The Diabetes Pro

It’s a simple little envelope, no more than 3″x5″ — yet the sight of it in a child’s backpack can be enough to strike fear into the heart of a parent.  Those small envelopes hold invitations — to birthday parties, more often than not — and birthday parties mean cake, ice cream, and candy.  All of which are tempting — and to the child with diabetes, potentially dangerous.

 We have to live with our diabetes.  There’s no avoiding it: it’s a chronic condition that isn’t going to go away, no matter how much we wish, hope, and pretend otherwise.  It’s hard for adults, but it’s harder for children.  Let’s be realistic: every single adult slips up sometimes, cheats, or does what they know they ’shouldn’t’ — but we hope we’ve got the insight and understanding to fully comprehend the consequences of our actions.

If we’re in kindergarten, or first grade, or second grade, is that really the case?  You know and I know that that answer is probably not.  If you’re confronted with the birthday party invitation, here’s three hints you can use to make life easier:

 1. Communicate with other parents: The parents hosting the party probably never even considered the thought of diabetic children. Talk to them about how things can go smoothly without disrupting the flow of events: that might mean providing your own treats for your kid ahead of time — that way the host parent can include your kids in the fun without disrupting the festivities.

2. Tag along: This is especially appropriate with younger children.  Plan on being the extra set of eyes, just to make sure your little one doesn’t ‘try’ an ice cream cone.  There are adults, still, who ‘don’t believe’ in diabetes or that a simple candy bar can have dramatic consequences.  Your child shouldn’t have to advocate for themselves against adults.  You can fill that role.

3. Work with your child: A conversation ahead of time, reinforcing what can and can’t be eaten and why, is a pain — but it’s a necessity.  This is going to be an ongoing process, but special reinforcement is necessary before special events.  It’s too easy to ‘forget’ in the face of the excitement.

Do you know why today’s important? It’s the 86^th anniversary of the first insulin injection. I realize this isn’t the type of holiday you’ve got marked on the calendar — and good luck getting the boss to give you the day off! — but it is kind of cool.

Fred Banting, a Canadian who served with distinction during World War 1, spent his life dedicated to diabetes research. A talented physician, he pioneered the treatment of diabetes with injectable insulin. The first insulin injection was given to Leonard Thompson, in 1922. Thompson lived 13 years under Banting’s care — at a time when diabetes was a far more fatal condition than it is today.

We’ve come a long way since that first shot! Banting, with his hypodermic, would have been astonished to see today’s insulin pens and jets, not to mention external insulin pumps! The fact that inhaled insulin — where insulin is delivered via inhaler, similar to the way asthmatics take their medication — is on the horizon is even better.

Still, Banting’s work was absolutely groundbreaking, and laid the foundation for the convenient treatment options we have available to us today. He, along with colleague J.J.R. MacLeod, were awarded the Nobel Price for Medicine in 1923 in recognition of their achievement.

So today, when you reach for your pen, or your pump is quietly working along, take a moment to smile and say “Thanks, Fred!”

What does a good diabetic diet mean? Surprisingly, it’s not what many people think. Being a diabetic does not mean an austere life of hardship, where you can’t enjoy any good stuff. Instead, what constitutes a sensible diet for a diabetic is, in large part, what’s a sensible diet for everyone else.

Eating a variety of foods is a good starting point: selecting from all four food groups is essential. The average American diet doesn’t include enough fruits and vegetables, relying instead on too much meat and grains. Achieving balance will help anyone’s diet.

Incorporating more fruits and vegetables is a wise nutritional choice. These items are low in fat — provided you don’t drench your green beans with half a stick of butter! — and also low in calories. Both help provide much needed fiber.

Food selection is one part of the equation: you want nutrient-dense, high-fiber foods. The amount you eat is also important. Pineapple might be a really healthy choice — but if you sit down and eat six cups of chopped pineapple, you’re going to be in real trouble. Not only are you going to send your sugar through the roof, you’re going to have the queen mother of all stomachaches! Moderation is key. If you’re working with a nutritionist or diet specialist, they can advise you on appropriate serving sizes to meet your dietary needs. Otherwise, you may want to start by reading the information here.

If there’s one piece of medical information everybody and their best friend is sure they’re an expert on, it’s what the symptoms of diabetes are. It’s well known that frequent urination and a constant thirst are common diabetes symptoms.

However, running to the bathroom six times a day doesn’t necessarily mean you’re diabetic. There are other causes for frequent urination, from drinking too much coffee to pregnancy and far beyond.

What you should look for, if you’re concerned about diabetes, is the following behaviors:

• frequent urination
• strong, constant thirst
• being very hungry
• a sense of tiredness or fatigue
• a sense of being irritable or ‘cranky’
• blurry vision
• unusual weight loss — you haven’t been eating less or doing more, and still, the pounds come off!

The key here is that none of these items, one time or in isolation, is necessarily a symptom of diabetes. You could be very hungry because you didn’t eat the day before — but as soon as you have a sandwich, you’re fine. What we’re talking about is a prolonged, repeating pattern of these symptoms.

This is information you need to share with your doctor. They’ll do tests, including an analysis of your blood sugar levels, to see if what appears to be the symptoms of diabetes is in fact that — or if the symptoms are related to another, unrelated condition.