Tip of the Week:
The end of school is here yet again, and naturally, there are lots of sweets and treats. Here are some tips from a mother who has been through this quite a few times. Find more like this in the HealthSims Type 1 Diabetes training course.
Volunteer to bring the beverages for the party and select sugar free or bring a sugar free drink for your child only. Or let your child pick “one sweet treat” with some extra insulin for the end of year party, and bring the other items home for snacks when you can work them into your plan. - Dana, mother of a son with diabetes
Tip of the Week:
There are lots of tricks to counting carbs, and the more you do it, the easier it is.
Here’s a carb counting tip from a grandmother who has learned a lot about carb counting in the last seven years. Find more like this in the HealthSims Type 1 Diabetes training course.
My grandson likes his grilled cheese and other sandwiches with the crusts cut off. Remember that doing that inpacts the carb count of the bread. We figured out that cutting the crusts off our bread reduced the carbs from 16 a slice to 10 a slice by weighing the bread slice before and after. - Dee, grandmother of a child with diabetes
Caring for a child with Type - 1 is a lot of work, every day, 7 days a week. When my wife is out of town on business, it is so challenging to take 100% of the responsibility for that care - particularly when it must be handled along with monitoring homework, taking kids to practices and all the “regular” parental duties. Flying solo for a while reminds me how lucky I am to be sharing this responsibility with my wife, and how stressful it is for her when I have to be away for work. I have immense admiration and awe for single parents who have to shoulder the full responsibility for caring for their Type - 1 kids.
- Jay (father of a pre-teen son with type 1 diabetes)
Everywhere I turn there are articles about the farmers markets in my area. This is probably as much a sign of the “eat local” movement as well as what appears to be a trend towards eating less processed whole foods. Either way, there is a rainbow of fruit coming available at this time of the year both at your grocery store and if you are lucky, from your local farmers. Not only is fruit healthy and full of nutrients, but it is often relatively low in carbs…something never far from your mind if you have diabetes. Check out some fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon, or look for your other favorites.
Need some assistance with counting carbs in your fresh fruit? Try Calorie King: http://www.calorieking.com/
Tip of the Week:
As the weather warms and kids start dreaming about long summer days, parents of children with diabetes know there are some challenges in their not too distant future. It isn’t easy keeping blood sugar numbers stabilized during long days at an amusement park or water park.
Check out these tips about amusement parks and find more like these in the HealthSims Type 1 Diabetes training course.
Long ago I learned that some parks have special passes for people with medical conditions. These passes make it possible for my daughter to not wait in line for a very long time. You should check with the park when you arrive to see if they have something similar. - Lisa, mother of a 15 year old with diabetes
Disney is great about helping people with type 1 diabetes. My nephew got a guest assistance pass so he didn’t have to wait in long lines in the sun with his insulin pump. They also had a very nice first aid station. - Pennie, aunt of a type 1 diabetic
With all of this talk of swine flu, I am reminded that my son was diagnosed with type 1 a few weeks after having the flu. He tested positive in December of 2000 for the flu then in January of 2001 was showing symptoms of type 1. We didn’t know at the time that he had a genetic predisposition because my husband and I are both adopted. Later when we found my birth father’s family, we learned that he had a brother who had type 1, giving our family a genetic predisposition to the disease. The flu was the trigger that sent the white blood cells off to attack the pancreas. I know we could not have avoided all sickness and thus avoided type 1, but it does make the flu an especially negative thought for me!
If you are using a Disetronic Accu-Chek Spirit pump, read this article to see if yours is included in a recall by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
There is good news on the type 2 diabetes horizon. Even modest healthy changes in lifestyle can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Focus on these five lifestyle factors: physical activity, diet, smoking habits, alcohol use, and body fat. Read this article for more information about what you can do to prevent type 2 diabetes.
http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20090427/healthy-changes-can-prevent-diabetes
Some patients with diabetes who underwent experimental stem cell treatment did not need insulin injections for at least a year. Click the link to read more about the stem cell treatment.
http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20090414/stem-cells-promising-for-type-one-diabetes
While the number of diabetes cases being diagnosed is growing, people aren’t always taking care of themselves in this economy. This article has a good reminder about the consequences of skimping on your health when you have diabetes.