Force feeding a Brick Wall

Early on when Rainbow was diagnosed food was one of the things we struggled with the most. Obviously the whole thing was overwhelming, but food seemed to be extra difficult.

She had always been a pretty decent eater, not picky or anything. When she started getting sick that started to change. She wasn’t hungry at all, and after being diagnosed, with her whole world being turned upside down, what went into her mouth was really the only thing she could control. The first month or so was exhausting. We were given a specific target for how many carbs she was supposed to eat, and how much insulin to give her to cover it. There would be times that we would be sitting at the supper table for 2 hours waiting for her to finish her food!

After talking to her pediatrician, diabetic nurse and nutritionist, we were finally able to switch to a ‘goal’ for carbs and an ‘insulin-to-carb’ ratio so we could compensate for exactly what she had eaten.

This made a huge difference as we were finally in control again. If she didn’t eat everything or was taking too much time, we could put an end to that and move on with our evening instead of feeling like we never would have time to rest.

If you have a child that is newly diagnosed, or even if they have had T1D for a while and are having these issues know you are not alone. I encourage you to talk to someone who can help you setup a food plan that works for your kids. Be open and honest with them and find others online (I’m part of an amazing Facebook group of T1D parents locally) that you can lean on for support and guidance.