Are you familiar with all the juvenile diabetes symptoms? I thought I was because I have been the parent of a diabetic child for seven years. Wrong.
According to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention one out of every 400-500 children has juvenile diabetes. Or, to put it another way, approximately 210,000 people under the age of 20 have juvenile diabetes. 15,000 kids are diagnosed with juvenile diabetes each year. Siblings of juvenile diabetics are, of course, at slightly higher risk of getting diabetes. If you already have a child with diabetes you’re undoubtedly aware of the anxiety you have for your non-diabetic children.
I have four daughters. My 12-year-old daughter has had juvenile diabetes for seven years & I have worried about my four & five-year-old daughters. Of course I do not want them to get diabetes. So I delayed their immunizations until they were six months old & they have been on a delayed schedule. I breastfed them for three years. If they were to lose weight & have constant thirst I had be all over it & test their blood sugar.
I never worried about my 14-year-old daughter getting diabetes because she has always been healthy. In February 2007 she started having symptoms that did not seem like classic juvenile diabetes symptoms:
* Muscle pain & weakness.
* Negative reactions to foods that seemed to abate after she went on a gluten-free diet.
* Joint swelling.
* Fatigue.
She saw the doctor a few times & had blood work. Even though she has a diabetic sister no one thought to test her blood sugar & A1C. Neither did I.
The classic juvenile diabetes symptoms are:
* Excessive thirst.
* Frequent urination.
* Blurry vision.
* Weight loss.
* Extreme hunger.
Unfortunately the symptoms do not go away after diagnosis & treatment. Since insulin was introduced in 1921 diabetes is no longer terminal. But daily vigilance is required to keep the blood sugars in control & stop long term complications.
My 14-year-old daughter was diagnosed only a few weeks ago. It was a very hard adjustment for her in those initial days but yet, since then, there has been more laughter in our house than ever before. My two diabetic daughters now take walks together every day. I have watched them sit together & look at the Pink Panther diabetes book & nearly roll on the floor with laughter. They compare blood sugar numbers. My younger daughter will whisper her blood sugar number to me if it is high so that my older daughter will not hear & lecture her. They sit at the computer together & look at diabetes websites. They ordered matching glucometers.
This underscores the importance of support. If your child has a chance to spend time with other diabetic children & laugh with them, take full advantage. There’re forums on the internet for parents & children. Read as much as you can. And occasionally allow yourself to indulge in a little hope that someday there will be a cure.
Anita Ashland lives in Wisconsin & has four daughters; two of them have juvenile diabetes. So… She has a blog called Living With Juvenile Diabetes Symptoms. She works at home as an on line bookseller & freelance copywriter.
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