With school starting, I thought back to my early years with type 1 diabetes and school. How did my Mom handle it? How did I handle it?

While I was in grade school, I took my lunch with the same food every day. That made it easier with insulin dosages given to me in the morning. At that time, we didn’t have sugar monitors that handled well because we were checking sugar through the urine instead of blood sugars. (Today’s methods are much better!)

I remember gym class (which I didn’t even enjoy) sometime being problematic because of low sugars.  My teacher had some type of food to give to me (which Mom had given to her)  if I told her I felt weak and thought my blood sugar was low.

Unfortunately, when I walked to school, I also passed by the local grocery store and many times purchased soda pop. I’m sure my sugar levels skyrocketed whenever I did this. I am glad today we have many more “treats” that are sugar-free for diabetics to enjoy that don’t contain much or any sugar!

Grade school children always feel the need to fit in and be approved by their peers. This can create more problems for a child who has type 1 diabetes. Whether the diabetic child is embarrassed about their condition or gets teased about being different, it is an obstacle parents need to work through to find a solution for their child.

If you are a parent of a type 1 diabetic or you attend grade school and have diabetes, how do you cope with these issues? I’d like to hear your thoughts and ideas how you deal with type 1 diabetes and school!