728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Your Children › Highs And Lows

Highs And Lows

An Inside Look at Teens and Diabetes

By Laura Cone

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  

Most teenagers want to be considered "cool," which often means blending in with their peers. For teenagers living with diabetes, that can be difficult, especially when they have to worry about sharing chocolate cake on dates or if they will have to sit out during games when they feel too dizzy to play.

As a starting varsity soccer player, 14-year-old Ryan Candice Branson is disappointed she cannot always play in the games. She even wonders whether her team would have won District if she could have played more. "I have to sit out for the first half because, oftentimes, I get low right before the game," she says. "Then, there is a pattern. I'll be low, so I drink juice. By halftime, my blood sugar is up. I'd have symptoms, like I'd be dizzy and wouldn't be able to perform my best."

For the past 10 years, Branson, a freshman living in Pearl River, La., has lived with Type I diabetes. She uses an insulin pump, a small beeper-sized device that delivers insulin to her body via a tube that is placed just under her skin, in order to control her disease. And while she plans to avoid certain activities in order to preserve her health, she also doesn't intend to let her diabetes stop her from experiencing all that life can offer. Branson is excited about being a student ambassador in the People to People International program, even though she will have to bring her diabetes supplies along. "I'm traveling to England, and my mom is driving me crazy because she is worried," Branson says. "She is worried about who will check my blood sugar."

Food Fights
David and Paula Smith of Chesterfield, Mo., are the parents of six boys, including two with Type I diabetes. David Smith says his youngest son, Carson, 5, was used to eating whatever he wanted before he was diagnosed with diabetes this past Christmas. Their oldest son, Tyler, 15, who uses an insulin pump, was diagnosed with the disease at 14 months old. "You never get used to it," Smith says. "It's part of your routine. You have to monitor with exercise, diet and insulin."


Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  


Want to see more?