How children feel about diabetes


        HOW CHILDREN FEEL ABOUT DIABETES

It is sometimes hard to know how a child feels about his illness and how he sees diabetes and the way it affects him. Children are not always able to express their feelings and often they are not given the opportunity to do so anyway. Sometimes these worries and fears or misconceptions may not come out until years later, or may never be discussed. Often a child may feel awkward about talking about himself to older people, even to his parents.
On the other hand, it may be encouraging to hear the comments of intelligent teenagers who have diabetes, and know that most children with diabetes do in fact make a very good adjustment to their condition.

Tony, aged 14 years
'My name is Anthony and I am 14.1 have had diabetes for 2 1/2 years.
The first sign of illness was one morning when I woke up early with a great urge to pass urine. I had gone through the day passing urine quite frequently. This was continued for a week and at the beginning of the second week Mum had arranged for the family doctor to see me. After examining me thoroughly and testing my urine, he said that I had an infected tooth and should visit the dentist immediately. Being scared of dentists, I didn't arrange an appointment but later in that week I found myself drinking enormous amounts of water. After this I became weak and drowsy and at this stage I had lost a considerable amount of weight. For the first time I lost my appetite and at this stage I was quite dehydrated. Then I noticed that a vile smell had built up and anything I drank was soon brought up again. During the night I had very little rest and next morning I felt very ill. Mum had rung our doctor again and this time he diagnosed me as diabetic. I felt relieved in a way and confused in another way. I overheard a conversation about an ambulance having to come and escort me to the hospital. In the ambulance I felt excited. This excitement was soon ended when I was rolled away into a cubicle at casualty.
'All of a sudden I felt scared: babies crying, parents quarrelling, doctors and nurses rushing about me. Blood was being taken from my fingers and I had to pass urine for other tests. I was all confused when finally I asked someone what was wrong with me. The answers were all the same, "Nothing that you should worry about", they would say. Soon I was moved to a ward. There I had an intravenous put in. Being terrified of injections I asked some questions but they were in vain. Starting to feel better, I asked for something to eat. This was refused quite politely. I felt terrified when the time for my insulin injections came round for I had always dreaded injections all my life. Thirty hours later the intravenous was taken out and I was able to get on my feet again. I was given some food but found it wasn't enough and when I complained, I was confronted by a dietitian.
'After a tedious talk from one of the staff about a few complications of diabetes I was very discomforted for a while. I had become very solemn, losing interest in life, and bored. After a few days of this boredom I was taken with my parents down to the first floor of the hospital to my physician's office. At first my doctor asked me to come in alone. He introduced himself and sat me down. The first question he asked was how I felt about being diabetic. Well, by this time, I had some knowledge about diabetes and its complications so I answered disheartedly, "It can't be helped".
'By this time I had given quite an impression that I was depressed. He asked me what I felt and I replied, "I don't know, actually". I shouldn't feel this way I know - millions of children have diabetes. Why should I feel any different? It is a normal healthy way of life. Besides most people won't have to know. But why be ashamed of it? Family pride, loss of friends. All these questions and answers revolved around my mind and I felt numb all of a sudden, not physically but mentally. I also felt like crying. But why cry? What is that going to solve? Nothing, of course. Eventually I was asked to leave the room. As I walked out I felt hot and cold, happy and sad, strong and weak all at the same time. Suddenly I stopped pitying myself.
'I was curious what the doctor was saying to my parents at first and I became more curious when my mother came out crying. This time I was asked to enter and join my parents. Doctor asked them how they felt. My mother replied, still sniffing, that it was a way of life and that they would have to accept it. My mother was stubborn and persisted that she believed there was a cure. Doctor explained that it would be wrong to believe that there was a cure. He also explained that it can be controlled and they have proved it on the same way as me on millions of other children in the world.'

*59/54/5*
DIABETES

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