If You Become Ill

Being sick can make your blood glucose level go very high, causing serious complications. You and your family should receive an annual flu shot as being sick can cause serious complication in a diabetic. When a person is ill, the body releases hormones that help it fight disease. However, these hormones have side effects; they raise blood sugar levels and interfere with the blood sugar-lowering effects of insulin. As a result, if you become ill, it will be harder to keep your blood sugar normal. In type 1 diabetics, life-threatening ketoacidosis can develop. Work with your health care provider to develop a plan that will include when to call the doctor, how often to measure blood sugar and urine ketones, what medicines to take and how to eat.

Eating and drinking can be a problem should your child become ill. It is important to try to stick to his normal meal plan. In addition to normal meals, your child should drink a lot of non-caloric liquids to keep from getting dehydrated, since it is easy to become dehydrated when vomiting, have a fever or diarrhea. Extra fluids will also help get rid of theexcess sugar (and possibly ketones) in the blood. Your child’s sick-day plan may also include regular (not diet) soft drinks, juice or frozen juice bars, sherbet, pudding, creamed soups, yogurt, applesauce, regular fruit-flavored gelatin and broth.

Even over-the-counter medications may aggravate your child’s diabetes. Be sure to check with a pharmacist or your child’s doctor BEFORE giving him cough medicine, aspirin, antibiotics or decongestants.

Type 1 Diabetes in Infants & Toddlers

For many reasons, it is difficult to achieve good blood glucose control in infants and toddlers with type 1 diabetes; how the bodies of very young children react to insulin is hard to predict, mainly due to the constantly changing pattern of eating and activity in this population. Although there is very little information comparing traditional insulin injection therapy with insulin pump therapy, it seems like insulin pump therapy is safe, well tolerated and reliable for maintaining good blood glucose level control in toddlers and young children with type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes in Children

Recently, treating young type 1 diabetics with insulin pump therapy has become more common. Some studies show that insulin pump therapy is better, at least in the short term, than traditional insulin injection therapy, which requires multiple shots of insulin each day. In patients aged 7 to 12 years-of-age who used an insulin pump, A1C levels were closer to normal and remained more stable than those children who took multiple daily shots of insulin. To date, there are few studies that look at the long-term effects of insulin pump therapy normal insulin therapy in young people living with juvenile-onset diabetes.

Insulin Pumps and Senior Citizens

In the United States, over twenty percent of adults older than 65 years-of-age have diabetes. Both the American Diabetes Association and the American Geriatrics Society recommend that this population maintain a healthy A1C level. To date, studies have not looked at which type of insulin therapy - insulin injection therapy or insulin pump therapy- is safer and better for controlling blood glucose levels in older diabetic adults.

Maintaining Your Overall Health as a Type 1 Diabetic

More than ever before, you need to focus on taking are of your eyes, feet, oral health and cardiovascular system. Managing these areas of your overall health, may delay or prevent the onset of dangerous type 1 diabetes complications later in your life. To optimize your health as a Type 1 diabetic patient, you need to stop smoking, reduce the amount of alcohol you drink, monitor your blood glucose levels closely, get regular exercise and manage your weight.

Although type 1 diabetes is a serious disease, with good medical care, support groups, planning and a good attitude, you can lead a long, happy, healthy and normal life.

Please fill out the form on these pages; one of our knowledgeable representatives will contact you right away. You CAN live a healthy, normal and long life with diabetes; we can help show you how.