“Why is it you’re worried you may have diabetes?” asks Dr. Elizabeth Walker, president, Health Care and Education, American Diabetes Association. “If you have type 1 diabetes, the kind of diabetes usually found in kids, you and your family would see some symptoms,” she says. And what are the symptoms? Recent weight loss (when you’re not trying to lose!), thirst, having to pee a lot, fatigue. Kids may feel very sick, as if they have the flu, when they are developing type 1 diabetes. Some kids who are overweight can also develop type 2 diabetes. Basically, diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose is very high and something needs to be done to bring it down. Doctors can check for diabetes by doing a simple blood test. Yes, treatments for diabetes sometimes involve insulin shots. Most people say that they hardly even feel the needle—it’s so tiny and sharp. And insulin can save the life of a diabetic. If you have a friend or relative who is diabetic, talk to her about her diabetes and find out what you can do to help her. And remember, diabetes isn’t contagious.
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BY ANDREA T. ON 3/26/2008 12:48:00 PM 321 COMMENTS