Health | Page 21 of 43

When diabetes is too hard for a kid to handle

When Type 1 Diabetes is Too Much for a Child to Bear

The psychologist continued to report what Finn had told her as he leaned against me with his face buried against my shoulder. She had asked him, Are you thinking of hurting yourself? (He said yes.) How? (He reported that he wanted to bash his head in with a baseball bat.) How likely are you to do it, on a scale from zero/not really going to, to ten/absolutely certain? (He’d rated the likelihood a seven.) I was floored. But I was not horrified, because I didn’t believe he could really be thinking any of those things.

My Type 1 Diabetes is Not My Fault

In addition to telling the world that autoimmune conditions are a result of self-loathing (as a person with three autoimmune conditions, I clearly despise myself!), Sarah Wilson also writes about a magical talent she has. So magical, that I am unable to understand why she is not teaching at Hogwarts.

Traveling with Diabetes: Machu Picchu Inca Trail

10 Amazing Diabetes-Inspired Challenges (My Diabetes Bucket List)

Let's make something perfectly clear: Just because I have a diabetes bucket list does not mean that my death and diabetes will have anything to do with each other. Far from it. When I die (and that will not be soon, thank you very much), it will be of old age and nothing else.

Diabetes Alert Dogs: What You Should Know

Cynthia Hatch, a mother in Brookfield, Wisconsin, is convinced that her family’s diabetes alert dog Sunny, a golden retriever/Irish setter mix, has saved her son Nathan’s life multiple times. Nathan has all the latest diabetes gear: a CGM tied into a pump that automatically shuts off when his glucose goes below a certain level. But he also has a rare combination of type 1 diabetes and Addison’s disease, another autoimmune condition where hormonal imbalances can cause severe and precipitous drops in blood sugar.

Why You Shouldn’t Be Ashamed of Diabetes

When I speak to health care professionals about psychological care for people with diabetes, I often point out that guilt is different than shame. Guilt means we think we have done something wrong. We can deal with that, we can remedy our behavior. But shame means we think something is wrong with us, that we are broken or unworthy. That belief is much harder to address.

5 Reasons Why People with Diabetes Aren’t Managing Well

If you took a survey of people with Type 1 diabetes and asked them to tell you what's frustrating about living with diabetes, many would answer that the disease's unpredictability drives them crazy. What worked perfectly yesterday doesn't work today. But sometimes it's emotional struggles that lead to poor diabetes management. Understanding why a person isn’t checking blood glucose or taking their medication is the an important step, and what motivates a person to do better depends on the reason for the lapse in diabetes management.

In Type 1 Diabetes Management, Fear Is Not a Motivator

From the moment of diagnosis, people with diabetes already live with secret fears of complications. Forcing people with diabetes to view others with complications, in my opinion, is cruel. It's also insulting to those, who despite their best efforts of diabetes management, may still have complications. Some people with very good blood sugar control can have a number of complications, while others with much worse control have minimal complications.

My Six Year Old Didn’t Sign Up for Type 1 Diabetes

My husband and I work hard to manage our son’s condition so he feels good, learns the ropes and has a long, healthy, happy life. But also so diabetes isn’t the focus of his world—there’s plenty more for a first-grader to think about. Still, that weekend a nasty cold, a clog in his insulin pump, and other factors led to a series of high blood sugars and, consequently, vomiting and dehydration. We were shades away from hospitalization.

Amazingly Easy Ways to Lower your A1c

Focusing on eeking down that ever shifting number can be one of the most frustrating things a person living with diabetes has to do. But here is some good news: while there may not be a magic wand, there are some pretty simple, pretty cool fixes to help you on your way to lower your A1c.

Healthy Teeth and Gums Lead to Lower Health Care Costs

People with diabetes are at greater risk of developing gum disease (gingivitis and periodontal disease) than people who do not have diabetes. Gum disease is a bacterial infection in the mouth can cause blood glucose levels to rise. The link is inflammation. The build-up of inflammatory substances in the blood can worsen chronic health conditions.