About the Blog

This blog is intended to provide general commentary about diabetes and allow for visitors to engage in conversations about their experiences. It is authored by diabetes educators, who are members of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

DISCLAIMER OF MEDICAL ADVICE

The contents of the Diabetes Education Voices blog are for educational purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional medical care. The opinions expressed by the blog authors are their personal statements and do not necessarily represent those of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

COMMENTS POLICY

The Diabetes Education Voices blog encourages an open, honest discussion about diabetes. Comments and trackbacks on this site are the opinions of those who authored them. Comments and trackbacks are reviewed before being posted on the site to ensure they are not deemed offensive, off-topic, rude, or likely to invade the privacy of a non-public official.

Comments

[Shannon Isom RN, CDE]

I have a patient who is 12 years old with type 1 diabetes. He has had a difficult time and is currently living in a foster home. Not suprisingly, he has behavioral issues, including using his diabetes to manipulate others. He does see a psychologist and I have instructed caregivers to test his blood glucose levels before administering discipline. Do you have any other practicle ideas that can help in this situation.

[Sharlene]

Diabetes can be complex for anyone. A 12 year old child with diabetes without consistant caregivers or lodgings can make diabetes care very difficult.

My suggestion would be to develop a team approach to working with this child. All caregivers should be "on the same page" in approaches to nutrition, medication administration, treatment of hypo (low) and hyper (high) blood glucose.

That being said, I am not an expert in children's diabetes, children or even Type 1 diabetes.

Why not contact your local pediatric diabetes educator to see if he/she could work with your team approach to diabetes care for this child. Involve the social worker or psychologist. Maybe a plan with clear and consistant guidelines will help everyone feel more secure in their approach and response.

Good luck to everyone.

[diabetes jokes, jokes about diabetes, diabetes humor, nurse jokes]

thanks for this post. can you post an article regarding the humors and jokes about diabetes? thanks and more power.

[Connie Hanham-Cain RN, CDE (type 1 since the age of 8 years)]

Get the child involved with other diabetic children thru a support network or summer camp offering activities for children with diabetes. Even though the child has behavioral problems, he needs to be supported with compassion and understanding in a firm and loving way that empowers him to take charge and become self-responsible for living with his diabetes day to day. Diabetes is going to be with him for the rest of his life. It is a strong possibility that by developing healthy relationships with other diabetics who can serve as role models and mentors to the child, he can then experience a greater sense of self-esteem as he develops a healthy relationship with himself and his diabetes. Diabetes is a constant, it is part of his life, he will never be without it. He must not feel that he is a failure or unwanted or unloved because of it. In the end, if he can be mentored with wisdom, compassion and patience he will learn to care for himself. Having him monitor his BG levels before disciplining him isn't going to help him achieve self-efficacy. It smacks of misguided efforts to control the poor child and will only backfire by making him feel more alienated and resentful of what he is "being forced to do because of h bad behavior".

[Telephone Triage]

Disclaimer is very much necessary...when a patient is made to know about his disease he can cope up better with it than when he is in the dark.

[Chris Cracolice]

My name is Chris Cracolice I am 53 years old and have had diabetes for 48
of those years. I remember growing up with diabetes and how it not only affected
me physically but mentally as well.
One of the most vivid memories I have was as
any child growing up in the 60’s was watching Batman, Superman and Tarzan on TV.
Of course the next day I would go outside and have my own adventures as being
that Super Hero. One day I was being Tarzan and it hit me if I was out in the
middle of a jungle without insulin I would die. This affected my self-esteem in
many ways and still does to this day. I was not like other kids who could do
things that I was not able to. For years I wanted to help other children with
diabetes not have to go through this.

A couple of years ago I came up with an idea of a child Super Hero with diabetes called Diabetic Dude. I have written and illustrated a book about Diabetic Dude with his sidekick FRED who is a glucose monitor Fast Reliable Educating Data, and his foes the Glucose Gang.

You can go to my site at createspace.com/3407373.
Chris Cracolice