Teens and Diabetes
If you are a teen and have diabetes you already complicated teen life can be even more involved as you deal with your disease and the feelings that you have about living with diabetes.
Teens just want to fit in with their peers and anything that makes them feel different is going to make their life difficult. Dealing with diabetes means having to test blood glucose levels on a regular basis, eating a meal plan specific to your diabetic needs, and perhaps giving yourself an insulin shot, missing school or social events due to medical appointments and sometimes not feeling well while at school due to low blood sugar or high blood sugar.
It can be especially rough if the teen is in a family with siblings who do not have diabetes and they can have feelings of anger for having to deal with diabetic issues when their siblings seem to have a relatively carefree life.
Teens often ask, “Why me?” or “What Have I done to deserve to have to deal with all of this?”
Teens who are newly diagnosed may have to deal with learning how to give insulin shots, or may be nervous about having medicals tests, or how diabetes will affect their social or school life. It may take a while and a lot of practice before a teen will get the hang of injections, blood glucose testing, and monitoring their condition, which includes checking their feet, and monitoring symptoms.
Teens have a lot to deal with including their feelings. There are a few tips on dealing with feelings that may help a teen that is trying to deal with diabetes.
Try to find one or more individuals that you can trust to talk to about how you are feeling. Try to be open with these people about how you are adjusting and about your feelings.
It is really important to learn the current ways of taking care of your body, which includes how to give shots, how to check blood glucose level, and how to take any other medications prescribed. It also means getting adequate amounts of daily exercise, eating well-balanced meals and snacks, keeping as stress free as possible, and keeping in touch with your medical team.
Dealing with your diabetes may also mean telling your teachers that you are diabetic. There may come a time when you may have to leave class if you are feeling symptoms of low or high blood sugar coming on and it important that if you should ever need emergency attention that school staff know that you are diabetic. Your diabetic doctor can help you tell your teachers by writing a note or discussing ways to bring the subject up with your teachers.
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