friend once found a box of chocolates
and wanted Emma to share them. Emma
refused, as her blood test proved. When
she was 5, she arranged with her mother
that at parties she could do a blood test
and then decide how many sweet things
she could eat. Perhaps more
complicated than calculating what to eat,
is the children’s competence in
managing to be different from her friends
but still to be accepted fully by them.
Needles
DJ was 6, and Nicola 4 when they did
their own blood tests and injections,
though like other children Nicola
preferred her mother to do injections
sometimes.
Children vary in what they feel able and
willing to do. Alex had needle phobia and
at age 11 found injections very hard, as
did one of the mothers. When James
was diagnosed at age 7, he could do his
injections before his mother felt able to.
When William was aged 7, he was
pleased that a young friend, who also
had diabetes, showed him how to start
doing injections.
Food and insulin
Food and activity choices constantly
revolve around trying to balance blood
sugar levels between too low and too
high. Jo aged 7 and her mother chose
food together for her packed lunch each
day. Mr Football aged 9 was expert on
calories in types of foods. Children
checked calorie details on food or drink
packets, and worked out their current
blood sugar level against how much
energy they might need for the next few
hours. Johnny managed an insulin pump
and like Jimbo, also aged 11, adjusted
his insulin doses to fit his needs.
Understanding
If they went to visit friends, some
children did their routines and also
explained these. David aged 11 said
succinctly: It’s an illness and an organ in
your body isn’t working, and it’s stopped
producing this liquid, and you need this
liquid to turn sugar into energy, and this
liquid is insulin, and so you have to have
injections of it. And you can’t have so
much sugar in your food.
Moral insight
Jessie aged 6 showed the children’s
responsible moral understanding when
saying ‘I’m sure’.
Interviewer: This is my little girl.
She’s just got diabetes.. Can you
tell us what we need to do?
Jessie . When she’s feeling low
you must always give her some
sweets, and when she’s feeling
high you must always, always not
give her sweets.
Int: And how would I know if she’s
high or low?
Jessie: She’ll tell you, I’m sure.
Int: Is there anything else I need to
do.?
Jessie: Yes, you need to do your
blood sugar [she explains how to
do so] and then you have to see
how high or low you are so you
can have some treats or not. So
that’s how you do it.
Other findings
This short report is mainly about the
children’s skill and understanding. Yet
they also described good care from
specialists and dangerously inadequate
care from non-specialist practitioners.
They talked about the first days when
they found they had diabetes and they
raised questions about whether hospital
or home was the best place for them to
be then, if they were well enough to go
home. Even it they played a very active
part in their care, children did not
necessarily want to talk much in the
clinics. They described how teachers
could be very helpful or very unhelpful.
Most of all, the children emphasised how
they wanted to be normal and to get on
with their lives. They needed devices
and routines at home, nursery and
school, to help them to do so.