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)
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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 Nine: "I Feel Different from Everyone Else"
The hospital that is treating my daughter has a wonderful program about four times a year. It's called Super Saturday. Pretty much any of their juvenile diabetes patients can sign up. It's a half-day of activities, games, socialization, and kids talking to kids about being diabetic. That morning my girls and I were all in the bathroom brushing our teeth. I off-handedly asked Kari if she was excited about attending her first event. She absolutely lit up. "Oh yes daddy" she says. "I'll be with a whole bunch of kids just like me". "I won't feel different from everyone else". I will admit that took me by surprise.
Somewhere during the preceding months things had settled down. We were no longer making what seemed like weekly insulin adjustments. We had reached a comfort level with the regime. And we didn't have to tell everyone everywhere we went that Kari was a diabetic. I had stopped only seeing a diabetic every time I looked at her and started seeing her as my precious little girl again. Well guess what? Just because I had stopped seeing one didn't mean she had stopped being one.
I had made the mistake of becoming a little complacent about the whole situation. Your child doesn't have that luxury. This little episode gave me a whole new perspective on what my daughter was going through. It will be amazing to watch when your child meets another with diabetes. There is an instant bond that says we're both in the same boat, we need to stick together. It's very important to allow your child to express their feelings both positive and negative. My first response to negative feelings is sympathy. "There there it's not that bad". Well that doesn't help. Diabetes is that bad. It's unfair, it's difficult, and it sets them apart. You need to acknowledge that. You also need to reassure your child and let them know that you will always be there to help.
So don't make the same mistake I did. Encourage your child to talk. Make it as easy as possible for them to let you know about their worries and feelings of being different Our diabetic children feel different because they are different. Insulin shots, blood glucose monitoring, and carbohydrate counting all becomes routine for us and we begin to move it away from the front of our minds. Our children don't have that luxury. We as parents may be comfortable with the thought of administering everything associated with diabetes but it's not us this is all happening to. It's actually happening to our kids. We need to maintain not only a healthy perspective for our own emotional balance, but we also can't forget to see diabetes through the eyes of our children. When you are young you don't want to stand out. You seek acceptance by being one of the crowd. This is especially true during puberty. Our diabetic child's perspective will be very different from ours. We must keep those critical lines of communication open.
If we make sure to be aware of our children's view of what has happened to their lives we can be there to reassure and help them through these difficult periods.
Next
Chapter Ten: Be Prepared for Emotional Times
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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