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The Scary Truth - Dealing with Diabetes

Every year, more than 15,000 children are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  Type 1 Diabetes is defined by Wikipedia as:

Diabetes mellitus type 1 (type 1 diabetes, T1DM, formerly insulin dependent or juvenile diabetes) is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. The subsequent lack of insulin leads to increased blood and urine glucose. The classical symptoms are polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), polyphagia (increased hunger), and weight loss.  Eventually, type 1 diabetes is fatal unless treated with insulin. Injection is the most common method of administering insulin although other methods are insulin pumps and inhaled insulin. Other alternatives are Pancreatic transplants that have been used and also pancreatic islet cell transplantation. Transplantation is experimental yet growing.
Most people who develop type 1 are otherwise healthy. Although the cause of type 1 diabetes is still not fully understood, it is believed to be of immunological origin. Type 1 can be distinguished from type 2 diabetes via a C-peptide assay, which measures endogenous insulin production.
Type 1 treatment must be continued indefinitely in all cases. Treatment should not significantly impair normal activities but can be done adequately if sufficient patient training, awareness, appropriate care, discipline in testing and dosing of insulin is taken. However, treatment remains quite burdensome for many people. Complications may be associated with both low blood sugar and high blood sugar, both largely due to the nonphysiological manner in which insulin is replaced. Low blood sugar may lead to seizures or episodes of unconsciousness, and requires emergency treatment. High blood sugar may lead to increased fatigue and can also result in long-term damage to organs.

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Signs and symptoms
The classical symptoms of type 1 diabetes include: polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), Xerostomia (dry mouth), polyphagia (increased hunger), fatigue, and weight loss. Before a person knows they have diabetes, blood sugar levels are in a very high range for long periods of time which could cause diabetic ketoacidosis. These symptoms could be xeroderma (dry skin), rapid, deep breathing, drowsiness, gastralgia (abdominal pain), and copremsis (vomiting).

Children with this disease often have a difficult time going to school and managing their disease as many schools are running out of funds for on site nurses.  This makes it stressful and challenging for parents to ensure appropriate care for their child while in the hands of our school system.  November is the National Diabetes Awareness Month and with the hard work of the American Diabetes Association, Government Affairs and Legal Advocacy and parents, these groups have created an online destination dedicated entirely to Type 1 Diabetes on the Disney Family website at www.family.com/type1.

Field Trip Mom has been provided with books from Disney and Lilly Diabetes to help families understand and better manage their diagnosis of a family member or friend with Type 1.  The books, "Coco Goes Back to School" and Dishing It Up Disney Style (A Cookbook for Families with Type 1 Diabetes) help support all those who are looking for additional information.  Even if you are not directly effected, awareness is the key.



Coco Goes Back to School is an excellent children's book with the characters Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Minnie joining in the story.  Coco has been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and wants to share her new medical bracelet with her class but is nervous to do so.  With the help of the Disney gang, Coco  gets help with her science fair project  to create awareness for all.  This book is excellent for helping explain to children the difficulties associated with Diabetes and having to manage the disease while in school.

Dishing It Up Disney Style is Delicious cookbook for families to serve healthy meals for their families while couping with a family member who has  the disease.  Recipes are separated by breakfast, lunch and dinner and have incredible names such as Coco's Banana Smoothie, Peter Pan's Pumpkin Waffles, and Alice's Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches.  Listed below is an example of one of these delicious recipes.

Genie's Fuancamole Potato Salad
3 lbs red potatoes
2 tbsp  + 1 tsp salt
1 ripe avocado, peeled
2 tsp grated lime zest
Juice of 2 limes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
2 celery stalks, sliced
In a large pot, cover the potatoes with cold water.  Add the 2 tbsp of salt and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain them in a colander and allow to cool.  Puree the avocado, lime zest and juice, garlic, cilantro, mayonnaise, and remaining salt in a food processor until smooth.  If the dressing seems too thick, add a tbsp or so of hot water.  Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks and place them in a large bowl with the celery.  Scrape in the dressing with a rubber spatula and gently stir it all together.  Serve immediately or cover and chill.
Serving about 1 cup
Calories 184 per serving
Total Fat: 5g
Total Carbs: 30g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 4g
Carbohydrate Choice: 1 1/2

Disclaimer:
On behalf of Field Trip Mom, we wish to thank Disney and Lilly Diabetes for the incredible books in exchange for this post.

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