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Words of Wisdom
I think the very, very simple message is: You can do it. While it’s devastating and difficult to learn and there are a lot of emotions to deal with from parents feeling guilty and kids feeling angry, diabetes is something that we know an awful lot about in terms of treatment and management. Knowledge is power, and the more you know, the better it will be. There’s a lot of support in the community, at the hospital, and on the internet because this illness is so well known. The unfortunate thing is that we don’t have a cure just yet. We don’t have a magic pill that’s going to erase diabetes, but there is hope and the possibility of living a very normal life and having a full and healthy childhood and adult life is very, very attainable. -Jennifer Rein, LICSW, Licensed Social Worker, Diabetes Program The most important piece of advice I could give to parents is try to keep things as “normal” as possible. That is, it is important to help the child be the same child he/she was before diagnosis. For example, continue to encourage the child to spend time with friends and engage in age appropriate activities. Helping the child to minimize what is “different” between him/her and his/her peers is important. Moreover, rules and consequences should not be forgotten once a child is diagnosed with diabetes. In fact, allowing a child newly diagnosed with diabetes to break rules without receiving consequences sends a message to the child that he/she is fragile or different and this may in turn affect his/her self-image and self-esteem. Having diabetes should not become a pass for a child to get whatever he/she wants. -Lauren Mednick, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry These kids are kids first - and kids with diabetes second These kids are kids first—and kids with diabetes second. You can be moody because you are feeling moody that day, not because of blood sugar levels. It’s also very important to set limits and to move beyond the initial questions of “What could I have done differently?” and “What could I have prevented?” These are very tough questions and it is important for clinicians to help parents move beyond these questions. Be sensitive to where parents are. -Maryanne Quinn, MD, Physician, Diabetes Program Encourage your children to share their concerns Encourage children and adolescents to share their concerns related to their diabetes and the effects of treatment. If they will not share these concerns with you, finding a support group for children with diabetes or a website for children with diabetes will help them to feel less isolated and increase social support. Talking to a social worker or psychologist may also help children and adolescents diagnosed with diabetes learn to cope with the lifestyle changes needed to stay healthy. -Lauren Mednick, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Department of PsychiatryKeeping kids involved in their treatment Across all age groups, I would encourage parents to include children and adolescents in their treatment and age appropriate health-related discussions. Keeping children and adolescents involved in their care will help them to develop an age appropriate understanding of their illness and encourage age appropriate responsibility for their care. In addition, keeping children and adolescents involved in their treatment and medical discussions will allow them to feel as if they have some control in an area that often feels out of their control. -Lauren Mednick, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry I think that having honest, open communication is the best. This involves making sure that questions are asked or answered factually, directly and as honestly as possible. Also, to be open because I think that kids need to know what is going on in their bodies. Kids are smart. They also need to be empowered to recognize signs, “What does a high feel like?” “What does a low feel like?” Sometimes parents know just by looking at if they are high or low, but kids and parents are not together all of the time. Kids need to be empowered to know what highs and lows feel like so they can take care of themselves when they are at school, or out with friends. I also think it’s important to be honest about times when you don’t know the answer. To say, “I don’t know. Let’s write that one down and when we go to your next appointment we’ll ask.” Recently, I’ve gotten lots of questions about sports and sports drinks. I don’t know the answers to those, so let’s write them down. I’ll ask your nurse or your doctor. -Jennifer Rein, LICSW, Licensed Social Worker, Diabetes Program I think that not only the parents, but I think all of us as health care providers managing a child’s chronic disease, should be absolutely honest with children. Tell them everything that they are capable of understanding and that they need to know. So I think that that’s a dual responsibility, both the healthcare professionals as well as the parents. I don’t think that anything should be withheld. The child asks the question, one should find a way of answering it in a manner that is developmentally appropriate so that the child can understand. -Joseph Wolfsdorf, MD, BCh, Associate Chief, Division of Endocrinology A message for parents: Educate yourself Educate yourself. Learn as much as you possibly can, because the more you know the less anxious you’ll feel. You can get along. Kids can live long healthy lives with diabetes, with relatively few complications. I think the most important thing is not to be afraid to say “This is hard” or “I’m scared”. -Jennifer Rein, LICSW, Licensed Social Worker, Diabetes Program
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Copyright © 2009, Children's
Hospital Boston Department of Psychiatry. All Rights Reserved. The information on this website should not be taken as medical advice, which can only be given to you by your personal health care professional. Updated: June 8, 2009 |
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