When Diabetes Strikes More Than One Child
It's rare and the odds are low (again, about 5 percent), but it happens. When a second child (and in very rare cases, a third child) is diagnosed with diabetes, the family has to adapt all over again. While people seem to think that it is not as big of a deal as the first diagnosis, the second, in fact, can be even more devastating and take even more work to adapt.
Diagnosis Day
In most cases, a second child's diabetes is caught much sooner. Parents are all too familiar with the signs of high blood sugar (frequent urination, bedwetting, weight loss, excessive thirst) and also are extremely sensitive to watching for it in their children without diabetes. The good news is that many children don't go to the point of a medical crisis before diagnosis, since parents pick up on the signs and usually check the child's blood sugar early on.
When a second child is diagnosed, most parents call their primary care physician and ask to be referred directly to their endocrinology team. At this time, not all children need to be treated as inpatients, although some are.
Question?
Would there be any benefit to having my second child treated as an inpatient?
Some parents find that, because of the shock of the moment, it's better to have a child stay at least twenty-four hours as an inpatient. This gives your medical team time to assess what the initial doses should be and give your child a chance to adapt. Other families prefer to do that from home.
Whether you choose for your child to be treated inpatient or out, you need to accept one fact quickly: Every diabetes case is different and every child reacts to insulin, food, and exercise in his own unique way.
Separating the Issues
Immediately, you need to set up a way to keep each child's diabetes in its own world. You may need different types of insulin, different supplies, and certainly a different logbook. By setting each up using color coding or in separate drawers or shelves, you won't mix them up (that often).
Remember, too, that this is your second sibling's own personal experience. Just because your first child diagnosed gave himself shots right off does not mean your second child will. Just because your second child wants to find a different endocrinologist doesn't mean your first has to as well. Each child needs, and requires, his own parameters for dealing with the disease.
Guilt and the First Child
It will be important to let your first diagnosed child know she had nothing to do with this second diagnosis happening. Some children can think it's their fault, that they are the ones who “brought diabetes into the house.” Talk about these misconceptions; put them to rest once and for all.
The first child may also experience a tiny bit of jealousy. For years, the family-walk team shirts have been screened with her face; now she'll share that spot with her brother. For months, he's been the one who has been uniquely brave in the family; now he's got company. Be sure to remind your first diagnosed child of the fear he felt in those early days, and point out why you may need to give some extra help to your second child for a while. If you've had a special routine with the first child on appointment days (say, you always went to the appointment and then out for a one-on-one special lunch), find a way to keep that tradition without having to double your doctor visits.
