Adjusting to Teenage Life..With Diabetes

Adjusting to Teenage Life...With Diabetes

Teenage life can be hard. Spots. Dating. College. General growing up. For those few years, there is so much that needs to be taken in, learned and churned back out again in order to eventually become a fully fledged adult. It is a daunting period, even for the most astute among us.

Some teenagers, however, are given an additional burden on top of all this. They also live with diabetes.

For those who aren’t familiar with it, diabetes is a condition which affects the ability of the pancreas, found in the digestive system, to produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone which makes use of the food we eat, turning it into energy and sending it to complete other tasks around the body. People with diabetes (Type One, Insulin Dependent) do not produce insulin. As a result, they need to inject it a number of times a day. Insulin cannot be taken orally as it is destroyed by the stomach. As well as these daily injections, people with diabetes also need to keep a close eye on the food they eat and the amount of exercise they take. Currently, there is no cure for diabetes and so this regime will continue for the rest of a diabetic’s life.

This may all seem rather simple and perhaps, for people who have lived with and managed the condition for several years throughout adulthood, it is. However, as previously mentioned, our teenage years are already fraught with complications and confusions and adding diabetes to the equation can seem exceptionally daunting.

There are many factors that need to be considered.

For example, alcohol affects everyone in different ways. In the case of a person with diabetes, the drink being consumed can have various and profound effects on the level of sugar in the blood. This can lead – often rapidly – to high levels (hyperglycaemia) or low levels (hypoglycaemia) of blood sugar. Additionally, people who are not familiar with these conditions may simply consider a person to be drunk and as a result, the problem is not treated. This can be fatal. One also needs to take into consideration that often the reverse is true and the effects of alcohol on blood sugar levels can be delayed, perhaps not becoming demonstrative until the person is asleep. In such a situation, it is possible for someone with diabetes to slip into a coma, which can have severe consequences.

Teenagers are not renowned for eating the healthiest of foods either. Although it is important for all of us to keep to medical guidelines in terms of our consumption of fruit and vegetables, dairy products, meat and other foods, it can be even more important to a person with diabetes. This is because the condition, if not well controlled, can lower the immune system’s ability to fight infection. By eating a poor diet, gorging on high-carbohydrate foods and failing to eat regular meals, the immune system receives no assistance and the potential for illness and infection grows.

Social activities can also prove difficult to plan in the life of a teenager with diabetes. High-energy activities, from rock climbing to dancing all night at a club, need to be thought out in advance in order to ensure that the body does not run low on the sugar it needs in order to function. This means calculating insulin doses, timing meals and snacks and monitoring sugar levels throughout the activity.

All in all, there is quite a lot to think about. Teenagers who were diagnosed with diabetes while still in their childhood may find it easier to adapt but for those whose diagnosis occurs later, the entire charade can seem difficult and demanding.

It can, however, be tackled. All that is needed is a little forethought combined with a solid knowledge of the condition. By dealing with situations as they arise, the benefit of experience also comes into play. Additionally, it is important to ensure that family and friends are aware of what to do in various situations, such as a hypoglycaemic attack. With practice, patience and perseverance, teenage life, accompanied by diabetic life, can be lived – and lived to the full.

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