Proper Guidelines for Caring for Children with Diabetes
Diagnosis
of diabetes in children at first may make you panic and overwhelmed. Both
parents and children, whatever their age, must learn how to use insulin, pay
attention to food intake, and monitor blood sugar levels to stay balanced. In
addition, you as a parent must also control symptoms that aim to prevent
diabetes complications that may occur. There are some important things you need
to know when dealing with diabetes in children. See this article for more
information.
Guidelines for
managing the symptoms of diabetes in children
1. Monitor
your child's blood sugar levels to stay normal
Monitoring
blood sugar levels regularly is the main way to manage the symptoms of diabetes
in children. This check will show the child's blood sugar level right away. You
have to make sure your child gets regular blood sugar levels. You should indeed
have a tool to check blood sugar levels at home to facilitate the examination.
Examination
of blood sugar levels can be done through a simple blood test with a small
prick at the tip of the finger. This test is generally recommended for diabetic
patients. Your child may need to do it four or more times a day, depending on
the type of test used. The doctor will also explain the ideal blood sugar
levels.
In
addition, there is a new way to monitor blood sugar levels, namely by
continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). This method may be most effective for
people who show symptoms of blood sugar dropping dramatically (hypoglycemia).
CGM
is applied to the body using a fine needle just under the skin, which checks
blood sugar levels every few minutes. However, CGM is considered not as
accurate as regular blood sugar monitoring. So CGM can be an additional tool,
but not to replace regular blood sugar monitoring.
2. Learn the
types and ways to use insulin
Type
1 diabetes in children is a condition in which the child's pancreas no longer
functions to produce the hormone insulin. Therefore, children need insulin
replacement. This is why diabetes in children is very dependent on insulin
treatment.
Parents
should know the dose and type of insulin that your child can use. In addition,
parents also need to know how to provide insulin treatment for children.
There
are several types of insulin that can be used, including:
- Fast acting insulin. Insulin therapy such as lispro (Humalog), aspart (NovoLog) and glulisine (Apidra) work very quickly in lowering the body's blood sugar levels. Therefore, it is used 15 minutes before eating. However, the effect does not last long.
- Short acting insulin. Insulin therapy is like real insulin (Humulin R) which lowers blood sugar levels quickly, but not as fast as insulin. Usually, insulin is given 30-60 minutes before eating.
- Medium-acting insulin. Therapies such as NPH insulin (Humulin N) start working in about one hour, peak around six hours and last 12 to 24 hours.
- Long acting insulin. Glargine insulin therapy (Lantus) and detemir (Levemir) can work all day.
Apart
from being injected, insulin can also be given via an insulin pump. This pump
is a small electronic device the size of a cell phone. This pump is easy to
carry, hooked to a belt, or stored in a pants pocket. This pump will channel
insulin into your body which reacts quickly through a small flexible tube
(catheter) under the skin of your stomach and stored in its place.
The
insulin pump delivers insulin little by little, just like the normal way the
pancreas works. By using an insulin pump, you don't need to bother measuring
the dose every time you inject insulin.
3. Pay
attention to your child's daily food intake
Understanding
what and how much food should be given to children with diabetes is very
important. However, do not make the child go on a special diet for diabetic
patients. This will make children easily stressed because food choices tend to
be just the same and will taste bland for him.
Just
like other healthy children, children who have diabetes also still need a lot
of nutrition from a varied diet. Children need lots of fruits, vegetables,
foods that are high in nutrition, low in fat, and calories within reasonable
limits.
Try
your whole family to eat the same food as your child. Do not discriminate
against the food menu. You and your family may only have to consume less animal
products and sweet foods.
Certain
types of food, such as foods with high sugar or fat content, should be avoided
by children with diabetes as much as possible. High-fat foods can slow
digestion and can cause a spike in blood sugar a few hours after a child eats.
You can ask the help of a nutrition specialist doctor to design a daily menu
that suits your child's needs without eliminating his favorite foods.
4. Encourage
children to exercise regularly
Everyone
needs regular exercise, including children with diabetes. Encourage your child
to do regular physical activity and make it part of your child's daily routine.
You
can invite children to play chasing in the yard, around the complex riding a
bicycle, jogging while taking a pet dog for a walk, or swimming can be an
exciting choice of activities for children. You can also register.
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