The Challenges In Children with Diabetes

It is a fact that having a child suffering from diabetes can pose new challenges and worries. It can be very stressful for parents and the child, and that it will seem that this is a death sentence to your child. However, children with diabetes can still live a full and normal life. With proper management, living with diabetes can be easy and normal.

Having an infant or toddler diagnosed with diabetes can be very frightening. They don’t know anything about the disease and it can really be challenging for parents to manage and treat the disease as the child have no way of communicating what they are feeling.

The same situation goes for preschoolers with diabetes. They really haven’t learned to recognize the symptoms of having low blood glucose level and they will never be able to tell others when they are feeling low. This is why it is very important to constantly check the blood glucose level of your child as often as possible.

However, you need to understand that the child may be frightened by lancets poking their fingers and regular insulin shots. You should expect that they will try anything in order to avoid it or at least try to delay it from getting them. It will help if the parents talk to the child and tell them that they know it hurts and also tell the children that they are being very brave. Stickers and rewards will prove to be helpful in encouraging the child to get the insulin shot or get pricked by the lancets for drawing blood for sample. Instead of scolding or threatening them with punishment, always use positive reinforcements.

However, it must be remebered that using food as rewards may sometimes develop an unhealthy relationship with food.

You also need to keep in mind that children with diabetes can have the same fussy eating habits as other children who are not suffering from the disease. It is best not to force the child to eat the certain food you are offering them. Instead, try offering them a different kind of food, which is also good for their diabetic diet. You can also offer them juice or milk instead if they really don’t want to eat.

During school age, your children will start wanting to be like their peers. It will be often difficult for them to understand why they are different from other children as they need to take insulin and have to follow a certain meal plan. Usually, the best way to handle this kind of situation depends entirely on the personality of your child.

Some children wants to show off to their classmates about their condition, such as they try to check their blood glucose level themselves and even try giving themselves an insulin injection for show and tell. Some older children with diabetes even presented the disease as science projects. However, you need to keep in mind that there are children that will not want to bring the disease they are suffering from on center stage.

They prefer to keep quiet about it and it is important for you to let your children decide who to tell about their disease and how much to tell. However, it is important to tell teachers, coaches, family, and close friends about it in order for them to understand what your child is going through.

These are the challenges that you should expect when living with children with diabetes. It can be very challenging and depressing at first but after a while, you will see that you and your child will be able to adjust and live a normal and full life.

Preventing Foot Ulcers

Diabetes is a disease that can have a lot of complications. This chronic lifestyle disease can increase the risk of heart diseases, kidney disorders, blindness, circulatory problems, and it can even cause foot ulcers that can end up requiring amputation of the lower limbs.

Foot ulcers are very common among diabetics. It is important that you should know how to prevent this from happening to you as this is the most common cause of non-traumatic amputation of the lower limbs. Any person with diabetes can have foot ulcers. However, there are several factors that significantly increase the risk. By learning about the factors that increase the risk of foot ulcers, you will be able to know how to effectively prevent it.

Poor blood glucose control is one major factor that increases the risk of developing foot ulcers. Other factors that significantly increase the risk of developing foot ulcers in diabeticpatients are sensory neuropathy, poor circulation, poor foot healthcare, inappropriate or ill fitting footwear, foot deformity, and history of previous ulceration.

If you are suffering from diabetes and that you have neuropathy and reduced or poor circulation, then you are very likely to get foot ulcers. This is a classic example of the causes of foot ulcer. If you decide to go on a long walk with new shoes and that you have neuropathy and poor circulation, then it is very likely that you will develop foot ulcers. The new pair of shoes and the duration of the walk can cause chaffing in the feet, which you will not feel as you have loss of feeling in the feet or because of sensory neuropathy. The chaffing will then develop in to a blister, which you will not notice for the same reason.

The blister will not be able to heal due to the poor circulation of blood and further develop into an ulcer.

This is one scenario that can possibly cause foot ulcer. Other classic cases would be getting an ingrown toenail which can cause injury to your feet and further +develop to foot ulcers.

Here are ways on how you can prevent foot ulcers. By following these tips, you can be sure that you will be able to decrease the risk of developing foot ulcers and decrease the likelihood of amputation.

The first is to check your blood glucose level regularly. By doing so, you will be able to effectively monitor and regulate your blood glucose levels at acceptable levels.

In addition to that, checking your feet using a mirror is a must especially if you have sensory neuropathy. By doing so, you will be able to know if you developed chaffing in your feet, which can develop in to blisters then in to foot ulcers.

Cleaning the feet with warm water and mild soap can also help prevent foot ulcers. Always remember that after every washing, you dry your feet carefully giving particular attention to the portion between the toes.

If you are cutting toenails, remember not to cut down in to corners as this can cause an ingrown toenail to develop. Instead, try cutting the toenails straight across. If you are unsure on how to properly cut your toenails, you should consult a podiatrist.

Appropriate footwear is necessary for diabetics. Make sure that the shoes you get fit you adequately. Consult your podiatrist in order to make sure that the shoes you get is comfortable and one that has enough space for your feet that it will not cause injuries.

These are some of the ways to prevent foot ulcers in diabetic patients. By following these tips, you can be sure that you will decrease the risk of getting foot ulcers, which will basically reduce the risk of amputation.