Life
Managing Sick Days
with diabetes
November 2008
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
Topics in Living with Type 1 Diabetes
JDRF has prepared the following tips to help you better manage sick days–but be sure to talk to your doctor as well These general guidelines will most likely need to be adjusted depending on the person with type 1 diabetes and the nature and severity of the illness Monitor blood sugar levels more frequently When you are under stress from illness or injury, your body releases hormones, which can cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket Loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting, on the other hand, may result in extremely low blood sugar levels Since you cant be sure how an illness will affect blood sugar levels, it is important to check them often How often depends on the individual and the seriousness of the illness, but a general target is at least every two to three hours
Click here to read more
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month
Log on to wwwjdrforg throughout the month of November for ongoing coverage of National Diabetes Awareness Month events, including World Diabetes Day, November 14
New Survey for Adults with Type 1
Diabetes
JDRF is conducting a survey to better understand the needs and habits of adults with type 1 diabetes We would be very grateful if you would give us a few minutes of your time to answer a few questions and provide your feedback Take the survey
Ask a Spouse
How Can I Be Supportive of My Partner with Type 1 Diabetes?
Q: A:
I am dating a 30-year-old man with type 1 diabetes he was diagnosed 26 years ago I think we might get married and I want to be supportive of his condition Do you have any suggestions of what I can do or not do or say?
Ask a Parent
Caring for an Infant with Diabetes
Hi, Im a volunteer with JDRF My husband, Charlie, has had type 1 diabetes since age 9, and we have two children As online volunteers, we are here to listen and offer support, but please know that we cannot offer medical/legal advice
Click here to read more
Q: A:
Hi, I am looking for information about infants with diabetes My daughter is nine months old, diagnosed two months ago
I am responding to the e-mail that you sent to the JDRF Online Support Team I am the mother of a 22-year-old son who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 20 months old– not quite as young as your daughter, but a
challenge nonetheless as I am sure you can relate Also, I am a volunteer, and cannot offer any medical or professional advice
Click here to read more
Life
continued from page 1
with diabetes
November 2008
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
Topics in Living with Type 1 Diabetes Managing Sick Days
Dont stop taking insulin People with type 1 diabetes should never completely stop taking their insulin, even when theyre not eating anything Insulin is necessary to maintain normal metabolism, and without it, the body starts to burn fat, which can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis DKA Therefore, even if you or your child is vomiting or unable to eat, you will still need to take insulin To determine the proper dosage, use blood sugar numbers to guide you, or call your doctor for help Check urine for ketones This is very important for people with type 1 diabetes The presence of ketones in the urine, regardless of blood sugar level, shows that the body is in serious need of insulin This could become a life-threatening situation if not corrected If you find ketones in the urine, give additional insulin and lots of fluids If the ketones dont clear up in a few hours, call your
doctor Be careful with over-the-counter medicines Over-the-counter remedies for colds, allergies, upset stomachs, etc, may contain ingredients that raise or lower blood sugars, or that imitate the symptoms of high or low blood sugar Be sure to read the labels before you buy any over-the-counter medication Some products recommend that people with diabetes check with their doctors before using the product Have a game plan and dont hesitate to ask for help Ideally, you and your doctor should come up with a strategy for managing sick days before you or your child ever gets sick Put it in writing, and then make adjustments as you gain experience with sick days Discuss the possibility of using smaller, more frequent doses of short-acting insulin to better avoid high blood sugars For low blood sugars brought on by vomiting or loss of appetite, youll need to replace carbs–perhaps with liquids or soft foods
Call your doctor if you notice the following: fever or illness that lasts longer than two days, or vomiting or diarrhea that lasts more than eight hours; blood sugar levels that are higher than about 250-300 mg/dl that you cant seem to bring down; ketones in the urine that dont go away
within a few hours; inability to keep any food or liquid down; or any time that you just feel uncomfortable or confused about what to do In order to communicate effectively with the doctor, be sure to keep accurate records of blood glucose readings, ketones, medication, fever, and all symptoms Remember that the care of diabetes is 
a group effort involving you, your doctor, and other members of your diabetes care team These tips should not replace or supersede this team effort
Ask a Parent Caring for an Infant with Diabetes
continued from page 1
My goodness, seven months–that must have come as quite a shock to you and your family Even though Justin has had diabetes for over 20 years, I can still remember quite clearly how we felt in those early months Having a child diagnosed so young, the difficult thing for me was making sure Justin ate enough so that he wouldnt have a low blood sugar after his injection Our doctor had us give him his insulin after he ate because we never knew how much he was going to eat at any given time and this would help us avoid a low as much as possible Another issue was that it was difficult finding someone to watch Justin if we had somewhere to go and
needed to leave him; but we soon learned to count on one or two friends to help out If they werent available, Justin just came with us or we didnt go It took a little adjusting, but it worked out Justin has been very outgoing and comfortable with people since an early age–maybe that was one of the side effects of going out with mom and dad all the time Having an infant or toddler with diabetes does present many challenges, and I remember just taking one day at a time and doing our very best As I said above, Justin is 22 years old now and is a very resilient, adaptable person He doesnt remember ever
2
Click here to return to page 1
Life
Ask a Parent
continued from page 2
with diabetes
November 2008
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
Ask a Spouse How Can I Be Supportive of My Partner with Type 1 Diabetes?
continued from page 1
Caring for an Infant with Diabetes
not having diabetes but he certainly would love an opportunity to see what it feels like Hopefully he will have that opportunity some time in the future–hes counting on it
Your question asked about ways to support your boyfriend and to learn about diabetes, so let me share a little bit about how I did
both In terms of support, I think the best thing to do is let One of the things that has helped me tremendously throughout him know how much you care, and how much you respect all the the years has been my association with my local JDRF chapter time and energy he puts into taking care of himself And, on the The support I have received from other families has carried me flip side, to let him know that you know he works hard even if through many things Just having someone understand what I was he has a bad day, diabetes-wise, which happens to even the most going through was invaluable If you havent been in touch with conscientious people with diabetes You can also be supportive by your local chapter I think you will find it helpful also and I can making the things he needs to do easier for himself I try to keep arrange for the chapter to contact you if you provide me with your low carb and low sugar foods in the house, to cook or order takeaddress or even just your zip code out the same way, and to make opportunities to exercise available to him by watching the kids, not over-scheduling the weekend, Lastly, there was some information in the news recently about type etc At the end of
the day, its his health and his responsibility, but 1 diabetes in infants and a rare form of diabetes called monogenic whatever I can do to make the physical and mental strain of all diabetes JDRF has a separate website about it: that work easier for him helps wwwmonogenicdiabetesorg as well as a Monogenic Diabetes Hotline: 1-866-780-0096 When I saw that your daughter was In addition to JDRF, I think the best place to learn is directly diagnosed at seven months, I remembered reading about this from your boyfriends endocrinologist and/or certified diabetes and thought it would interest you It is a rare condition and may educator Have you ever joined him for a doctors appointment? not apply to your daughter, but I always find it helpful to know as Are you trained on how to use the pump in case he needs your much as I can, and I thought you might, too assistance? My husband was pleasantly surprised back when we Justin and I wish you and your family the very best Please write back if you would like Take care were dating when I asked to go with him to meet the new doctor and hear about the latest medical news on diabetes Being his partner and advocate for the best care has helped me
learn, and has let him know how much I care I also think being involved in JDRF has been a big help, and Id encourage you to get involved as well Its the best way to meet other people with diabetes and their spouses, and to help work towards a cure Id be happy to ask someone at your local chapter to get in touch, if you send me your contact info Also, please feel free to write back to me, if I can answer other questions, or if youd just like to chat Good luck
If you have a question for JDRFs Online Diabetes Support Team, go to wwwjdrforg/diabetessupport
Click here to return to page 1
3
Source:ada.org
