An E-book and
online resource for
parents of children with
Juvenile Diabetes
My Child Has Diabetes
Live a Normal Life
So Your Child Has Diabetes:
A Step By Step Plan For You and Your Child
(by Russell Turner)
Discuss Juvenile Diabetes on our Forum
So Your Child Has Diabetes
Table of Contents
Chapters:
- The Dreaded Diagnosis
- The Day They Turn You Loose
- Regiment, We're In The Army Now!
- "Daddy, Can I Sleep Over Grandma's?"
- School
- "Daddy, I Don't Want To Take Any More Shots"
- Real Low Blood Sugar Levels
- When Do I Take My Child to the Emergency Room?
- "I Feel Different from Everyone Else"
- Be Prepared for Emotional Times
- "An Apple or a Coma Those Are Your Choices"
- Your Other Children
- And Now A Word from Kari
- Let's Take A Vacation
- The Wrap Up
We are offering this ebook in two different formats for your convenience.
You may read it online here, or download it to your computer in a PDF format.
If you find this book helpful, please consider a donation. Fifty percent (50%) of your donation will go toward Diabetes Research and finding a cure. The rest will be used to help pay the costs associated with running this site and to continue to reach out to other parents who are just starting down this difficult path.
God bless you and your families.
Sincerely,
Russell Turner
Chapter Three: Regiment, We're In the Army Now!
If your child is diagnosed during the school year this will be a little easier on your family than summer vacation. The regime; Get used to it. The sooner you accept that certain things have to happen within a certain time frame, meals, finger sticks, injections, the sooner it all becomes part of your normal family life. Normal is what we're looking for here.
Your doctor gave you a little booklet that is a daily log for writing down meal times, test times, insulin amounts etc. This is a great tool if you use it properly. Ask if they have more. If they are able they will give you a couple. They only hold about one month's worth of information. They print them in a variety of formats. Find the one you like and stick with it, especially if your child is old enough to share the responsibility of keeping it accurate. Some parents opt for a notebook. It allows for a little more customization. Speaking of your child sharing responsibility, this is a great way of giving your child some feeling of control over their destiny. I suggest that in the front of your log you write down all of your dosages. It's just too handy this way. They are always on hand wherever you are. Also, write them in pencil. You will be changing them fairly often for a while and it will become unreadable very quickly if you use a pen. It's important to keep an accurate log.
When you go for your scheduled doctor appointments they will tell you to bring the meter so they can download the numbers. Bring the log with you as well. Invariably the dates or the times on the meter will get changed somehow and won't be accurate. This is where all that attention to detail you paid in keeping your log will pay off. Just hand it to them and they have a perfect record of dates and times. They use these numbers to calculate your child's A1C reading. The more accurate the numbers, the more accurate the calculation. It's also a good idea to check the log once a week. It's a great way to spot trends early. You may notice that your child is trending high or low at certain times of the day. Call your doctor with this information. This way any changes in dosage they may suggest will happen quickly before your child has a chance to really feel lousy. It's hard to live a normal life if you don't feel good all the time.
We were lucky, Kari was still in school when she was diagnosed. So bedtimes and mealtimes were about the same every day. Weekends start out a little tricky because a lot of times your children are allowed to stay up later. Ask your doctor about extra carbohydrate requirements when your child stays up past their normal bedtime. I found out about this well after the fact. It may make a difference so ask now. Also be aware that activity levels and temperature effect blood sugar levels. When your child is playing hard they burn more carbohydrates. You need to be on guard against low blood sugar levels. Also heat, summer time, a hot bath or shower also cause insulin to be absorbed faster than usual. Again, be on guard for low blood sugar levels. This may sound like a lot to grasp. I promise it will become second nature for you in no time.
Next
Chapter Four: "Daddy, Can I Sleep Over Grandma's?"
Legal StatementThe Book "So Your Child Has Diabetes" A Step by Step Plan for You and Your Child , is Copyright © 2004 by Russell A. Turner. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any other means: electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright holders. This book is supplied for information purposes only and, as experienced in this subject matter as the contributors are, the material herein does not constitute professional medical advice. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher and contributors are not engaged in rendering medical, psychological, or other professional advice. If medical or other professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The reader is advised to consult with an appropriately qualified medical professional before making any medical decision. The publisher and contributors do not accept any responsibility for any liabilities resulting from decisions made by the purchasers of this book.
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