Normally you need to speak to your child's Paediatrician to connect you with the specialist at the Kinderspital. In your case I would ask your hospital specialist (endocrinologist) in Ireland - if they can telephone the endocrinology department at the kinderspital in Zurich - the number is here:
http://www.kispi.uzh.ch/Kinderspital...tunden_en.html
The clinic is open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday (so that's when you are most likely to get someone on the phone). The phone number is on the link. You could also ask your hospital to email the sekretariat of the diabetes department to ask how to set up the appointment: from the link click 'Team' then go down the list till you see 'Sekretariat' and it gives the name and email address.
Can you get a letter from your specialist in Ireland outlining your son's diagnosis and current regime (meds, food, timing, complications etc) ? That will really help - they might even be able to transfer the file electronically to the doctor - or give it to you to bring along.
Please don't be surprised if you immediately change regime when you go to the kids hospital -Professor Schoenle is considered to be the 'top' endocrinologist in the world, and he heads the team in Zurich - he runs the clinical trials on the new insulins, so he certainly knows exactly how they interact and I can say that our son was struggling a bit when we arrived in Switzerland, but within a few days of following Dr Schoenle's advice he was 100% healthy!
Also, for travel, make sure you carry twice as much of everything that you need, in two separate bags, and the specialist should also issue you with a 'doctor's letter' stating that your son has type 1 diabetes, the stuff you need to carry - our letter specifically states that these things *must* be in hand-luggage, and *must not* be put into the fridge of the plane (some people will think you need to have it refrigerated).
For the plane trip, they will strip you of liquids and any liquid foods (it's not considered 'baby' food' for a 4 year old - and it's hard to get your hands on milk (milk is good for slow sugar, fruit juice or soft drinks will send the blood sugars high) - so take sugar sources that are non-liquid, or ask for potato crisps and orange juice if you need a snack, and try also for a glass of milk - sometimes they can give you on on the plane (explain that it's considered 'medicine' for a diabetic)...
At least it's only a short flight - we flew 23 hours from Sydney, Australia!
Hope it runs smoothly.
I am *very* willing to meet up with you in/around Zurich. My son was diagnosed at age 6. My husbands half-sister at 4, my nephew at 14, and an aunt and cousin at 30, all type 1 diabetes...my son also has coeliac disease (so eats a gluten-free diet) and vitiligo (depigmentation of the skin).
Hope it runs smoothly. If you have any hurdles getting an appointment at the Kispi (kids hospital) - let me know and I can phone them no problem.
Our Paediatrician didn't even want to see my son with diabetes, he just checked it wasn't an emergency and then made the referral and we got a letter from the kids hospital within 2 days with an appointment time and the name of the doctor....
There's a saying in the diabetes world "welcome to the club that we all wish we didn't belong to"....
"Thinking of You"
Please feel free to message me through the forum if you have any other questions...
Swisspea.
*Thinking of you*
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