This is just a post to just get things off my chest.
My dad...well he has diabetes type 1
The past year for him has been a roller-coaster to say the least from beating stage 3 kidney cancer to then being "gifted" immunotherapy induced type 1 diabetes.
The past 5 months I helped him navigate the
I watched my father fight cancer and then face type 1 diabetes, and I stepped into a role I never expected. Each day I call him, sometimes more than ten times, trying to keep him steady while learning alongside him. Some nights he breaks and I feel myself breaking too. I do not fully understand his pain, but I hold on to the small wins and remind him he is not alone. Saying it out loud helps me breathe again.
Hey there! I also have immunotherapy induced type 1 diabetes. I hope he has an endocrinologist working with him closely. I had one I was in contact with fortnightly plus a diabetes educator and nurse almost daily. It took me about 5 months to get it under control. I dont use an omnipod as I was using heaps of insulin, so I can't say I knkw how they work. But i am on a t slim and it has seriously improved my quality of life so to speak. I have programs set for sick days and such but the normal program keeps in me in range. I dont have to think about much, just know how how many carbs I eat and put it in. There's also a few apps out there to help with carb counting.
I am a type 1 diabetic. I know someone who got diabetes from the steroids he was on when he had cancer. It is an unfortunate life adjustment, but it is a necessary one. Diabetes is hard on the body, no way to sugarcoat it, no pun intended. That said, if he takes care of it, and I mean truly takes care of it, he will be okay. He needs to really work to get and keep his A1C under 7, preferably under 6.5, if possible. The likelihood of complications under 7 is greatly reduced. The Omnipod is a great system and its very achievable, as I have friends on it with A1Cs ranging from 5.6 to 7. Diet, moderate exercise, and general care goes a long way. If he is down to one kidney, his heart health is also important, so I stress the exercise.
Overall it sounds like he is spiraling a bit. Its not a s
For the first time I felt lost in how to help him, I don't have the disease and so I can't say I relate to his struggles, but I try my hardest to show him how well he's doing and how he's managed to keep his TIR at 84% plus.
Your answer lies here: he needs peers to connect with. He needs to see people who are thriving with diabetes. He needs to see how empowered he can be with a shitty disease he never asked for. There are communities online and in real life where diabetics get together and connect to talk about their experiences, or perhaps do activities together so they can kind of forget about diabetes for a while. His care team will likely have information on real life groups and activities, or maybe you can figure something out with him for this?
No matter how closely involved you
I went through a similar situation back in 2020/2021, except I had stage 4 kidney cancer that spread to my lungs. The immunotherapy also made me a type 1 diabetic. It has been a roller coaster, for sure, but it has gotten a lot better over time, and I have learned more about my situation.
See if there are any support groups nearby that he can attend. One of the greatest helps for me was talking to other diabetics that I work with. Even type 2 diabetics know a lot about what he is going through. It helped me a lot to talk with other people who can relate to my situation.
Depending on where you live, there are counselors who specialize in diabetes and in working with people with diabetes. There aren't any close to me, or I would've gotten an appointment as soon as I could.
Diabetes can