|
|||||||||||
 |
Conditions We Treat
Diabetes in Your Family?What you need is a team approach! The Latest Diabetes NewsTwo new insulin products will be available soon:Exubera, a fast-acting insulin that’s taken with an inhaler so it can be absorbed through the lungs. Exubera isn’t appropriate for everyone, and it won’t replace the need for long-acting injected insulin. But for some, it may reduce the number of injections needed per day. Omnipod,a new disposable pump with no tubing, so there’s less worry about tangles or pulls. The pump is easier to hide under clothing. Needle insertion is automatic, and the pump is programmed by the glucose device. Want to keep up-to-the-minute on developments like these? Sign up for our new, free electronic newsletter, Healthy You on Diabetes. You’ll get the latest news, expert advice, practical tips and recipes delivered right to your e-mail box! Click here to see the last issue of the newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Adjusting to a new diagnosisWhen a family member is diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, the whole family has lots of learning ahead. As the patient realizes the life changes diabetes will require, he may need to talk about it—and he’s not the only one. “Everyone worries when a family member has diabetes,” says Mary Cipolle, R.N., of Lehigh Valley Hospital’s Helwig Health and Diabetes Center. “Sharing your feelings makes you better able to handle the disease.”If the newly diagnosed person seems to be obsessing over his blood sugar or insulin injections (required for people with type 1 and some with type 2 diabetes), that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Diabetes should be taken seriously. Your support will help your loved one feel less intimidated and gradually make the disease a normal part of his life. The family’s ongoing roleAs the spouse or adult child of a person with diabetes, you can play a key ongoing role in encouraging your loved one to eat healthy food, exercise and check blood sugar regularly to prevent long-term complications, says psychologist Jeff Knauss, Ed.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. (Knauss has had type 1 diabetes himself since childhood.) The challenge is to strike a balance between not doing enough and becoming over-controlling.When that happens, the person with diabetes may grow defiant and purposely not do what his family wants, says endocrinologist Matthew Corcoran, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. (Low blood sugar also can create dramatic mood changes the patient isn’t even aware of.) “I suggest people with diabetes talk regularly with their family about how it feels from the patient’s point of view,” Corcoran says. “That helps everyone understand why family members need to be teammates and not the ‘diabetes police.’ ” As a teammate, you can support your loved one—and be a good role model—by learning about the disease, eating healthy and exercising regularly. And if you need extra help, don’t hesitate to ask, Corcoran says: “I often recommend counseling or support groups for my patients and their families.” When the patient is a child“Because most children diagnosed early in life have type 1 diabetes and require insulin, parents must be more heavily involved in managing the disease,” Cipolle says. “They tend to worry about the safety of sports, field trips and other activities. But kids with diabetes can do the same things other kids do—there’s just more planning involved.”Control can become an issue, especially in the naturally rebellious adolescent years. “Rather than fighting over who’s in charge, think of yourself as your child’s coach, overseeing her care and helping her when she needs it,” Knauss says. Want to Know More about diabetes and planning healthy meals for your whole family? Click here for Healthy Holiday Eating , Dark Chocolate is Good for You , or Diabetes and Family Meal Planning . This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
ARTICLE TOOLS:
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
||||||
