How to Help a Child with Juvenile Diabetes

Over 400,000 new cases of juvenile diabetes are diagnosed each year. Children afflicted with juvenile diabetes--also called Type 1 diabetes--require special attention to help them monitor and control the disease. Learn how to help a child live a normal life with juvenile diabetes.

Instructions

• 1

  Understand what causes juvenile diabetes and how to manage the disease for your child. Juvenile diabetes is a chronic (life-long) disease commonly diagnosed during adolescence. The pancreas produces very little or no insulin--the hormone that makes sugar usable for the body's energy. In juvenile diabetes, the immune system attacks the cells that produce insulin. Those with juvenile diabetes have to inject themselves with insulin several times a day. To control juvenile diabetes, a person needs to balance diet, exercise and insulin to live a healthy lifestyle.

• 2

  Learn how to monitor the blood sugar levels of your child. Several times per day, your child must check the levels of sugar in his blood. These times are before meals and before bedtime. Normal ranges before meals are 70 to 110 mg/dl and after meals, the range is 100 to 140 mg/dl. Use a glucose monitoring system that requires a small sample of blood. Prick your child's finger, place a drop of blood on a testing strip and place the strip into the glucose monitor for an accurate reading.

• 3

  Realize the need for a specialist to monitor the health of your child. An endocrinologist is a physician who specializes in diabetes and other diseases associated with the endocrine system. Find an endocrinologist in your area from referrals from your primary care physician or your insurance provider. Be sure he has experience with juvenile diabetes.

• 4

  Consider finding an eye specialist to monitor the vision of your child. Juvenile diabetes can affect vision over time. An ophthalmologist can offer regular exams to ensure the health of your child's vision and monitor changes.

• 5

  Adapt the diet of your child to the restrictions of juvenile diabetes. Sugar and fat are bad for children with Type 1 diabetes. Limit sugar and fatty foods. Prepare foods without frying and limit salt intake.

• 6

  Inform the school where your child attends of his juvenile diabetes. The child with juvenile diabetes needs frequent snacks, time for injecting insulin and monitoring blood sugar and special food in the lunch room. Teachers and anyone in contact with the child at school should know the signs of low blood sugar (most common emergency situation dealing with juvenile diabetes) and how to help the child in an emergency situation.

• 7

  Realize low blood sugar causes insulin shock. Know that the signs of insulin shock are dizziness, shaking, cold and clammy hands, extreme hunger and seizure. To cope with insulin shock, give the child sugar immediately. Juice is the quickest way to get sugar into the child. After 10 minutes, the child should be recovered; if not, give the child more sugar. If the child is still in distress, administer Glucagon (a hormone that raises blood sugar) and call 911.