Lifestyle do and not do when managing the T1D

Take care of your child with whom lives Type 1 diabetes implies a lot of intentional planning and decision -making in treatment. But you have to know more than just when and how to give your child insulin.

With type 1 diabetes, your child will have to find out about the condition itself. And they will have to learn how it affects their body and their way of feeling at some point. And with this can come the need for insurance and self -awareness. So, you will want to keep in mind other lifestyle considerations that can benefit their physical, emotional and mental health, while keeping their life as relatively normal as possible.

The educator of pediatric diabetes Ann Smith, RN, CPN, CDCE, explains why certain lifestyle changes can be beneficial and how to help reduce your child in this new reality.

Recommended lifestyle changes

For the most part, parents and caregivers of children living with type 1 diabetes are encouraged to stick to normal routines but with minor but important adjustments.

“This is a lot of blood sugar verification, to count carbohydrates, to calculate the doses of insulin,” explains Smith. “But he also thinks about how your child’s blood sugar changes when he is physically active and packing snacks when he needs it.”

When it comes to making lifestyle adjustments, Smith suggests focusing on how you talk about the state and rethinking the way your child attacks daily experiences.

Direct

You do not want to make them feel excluded from the possibility of doing activities, hobbies or even enjoying foods that they simply like because they suffer from type 1 diabetes. As far as possible, try to inspire them to participate in normal activities and to supervise by using insulin as a simple additional (but important) step in their daily life.

“Let them know that they are not different from anyone else and that these treatments are just something we have to do to make sure they feel good,” recommends Smith. “They can always go fast food With their friends or have a piece of cake and ice cream during a birthday party if they count their carbohydrates and take the right amount of insulin. »»

Communicate openly with all caregivers

“Children have a better time to face and accept their diagnosis if everyone they are surrounded is aware and just as accepting,” notes Smith.

It is important to share the diagnosis of your child with his nurses, his teachers, his coaches and all the other caregivers who will be with them throughout the day. Sharing this knowledge helps keep it safe in an emergency. But it also helps to normalize the condition too.

Help them monitor their condition

Depending on the age of your child, there are different classes that you or your child can take to find out how insulin works, how to administer it and when it should take insulin. For example, insulin is given by every day injections Before each meal and before bedtime. Others use discreet Insulin pumps For insulin continues, the 24/7 flow.

The simple fact of knowing what is available to them can help put things in perspective. But you also want to teach them How to monitor their blood sugar.

“We always encourage parents to have a healthy and practical approach to manage their child’s diabetes,” says Smith. “When the children are younger, the parents do everything for them all the time. But then, as children age, let them assume more responsibilities. ”

Part of this process is to help them determine when their blood sugar is too high or too weak, and how it feels physically when these things happen.

“Symptoms of low blood sugar are the most worrying, and we tell them that these are the symptoms you should act on, ”she adds.

Try to stick to a normal diet

“Families should not have to adjust their diet as much and they should always be able to eat and drink the same things they do,” says Smith. “The main thing is that we are trying to limit sugary drinks. If they are thirsty between meals, respect liquids without sugar or water so that it does not help their blood sugar as much.”

Otherwise, sugary drinks that contain carbohydrates, such as sweet teas or juices, must be reserved for meals. In this way, you can give them insulin with the rest of the meal to cover all the carbohydrates they consume.

Make room for snacks

Children are constantly traveling – at school, with their friends, with other family members and on vacation. In the moments where they are not at home, they should have access to sweet snacks such as fruit snacks, 4 ounce juices, sachets of apple compote or funny size candy packs when they need to raise their blood sugar quickly. Glucose tablets are also useful to have.

“The only thing that helps treat blood sugar is food,” said Smith. “If their blood sugar is weak and they have food to bring it back, they don’t take insulin to cover this food. It is therefore a question of finding the right balance.”

The range of target blood sugar for children varies depending on their age and activity level. You will therefore want to check with your health care provider or your pediatrician to make sure that your child’s blood sugar level is in a range that makes sense for them.

Counter Pury Eating with the right dose of insulin

If your child is a difficult eater – let’s say, he has two steps of a cheeseburger and you feel satisfied – then you will want to dose the amount of insulin that explains what they ate at the end of the meal, rather than dose before the meal.

“Limit meal time to about 30 minutes, then count the number of carbohydrates that your child has eaten so that you can give the appropriate amount of insulin,” explains Smith. “If your child receives his full dose of insulin at the start of the meal but he does not eat all his food, he will end up with a low blood sugar in a few hours.”

Make insulin with prolonged action part of a daily routine

Coherence is essential with regard to insulin. So, you will probably want to provide prolonged action insulin before bedtime once a day to give your child what he needs to spend the night.

“Even for older children who don’t go to bed any more at 9 pm, it is always important that they get their insulin at the same time every day, whatever the time,” advises Smith. “This helps control global blood sugar to ensure that their glucose level is appropriate before falling asleep. If they are weak, they must take a snack before falling asleep. If their glucose is high, then sometimes we give them additional insulin to help reduce blood sugar overnight. “

Keep an eye closer when your children are sick

When your child goes down with a disease, like the fluYou will have to be more attentive.

“You will want to check their blood sugar more frequently, approximately every three hours, as opposed to meals before meals,” explains Smith. “You should also check their ketones in their urine Use ketone test strips to ensure that they are negative. »»

Ketones are acids that are made as a result of your body using fat instead of energy glucose. In high quantities, they can be toxic and lead to potentially fatal complications such as Diabetes jacétoacidosis (DKA). But the right amount of insulin can reduce the amount of ketones you have.

Plan physical activity

The increase in physical activity tends to cause low blood sugar. So, you will want to plan accordingly before your child participates in moderate physical activities such as sports or before spending time outside. If your child uses an insulin pump, you can put it in activity mode to increase their blood sugar goals before physical activity. Otherwise, you will have to turn to food for preventive measures.

“The general rule is that if their blood sugar is less than 150 mg / dl before a practice or a game, make them eat a carb snack of 15 grams without insulin cover so that it increases their blood sugar and prevents them from having low blood sugar during activity”, shares Smith.

Move forward

Diabetes technology has gone a long way. Insulin is now faster, and we have Continuous glucose monitoring Smart tools, insulin insulin pumps and smartphones applications that can help keep an eye on your child’s blood sugar at any time of the day.

“Sometimes children feel isolated thinking that it is the only ones who must check their blood sugar and take insulin,” admits Smith. “So, you want to make it part of their normal routine and do not make it such a huge deal with regard to special occasions such as holidays or birthdays where they will have to keep a more in -depth eye on their condition.

Children with type 1 diabetes can always do the same fun things as their peers without diabetes. »»