Ideas to Help Your Family Adjust

If you feel overwhelmed after diagnosis

In the weeks after your child has been diagnosed, you may feel that diabetes has taken over your life. That feeling is normal and necessary. Learning about diabetes, and adjusting to it, should be your priority. The immediate impact of the disorder is overwhelming for all members of the family. Try to take one day at a time. Don’t be afraid to lean on your diabetes team for support and guidance. As time goes on, you will feel more comfortable with the daily routines of diabetes care. But be patient. It can take a year or perhaps longer before you go a day without worrying about your child’s condition.

Ideas to help your family adjust (type 1)

Most families already face variety of stress in their lives. Families living with diabetes face extra demands. How can you ease the burden and adjust to the disease as smoothly as possible? Here are some ideas.

• Learn as much as possible about diabetes. If you become an expert, you’ll more likely be ready when a challenge arises.
• Keep in regular contact with the diabetes team. These health professionals are there to help with problem solving. Sometimes a call to a team member can quickly solve a problem that doesn’t seem to have a solution. Don’t let a small problem grow.
• Explore the community and social supports. Knowing other families who have a child with diabetes, belonging to a parent support group or, for teens themselves, joining a diabetes youth group may help reduce stress.
• Sharing the responsibility. In 2-parent families, try and balance the responsibilities and activities related to diabetes care. Single parents should try to find a support person. This person should be is willing to learn the basics about your child’s diabetes routines and to provide necessary relief. With this back-up in place, your child remains safe when you are not available.
• Remember what worked before to relieve stress. Fall back on familiar ways of coping that have worked in the past. This may involve taking time out, going for a walk, talking with a friend, listening to music, or enjoying a physical workout.
• Manage feelings, don’t hide them. Although it is often hard for parents to see their children upset, it is important to allow children to express painful feelings about having diabetes. This helps your child feel understood and supported. You may feel relieved knowing what the problem is. Solid communication builds trust and promotes problem solving. These are important factors to help your child adjust to a chronic disorder.
• Use distractions. If your child is very young, doing blood sugar checks and insulin injections may cause anxiety. Have your child hold a teddy bear during the injection. Do the finger pricks while your child watches television. Another idea is to have a sibling sit with your child while the routines are completed.
• Try not to focus only on the diabetes. Remember that children lead busy and active lives. Make an effort to focus on your child’s schoolwork, friends, or extracurricular activities. Get involved in these activities in a way that’s consistent with your lifestyle. Show by your action and interest that diabetes is not your only shared activity.
• Avoid black and white thinking. Diabetes care can be complicated, and it’s important not to think of outcomes as good or bad.  Blood glucose and HbA_1c levels should be though of as high or low, not good or bad. Furthermore, diabetes care is not an “all or nothing“ issue. Look at temporary problems as slips, not failures. This will make it easier to adapt. 

	DIABETES A chronic metabolic disease in which the pancreas is not producing any or enough insulin or the body does not use insulin properly. Insulin is needed for the body to use blood glucose (sugar) for energy. There are several types of diabetes. Diabetes that occurs during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes.

	CHRONIC Lasting for a long period of time or even a lifetime.

	INSULIN Hormone produced in the pancreas which is essential for normal metabolism of glucose. Metabolism is the term for the way cells chemically change food so it can be used to store energy, and make the proteins, fats and sugars needed by the body.

	ANXIETY A frequent, persistent, unpleasant mental tension.

	GLUCOSE The type of sugar that body cells need to supply energy.