Diabetes

[Seerow]

We just found out this morning that my little brother, who's 12, has juvenile diabetes. My family knows next to nothing about diabetes, except that "it's one of those bad things, right?" so we got to spend an entire afternoon in a doctors office getting the run down. There was of course way way to much information to take in all at once, especially since we were still mostly in shock.
We've now got two needle pens, a finger pricker, and all this other lovely stuff. He gets to meet with a dietitian tomorrow to go over portions and what foods he should eat more of and all that lovely stuff. He's got to find time during school to run to the nurses office before lunch to check his sugar and take insulin, and check sugar again before gym and omg how do kids do this!?

Sorta rambling here, but my main point was, anyone here have any advice about diabetes, anyone you know have it? What can he expect as he gets older, since there isn't a cure and it's with him for life now.

It's all just so sudden, I'm having a hard time believing it's true.

[PennyLane]

I know next to nothing about diabetes...all I know I already told you in my neomail. But *hugs* for you and Nick =(

[Huggles]

I don't know many kids with it, but there's plenty of adults with it in my family. The simple plan is to change his diet, which will drastically reduce the amount of sugar in his food, and to exercise. It may sound simple, but it's pretty much the only way to ensure he stays healthy and doesn't have to go through any of the horror stories I've witnessed. The good news is that he is still a kid and not an adult too set in their ways to make changes. Be consistent, follow through, and it can be manageable.

You'll also discover extra sugar in foods may not have though much about before. White breads, white rice, and potatoes have to be cut back or eliminated because the starches are basically empty sugars. Even whole wheat breads will add sugar for flavor and organic is not the same as sugar free. Also, according to my father, sugar-free cookies sweetened with Splenda can give you gas. But, that could just be him eating entire packages of them in one sitting.

I'm pretty borderline myself at times, due to it being in the family, my wacky sleep patterns, crazy eating schedule, and general loathing of fresh air and sunshine.

Has anyone else in his immediate family been tested? I ask because if anyone else shows obvious risk factors like being overweight and lack of exercise, it'd be a lot easier on him and better for everyone else if the dietary changes were across the board and not just for him. Having to cook separate meals just for one person can be hard to find time to do, and having to live in a house surrounded by all the bad food you can't eat is terribly tempting, if not torturous. I've personally given up trying to convert my mom, who I live with, to changing. Even though her mother had it, her brothers have it, and she's at least 200 lbs overweight, she doesn't feel the need to since her blood glucose levels are within normal range. I'm also too broke right now to buy separate groceries for myself that someone else is going to eat half of regardless of what I do.

[Seerow]

No one else has been tested, though no one has been showing any symptoms. It would probably be a good idea to get tested, even though no one in my immediate family is overweight (though lack of exercise applies XD ).

For the most part, we're probably going to be eating the same things he does. Well I'll be moving out when my lease starts in the summer, but until then, we're sharing the same basic diet. The doctor said he could still eat a lot of the stuff he used to but to pay close attention to portion sizes and carbs. Yay, carb counting!

Nick and my mom had a scare earlier, but luckily my smarty nurse sister was here, me being off in silly night lab. They had given him an insulin shot at the doctor cause his blood glucose was through the roof. They were at home and trying to test his blood (apparently his finger wouldn't bleed) and he just turned pale white and felt like he was going to pass out. My sister immediately sat him down and gave him some high sugar foods and got a reading on his blood, which was somewhere around 65. He;s okay now though and everything is in normal levels.

At least he seems to be doing okay. He gave himself all the shots at the doctors and asked a lot of good questions and hasn't been complaining or having a mental breakdown or anything. I think me and my mom are more freaked out then he is.

[Usul_Princess]

Awww, I'm sorry to hear that Seerow. It's not in our family either. My diagnosis was temporary, and my extended family is obese (our weight is due to an inactive thyroid.).

Seeing a nutritionist will by far be one of the best ways to cope, and he'll get used to a completely different way of eating style. Whatever was lacking in his diet before, they'll help modify to make the transition easier. In my case, carbs were the problem as well because I gorged on them. (My nutritionist cut my carbs down to 2/3, and divided them up among meals.)

After 18 months it was gone-- but most of my diet went organic after that. Organic foods do wonders for speeding up the healing process too, even with unrelated illnesses.

I was reading through your post, and I was wondering does he have hyperglycimia (High Blood Sugar). If so, make sure his diet is changed ASAP before you consider an exersize program. Normal blood tests that average over 250, can't exersize because it'll raise the sugar levels.

I'll add more to this later. I have him in my thoughts for now.

[covet]

I think some people are understandably confusing type 1 diabetes with type 2. Type 2 is the kind you can get from being overweight and essentially forcing hormonal changes on your body (and you can get for a variety of other reasons, too). Type 2 people are resistant to insulin, but their body still produces it. Hence the possibility of reversal through diet.

Your brother has type 1, which is much much much rarer, usually starts when you're a child, and usually hits people with normal weight levels - often it makes people lose a lot of weight fast. It's also more serious, and unlikely to go away due to any change in diet. It's also totally not at all caused by diet. At all. Some people seem able to -manage- it by diet alone, but that's very rare. It's an autoimmune problem. Basically his body is attacking the cells that should make insulin, and without insulin you can't absorb sugar and do all the good, useful things people do with it.

The reason for type 1s to have a healthy diet is to keep their glycaemic levels in check. That's basically your levels of blood sugar. Too little blood sugar (usually from not eating enough but you can also get hypo from taking too much insulin meaning the body starts absorbing too much sugar) and he can get hypoglycemic - thats when you get dizzy and faint and feel sort of like you might have a heart attack. This is the one treated by eating or drinking something sugary, quick. I find fruit juice is prety good, but a really useful thing to do is get some of those glucose energy pills they sell and make sure he always has them handy - so long as he's not going to be tempted to eat them at the wrong time. After he's had the quick hit glucose and is feelig more steady, he needs some long lasting carbs, like a sandwich.

Friends and people he goes out with need to know what to give him if this happens, too. I don't want to be scary, but if he actually passes out they also need to know to call a doctor. If he's awake but can't come out of the hypo, also call a doctor. And it probably will happen at some point, but so long as people are prepared, things will be fine.

Too much bood sugar will make hm hyperglycemic. Thats more of a long term damage thing. Regularly eating too much sugary food (and remember that carbohydrates, so things like bread and potato are turned into sugar inside the body) is what causes the things people tend to worry about with diabetes. Loss of eyesight, blood vessel problems leading to organ problems and ulcers. If he keeps a constant close eye on what he eats, he'll be fine.

He doesn't really need a special 'diabetic' diet, and the diabetic foods they sell are expensive and unnecessary. Get a book on low GI diets - they're a common weight loss thing - and follow that. It will basically tell you to eat a good balance of lean protein and vegetables, and spread small amounts of good carbs (brown rice, wholegrain bread) over the day.

What you might want to get him are some sugarfree sweets so he doesn't feel too deprived. Atkins diet stuff is quite good, usually, but check the packets.

Normal, moderate exercise is fine. Kids his age usually get enough naturally, but if not, the half an hour every day guideline is a good one. He needs to keep an eye on blood sugar when exercising because too much stress can lead to a hypo.

I'm not going to pretend having diabetes doesn't suck. It does, and he is not going to feel like doing all the prick tests and injections. They're not fun. They're something you have to get used to. Kids and teenagers are not good at doing that, so after the initial novelty of the thing has worn off he really needs to be watched. If he's feeling normal he'll be tempted to act like it, but he needs to keep treatments up. Routine is good.

Uhh what else. At least in the UK, type 1 diabetes is covered by the disability act. That means that anyy future employer will be required to make adjustments to his working hours to suit management of his condition. It's just good to know if he needs to take snack breaks or what have you. There are a few jobs he won't be able to do. Army is one of them, again in the UK, and I think things like being a pilot.

If you're flying anywhere, get a doctor's note and call the airline to make sure they know he'll be flying with insulin, and also that he'll need to take some food with him.

It will get easier to deal with. At first he'll just be getting his consition under control. Once it's there it' can vary quite a lot person to person regarding what he'll need to do to keep it there. The doctor will be monitoring all that.

I know it's loads to take in, and you'll read some scary stuff. But it's a manageable condition. It will just become normal after a while, and you guys will all become experts XD Just listen to the doctors and be sympathetic if he's frustrated or upset while he's getting used to it. You can message me if you need to. You'll be fine.

Edit: Oh, oh oh and - don't let him get used to injecting in the same place every time. Alternate three or more different spots at least.

[Huggles]

Oh, yes, I hadn't even thought to ask which kind he had, and skimmed over the juvenile part, since it's pretty much an epidemic in the African American community and the kids with diabetes that I know have an early onset of type 2. And I know, at least in the US, diet has become synonymous with weight loss, but like Covet mentioned it means changing the way he eats permanently and not some quick fix. Even if those with type 2 can be cured with diet and exercise alone, my dad still has to take pills regularly, that doesn't mean it won't come back if your healthy habits regress. I also agree with not focusing on the scariest outcomes, be informed obviously, but don't let it worry you into a corner.

[chocolatefairy13]

My dad has had type 2 diabetes for a couple of years now, and his brother and mother have had it for even longer.
It can be managed, but it just takes a lot of willpower and determination.
My dad takes a shot of a medicine twice a day called Byetta.
It slows down the digestive system so that he eats less and it keeps his blood sugar lower.
It's actually made with a synthetic version of an enzyme found in gila monster saliva!
Now my dad looks at a gila monster on TV and says "brothers!!". Ha ha!


I have had hypoglycemia since I was 9 years old and it can be just as scary as diabetes.
It was at its worst when I was 14. My problem was that my body became adjusted to having low blood sugar all the time, so I felt very bad when it was at a normal level.
I was very skinny back then and now I'm an average weight. I still occasionally have problems with my blood sugar, but now it runs in the normal ranges.
I had a glucose tolerance test done back then and my blood sugar only shot up to 160....and I felt so miserable.
When it dropped back down I felt fantastic! But the nurses were freaking out because my blood sugar was 44 and they thought that I was going to pass out. LOL I kept saying, "What do you mean 'pass out?' I feel great now! Wheeee!"
They had to make me sit down to drink juice and eat crackers.
I also had another test done where they put a small tube under the skin (in the abdomen for me because I was so skinny and that was the only place I had a little extra fat!) with a meter that would test my blood sugar every 5 minutes for 3 days straight.
I would have to push a button whenever I would eat, exercise, or take medicine, so that it would make a notation as to why my blood sugar was a little higher or lower at that moment.
The test lasted less than 2 days, because the thing lost signal (haha...like a cell phone) in me.
We called the helpline and they said that they weren't picking up a signal from me anymore.
I even tried standing by the window to see if I could get a better signal!

The hardest thing for me now is planning the right meals at the right times.
Small, frequent meals consisting of high protein foods are best.

My problem is that I never eat breakfast, and my new job is at a restaurant so I have weird meal times.

Oh, and when your brother tests his blood sugar remember that a small little prick *can* yield a lot of blood if you squeeze your finger very hard.
My dad used to use a higher setting (like 4 or something) for the lancet because a tiny prick wouldn't make his finger bleed.
I showed him that you can use a lower setting and then squeeze your finger to make the blood come out so that you can test with less pain.
Another tip is to prick the finger closer to the tip or even a little near the side. But that's just my dad's opinion.

[Wingsrising]

I'm sorry to hear that. Sending happy thoughts to him and your family.

I don't have much to add except that in the US, you don't need to do anything special to fly with needles and insulin. You're just supposed to bring a copy of the prescription and make sure everything is clearly labeled:

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/ ... 374.shtm#3

I've started taking every-other-day injections (not for diabetes) so I generally have to carry some preloaded syringes when I fly now. It says you have to inform the security officer, but I just keep them in a mesh Eagle Creek cube, and then take the cube out of the backpack and send it though in the tray with my keys and my shoes. No problems so far.

[Seerow]

I've started taking every-other-day injections (not for diabetes) so I generally have to carry some preloaded syringes when I fly now. It says you have to inform the security officer, but I just keep them in a mesh Eagle Creek cube, and then take the cube out of the backpack and send it though in the tray with my keys and my shoes. No problems so far.

My mom was worried about to do with security, especially since at the end of next month they are going on a cruise. Good to know it usually isn't a hassle.

And Covet, thanks for all that information!! It was helpful indeed. The doctors of course went through it all, but was was pretty much in one ear and out the other

[Twofold Black]

It's actually made with a synthetic version of an enzyme found in gila monster saliva!

Science is, I swear to God, the most awesome and fascinating thing in the world.

Also, according to my father, sugar-free cookies sweetened with Splenda can give you gas. But, that could just be him eating entire packages of them in one sitting.

He's right, and you're at least half right. Splenda is a sugar alcohol, and when your small intestine sees a sugar alcohol it says 'pass!' and ignores it, whereupon it travels to the large intestine, which says 'what the hell is this?' and flips out. Usually at single-serving sizes this is not an issue, though for example I once ate a single popsicle with Splenda in it by accident -- usually I avoid it like the plague, because it tastes absolutely vile to me, possibly because I associate it with total gastrointestinal incapacitation -- and experienced a profound suffering.

The exception is erythritol, which does none of this. Erythritol is absorbed by the small intestine and excreted in the urine, doing virtually nothing to you calorically or sugarwise in the interim. Erythritol is awesome. So, naturally, almost no one uses it, because it absorbs heat when it dissolves and in most foods that's just weird and wrong. Damn.