Kids with special needs in AO - does anyone know?

[cruisetek]

As mentioned in another post, my 3-year old is a T1 diabetic. He is insulin-dependent, and anyone that will be watching him for any length of time has to learn the basic skills to take care of him - recognizing and treating a low blood sugar is the most important. My question is, will my son be allowed to participate in Adventure Ocean?

 

The staff there will need to know that he's diabetic, and we will need to teach them the basics of care. This doesn't take long - and for this purpose would really only comprise the main issue of recognizing and treating a low blood sugar. We would provide an information sheet with all the signs and symptoms, and detailed steps of how to treat a low. If they're comfortable doing a blood sugar check to verify his sugar, great - if not, we would inform them to err on the side of caution and give him some juice, then contact us and wait (keeping an eye on him) until we arrive to test and treat further if necessary. They wouldn't need to handle needles or anything like that. We would do everything in our power to ensure he DIDN'T go low - but sometimes no matter what you do it will happen, and so his caretakers need to be educated and prepared.

 

I guess I'm just wondering if it's even a possibility that he can join, or if there's no way, or if it's dependent on the staff at the time. We are unable to travel without him, as no one we know has the knowledge or skills to take care of him 24/7 - that would mean calculating insulin dosages and other advanced stuff. We need a break sometimes, and would love for him to get a break, too - I'm really hoping there's some way he can be a part of the AO program.

 

I will call RCCL, too - but in the meantime, I just wonder if anyone has any input? Thanks in advance! :)

[cruisin from florida]

My nephew was diagnosed at age 2, so I understand your concerns.

My suggestion would be to plan to check him yourself every hour or so (depending on how far between checks he can go safely). Deal with meals and snacks yourself, and ask the AO people to contact you if there are other snacks given to your child. Also ask them to contact you if ANY symptoms of low or high blood sugar occur, so that you can return and check him. I would not leave it to the AO staff to do anything other than contact you if they have concerns. And if that is your only request, and you plan to check your son frequently, I think he would be able to participate.

 

My nephew now has a pump, which he got at about age 4. This greatly simplified caretaking for anyone who was not an expert. At each meal or snack, the caregiver could just call my brother or SIL and be instructed how many units to bolus. At age 10, my nephew now checks his own levels and gives himself the appropriate bolus (with guidance from his parents, of course).

 

Even though you might not be able to leave your son as long without checking on him as other parents, I'm sure that you, and he, will still have a great time.

[cruisinfanatic]

As mentioned in another post, my 3-year old is a T1 diabetic. He is insulin-dependent, and anyone that will be watching him for any length of time has to learn the basic skills to take care of him - recognizing and treating a low blood sugar is the most important. My question is, will my son be allowed to participate in Adventure Ocean?

 

The staff there will need to know that he's diabetic, and we will need to teach them the basics of care. This doesn't take long - and for this purpose would really only comprise the main issue of recognizing and treating a low blood sugar. We would provide an information sheet with all the signs and symptoms, and detailed steps of how to treat a low. If they're comfortable doing a blood sugar check to verify his sugar, great - if not, we would inform them to err on the side of caution and give him some juice, then contact us and wait (keeping an eye on him) until we arrive to test and treat further if necessary. They wouldn't need to handle needles or anything like that. We would do everything in our power to ensure he DIDN'T go low - but sometimes no matter what you do it will happen, and so his caretakers need to be educated and prepared.

 

I guess I'm just wondering if it's even a possibility that he can join, or if there's no way, or if it's dependent on the staff at the time. We are unable to travel without him, as no one we know has the knowledge or skills to take care of him 24/7 - that would mean calculating insulin dosages and other advanced stuff. We need a break sometimes, and would love for him to get a break, too - I'm really hoping there's some way he can be a part of the AO program.

 

I will call RCCL, too - but in the meantime, I just wonder if anyone has any input? Thanks in advance! :)

You probably won't really know until you try to get him in, but I really doubt it. They probably just won't have the time to take care of his needs.

[nanfromatlanta]

I suggest that you call RCCL and speak with someone knowledgable. I don't think that they will let any of their staff assume this responsibility. It is a huge insurance risk should anything go wrong. As a parent, I would not feel comfortable leaving him with an untrained person who has a lot of other children to watch and play with.

[shrimp0]

I believe there is a special needs number that you can call ... they may be of help to you. As far as snacks at AO.. they really dont get anything. They will take the kids to lunch on port days but that is about it. They also only have water available to the kids in the room. Not that they couldnt get juice for him if that is what he needed... but you wouldnt have to worry about what is being served to all the kids in the room.

 

I think it will also depend on how many kids are on board on your particular sailing... and how many kids are using the program. I know other kids with special needs have successfully used the program... but I am not sure about ones with medical needs.

 

Try to contact them in advance.. just so they can be aware ahead of time and then go with an open mind. Plan to check often the first few times he is there... until the staff are comfortable and know more about him. Also, as a 3 year old, you will be given a pager for use on ship when they need to contact you.

[Ella2]

The counselors in the program definitely will not handle any type of medical procedure or monitoring, that I do know. I don't think that will prohibit your child from participating, but it will require you to monitor him regularly, if that is what his condition warrants.

 

You (or your TA if you have one) should contact RCCL'S Access Desk to inform them of your needs (and to request a sharps container) and they can let you know what the Adventure Ocean policy is. The Access Desk number is 800-722-5472, ext. 34492.

 

I hope you and your family have a wonderful cruise! :)

[cruisePRN]

As mentioned in another post, my 3-year old is a T1 diabetic. He is insulin-dependent, and anyone that will be watching him for any length of time has to learn the basic skills to take care of him - recognizing and treating a low blood sugar is the most important. My question is, will my son be allowed to participate in Adventure Ocean?

 

The staff there will need to know that he's diabetic, and we will need to teach them the basics of care. This doesn't take long - and for this purpose would really only comprise the main issue of recognizing and treating a low blood sugar. We would provide an information sheet with all the signs and symptoms, and detailed steps of how to treat a low. If they're comfortable doing a blood sugar check to verify his sugar, great - if not, we would inform them to err on the side of caution and give him some juice, then contact us and wait (keeping an eye on him) until we arrive to test and treat further if necessary. They wouldn't need to handle needles or anything like that. We would do everything in our power to ensure he DIDN'T go low - but sometimes no matter what you do it will happen, and so his caretakers need to be educated and prepared.

Even a trained professional can have problems differentiating between insulin shock or diabetic coma. You are his caretakers and it's really hard to expect the staff to assess your son's medical condition. I think the suggestion to check on him yourself hourly makes sense, since both you and your son will have peace of mind. Good Luck and enjoy your cruise you certainly deserve it.

[cruisetek]

Thanks for all the advice - yes, I will definitely call Special Needs to deal with RCCL directly, but I do appreciate the input.

 

I really don't have any expectation that the staff at AO diagnose or treat my son (again - some people are more than willing to learn, which is awesome....but we don't have any expectation that they will, or should). The fact is, though, that we have a responsibility to advise whoever is caring for our son of what his problems are, and what signs/symptoms to look out for. This is just the responsible thing to do. If they suspected a problem, all we would ask is that they sit him down, give him some juice and contact us so we could take over....anything more would be voluntary on their part, and not expected by us.

 

mheeren, your idea of simply returning for regular checks is a good one. We were planning to ensure that DS always eats well before attending, but weren't sure if our coming/going so frequently would be OK. It sounds like, as long as he eats well with us first, and we schedule regular stops for BS checks, all should be fine....I'm happy to know that we will get pagers, too. :)

[Tjukka]

As mentioned in another post, my 3-year old is a T1 diabetic. He is insulin-dependent, and anyone that will be watching him for any length of time has to learn the basic skills to take care of him - recognizing and treating a low blood sugar is the most important. My question is, will my son be allowed to participate in Adventure Ocean?

 

The staff there will need to know that he's diabetic, and we will need to teach them the basics of care. This doesn't take long - and for this purpose would really only comprise the main issue of recognizing and treating a low blood sugar. We would provide an information sheet with all the signs and symptoms, and detailed steps of how to treat a low. If they're comfortable doing a blood sugar check to verify his sugar, great - if not, we would inform them to err on the side of caution and give him some juice, then contact us and wait (keeping an eye on him) until we arrive to test and treat further if necessary. They wouldn't need to handle needles or anything like that. We would do everything in our power to ensure he DIDN'T go low - but sometimes no matter what you do it will happen, and so his caretakers need to be educated and prepared.

 

I guess I'm just wondering if it's even a possibility that he can join, or if there's no way, or if it's dependent on the staff at the time. We are unable to travel without him, as no one we know has the knowledge or skills to take care of him 24/7 - that would mean calculating insulin dosages and other advanced stuff. We need a break sometimes, and would love for him to get a break, too - I'm really hoping there's some way he can be a part of the AO program.

 

I will call RCCL, too - but in the meantime, I just wonder if anyone has any input? Thanks in advance! :)

 

I really don't think so you would have to come up if your chid needs anything.Since they aren't allowed to give them any meds.

[cruisePRN]

I'd be afraid that your son may not get noticed if he has any sign of low blood sugar. When you're taking care of a bunch of kids it's easy to loose track of any one child. I'm sory you and your son have to battle such a disease so early in life and you sound like a very consciencious mom. Have a great time whatever happens with the AO club

[jewelhound]

Hi. Our son who will turn ten this summer is also a Type 1 Diabetic. This will be our first cruise since he was diagnosed last year. He loves the Adventure Ocean program.

 

We had a situation this year where I was not allowed to be near him for a school function. It was a school trivia bowl and lasted a couple of hours. I asked my doctor and he said to give him more carbs and a little less insulin. I was outside in the hall of the function though. This worked for us and he was fine for the few hours it lasted. I would definetly ask your doctor about this though just to make sure it is ok. Our son has an insulin pump so he was still getting insulin throughout the trivia challenge.

 

I plan to bring a juice and snack for him and ask the adventure ocean staff to put it aside for him so the other kids don't get at it. A juice really helps his sugar most of the time anyway and he may not need a snack.

 

We intend to check on him all the time and most of the time he will be with us anyway. I read on another post that you could rent ship phones and communicate well with others. I don't remember what post that was but I want to look into that when we get on the ship.

 

Hope you have a great trip.

 

Milissa

Enchantment of the Seas 12/2002

Adventure of the Seas 12/2003

Navigator of the Seas 11/25/2006

[cmjaffe]

Not sure if your flying or driving to pier... I'd suggest bringing the small juice boxes so you can label them and always have some "handy" should the need arise. Also you didn't mention what ship you're sailing on and what time of the year. That would make a huge difference since the sheer numbers of kids vary from one sailing to next (and during summer is higher). Also is your son aware of his situation (I know it kind of sounds like a stupid question since he's 3).. by that I mean can he tell someone if it's not "feeling quite right" or does things come on quickly.

You're the only one who knows what's best for your son. Luckily they have pagers and depending on what ship you're on you shouldn't be too far away from the room. The young group doesn't really go anywhere outside of the main room. Usually they don't serve anything except in the evening they sometimes serve a small snack.

Good luck.

Carolyn

[akela]

My son also is a T1 diabetic. This should be doable for you with some planning and a little more work than most parents have to put into it. Kind of like everything else you son does or will do, right. Talk to your son's Dr and ask what he/she thinks. Does your son go to daycare or preschool or other places similar to what he would be facing on the ship? I think his blood sugars would react similarily. For my son we would decrease his long acting insulin in the morning and send him with a backpack with juice boxes and a snack. You can't count on the staff to know how or when to treat him. So plan on checking on him every hour or so for the first few days until you see how he reacts. Take him out of the room or area for a minute, check his bs level and give him whatever snacks, etc he might need and then return him to the group. You can treat if there are any lows and feel comfortable that he's getting the attention he needs. If all goes well, I'm sure you can back off and only check every couple of hours after you determine how his sugars are doing in the new situation. Again, though, you should talk to your son's dr and plan a strategy with his/her input. I've always gone forward with the belief that my son can do anything any other boy can do - it just may take more planning and work. I know it will be a little nerve wracking but I really think your son will have a blast and you will all have a great time!