articles on medicine, health, and lifestyle
Juvenile diabetes is the onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus in children. Very much the same as the disease in adults, when a child has diabetes their bodies are unable to make enough insulin or they cannot make proper use of the insulin that is made. When a child has type 1 diabetes, daily insulin injections are necessary for the rest of their lives.
It’s never fun when a child gets sick with a cold or flu. They don’t feel good, sometimes get grumpy and need to be taken care of. This is true for a child with juvenile diabetes too, but there is the added concern of how their blood glucose levels will be affected by
the illness. This is just another hurdle to deal with once your child has been diagnosed with diabetes.
If you are giving your child an over-the-counter or prescription medicine be sure to read the labels and warning or talk to the pharmacist. Some medications will cause a child’s blood sugar to be elevated and this should be taken into account when planning insulin dosage and meal plans.
The type of diabetes the majority of children are diagnosed with is type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is associated with the disease when it is diagnosed in adults – also called adult-onset. There are cases of children being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and the numbers are growing.
A big contributor to the increase in these numbers is poor lifestyle and diet choices for our children. But this is not the only cause and may not be the cause at all for some. Just because a child is overweight or eats unhealthy does not mean he or she will get type 2 diabetes. Although, these lifestyle choices are factors that can increase the chances of it happening.
A child who is diagnosed with juvenile diabetes is going to need to follow a treatment plan for the rest of their life. But they will have a lot of support. And there have been many advances and improvements in the diabetic treatment industry in way of needles
and monitoring devices.
Knowing your child’s blood sugar level is crucial to good control of the disease. By using a monitor at home you will see if the diet and insulin that is being provided is sufficient. There are many brands of monitors available and the amount of blood required is a very small drop placed on a strip. The monitor will come with a lancet
device to draw the blood from a finger tip – it is relatively painless and takes very little time.
Planning on a family vacation? Don’t worry trips and other family outings do not have to be restricted because your child has been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. You can do it all still but there are some extra preparations and planning that will have to happen first.
If diabetes runs in your family, you may already be aware of the symptoms to look for to see if your child might have juvenile diabetes. If the disease is prevalent in your family, your doctor may run routine screening tests as a precautionary measure in the form of blood work. But this isn’t always the case. If your child exhibits any of the symptoms listed below you should schedule and appointment with your health care provider to have them looked into.
If your child is exhibiting these symptoms, they could be a sign that he or she has juvenile diabetes:
Although there is no known cause for juvenile diabetes there are risk factors that can contribute to the likeliness a child will be diagnosed with the disease. As some forms of type 1 diabetes are an autoimmune disease you can be at a higher risk if you have already been diagnosed with a different autoimmune disease. There are also some conditions surrounding a mother’s pregnancy and labor than could contribute to the diagnosis of juvenile diabetes.
If your child has been diagnosed with one of these autoimmune disease he or she is considered at a higher risk for diabetes in childhood:
Telling friends and family about your child being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes may bring about mixed emotions. You don’t want your child to be pitied, you don’t want them to be looked at differently, yet you do need people to understand that your child will need some special considerations sometimes.
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.
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 child’s 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 child’s body. Following are some guidelines to follow
when this happens.
Teenagers are young adults and are ready to take on new responsibilities. If your teenager has had juvenile diabetes for some time, this is the time to pass the reins of management over to them. It may seem a bit intimidating to you to let your child take
control of their diabetes but it is the best thing you can do for them. They are approaching a time in their life when they are going to be going out on their own. For both your sake and theirs, a comfort level needs to be reached in reading blood sugars, giving injections and planning appropriate meals.
A popular alternative, especially for teenagers, to daily insulin injections is to use an insulin pump. Although it is an alternative for everyone because of the high cost of the unit and having to wear it 24 hours per day for others it can help in successfully
managing juvenile diabetes.
An insulin pump is worn all the time and provides a steady stream of fast-acting insulin instead of a combination of fast-acting and long-lasting insulin that is typically combined in a syringe. If your child is has to have multiple needles in a day this is also an attractive alternative.
Hypoglycemia is when a child (or any other person) with diabetes is suffering from low blood sugars. This can be an extreme and dangerous situation and in the worse case scenarios can lead to a diabetic coma or even death. But with careful monitoring of
blood sugar levels this can be prevented.
An important lesson to teach young children with juvenile diabetes is to recognize the signs of when they have low blood sugar. For very young children this is going to be difficult when they don’t have the words or comprehension to explain what they are
feeling.
