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Hi, my names Jen and just a few years ago we had the worrying and rather scary experience of having my daughter, Alissa, diagnosed with juvenile (or type 1) diabetes.

Im proud to say that she is currently at University and living a normal life, she even writes her own diabetes blog.

So how did we survive the trauma of diagnosis, learning to give insulin injections and learning all about diabetes?

Alissa was first diagnosed having been losing weight for some time although we barely noticed as it was a wonderfully hot summer and wed been enjoying time in the sun!

She spent a couple of days in hospital being treated and then came home. I think we were on information overload theres SO much to take in that its hard to know where to start.

The first time I gave Alissa her insulin injection I made a real hash of it and she ended up with a massive bruise but I was keen to at least have a go rather than her take the worry of it.

Looking back on that time we had good support from the diabetic nurse but theres a few things which I wish someone could have told me:-

• Dont feel guilty - its easy to miss the signs of diabetes when youre with your child all day. The most important thing is to get to grips with their treatment regime, insulin injections and regular blood glucose testing.

• take it one day at a time - dont start to worry about the future. Whats most important is to help your child through this traumatic time, get them settled back into school or college and try to live as normally as possible.

• Read as much information as you can youll soon know more than the average nurse or doctor. Sign up for newsletters and join the national support organisations. I highly recommend the Juvenile diabetes foundation for help and information, especially about the latest research and developments into the disease.

• Make diet a whole family issue - we chose to change everyones diet as a family, this meant that Alissa didnt feel singled out as odd or different. If Alissa couldnt eat treacle pudding, nobody was going to! Reading cookbooks from the library and recipes from magazines helped me to re-learn our diet without it becoming boring or dull!

My good friend Sally always reminds me that we must be kind to ourselves. Learning that your child has diabetes isnt easy, can take time to adjust to and can be emotionally draining.

Try not to push yourself too hard, take each day as it comes, enjoy your times together as a family and just keep loving your child the same as ever!

about the Author

Jen Carter runs the Diabetia site which offers information on type 1 diabetes, her diabetic daughter also writes for the Diabetia website.

// posted by 14797 @ 11:50 PM