in most areas, which causes the tape to lift) so what I've found works is a product called "OpSite FlexiFix" by Smith and Nephew. It's similar to IV3000 but it's a wound dressing, which I find less irritating, and more breathable and flexible. Here's what I do:

I use IV prep to form an adhesive surface and also to prevent any bacterial contamination and irritation. Then I apply a square of the OpSite and inject the set through the dressing. I then cut a hole in a second square of OpSite (large enough to fit over the hub of the set) and place that on top of the set tape and initial layer of dressing. Done like dinner :)

In regards to the cannula slipping out, an angled set might help prevent this. If Thomas is using the 9mm sets, I wouldn't suggest changing to a shorter cannula as there is an increased chance of the cannula being bumped out of the body.

Hope this helped. Good luck and keep us posted :)
Shy

[archimeech]

Not a problem. I use the minimed soft-set 42inch line 6mm canula infusion set, the IV3000 tape, and a skin adhesive called Mastisol. The Mastisol is a little pricey, about $42american for a 2 oz. bottle(CVS Pharmacy) but it last a long while. I use a Q-tip to apply the adhesive(helps it last longer).

1. prep the site with an IV-Prep alchohol swab, or regular swab if allergic to the glue.

2. take the first peice of tape that comes inside the soft-set kit, this is the smaller of the 2. Before pulling the paper off, cut one of the side wings of and cut the other wing down to just an 1/8"(3mm). This will make it smaller and allow the other 2 peices of tape to competely cover it, but still allow you to peel the backing paper off.

3. Apply Mastisol to your skin covering the total site area, and put this peice of tape down prior to insertion, I find it gives the soft-set a better base to grip to.

4. Apply more Mastisol to the surface of the tape, and then insert the soft set.

5. Apply even more Mastisol to the top edges of the sorft sert wings and line. Then, apply the next peice of tape that comes with the soft-sert kit, perpendicular to the first.

6. Once you have set the second layer of tape, apply (yes I know it sounds like I'm repeating myself) MORE Mastisol to the top surface of this next layer of tape, and to the top of the button on the soft-sert once the needle is withdrawn.

7. Apply the IV3000 tape perpendicular to the last peice of tape, making sure that it covers as much as possible.

I live in the hot, humid Southeast of the USA; before I used this method I had my site come off within 20 minutes of changing it. Since I have been putting my site on in this manner, I have literally had to wrip it off my skin at times due to how well it stays on. The Mastisol really helps to laminate all the layers to my skin and to each other. Good luck!

p.s. also another thing I use is Liquid-Skin. you can find it at CVS or Wal-Mart. If my site starts to peel up I glue it back down with a little bit of the liquid. I also read where one mother used the spray-on bandage adhesive before her son went swimming and it allowed her son to be in the water all day and not have the site peel off.

[gettingby]

Hi Nancy,
I'm sure that Thomas will be just fine. Just because a child has diabetes, they shouldn't let it or anyone make them feel any different. I'm sure the adults care enough to learn what they need to in order to help Thomas. Good luck on your decision.
Cin
Robin,
I grew up with a best friend like that. Her mom had my mom come to her house and she told her"Teach me everything that I need to know. She (me) is like one of my own so you know I will take care of her." I thought that was wonderful(it made my mom cry.).

[nantomsuethom]

Thanks guys

I am going to try these ideas to see if we can keep these sites sticking longer (especially to soft sets- those are the ones we have the most prob. with, the insets are not as bad)

[jazzy1]

Diabetic camp is a great idea! I learned so much at the camps, made great friends, and it help boost my confidence about so many things! I was diagnosed at 7 in March...was shipped off to camp the very same summer. I had not given myself my own injections until I got to camp. My mom was floored at how responsible I was after I came home from the 3-week summer camp!

I certainly think that the time you have between now and the camp-out with the boy scouts is your time to help Thomas to become a bit more independent with his diabetes. If you start showing him now that he is in control, he can do these things on his own and be just as good (if not better) at it than Mom, this will certainly help him out when he's older...in high school...away at college, etc. It'll be second-nature to him by then!

He'll be scared to try it on his own as well as you will be, but just keep telling him that he can do it. This'll be a great learning experience for both mom and son. I can't wait to hear what happens!

[Belinda]

I am all about the independant child. When I was dx'd at 12 I gave every injection, urine test etc...myself. This was my disease and I knew I would eventually be on my own so why not take the respondsibility now.. I had a student on a pump last year and parents were called each time she checked her bs...I found this a bit extreme unless there was a problem then call home. I know it must be hard to do but eventually he will want independance and when getting older will experience new things and will have to tackle each one. Good luck and let him venture out a bit but knowing that others around him know what to do..

[David76]

Nantomsuethom,
My infusion set used to come out sometimes when playing basketball, and I found that if I just used an alcohol swab and not the IV prep swab, the site stuck much better.
Good luck with all the adventures! I think helping your son learn to be confident in handling his disease and not letting it keep him from doing what he enjoys is great!
-David

[nantomsuethom]

This weekend we (me, Tom and Thomas) will be camping with the boyscouts.
Thomas will be with all the boys and the adults stay with the adults.
We are going on the "Rainbow River" and will be kyacking (sp?).
I don't think I am as nervous as Thomas is. I have their menu for the week so we estimated his carbs for all the meals. I just hope he does what he is supposed to do. He didn't last weekend at a friends house and came home with a HI reading :eek:
We will be close enough to help if he needs us, but I am sure he will not ask!
He was asking this morning "what do I do with my kit, what if it gets wet, what do I do with my pump......."
I have assured him that during the day, while in the water, we will be there and he doesn't need to worry about those things.
My husband and I are actually looking forward to the trip. It is a really nice river with a few springs.

[Eri's mom]

Sounds like a lot of fun Nancy!!!
I'm sure Thomas will do great :) And you will all have a great time!!!

Eri had gone through that stage where she didn't do what she was supposed to with me not around....my sisters wedding in '02, we took her reading at the reception and she was HI....asked if she had taken her shot(I was maid of honor, so others were watching her as I ran around like a lost chicken?)...and I was told by her best friend that Eri shot her insulin right out the window(BRAT!!!)...so she was given the proper dosage at that time.

[am1977]

As much as you worry (as mothers do), I think you have to let him go and let him be a kid. Every diabetic kid needs to forget about being diabetic for a day or two (as long as he knows he will have to pay the consequences and return to managing his diabetes after the trip) I know you are worried about him not taking care of himself, but most likely he will be ok. He will survive ;) . I would just go over what he needs to know (keep reinforcing it), answer all his questions (even repeated questions), and let him know that he can get hold of you if something comes up or if he has a problem at anytime. I'm sure you have thought of all this, you DO know what you are doing, so don't worry. :)

Take care and let us know how things go ;)

[nantomsuethom]

We had a wonderful weekend! :) Lots of fun and sun. It rained for a short period of time but wasn't too bad. The temp. was around 70*F.

Friday night Thomas was so nervous. I knew (and Tom knew) that he would be fine. But he was so nervous that that he ended up with a really bad upset stomach. He couldn't even join the group until about 11:30pm (we were all at the camp ground by 9:30pm). Once we found a Pepsid for him he felt better, joined the group and finished putting his tent together. The rest of the weekend he did great.

The only problem, which wasn't too much of a problem, was when we were out on the lake and Thomas wanted to test his bg. Tom went to hand him his meter (from our canoe to Thomas' kyake) and it fell in the water! :eek: Good thing Tom decided to put an extra meter in the car the other day!

Thomas pretty much took care of himself all day Sat. and this morning, and did a good job. We were there if he needed us, but rarely came to us. Bg stayed between 60-150. This was a good experience for him. He now has confidence in himself.

Thank you all for your support. :)

[zookeeper671]

That's wonderful news, Nancy. Good experience for all of you, and way-to-go Thomas!:thumbsup:

[am1977]

I'm so glad that everything worked out :thumbsup: . Sounds like everyone had a great time. I'm so glad Thomas enjoyed it...and I'm sure he must have been very happy about his sugars being so good too.

Thanks for updating us :)