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Juvenile Diabetes
Tackling the Diagnosis as a Family
By Renee Roberson
Scarsi, now 30 and living in a suburb of Chicago, Ill., was 11 when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She now controls her diabetes with the help of an insulin pump, which she describes as working like a pancreas with a battery.
"It gives you a continuous drop of insulin per minute," Scarsi says. "It really functions like a normal pancreas would, but it is run by the person with the diabetes. It's a fabulous tool that you can disconnect to take a shower or go swimming."
Schaffer's son, Daniel, recently started using an insulin pump, which he named Zack, and his mother believes it allows him so much more freedom even though he is connected to it 24 hours a day.
"When he was first diagnosed, he was on two shots a day and four to eight finger pricks," Schaffer says. "Then he went to four to six shots a day with four to eight finger pricks. When he changed over to the insulin pump, it allowed him to change his infusion setting every three days, and he tests his blood sugar six to ten times a day," she says.
Through her job as a diabetes educator, Scarsi works with children who have received a juvenile diabetes diagnosis, along with their family members who are also affected by the illness daily. She says for family members, the hardest part of receiving the diagnosis is having to monitor food choices so closely.
"The whole family should be aware of carbohydrates," says Scarsi, who recommends that families organize their pantries with a shelf of healthy snacks that are individually labeled with carbohydrate content. Parents and siblings can work together to look up the carb content of the snacks and label them in plastic baggies. She also counsels the families to be prepared with certain supplies during outings and sporting events.
