November is National Diabetes Month, so this month, let’s talk about diabetes and how it affects children. Despite being one of the most common chronic conditions observed in children, diabetes is widely misunderstood by most people. This leaves a lot of diabetics – especially those diagnosed in childhood – feeling unseen and unsupported.
This month, we want to do what we can to change that! In this blog, we want to raise awareness about diabetes and offer tips for management. For those of us with friends and family with diabetes, we also want to provide ways you can support your loved ones as they adjust to a completely new lifestyle.
What is Diabetes?
Terms to Know
Diabetes is a complicated condition with many different terms used to describe its causes, symptoms, and treatment. If you want to properly support Before anything else, let’s define some of those terms to alleviate any confusion.
Diabetes: A condition in which the body is unable to use insulin to break down glucose in the body, resulting in high blood sugar levels.
Insulin: A hormone produced by the pancreas which helps your body break down sugar (glucose) in the blood to be used by the body as energy.
Blood glucose/sugar level: How much sugar is in a person’s blood at a given time (measured in mg/dL).
Hyperglycemia: High blood sugar
Hypoglycemia: Low blood sugar
Type 1 vs Type 2
There are two main types of diabetes – type 1 and type 2. Despite having similar symptoms and effects, they differ greatly in their cause and in their treatment.
For type 2 diabetics, this is caused by insulin resistance, which refers to the body’s ability to use the insulin it produces to break down carbs. This is why type 2 diabetes can sometimes be managed with lifestyle changes – the body still produces insulin, it just isn’t able to use it.
Type 1 diabetes, on the other hand, occurs when cells within a person’s body begin attacking the pancreas, leaving it unable to produce insulin. This means that type 1 diabetics are completely dependent on insulin from external sources, such as through injections or an insulin pump.
In this blog, we will primarily focus on type 1 diabetes, as this is more commonly found in children.
Symptoms of Diabetes
Undiagnosed diabetes can very quickly turn into a health emergency for a child. To avoid dangerous scenarios, it is important to know the symptoms of diabetes so that you can get treatment as soon as possible if you believe your child might be diabetic. Some of the symptoms include:
Changes in mood
Frequent urination
Extreme thirst
Extreme hunger
Extreme fatigue
Blurry vision
Bruising more easily, taking more time to heal minor cuts/scrapes
Sudden or extreme weight loss
If you’re concerned your child might have type 1 diabetes, make an appointment with your pediatric provider as soon as you can. Your provider will be able to check your child’s blood sugar, which would serve as a strong indicator of whether your child has diabetes. From there, your provider will provide further instructions for diagnosis.
Tips for Management and Everyday Life
When your child is diagnosed, you might feel like your world is being completely flipped upside down. Don’t panic – while diabetes management can be frustrating, you are also more than capable of helping your child lead a healthy and full life with type 1 diabetes. We hope these tips help you as you adjust!
1. Stay on top of medications and treatment
Once your child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, you will need to begin monitoring your child’s blood glucose levels and administering insulin accordingly. Talk to your pediatrician about basic care tips. Then, work on finding an endocrinologist for your child to have access to more specific care information.
Additionally, pay attention to trends in your child’s blood glucose levels, and be willing to make appropriate adjustments. Insulin resistance refers to how well the body absorbs and uses insulin to break down glucose. A lot of factors can affect a person’s insulin resistance, whcih is why every diabetic’s treatment plan looks different. Some of these factors include activity levels, weight, age, hormonal changes, and stress.
2. Teach your child about their diabetes
Education is one of the most valuable facets of properly managing diabetes! As you begin to learn about type 1 diabetes, work to involve your child in the process. Depending on their age, you might be in charge of their diabetes management for now. However, as they get older, they will need to become more and more responsible for their own care.
Teaching your child as much as you can about their diabetes will allow them to have more agency when they begin to handle their own care. Additionally, they will take their diabetes management more seriously if they understand why they manage it the way they do.
3. Utilize new technologies
Within the last decade or so, diabetes care has improved significantly. Talk to your care team about your options when it comes to technologies to aid in treatment.
For example, in decades past, diabetics have had to check their blood glucose levels with a monitor, test strips, and a finger prick. Today, though, many diabetics have access to a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), which rechecks a person’s blood sugar every five minutes around the block. This technology helps diabetics watch for trends in their blood sugars and make adjustments before blood sugar levels are too low or high.
4. Build a strong support system
Managing diabetes can feel isolating, especially at the onset of diagnosis. Surround yourself with people who can help you manage the exhaustion and emotional weight of adjusting to
Friends and family: Talk to friends and family about your child’s diabetes, and let them know how you’d like to be supported as you adjust to a new lifestyle. If necessary, set boundaries about what you are and aren’t willing to discuss with them about your child’s condition and diabetes management.
Teachers/school staff: Inform your child’s teachers, school administration, and nurses about their new diagnoses. Let them know the symptoms of high and low blood glucose levels so that if your child begins to act unusual due to high or low blood sugar, they can intervene properly.
Care team: Your pediatric provider will be able to offer insight for how to generally care for your child’s diabetes. However, an endocrinologist will be more equipped to offer specific advice on insulin doses, monitoring strategies, and how to make dose adjustments for your child.
Other diabetics: There are various support groups, camps, and communities around the nation made up of other type 1 diabetics. Meeting other diabetics can make your child feel less alone. Find these opportunities for your children and encourage them to participate!
5. Practice and teach moderation
Just like any other part of life, managing diabetes can become a lot less burdensome when you practice moderation! A common misconception about type 1 diabetic is that they cannot eat carbs or sugar. In reality, diabetics can eat however they please, as long as they do the proper dose of insulin beforehand. In fact, for low blood sugars, carbs and sugar are a necessary part of treatment!
While healthy eating and exercise generally help keep blood sugar levels more stable, sometimes, you just need to enjoy some ice cream! Just like any other child, it’s perfectly normal to allow your child to occasionally indulge in foods they love. Just make sure you do the correct dose of insulin, and help them understand how those foods can affect their blood sugar levels.
Offering Support to Diabetic Families
For the families of children with type 1 diabetes, a little bit of encouragement, support, and empathy can go a long way. Especially when a child is first diagnosed, much of the care and education falls on the shoulders of that child’s caregivers.
One of the most impactful ways to help is by learning about diabetes. Diabetes is a highly misunderstood condition – not only do people constantly mistake type 1 and type 2, but people often don’t understand the mental toil of diabetes management. Understanding the condition and the daily challenges it brings takes the burden of education off the shoulders of your loved ones and their caregivers, and it also shows them that you care about them.
Offering emotional support is equally important; simply being there to listen and provide reassurance can ease the emotional burden of managing a chronic condition. If someone you love has diabetes or helps care for a child with diabetes, take a moment every once in a while to ask how they are doing. Creating a judgment-free environment for your diabetic loved ones and their support team can help everyone avoid burnout with their treatment.
Here are some other specific ways you can offer support to the diabetics in your life:
Do not offer unsolicited advice about their diabetes care and management to a diabetic child’s caregivers or parents. Diabetes can be a complicated condition to manage, and while you might have good intentions, they most likely get health advice from their medical care team.
Carry around sugary snacks in the case of low blood glucose levels
Create time in your schedule for management. Your friend or family member might need to pause conversations or activities to deliver insulin, check blood glucose levels, or treat a low blood sugar with rest and carbohydrates. Be patient with these moments, and give your loved ones however much time or space they need to take care of themselves
Listen! When a diabetic loved one needs to talk about their struggles with their condition, listen without judgment and with empathy.
Diabetes Awareness: This Month and Every Month
Whether you’re a parent adjusting to your child’s diagnosis, a teacher learning how to support students in the classroom, or a friend or family member striving to provide empathy and encouragement, your role is important in making sure people with diabetes feel seen and supported.
National Diabetes Month is a reminder that awareness can lead to action. By educating ourselves, dispelling myths, and creating supportive environments, we help empower children with Type 1 Diabetes to thrive. Let this month serve as a call to action to advocate for better resources, celebrate advancements in care, and, most importantly, show our unwavering support for those living with T1D and their families.
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