What Kind Of Problems Do Families Face With Diabetes Kids?
Posted in Definition on 02. Feb, 2010
need for essay,
what problems do they face?
if they have a child in their family that are diagnosed with diabetes & what will be the effect on the child?
There’s nothing Gina can’t do, it’s just so much more involved. Like being on a sports team. Or being at a friend’s house. We have to bring a bag every where we go, including fast sugary snacks, protein snacks, “free” (carb free) food, her glucagon, and her BS kit. The longer we’re going to be out (or the farther we are) the more stuff we have to pack.
When she’s sick, that’s probably the hardest part about diabetes. I no longer take a cold for granted; I set the bar a lot lower and now all I do is just try to keep her out of the hospital. The day to day stuff like BS checks, counting carbs, etc, used to be a big deal, but it’s just become a part of our lives.
Gina knows she didn’t always have diabetes, but she doesn’t remember life before it. It’s just part of who she is.
I was diagnosed at 8 years old. I’m 22 now. But as a child it was a shock for my parents to go from normal everyday life to giving insulin shots a few times a day and watching what i eat more so than with a “normal” child. I had two brothers so even though they weren’t diabetic their diet changed also because we no longer kept sugary foods in the house or sugary sodas. All we bought was Diet drinks, and to this day my younger brothers drink diet coke, they are just accustomed to it now. My brothers also learned what I needed with a bad low blood sugar…they learned how to take care of me if I ever needed their help…and both of my brothers are paramedics now and are EXPERTS with dealing with the diabetic patients. My parents had good insurance when I was diagnosed but then the insurance changed so they had to start paying more for my meds and doctor visits, but I never missed a shot, meal or doctor visit. I was in the best health because I had such a supportive family. I believe a supportive/caring family is key!
i was diagnosed at 6. my family was fully prepared for me to die. one day everything is fine, i’m just being a kid and playing tee ball. next day i’m rushed to the hospital and my family has to learn practically a whole new language.
we did have decent insurance until i was in eleventh grade, when my dad lost his job. i had to go on chip until he got a new one.
i have a great relationship with both my parents. i think most of the fights i have had with them were over diabetes.
they also thought i would never have a normal life and be able to do things like other kids, but i went to summer camp, i learned to drive, i was in marching band in high school, and now i’m at college.
i guess it started out as a pretty hopeless feeling for them, but now they see it as empowering because they have lived through it.
any more specific questions, feel free to send a message
It tons of problems, not to mention the money they spend. When my daughter was diagnosed, they had to put her in the hospital for 4 days and we thought she was going to die. As we didn’t know much about Diabetes. My daughter was scared but really didn’t know what was going to happen. The effect is …….well they are scared.Most people think overweight,when you say Diabetes but really type 1 is not like that. My daughter was made fun of…By her teachers! They never believed her when she told them she was low, but they let her go anyway. She really was low(A lot) and she told me how almost everyday they would be mean to her and she would go in the Bathroom and cry. It continued for 2 more years and finally came Depression! We pulled her out of School and she went to Counseling. She went back for High School and is doing well. She is no longer Depressed and has lots of Friends!(Even a boyfriend)
My conclusion is that nothing good comes out of Type 1 Diabetes,But we can’t help it.
It really depends which type they are. One type of diabetes is where you can control it by your diet, the other type you have to control by insulin.
The main problems the sufferer and their families face, is when they have a hypo (sugars too low) or a Hyper (sugars too high.) When they are in a hypo, their moods differ, from mardy to happy to aggreive, etc. They also lose their balance and co-ordination (my firend is diabetic, and when she had an hypo, i tried to give her some chocolate to get her sugars up, and she spat on me!)
When they are having a hyper, they tend to go sleepy and can also have mood swings but not as bad as when in a hypo.
If you have insulin to control your diabetes, they when having a hyper, they should inject insulin.
the other problems that could occur is not having enough of the stuff they need, as they can run out quicky. things like:
- BM strips
- Tablets to help put sugar up if has a hypo
- Needles for the insulin pen
- Inslin
My daughter was dx almost a year ago at age 5. She faces the same complications as anyone with diabetes; possibility of neuropathy, eye problems, kidney and heart problems, etc. We haven’t had any of those complications yet, thankfully.
She is able to do anything that a child without diabetes can do. We just need to make adjustments for it. She is on injections and takes at least 4 shots a day and checks her blood glucose levels at least 6 times a day. That is a LOT of poking and NOT fun for anyone, especially a child. She also has to deal with the highs and lows and their side effects..she is pretty good about knowing when she is low and I can usually tell if she is high by how she is acting.
In school, they face issues with learning if their glucose levels are not in optimal range during tests, classroom, etc. It can cause lack of focus and concentration. Having a good school health plan and communication with school nurse, teachers, etc. helps control this situation a little easier.
As far as siblings go, I have two other children. My oldest feels left out at times from the “attention” her sister gets. Not that it is “good” attention from being constantly monitored. My youngest is very empathetic and holds her hand when she gets her injections. Both of them look out for her and my oldest likes to help her count carbs.
The effect on the child is different in every situation. I know my daughter gets very emotional and angry at times about having diabetes. On the flip side, she is very aware of her body and how she is feeling. She knows how to check labels for carbohydrate information, what she can and can’t eat between meals (she has carb-free snacks and can list off about 15 off the top of her head!). She also knows how to do her own injections and set up the insulin pen to the correct doses. We monitor her, but she has some of the independence to do things herself. She can still play sports, hang out with friends and do anything she wants, including having kids someday…she just needs to monitor her glucose levels while doing it.
We all experience frustration at times, as this is a complicated disease, and it has it’s many ups and downs. We just try to keep a positive attitude and do the best we can..we will all make mistakes at some point, but learn from them and move on and focus on the positive instead of the negative. We had to adjust our lifestyle a bit to add in the new routines, but after a while it goes like clockwork and you don’t even remember NOT doing it.
Good luck on your essay. If you check out http://www.childrenwithdiabes.com you will also find a bunch of useful information, including info on kids who use an insulin pump. We are hoping to get on ours soon!