Telling people you are living with diabetes can be hard, especially if it’s someone you care about, or you have recently been diagnosed.
Even if it feels difficult, the people around you must know so they can support you. Here are my tips!
Choose a familiar place
Choosing somewhere you feel safe will help you to feel more relaxed during the conversation. This can be at home or your favourite cafe/restaurant.
You can also bring the topic up casually, it doesn’t have to feel serious. I often tell people when we are talking about food or exercise. For example I’ll say ‘I like to exercise because it helps me to control my sugar levels, I have type 1 diabetes’. Then the conversation goes on from there.
Keep it simple
Most people won’t fully understand what living with diabetes means, so you need to use easy language for them to understand.
You can use stuff like: – ‘My sugar levels can go high and low’ – ‘When they go high I need insulin’ – ‘When they go low I need to eat sugar’
Tell people how to support you
Tell them what you might need. For example, sometimes your sugar levels will influence your food choices or you might need them to go for a walk with you.
I also tell people that I will let them know if i need anything, rather than having people constantly asking if I’m ok. This puts the control in your hands, and stops you feeling overwhelmed.
Be prepared to answer questions
Everyone will have questions, this is vital to their understanding, and in my opinion the best way to raise awareness.
Questions will often be about your diagnosis, what you eat or about taking insulin etc. From my experience most questions are positive, however sometimes people might ask you a questions that comes off as negative. If this happens, reinforce that people living with diabetes can achieve anything, just with a little more preparation.
*Remember to only have conversations when you are ready, but getting things off your chest is important too. If you are worried someone is going to judge you or treat you differently after, maybe you need to question their importance in your life rather than hiding your diabetes. Please email me if you need anything!
Thank you for reading How to tell people you have diabetes, email me any questions you have. Be sure to subscribe and follow me on Instagram!
Transitions for children alone are challenging, but taking diabetes into account too can make this process really tough. This is why it is vital to give children living with diabetes the most support we possible can, to make this process bearable.
I thought it would be great if I shared some first-hand tips that really helped me when I went through the process of starting secondary school while managing my diabetes.
So keep reading for my tips on supporting the transition into secondary school while living with diabetes!
1. Educate the school
This might be an obvious point, but the school must be informed about how they can help and what they can do to support living with diabetes in every way. So arranging an in-depth meeting is super important to establish how the school will work with you to meet the child’s needs.
Some points to consider are:
Where the child feels comfortable injecting
Explaining how to use the technology the child is using (FGM’s, CGM’s, pumps)
Hypo plan – informing teachers, access to snacks and so on
Educating students and teachers about T1D
A good point to note too, is that even if the school has had previous students living with diabetes (which is great!), it doesn’t necessarily mean they know it all. It is really important that the school recognises that your child might have certain areas they need support with. For example, they might need support with opening up and talking about T1D.
Everyone needs to be clued up during a transition period. All relevant teachers need to be aware of the condition, and know the hypo protocol. The last thing a child needs on top of transitioning into secondary school is inadequate support if they need it, so make sure the school has informed everyone who needs to know about diabetes!
Also make sure you chat with your diabetic consultant/team as I’m aware they sometimes have a designated member of the team who will go and talk to the school, provide education about living with T1D and ultimately ensuring the child’s needs are met.
Get a buddy!
I would absolutely recommend allowing your child to choose a friend who will help and support your child if they have a hypo, or any other need related to diabetes. This was particularly useful to me during the younger years of secondary school as I was shy about my diabetes.
This also really helps to deal with feelings of loneliness and isolation, which every person living with diabetes has experienced. Having a good friend to rely on also helps to build confidence when talking about diabetes.
Learn 3 phrases!
This is a tip that has helped me for a very long time, and still does now!
So, come up with, and learn 3 phrases you or your child can use when people ask ignorant or difficult questions about living with diabetes.
For example, if someone asks ‘should you be eating that with diabetes?’, a good phrase which would work with this is, ‘thank you for your concern, however, I know my body, and I know what it needs.’
Knowing these phrases means you are prepared for any situation, and stops you from having to think on the spot.
By this, I mean speaking up about any issues you or your child is having regarding diabetes. Choose someone you are comfortable with, whether that be a teacher, another family member, or a specialist.
I am a huge advocate for speaking up because this is what enabled me to accept my diagnosis, spread awareness and to be successful no matter what!
A huge topic many people living diabetes find trouble with is talking to other people about living with diabetes. Whether it’s lack of understanding, or ignorant questions, speaking up will help to overcome the issue. A problem shared is a problem halved and often people can give you some really useful advice that helps to build confidence and reduce anxiety!
Ultimately, it is the schools duty to help ensure that the transition into secondary school is smooth, and every child has the support they need to succeed and maintain a healthy mindset.
Thank you so much for reading my tips on supporting a child transitioning into secondary school while living with diabetes! I really hope you find this useful and it will make the transition a bit easier! If you have any questions at all, drop me an email! And be sure you follow me on Instagram!
This weeks blog is slightly different, and aimed for parents who have just had a child diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Firstly I’d like to say to all parents that they have done nothing wrong and it is not your fault your child has been diagnosed. Unfortunately autoimmune diseases, including Type 1, arise with no clear cause and sometimes even no family history!
Having a child diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes can be so daunting, so keep reading for some basic tips to help get you started.
1. Learn how to recognise low and high sugar levels
This is super important to know, because some children can have specific symptoms or behaviours when they are having high or low sugar levels.
The general symptoms of hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia include shakiness, sweating, feeling ‘hangry’, paleness and so on. When your child is experiencing either a high or a low, pay close attention to how they look, act and talk about how they feel.
This is vital because this information can be passed on to other adults who care for your child, and so hypo’s can be dealt with before they become more serious.
One point to note too is that children sometimes like to use certain words when they are feeling like they have high or low sugars. It can be easier for children to learn simple words when they are feeling unwell to communicate best. A great example is the phrase, ‘I’m feeling funny’ because it’s easy for children to learn and easy for adults to recognise.
2. Make dietary swaps and simple lifestyle changes
There is a lot of information out there about what diabetics should and shouldn’t eat, and plenty of foods labelled as ‘diabetic foods’. It can make living with diabetes feel very complicated and confusing.
But, it can actually be really easy to implement simple changes into your child’s lifestyle that will really help glucose control. For example, swapping white carbs to brown carbs can help to prevent glucose spikes. For more specific foods to eat read my blog 5 foods diabetics should be eating!
Another tip I have is to make smart swaps with food products you are buying, look out for hidden sugars in sauces, yogurts and cereals. Of course when carb counting we need to make sure all carbohydrates are being taken into account.
A great brand example are Nairn’s. They make oat biscuits that are lower in sugar and are delicious! Perfect as a little treat or snack!
Exercise is also really important for sugar level control. Please don’t let fear of hypo’s stop your little one from exercising and having fun. Encourage your child to take part in physical hobbies and playing sports, just make sure you have a protocol for low sugar levels. Always make sure your child has a way to test sugar levels, enough snacks and water with them at all times.
3. Educate the school
This is super important because some schools may have never had a student living with Type 1. So take time to speak to your child’s school and tell them exactly what your child’s needs are, and how you and your child would like support. Whether that’s with blood test taking, insulin injecting or knowing know to use a CGM or insulin pump.
It is also really important to share any key words your child uses when they feel unwell, and how they might look or act if they have high or low sugar levels. This way key workers will know exactly what to do.
Furthermore, having everything in place for children to support them mentally is essential. Sometimes the burden of living with diabetes can feel never ending, especially for young children it can be really hard to talk about and explain. Therefore having the correct support is paramount. This leads me onto my next point!
4. Ace meetings and reviews
My first tip is to write everything down! Whether thats on your phone, or a list on your fridge, write down all questions and concerns that you would like to bring up in the meeting. There is always a lot to talk about and it can be easy to forget questions, so make sure you are prepared!
Having great HbA1c readings and blood test results is a fantastic achievement, but don’t forget that specialists should also be there for further support when it is needed.
What I mean by this, is if your child is going through a stressful period, for example exams, it will impact their sugar levels and make them harder to control. Diabetic specialists are there to support you and your child through transitions, they absolutely should be helping with a situation like this. Whether that is visiting you child’s school to put protocols in place, or referring you onto other specialists who can help with stress management techniques.
My final tip for this point is making sure you are encouraging your child to speak up in the meeting, and even take more control of the meeting if they would like to. This is amazing at getting your child into the habit of taking care of themselves and helping to prevent negative feelings about their condition.
5. Join Facebook or other support groups
The burden of having a little one with Type 1 can sometimes feel helpless! But believe me you are not alone and there are many parents going through the same situation.
If you are struggling with any form of stress, join a support group! This could be on social media or ask your diabetic specialist team if they have any resources or contacts of any other parents you can contact. A problem shared is a problem halved, and when it comes to Type 1 diabetes, there’s no one better to talk to than someone else dealing with Type 1 diabetes too.
Thank you so much for reading my blog, I really hope these tips help you. Always be sure to email me any questions or further advise on any topics!
