Children With Diabetes In School
Many parents and carers are understandably concerned when their child starts or returns to school after being diagnosed with diabetes. However, schools are responsible for your child’s safety, and will ensure that teachers understand diabetes and any potential risks.
Parents must make sure that the school is given the information and resources they need to support your child’s management of diabetes during school hours.
Some important points about management of diabetes at school are:
- A school must be provided with both a diabetes action plan and management plan developed by your child’s diabetes educator. The plans must clearly outline the details of your child’s diabetes management during school hours.
- Meet with the school to discuss your childs diabetes care requirements and their diabetes action and management plan.
The plan should include management of:
- Glucose monitoring.
- Insulin administration.
- Emergency contact details.
If the child is going on school camp, they will require a separate diabetes camp management plan. Parents or carers should request this plan from their child’s treating team well ahead of time.
For younger children, consider using a ‘communication book’ to inform your child’s teacher of any important diabetes-related issues. The teacher can also use the book to report any diabetes-related concerns or occurrences. Email communication can be used for secondary students.
Encourage your child to tell their friends about diabetes.
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Diabetes Body Image And Eating Disorders
Body image concerns and eating disorders are a major issue for many adolescents. Having type 1 diabetes increases the risk of developing an eating disorder and parents should be aware of this.Some children feel pressured by their friends and the media to conform to a certain body stereotype and weight. This pressure can lead to dieting and dieting can lead to eating disorders , most commonly in girls, but also in boys.
Disordered eating can lead to glucose levels that are above target and unstable.Some teenagers will manipulate their insulin doses in an attempt to lose weight or avoid weight gain. This can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis , which is life threatening. Disordered eating, along with blood glucose levels that are not in the target range, can also increase the risk of long-term complications, such as damage to the eyes and kidneys. If you think your child has an eating disorder or is overly concerned about their body image and weight, talk to their diabetes treating team or dietitian about appropriate counselling and support.
An information resource about type 1 diabetes and eating disorders is available from the National Diabetes Services Scheme .
How 2 Type 1
Do you live with type 1 diabetes? Do you care for someone who does? Whether you’ve been recently diagnosed or living with the disease for years, How 2 Type 1 is for you. This video, developed in partnership with the Diabetes Leadership Foundation, aims to provide support, knowledge, expert advice, and actionable steps to help you and others in the type 1 diabetes community thrive!
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What Are The Side Effects Of Diabetes Treatment
The main side effect of diabetes treatment through insulin is low blood sugar . Low blood sugar can occur if you take too much insulin based on your food intake and/or activity level. Hypoglycemia is usually considered to be below 70 mg/dL .
Symptoms of low blood sugar can start quickly, with people experiencing them in different ways. The signs of hypoglycemia are unpleasant, but they provide good warnings that you should take action before your blood sugar drops more.
The symptoms of low blood sugar include:
- Shaking or trembling.
- Weakness.
Hypoglycemia can be dangerous and needs to be treated right away.
The American Diabetes Association recommends the 15-15 rule for an episode of low blood sugar, which involves:
- Eating or drinking 15 grams of carbohydrates to raise your blood sugar.
- After 15 minutes, check your blood sugar.
- If its still below 70 mg/dL, have another 15 grams of carbs.
- Repeat until your blood sugar is at least 70 mg/dL.
If you have symptoms of hypoglycemia but cant test your blood sugar, use the 15-15 rule until you feel better.
Children typically need fewer grams of carbs to treat lows. Check with their healthcare provider.
What Exactly Is Diabetes Distress
Diabetes Care.
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Int Diabetes Nurs.Curr Diab Rep.J Diabetes Complications.Diabet Med.Curr Diab Rep.Curr Diab Rep.
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Talking To Your Child About Diabetes
The way you talk to your child about diabetes will have a big impact on how they perceive their diabetes and themselves. Being positive and supportive will help boost your childs self-esteem.
When speaking to your child, try to:
- discuss how foods fit into a healthy lifestyle
- describe blood sugar levels as in target, high, or low
- talk to your child about other important things that are happening in their life such as school, sports and social events
- remember that diabetes is only one part of your childs life
Try not to describe food as bad or junk and avoid describing blood sugar levels as good or bad,.
Blake Cooper Md: Comments From Amelias Father
As a vitreoretinal surgeon, I spent my first decade of practice helping patients with advanced complications from diabetic eye disease. I understood the pathophysiology of how and why patients lost their vision. I was even was able to halt the progression or at times reverse to damage of diabetic eye disease. I have been fortunate to practice during a time when anti-VEGF agents and small gauge vitrectomy surgery were developed. This has dramatically improved the outcomes for my diabetic patients.
What I did not understand was what it was like for my patients to live with diabetes and how they got to the point of developing visual loss. I will never fully know this but over the last few years caring for my child with T1D, I am beginning to have a better understanding. I truly believe that this has made me a better physician. As such, I want to be able to fix my patients. As a parent I want to protect and fix the problems my child faces. With this in mind over the last four years, I have realized that fixing diabetes means trying to figure out a way to reduce the treatment burden and minimize the complications of hyperglycemia.
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School Sports And Growing Up With This Disease
As kids grow up, they slowly become more and more independent. This is a time when they are taking on responsibility for their own schedule, homework, and in the case of type 1 diabetes, their own health. This transition is rarely easy for parent or child, but we cant let the added challenges of type 1 diabetes hold a teen back.
Reducing Risk For Teenagers With Diabetes
Encourage your child to avoid alcohol or drink it only in moderation. If your child is going to drink alcohol, suggest that they:
- Be with someone who knows they have diabetes, and understands the signs of hypoglycaemia and how to treat it.
- Eat some carbohydrate food before drinking alcohol and every couple of hours while they are out, then before going to sleep.
- Alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
- Choose low-alcohol drinks in preference to those with low carbohydrates.
- Carry hypoglycaemia treatment and monitoring supplies at all times.
- Check blood glucose levels, especially before bed, and continue to monitor the next day to detect hypoglycaemia.
- Discuss risk reduction with their doctor or diabetes educator beforehand in regards to insulin adjustment, especially if they are likely to undertake a lot of physical activity, such as dancing.
- Wear some form of medical identification.
The National Diabetes Services Scheme booklet Alcohol and type 1 diabetes has more information about reducing risks when drinking alcohol for teenagers with type 1 diabetes.
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Dealing With Type 1 As A Teenager
Hey y’all! I’m going to keep this intro a little short! But here’s another blog post! Thank y’all so much for reading these and I hope you find these helpful!
Okay so if you’ve been keeping up with my posts then you probably read my first post about my story. So that brings me to talk abt a big part in my life– being a teenager and dealing with the daily battle of t1d. I’ve been through all the teen years, and I won’t lie and say it was all perfect rainbows 24/7. There were times where I was burnt out and wanted to quit, but obviously I can’t with this disease. I kept going and here I am now at 19 years old and am a pretty healthy young adult.
Here’s one thing I’m going to throw out there to all of the teens with t1d, you can still be a teenager and have fun! Don’t let this disease hold you back from doing what you want want to do! And parents with t1d teens, let your teens do that big thing they want to do. Whether it’s playing football, or joining a school club, let them try it out. I cheered for several years and was a part of some school clubs during my teen years and it was great! Parents, let your teens be teens and let them live their life to the fullest! Now teens, listen to your parents and endocrinologist because they know what’s best for you! But don’t let petty stuff get you down or stop you from living your life to the fullest!
Depression In Teens With Type 1 Diabetes
September 17, 2017 by Cheryl Harris-Taylor
There have been a number of news broadcasts about depression and young adults attending university and college, and the rise of suicide within this population. Some of these individuals may have also suffered from depression in high school. Additionally, some may be living with a chronic illness such as type 1 diabetes. Depression in teens with type 1 diabetes has been associated with poorer blood glucose control.
Studies have shown that the level of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes is nearly double that of the highest estimate of depression in youth in general.
Why would this be? This blog will outline some of the depressive symptoms, some of the reasons for the development of depression in teens living with type 1 diabetes, and reasons why this mood can result in poor diabetes management, as well as treatment suggestions for young people.
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Amelia Cooper: Living With Type 1 Diabetes
Thank you to the editors of Missouri Medicine for inviting me to write this article and share my experience as a teenager with type 1 diabetes. By writing about diabetes from a young patients perspective, I hope I can bring insight based on my experience with what works, what does not, and how to keep motivated.
Diabetes management is a daily burden. By using the most up-to-date medical devices as well as being proactive with diet and exercise, the disease is manageable. Burnout from this rigorous regimen is common and keeping engaged and upbeat is a big issue especially for teenagers.
On July 13, 2012, at age 12, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes . That summer was very hot in Missouri, but I was drinking even more water than my friends – several large glasses an hour. Without any family history of this chronic disease, the diagnosis was a complete shock to my family and me. While my friends worry about homework, social events, and the latest fashions, I have the added stress of blood-sugar control. Diabetes is unrelenting, yet manageable, and it has altered the shape and trajectory of my adolescence. With tremendous support of friends and family, and by utilizing state-of-the-art technology, I have been able to successfully navigate this stage of my diabetic management. I have also journeyed into scientific research and advocacy with a goal of the betterment of T1D care.
View testimony here:
Teenagers With Diabetes And Driving
People with diabetes can hold a driver’s licence or learner’s permit as long as their diabetes is well managed, and they undertake certain diabetes self-management tasks before and during each trip.
A medical report must be provided before a driver’s licence or learners permit can be issued and two-yearly thereafter. This report should come from the persons treating doctor or diabetes specialist.The main concern of the licensing authorities is the possibility of hypoglycaemia occurring while driving. More information is available from VicRoads and the Diabetes Victoria page Driving and diabetes.
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How Managing Blood Sugar Helps Now
Keeping your blood sugar levels on target can help you avoid serious health problems like heart disease and nerve damage down the road. But did you know avoiding ups and downs in blood sugar can help you feel better right away?
Steady blood sugar levels can help you have more energy, better sleep, an easier-to-manage appetite, better focus, and stable moods. If youre having trouble meeting your target, talk to your doctor or diabetes educator about making changes to your treatment plan so you can stay in range longer and feel better.
Your Diabetes Care Team
It takes a health care team to help you manage diabetes. And youre the most important member of the team because youre the one managing diabetes every day. And it really is a teama group of dedicated, focused health care experts to assist you in feeling good and living a long, healthy life.
Your team will include your primary care doctor, endocrinologist , foot doctor, eye doctor, dentist, pharmacist, nurse, dietitian, and diabetes educator. They specialize in helping you manage every aspect of diabetes, and youll schedule regular visits with them to ensure your treatment plan is on track. Ask your primary care doctor for referrals to these specialists to begin building your team.
If you have a young child or teen who is newly diagnosed, they will need help with everyday diabetes care especially at first, such as checking blood sugar, taking insulin, and adjusting levels if they use an insulin pump. Your childs health care team will give you detailed information about managing your childs diabetes, but here are some highlights:
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Tips For Teenagers To Live Well With Type 1 Diabetes
Adam Brown
At the Children with Diabetes Friends For Life Conference this month, I had the incredible opportunity to speak to ~100 teenagers with diabetes. My talk, 10 Tips for Living Well with Type 1, was a lot of fun to put together, and our team thought diaTribe readers might be interested in seeing it.
I agonized over how to present this so that it wouldnt come across as a lecture even my teenage self would not react well to some of the advice . I concluded that the best thing I could do was make this session a conversation, but ground it in lessons Ive learned over time. Thankfully, I also had the amazing FFL staff by my side to help guide the discussion.
The session reminded me of something that I intuitively know but often forget: each persons diabetes is completely different, and what works for me wont work for everyone. And equally important, what works for me may changeover time it certainly has since I was a teenager. Im sharing the slides below in case theyre useful, but my biggest hope is that it gets you thinking about your own diabetes. What motivates you? What drags you down? What can you do better today? Who can you reach out to for support? Let us what you think or .
Can Type 1 Diabetes Be Cured
Currently, there isnt a cure for type 1 diabetes. However, what we know about the condition is constantly evolving, new technologies and medicines are being developed, and researchers are making important breakthroughs. Right now, people of all ages are leading full, healthy lives with type 1 diabetes. You can too!
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Relationships: Parents And Friends
Forming friendships that are close and supportive is a critical part of young adult development. With the onset of adolescence, peer relationships can have powerful effects on a persons sense of identity, lifestyle and emotional well-being.
Read more about relationships or find out more about Peer support for diabetes in our fact sheet.
What Causes Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes develops when your immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys cells in your pancreas that make insulin. This destruction can happen over months or years, ultimately resulting in a total lack of insulin.
Although scientists dont yet know the exact cause of Type 1 diabetes, they believe theres a strong genetic component. The risk of developing the disease with no family history is approximately 0.4%. If your biological mother has Type 1 diabetes, your risk is 1% to 4%, and your risk is 3% to 8% if your biological father has it. If both of your biological parents have Type 1 diabetes, your risk of developing the condition is as high as 30%.
Scientists believe that certain factors, such as a virus or environmental toxins, can trigger your immune system to attack cells in your pancreas if you have a genetic predisposition for developing Type 1 diabetes.
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Taking Care Of Your Mental Health
Trackingblood glucoselevels, dosing insulins, planning your meals, and taking care of your physical needs are vital. Its a lot of work and it can be emotionally draining. It is normal to be bummed out or tired of managing diabetes. It is a sign of strength to ask for help.
Maintaining your mental and emotional health is necessary for good diabetes management. Feeling physically good is more than half the battlefeeling good about yourself allows you to take care of yourself.
Deal with natural emotions like stress, sadness, anger, and denial before they lead to depression.
- AngerDiabetes is the perfect breeding ground for anger.
- DenialDenial is that voice inside repeating: “Not me.” Most people go through this when first diagnosed.
- DepressionStudies show that people with diabetes have a greater risk of depression than people without diabetes.