“How to help a diabetic child manage symptoms?”

You need to get her A1C controlled to resolve her symptoms. Take her to a pediatric endocrinologist.

Ali A. Achira, MD

This is a difficult question. I have spent the last 50 yrs.. of my life trying to answer it. A 13 yr. old is in a state of transition from childhood to adulthood with all the emotional problems of teenage. Add diabetes to that & you have a problem. It is impossible in this limited space & without details of her behavior to tell you what to do. I can only be generic in my comments. 1) have her go through good diabetes education with a good diabetes educator who is familiar with the problems of teens 2) make the diabetes management as easy as possible using modern tools such as continuous glucose monitoring, insulin pumps, etc 3) find a peds endo who knows how to use these instruments & understands teens. 4) if severe problems develop find a child psychiatrist who understands teens & diabetes in teens. Always be loving & kind. Diabetes is hard for anyone but especially hard for teens. A Diabetes Camp experience may also help. All the best, I hope she accepts her disease & does well.

You can help your daughter manage her symptoms by helping her control her blood sugars. Help her count the amount of carbohydrates in her meals, get the appropriate dose of insulin, check her blood sugars, etc.