Kathleen Johnson, of Fort Mitchell, knew something was wrong with her daughter, Julia Hughes.
Julia, then 11, was constantly, unquenchably thirsty, drinking as much as two to three liters of water a day. “We’d go on walks and she’d have these large bottles of water and she just could not quench her thirst,” Johnson said.
The girl tired easily, which was unusual since, at the time, she was dancing 14 hours a week with her dance team. She lost a lot of weight during a 2011 trip, enough that the shorts she’d bought just before leaving “were falling down,” her mother said.
And Julia was always in the bathroom.
“She got up 14 times on the flight home to use the bathroom. On an eight-hour flight,” Johnson said.
The warning signs
The symptoms ““ chronic thirst, fatigue, weight loss and frequent urination ““ are “pretty classic,” Johnson said, so she had a pretty good idea of what Julia’s pediatrician was going to tell her: Her daughter had Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disorder in which the pancreas loses the ability to make insulin, causing blood sugar levels to climb dangerously high.
The day she was diagnosed, Julia’s blood sugar levels were extraordinarily high ““ “I think they were in the 500s,” her mother said ““ and doctors told them that it was time to get the girl to the hospital. “You’ll need to pack a bag,” they told her. “Expect to stay a few days.”
Managing Type 1 diabetes
As soon as a child is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, the entire family has questions. To help get your research started, here are answers to the 10 most-common questions about pediatric diabetes.
1. Why did this happen?
Doctors don’t know why some people develop Type 1 diabetes, though it’s likely a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
2. What can my son/daughter eat?
Diabetes doesn’t mean “no” sugar or carbs; it means less. A nutritionist can help you develop daily meal plans, read labels and even plan for an occasional treat.
3. Can my child still play sports?
Absolutely, but it will mean some treatment plan adjustments, as well as some trial and error. Everyone needs to be physically active; people with diabetes just need to make sure to adjust food and insulin to match physical activity.
4. Who should be on my child’s care team?
In addition to your child’s physician, you should have a registered dietitian and a diabetes care nurse on your team. You might also include a pharmacist, mental health professional or exercise physiologist on your team.
5. What are our options for insulin treatment?
You can use an insulin injection ““ either with a traditional syringe or an insulin pen ““ or an insulin pump. Your care team will help you and your child try out the different options and find the one that works best for your child.
6. How do I know if we’re in a crisis, and what do I do?
Your care team will give you all the warning signs to look for, as well as teach you how to monitor your child’s blood sugar levels over the course of a day, and adjust your child’s medication. Illness, stress, fatigue, age and physical activity will all impact blood sugar levels.
7. What will our health insurance cover?
It depends on your plan. Your care team can help you work with your insurer to make sure your coverage is good to go for appointments, insulin, syringes and test strips.
8. How do I take care of my kid while helping them learn to take care of themselves?
Much of this will depend on the child’s personality, age and maturity level. Your care team can help with tips and strategies, as well as gauging how much responsibility your child is ready for as they get older.
9. How do I know if my child’s school is prepared to deal with this disease?
Your child’s care team can help you fill out a treatment plan for your child’s school; some districts may require additional plans. In addition, find out who in the school ““ the classroom teacher, the teacher’s aide or the school nurse ““ knows how to recognize and respond to a diabetic crisis.
10. How can I help my child not be known as “that kid with diabetes” by their peers?
Help your child see himself or herself as someone besides “a kid with diabetes,” and that means letting them be kids. Help her talk to her friends and classmates about what diabetes means, why she is testing and what the insulin is. Your care team can assist with strategies, and your child’s school might have special events that help highlight different health conditions or other situations that might cause a student to be labeled as different. Take advantage of those events to help explain the disease and its needs; knowledge goes a long way in helping kids see others as “normal.”
