The vital step after your child is diagnosed with juvenile diabetes is to develop a support
network in the community. Your childs school should be at the top of this as a resource
to tap into. Not only is it essential that the teachers at your childs school know about his
special dietary needs and what to do in an emergency they can provide help in other ways
too.
In addition to good control of blood glucose levels to ensure the current and future well-
being of your childs health, good control of diabetes is critical to learning. When a child
is experiencing highs or lows in the blood sugar reading this can create disruptions and
make it hard for them to concentrate and learn.
The teachers or other support personnel are going to need instruction for handling your
childs diabetes and what to do in case of an emergency. For a child with a low blood
sugar it is important that their blood glucose level is checked and that they have
something to eat. For a child with a high blood sugar, their blood glucose will need to be
checked too and a decision has to be made whether or not to give insulin. This is a big
responsibility to hand over to another adult and can be nerve-racking for parents.
An emergency kit should be with your child at all the time with instructions on what to
do to help if something is wrong. Included should be a snack, a food item or glucose
tablet that is fast acting (gets sugar into the system quickly), a list of emergency numbers
to call, and a glucose monitor. A teacher or school nurse should be designated as the
person responsible for your child while at school and they should have a back-up in case
they are not present for a day or more.
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In many children with juvenile diabetes a period occurs shortly after being diagnosed
they go through what is commonly called as the honeymoon period. This is a time when
your childs blood sugar levels will return to normal without the aid of additional insulin.
It is important to remember that this happens in a lot of children and does not mean that
the disease has gone away. The pancreas is still trying to do its job and is working
overtime to make insulin for your childs body. Following are some guidelines to follow
when this happens.
The length of the honeymoon period is not the same for everyone. In one child it can last
months while in another child it can feasibly last for over a year. It all depends on how
much insulin your childs pancreas can produce and how long it can keep up that rate of
production. It will be hard to figure out how much if any insulin your child needs during
this time when their blood sugar levels are normal. Constant monitoring of the blood
glucose levels is still required, because you will not know when the honeymoon period is
over otherwise.
Keep in close contact with your health care provider. He or she will help in determining
what the best plan is to follow during the honeymoon phase. Some may even want you to
give minute amounts of insulin daily in order to keep your child used to the injections and
your childs body accustomed to the additional insulin it will need.
It can be emotionally hard for your child during the honeymoon phase. Everything will
seem back to normal and they are going to want to resume their life like it was prior to
diagnosis. It is important to remain on the diabetic diet and continue monitoring during
this time.
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When younger children are diagnosed with juvenile diabetes is can be very hard on them.
They may not understand the severity of the disease and all of the restrictions that are
placed on them. It is going to take patience and time for them to get used to their new
lifestyle and the changes that go with it. Here are some tips to make the transition a little
easier.
Join a support group of other parents whose children have been diagnosed with juvenile
diabetes. There experience in dealing with situations that you are going through can help
to give you ideas and let you know that you are not alone on this journey. Not only can
this type of group benefit the parents, it is for the children too. It will be beneficial for
them to have friends that have diabetes too. As they grow older, these friendships can
last a lifetime based on the common link of juvenile diabetes.
In the beginning especially you may feel guilt because you are constantly saying no to
your child. It is for their own good that they cant have treats whenever they want but it
doesnt make it any easier. Steel yourself against the cries, begging, and whining that
may ensue and know that it will get easier as time goes on. Change is difficult for many
including kids.
As your child get older and has more experience under their belt, involve them in the
process of managing their diabetes. This will help them feel more in control of their
disease and as the same time prepare them for the time when they are going to be on their
own and have to take care of their own injections and blood glucose monitoring.
Each child is different and is going to handle the changes in their own way. Be their to
support and help your child in whatever way they need.
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