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Another School Year

© Jeni Tambush

Though it's always a little hard for us parents to walk away from the school building when our children are getting ready to experience their first full day at school, it's even harder when you're leaving a child there who has juvenile diabetes. A thousand questions cross your mind as you step from the building and you have to restrain yourself to not go back in and drill everyone that comes in contact with your child about 'what to watch for IF' , ' what to do IF'...you could very well lose your sanity before you reach the parking lot.

As confident as you are in the teacher, you realize how difficult it is for him/her to teach a class AND watch for the signs of a hypo as 20-25 other little faces peer back at him/her. Did you go over the usual signs of a hypo with the teacher and even some of the not so usual clues that your child gives out when the blood sugar is low? Did you remember to tell the teacher that sometimes your child may not notice a low coming on and that at certain times of the day like before lunch it's important to watch for the symptoms? Did you fully explain about recess and the importance of the snack before going outside to play? What about the other teachers who do playground duty? Did you get a chance to briefly go over things with the other teachers as well? Do they know what to watch for and can they really pay that close attention to your child with four or more classes out on the playground at once? What about the glucagon? Did you make sure that the health office knows how and when to administer the shot? Are your emergency phone numbers in easy access to the health office staff? Will they remember to call your child up at the right time for the blood check? What about the physical education teacher? Does he/she know what exercise will do to your child's blood sugar levels and does he/she also know what to watch for to keep your child out of trouble? Did you remember to make sure that your child is wearing their medical alert ID and stress the importance of NOT taking it off?

While you mentally check off the things that you did do, didn't do, or need to do, you also remember how important to your child it is that they be as 'normal' as the rest of the kids and allow some of the independence that is as vital to their development as the insulin is to the diabetes.

The copyright of the article Another School Year in Juvenile Diabetes is owned by Jeni Tambush. Permission to republish Another School Year in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.