ballochroy.com

It has been nearly five years since my son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It’s amazing to me that one day I knew nearly nothing about diabetes & within 24 hours my wife & I were immersed into the world of insulin injections & carbohydrate counting. Now that my son is 8 he enjoys visiting theme parks & water parks during the summer months.

This increased activity & exposure to extreme temperatures seriously affects blood sugars levels in all children with diabetes. Close monitoring & proper storage of insulin, insulin pumps, needles & blood glucose meters is needed to avoid a short stay at the park & a quick trip to the hospital. It has been our experience that theme parks & water parks are committed to helping you & your child with medical care while at the park. The first thing you should do is contact the theme park or water park you plan on visiting & speak with employees of their first aid station. These employees can give you advice on where they’re located within the park & their medical certifications. Ask them if you can store your diabetes supplies at the first aid station in order to keep them cool & away from loss on a ride. Most first aid stations have no problem with that… All you have to do now is follow your normal diabetes schedule drink lots of water & make visits to the first aid station as needed. Also do not actually be afraid to bring your own water & snacks with you to the park. When they check your bag let them know your child has type 1 diabetes & needs these items on hand at a moments notice.

One last note I must tell you about. If you’re visiting a theme park & currently use an insulin pump you really need to make certain that your pump is protected from the powerful magnets contained in most high level thrill rides. If you wear your pump on one of these rides you risk the chance of wiping out all of your pump information or completely ruining your pump. G-forces from the rides can also affect the functionality of your pump. Please check with your pump manufacturer prior to your trip to address this potential problem. Most theme parks should be easily able to tell you which rides may affect your pump. A list of theme parks nationwide can be easily found on my website.

My name is Brad Stott & my son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 5 years ago. I’ve recently began to write articles documenting my families personal experiences with treating diabetes. It’s my goal to pass on what we have learned to other families who are going through the same things. Please take a moment & visit my website I’ve made for my son at http://www.andrewsarmy.com where you can learn more about Type 1 Diabetes & how it will change your life.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.