Juvenile diabetes or Type1 diabetes is not something to be neglected. It is a condition that arises as the pancreas fails to secrete insulin. The result is high levels of blood sugar that can only be redeemed with life long insulin injections. Childhood and teenage is characterized by a lot of peculiar features and diabetes can affect all these adversely. As a parent you need to take more care if your child suffers from diabetes.
What you can do as a parent
The most striking feature of adolescence is hormonal changes. The teen goes through the usual yet salient phase of rapid growth and development. This can bring about deviations from the normal blood sugar levels and may frustrate your child. Everything seems to change and the teen would find him at a loss as to how to interpret what’s actually happening to him. So it is better if you could talk to him about diabetes and how it is important to control it. Convince them that regular exercise is a must for making things better. Make it clear that living with diabetes is not easy and to be watchful for the symptoms of blood sugar variations.
The symptoms of juvenile diabetes
Some of symptoms of juvenile diabetes that can occur all of a sudden are
- Rapid increase in hunger and thirst.
- Increased urination.
- Fatigue and weight loss.
- Breathing and vision problems.
- Sweating and drowsiness.
The risks of juvenile diabetes
There are several complications associated with type 1 diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is one such problem that can gradually bring forth complete blindness. High blood sugar can obstruct the person’s blood vessels and lead to cardiac trouble or stroke. It can adversely affect kidney functions and generate kidney failure. Juvenile diabetes can also encourage difficulty in digestion, numbness on foot and impotence.
Living with diabetes
Though your child may have diabetes, don’t restrict him too much over those that he prefers. Hanging out with friends or partying is not to be taken seriously. Instead of confining him with rules tell him how to be on his guard. A teen with type 1 diabetes stands the risk of drop down of blood sugar or hypoglycemia. Advice him to carry sweet stuff with him so that he can cope with such a situation if ever it arises. Since prevention is better than cure, ask him to take his body warnings seriously and act wisely before something goes wrong.
The blood sugar levels never remain the same for a teen. It can be affected by a lot of conditions like anger, anxiety, excitement, hunger etc. If the level comes down on one time, it can simply go up on the other. So it is really important to check sugar levels and make records of it regularly after consulting a good doctor. But at the same time unnecessary worries about the issue can only aggravate the trouble. Adhering to a balanced diet, regular exercise and proper medication (insulin) is extremely important. It is more advantageous if the teen himself can take responsibility of his situation. This would also provide them with a feeling of being independent and significant.
