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Treatments for Diabetes |
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Our daughter has had diabetes for a year and a half now and has been on an insulin pump for just over a year. We were all pleasantly surprised to learn that her diet would not be severely restricted (our ideas about diabetes were very outmoded). She is 13 now and is extremely responsible. She tests her blood sugar frequently and adjusts her insulin as necessary. Between the insulin pump and a PDA which contains a large database of carbohydrate information, she is able to be very independent and flexible in her food intake. -Mother Training friends on diabetes management We have another couple that we are close with who often watch our children for us. We have made sure that they understand the “rules” (about blood sugar monitoring and covering carbohydrates), explained what to look for in case of hypoglycemia, and trained them in the use of glucagon. -Mother He doesn't take the greatest care of things He doesn’t do anything himself. I do it all, but he loves the pump. He’s a nine year old with ADHD, so he doesn’t take the greatest care of things. So I’ve had to threaten him a few times. Like, if he’s not going to take care of his pump, I’m going to take away it away and he can do shots again. He doesn’t like that. -Mother In the beginning, having injections was a problem. The first week he was upset about the injections, but after that he forgot about them. He always understands what the meaning is of this and that. He understands that he has to deal with it and look forward. -Father Transition from injections to pump therapy Before with insulin injections, we used to go out on Sunday night for dinners and stuff like that more than we do now with the pump. The reason is because we trained people how to inject easily, but we haven’t trained people on how to use the pump. Now, we haven’t gone out for a couple of months. -Father Because he’s at the age where he can check himself and he’ll want something to eat, and I think he thinks I’m saying it as punishment. “Okay Brady. That’s fine. You can have something to eat, but check yourself first.” “Fine, I won’t have something to eat,” he’ll say, and I’m like, “Okay, fine. You’re the one who’s hungry, not me.” So, it’s trying to get him into the habit of knowing that he needs to check his blood sugar, and he has to be aware of what’s going in and giving himself his insulin. He can have whatever he wants, but he needs to know how many carbs are in it so he can give himself his insulin. -Mother We came to a new point this year where he wanted to go over to his friend’s house to play. I always had his friends come over to our house, and he was like, “You know, I want to go over to my friend’s house. Why can’t I go?” And I was like, “All right. You’re right. You should be able to go.” I said, “But let me be very clear about what the expectation is. When you get off the bus, you are going to check your blood sugar. You are going to call me, and we will talk about it.” I said, “If you don’t call me, it’s all about trust. If I can’t trust that you will be responsible for yourself, then you can’t go.” So, we’re at a point now where it’s become a trust issue. It’s definitely him trying to own it more and more. -Mother
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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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