straight BD Getting Started For Kids with Type 1 Diabetes

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1 straight BD Getting Started For Kids with Type 1 Diabetes

2 Jennifer s Story HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL Jennifer, we missed you! Hope that you get back to us fast. Your brother told me that you were just diagnosed with diabetes. I ll bet that you didn t know that I was diagnosed with diabetes when I Jennifer loved to swim. She sat with her parents at the swim was just your age, and that was 28 years ago! I ve meet as they watched her brother Brian compete. Jennifer done well with diabetes, and you can, too. I learned had just come home from the hospital where she found out to take care of my diabetes. she had diabetes. She had stayed there a few days and Jennifer didn t know what to say. She was really surprised. She with her family, learned how to manage her diabetes. thought Coach Blake was one of the healthiest, nicest, and most athletic Jennifer wasn t happy sitting because she really wanted people she had ever met. She smiled at him, as she began to realize that to swim, but she just wasn t ready. She still felt a diabetes hadn t stopped him from doing what he wanted. little weak. Since Brian had been so great to her while she had been sick, the whole family decided He said, Jennifer, having diabetes can sometimes be hard, but you will be to go watch him swim. fine! You and your parents will learn to take care of your diabetes, and you will need to do some extra things that the other kids don t have to do, such Some of the kids on the swim team came over to her, as checking your blood sugar often. But, you can swim, do sports and asked how she was doing, and said they missed her. athletics, and anything else you want with your life. You will learn to take Jennifer felt sad that she couldn t swim with them today care of yourself. You can come talk to me about it, and I will help you. and wondered if she d ever be a good swimmer again. She Just know that it is going to be OKAY! He turned and walked back to slouched down on the bleachers. She was afraid that bad some of the other kids that were still dripping wet from the last laps. things might happen to her now that she had diabetes. Wow, she thought, He really IS inspirational. Suddenly, Jennifer With the help of her parents, she had learned to give herself insulin. She felt brighter, lighter, and happier! Looking at Coach Blake helped her thought that was pretty good since she was only 10 years old! Her whole understand that she family had learned all kinds of things about diabetes. They learned what it would be able to was and how to treat it. She was given a special meter and learned to check take care of herself her blood sugar. She felt proud that she knew how to take care of herself. and live a healthy After the meet, she saw Brian talking to Coach Blake, and they headed her lifestyle. way. Megan thought Coach Blake was really cool. He was in great shape, muscular, handsome, and the best freestyle swimmer she had ever seen. She had heard that he had qualified for the Olympics years ago. He had taught her to pull the water in a way that sent her flying down the lap lane. She thought he was a great coach. He didn t yell at them much, but was, as Brian said, inspirational! As they approached, Brian smiled and Coach said hello to her and shook her hand. 1 2

3 Your Story TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF Questions About Diabetes If you are reading this, you (or someone you know) most likely have just been told that you have diabetes. The first thing you should know is that you can live a long, healthy life, and do everything you want to do with your life even if you have diabetes. You just need to take care of your diabetes. If you don t, diabetes can hurt you on the inside, where you can t see. If you have diabetes you have an illness that will not go away (at least, not until scientists come up with a cure). However, the good news is that if you do what you need to do to take care of yourself, you can live a long, healthy life. This booklet will help you and your family learn about diabetes so you can live your life to the fullest. When you first find out that you have diabetes, it is normal to feel sad or confused and have a lot of questions. It is important to find the answers and to learn as much as you can, so that you can take good care of yourself. Some of the questions you might ask are: Why did this happen to me? What is going on in my body? Can you die from diabetes? So now what do I do? Can I do all my sports and activities? Does this mean that I can t eat candy anymore? Answers That Will Help You Let s take these important questions one at a time to help you understand the answers. Why did this happen to me? Researchers don t know exactly why people get diabetes. Diabetes runs more often in some families than others. When a part of your body called the pancreas stops making insulin, this is called type 1 diabetes. There is nothing you or anyone could do to keep this kind of diabetes from happening. It is not because you ate the wrong foods or didn t eat healthfully. 3 4

4 Kids who are overweight can get another kind of diabetes, called type 2 diabetes. This kind happens because insulin sometimes doesn t work well in the bodies of overweight people. Keeping a healthy body weight and exercising can often prevent type 2 diabetes. This booklet is for children with type 1 diabetes. What is going on in my body? When you eat, the foods and drinks turn into sugar in your stomach. The sugar travels into your blood and feeds your body to give it energy. Insulin helps your cells (the smallest living parts of your body) use the sugar for energy. When you have type 1 diabetes, your body doesn t make insulin. This means your cells can t get any sugar and don t have enough energy. When there is no insulin, sugar can t be used to feed cells, and it stacks up in your blood. This is called high blood sugar and makes you: Go to the bathroom a lot Feel thirsty Lose weight Feel tired These symptoms will go away once your diabetes is treated with insulin and your blood sugar goes down, closer to a normal level. Can I die from diabetes? Diabetes is serious. Before 1920 (the year insulin was discovered), people died from diabetes because there was no treatment that could save them. Things are a lot different today. When you take good care of yourself by taking insulin, testing your blood sugar, eating foods that are healthy for you and getting plenty of exercise, you can live a long and healthy life with diabetes. Your target range When you don t have enough insulin in your body, or you eat too much food, your blood sugar can become high. Having high blood sugar can damage parts of your body. Therefore, it is important to keep blood sugar levels in your target range. Your doctor or nurse will give you a range of numbers called your target range such as mg/dl. This target range is different for everyone. It is the best level for your blood sugar to be most of the time. If your blood sugar values are outside of the target range too much, you could be hurting your body. You may not be able to see or feel the damage that happens when blood sugar levels run high. The damage occurs slowly, over many years on the inside of your body. This is why it is important to try to keep your blood sugar inside your target so that you can stay healthy even when you get older. When damage is done from high blood sugar levels it happens in places that cannot be seen. You look okay on the outside but damage is being done on the inside that can never be fixed. 5 6

5 Sometimes it is hard to do the things you should to stay in control of blood sugar. It may take a lot of practice to be good at your diabetes care. You don t have to be perfect at it, but you do need to keep trying to do the best you can to keep blood sugar levels as close to your target as possible. Your friends and family can help you. It s OK to ask for help or accept it when they offer. So, now what do I do? 1. Learn how to keep a three-way balance between your insulin, food and exercise. 2. Meet with a dietitian to help get you off to a good start. A dietitian is a person who knows about the kind of foods that your body needs in order to grow. She has special training in teaching people to make healthy food choices. She will show you and your parents how to plan meals and snacks so that you will have the right amount of calories, vitamins and minerals. You will learn how to choose foods that you like and are healthy for you. You will also learn how to count the amount of sugar called carbohydrates, or carbs in the foods that you eat. Insulin Here is how it works. Your insulin, food and exercise have to balance to keep your blood sugar in your target range. You and your parents will learn to match your insulin and exercise to your food. When you exercise a lot, you will need either less insulin or more food. Nurses and dietitians, called Diabetes Educators, will teach you and your family what you will need to do. At first it may seem hard, but after a while it will be very clear to you. FOOD (carbs) Exercise 3. Learn to check your blood sugar before meals and bedtime. A nurse educator will teach you and your family to do this with a meter and a very tiny drop of your blood. Sometimes you will need to check your blood between meals or during the night. Your doctor or educator will give you a target blood sugar range. You and your parents will try to keep your blood sugar numbers within the target range by healthful eating, and learning to adjust insulin for food, exercise and high blood sugar numbers. Checking your blood sugar will help you, your parents and your doctor manage your diabetes. Remember that your blood sugar results are only numbers. You should not think of them as bad or good. They are either in target, too high or too low. When your numbers are too high or too low, you need to try and figure out what has gone out of balance. 7 8

6 4. Learn to take insulin with a syringe, a pen, or a pump. Your diabetes educator can teach you how. A syringe is a plastic tube with a tiny needle - it has lines on it so it can be filled with the exact amount of insulin that you need. You draw up insulin in the syringe from a bottle and throw the syringe into a safety container, called a Sharps container, after it is used. A Pen looks like a pen that you write with, but has insulin inside - it has a tiny disposable needle on the end. You set the dial for how much insulin you need and change the needle every time you use it. It is easy to carry in a pocket, purse or backpack. A pump is an electronic device, about the size of a pager - you wear the pump on a belt, or in a pocket. When you have a pump, you have a tiny, soft tube, called a catheter, in the fat tissue under the skin of your stomach, hip, or leg that is taped in place. You get insulin from the pump through a small tube that connects the catheter to the pump. It delivers insulin all the time. You can give extra insulin by pressing the buttons on the pump. Although nobody likes the idea of sticking a needle into your skin, the needles are so tiny and smooth that they do not hurt very much. 5. Learn what low blood sugar is and how to treat it from your diabetes educators. Low blood sugar happens if you don t eat enough, take too much insulin, or do extra exercise or activity. You may start to feel shaky, sweaty, grouchy, dizzy, hungry, and might look pale. Your body is telling you that your blood sugar is out of your target range and that you need to eat or drink some sugar. Treat low blood sugar with glucose tablets, juice, or a form of sugar, such as sugared soda. You should always carry glucose tablets with you in case of emergency. 6. See your doctor every three months so he or she can check on your progress and make sure that you are growing as you should. This is an important part of your diabetes care and should be done on schedule. Can I still do all my sports and activities? Yes! Children and teens with diabetes should do all normal activities. Even though you have diabetes you can play football, soccer, swim, bike, dance, do gymnastics, theater, and just about any other activity you can imagine. It is healthy to do a sport or physical exercise! Fitness is good for everyone, and is especially good for people with diabetes. There is very little that you cannot do when you have diabetes as long as you take time to take care of it as you go. You may need to do extra blood testing, or eat extra snacks when you are active. 9 10

7 Does this mean that I can t eat candy anymore? Your parents and your dentist probably tell you that candy isn t good for your teeth. It doesn t have vitamins in it either, so it isn t good for anyone to eat too many sweets. When you have diabetes, it is important to try to figure out when you can have something sweet to eat and not make your blood sugar too high. A smart time to eat a sweet food might be before you exercise, or when blood sugar is on the low side of your target range. There are ways of being able to eat candy or dessert in your meal plan. You may need to take extra insulin to balance it. Your diabetes educator can talk to you and your parents about how to do it occasionally. It is good for everyone to limit how many sweets they eat, but if you choose to eat something sweet such as candy, plan it, and learn to balance it with extra insulin. Living WITH DIABETES After you learn how to take good care of your diabetes, you can make smart choices every day. Friends and family can help It is not easy having diabetes. There will be times that you will feel angry, sad, or frustrated. You will need friends or family to help you along the way. You may have to teach them about diabetes so they know how to help you! You may find that you can also help them in other ways. Helpful hints One great way to learn about diabetes and meet other kids is to go to diabetes camp. Here you will have fun safely, and take care of your diabetes too! Ask your parents, doctor or nurse where to find a camp in your area. Your diabetes educator may tell you about an Internet site that you can check to chat with other kids with diabetes, or find an buddy

8 On the BRIGHT SIDE Although having diabetes is hard, kids who have diabetes have found some good things have happened because of their diabetes. Some have said it has helped them: Eat more healthy foods; Have more discipline in sports or school work; Have more understanding for others; Have an appreciation of their health; And helped their families be healthier. Schedule for Checking Blood Glucose and Medication: Breakfast Blood Test o Before Breakfast o After Breakfast o 1 hour o 2 hour Medication/Insulin Name Dose Time Lunch Blood Test o Before Lunch o After Lunch o 1 hour o 2 hour Medication/Insulin Name Dose Time Take care of your diabetes and yourself! Doctor: Phone # 24 hour emergency phone # Dinner Blood Test o Before Dinner o After Dinner o 1 hour o 2 hour Medication/Insulin Name Dose Time FAX Blood Glucose Records to: Nurse Educator Phone # Registered Dietician Phone # Bedtime Blood Test o Bedtime o 3 AM Medication/Insulin Name Dose Time School Nurse Phone # Resources in Community 13 14

9 Written by: Jean E. Betschart Roemer, CPNP, MSN, MN, CDE Pittsburgh, PA We wish to acknowledge the following health professionals for reviewing this publication and providing their valuable insights: Jodi Moore, RN, BSN, CDE New Brunswick, NJ Susi Johnson, RN, CDE Houston, Texas Jennifer Lavoie, RN, BSN, L LT San Diego, CA BD provides this brochure for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this brochure. BD 1 Becton Drive Franklin Lakes, NJ BDCARES ( ) BD and BD Logo are trademarks of Becton, Dickinson and Company BD SABKE