Diabetes mellitus is a very serious metabolic disorder that prevents the normal breakdown and use of food, especially sugars (carbohydrates) by the body. It can damage the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and neurological system and can cause a progressive loss of vision over many years.
Forms of Diabetes
There are multiple forms of diabetes, but the two most common forms are called type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Both forms can occur at any age, but a child is more likely to be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
About type 1 Diabetes
Short video on Type 1 Diabetes to embed: https://youtu.be/9tvD2sMl9hI
Type 1 diabetes is caused by inadequate production of the hormone insulin by the pancreas. When that happens, the body is unable to properly metabolize sugars, which build up in the bloodstream; these sugars (also called glucose) cannot be used by the body and are excreted in the urine. This leads to the major symptoms of diabetes:
• Increased urination
• Thirst
• Increased appetite
• Weight loss
About type 2 Diabetes
Glucose is found in the blood and is the body’s main source of energy. The food you eat is broken down by the body into glucose. Glucose is a type of sugar that gives energy to the cells in the body. The cells need the help of insulin to take the glucose from the blood to the cells. Insulin is made by an organ called the pancreas. In children with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin and the cells don’t use the insulin very well.
Controlling and Managing Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes
It is essential to control diabetes properly in order to avoid complications.
• Management focuses on routine blood sugar monitoring, insulin therapy, given as multiple injections per day or through an insulin pump, and close regulation of a healthy diet.
• Maintaining blood sugars within a normal range can reduce the likelihood of symptoms of high or low blood sugars and decrease the risk of long-term health problems related to poor diabetes control.
• Eat healthy (More fruits & vegetables. Less sugar & salt)
• Get at least thirty minutes of exercise a day can help you manage your disease
Important Reminders:
• Check your blood sugar several times per day, using simple, chemically treated test strips and a blood sugar meter.
• If you take too much insulin: Your blood sugar can become too low which is called hypoglycemia, prompting symptoms, including trembling, a rapid heartbeat, nausea, fatigue, weakness, and even loss of consciousness.
• If you take too little insulin: The major symptoms of diabetes such as weight loss, increased urination, thirst, and appetite, can return.
Links to Learn more about Diabetes:
• https://www.choa.org/medical-services/diabetes
• https://www.cdc.gov/diabetestv/youth.html
• www.diabetes.org
Forms of Diabetes
There are multiple forms of diabetes, but the two most common forms are called type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Both forms can occur at any age, but a child is more likely to be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
About type 1 Diabetes
Short video on Type 1 Diabetes to embed: https://youtu.be/9tvD2sMl9hI
Type 1 diabetes is caused by inadequate production of the hormone insulin by the pancreas. When that happens, the body is unable to properly metabolize sugars, which build up in the bloodstream; these sugars (also called glucose) cannot be used by the body and are excreted in the urine. This leads to the major symptoms of diabetes:
• Increased urination
• Thirst
• Increased appetite
• Weight loss
About type 2 Diabetes
Glucose is found in the blood and is the body’s main source of energy. The food you eat is broken down by the body into glucose. Glucose is a type of sugar that gives energy to the cells in the body. The cells need the help of insulin to take the glucose from the blood to the cells. Insulin is made by an organ called the pancreas. In children with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin and the cells don’t use the insulin very well.
Controlling and Managing Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes
It is essential to control diabetes properly in order to avoid complications.
• Management focuses on routine blood sugar monitoring, insulin therapy, given as multiple injections per day or through an insulin pump, and close regulation of a healthy diet.
• Maintaining blood sugars within a normal range can reduce the likelihood of symptoms of high or low blood sugars and decrease the risk of long-term health problems related to poor diabetes control.
• Eat healthy (More fruits & vegetables. Less sugar & salt)
• Get at least thirty minutes of exercise a day can help you manage your disease
Important Reminders:
• Check your blood sugar several times per day, using simple, chemically treated test strips and a blood sugar meter.
• If you take too much insulin: Your blood sugar can become too low which is called hypoglycemia, prompting symptoms, including trembling, a rapid heartbeat, nausea, fatigue, weakness, and even loss of consciousness.
• If you take too little insulin: The major symptoms of diabetes such as weight loss, increased urination, thirst, and appetite, can return.
Links to Learn more about Diabetes:
• https://www.choa.org/medical-services/diabetes
• https://www.cdc.gov/diabetestv/youth.html
• www.diabetes.org
Asthma is a disease that affects your lungs. It causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing. Asthma can be controlled by taking medicine and avoiding the triggers that can cause an attack. You must also remove the triggers in your environment that can make your asthma worse.
Quick Facts about asthma video to embed: https://youtu.be/PzfLDi-sL3w
Key information about Asthma:
Symptoms:
Coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing and chest tightness. Asthma can lead to a medical emergency.
Know how to use your asthma inhaler. Embed this video: https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/inhaler_video/default.htm
Signs of an asthma attack:
An asthma attack can happen when you are exposed to asthma triggers. Your asthma triggers can be very different from someone else’s asthma triggers. A trigger is something you are sensitive to that makes your airways become inflamed. This causes swelling, mucous production and narrowing in your airways.
Know your triggers and learn how to avoid them. Watch out for an attack when you can’t avoid your triggers. Some of the most common triggers are tobacco smoke, stress, exercise, dust mites, outdoor air pollution, cockroach allergen, pets, mold, smoke from burning wood or grass, and infections like flu.
What Is the Treatment for Asthma?
People with asthma usually see a doctor that specializes in allergies or the immune system. You and your doctor will come up with a plan to treat your asthma. It often involves a blend of medication and avoiding triggers.
Remember to take your allergy and asthma medicines when you should. Use your quick-acting medicine as soon as you start to notice symptoms.
Reference: www.cdc.gov/asthma
Asthma Education Links:
• https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/default.htm
• https://www.choa.org/medical-services/asthma
• https://www.choa.org/medical-services/wellness-and-preventive-care/parent-resources/all/asthma-at-home
Quick Facts about asthma video to embed: https://youtu.be/PzfLDi-sL3w
Key information about Asthma:
Symptoms:
Coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing and chest tightness. Asthma can lead to a medical emergency.
Know how to use your asthma inhaler. Embed this video: https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/inhaler_video/default.htm
Signs of an asthma attack:
An asthma attack can happen when you are exposed to asthma triggers. Your asthma triggers can be very different from someone else’s asthma triggers. A trigger is something you are sensitive to that makes your airways become inflamed. This causes swelling, mucous production and narrowing in your airways.
Know your triggers and learn how to avoid them. Watch out for an attack when you can’t avoid your triggers. Some of the most common triggers are tobacco smoke, stress, exercise, dust mites, outdoor air pollution, cockroach allergen, pets, mold, smoke from burning wood or grass, and infections like flu.
What Is the Treatment for Asthma?
People with asthma usually see a doctor that specializes in allergies or the immune system. You and your doctor will come up with a plan to treat your asthma. It often involves a blend of medication and avoiding triggers.
Remember to take your allergy and asthma medicines when you should. Use your quick-acting medicine as soon as you start to notice symptoms.
Reference: www.cdc.gov/asthma
Asthma Education Links:
• https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/default.htm
• https://www.choa.org/medical-services/asthma
• https://www.choa.org/medical-services/wellness-and-preventive-care/parent-resources/all/asthma-at-home
Seizures are caused by a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain. A seizure usually affects how a person looks or acts for a short time. Someone having a seizure might collapse, shake uncontrollably, or even just stare into space. All of these are brief disturbances in brain function, often with a loss of or change in consciousness.
Seizure Basics
Usually, electrical activity in the brain involves neurons in different areas sending signals at different times. During a seizure, many neurons fire all at once. This abnormal electrical activity can cause different symptoms depending on the part of the brain involved, including unusual sensations, uncontrollable muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness.
People with epilepsy have repeated seizures.
Short video about seizures to be embedded: https://youtu.be/frhzr8_spNo
Epilepsy tips:
• take medicine as prescribed
• avoid triggers (such as excessive stress, lack of sleep, antihistamine drugs)
• get help for any learning or behavior problems
• sees the neurologist as recommended
Safety Tips for people Epilepsy
General Safety
• Arrange your home, and if possible, work or study space, to be safe should you have a seizure. For example, pad sharp corners, use non-slip carpet, avoid scatter rugs, and put barriers in front of fireplaces or hot stoves.
• If having a seizure during a recreational activity could lead to injury or harm, avoid the activity. Use common sense. Talk with your medical team for individual advice and precautions.
• Plan for what you and your family should do during a seizure. Create your own Seizure Response Plan so others know what to do if you have a seizure and how to prevent emergencies.
Driving
• Do not drive if you are having seizures or side effects that affect your ability to be safe on the road!
• Be honest with your doctor about your seizures. Safety comes first!
• Be honest with the DMV. It may protect you legally if problems occur later.
Water Safety
• Use common sense. If you do swim, use a buddy system. Wear a life jacket with any water activities.
• Make sure someone is around that knows how to swim, has lifesaving skills, and knows how to respond to seizures.
• Take showers instead of baths. If seizures are frequent or you tend to fall, use a shower chair and a flexible shower hose. Or sit on the bottom of an unfilled tub to shower instead of standing.
Fire Safety
• If you have uncontrolled seizures, be very careful around heat or flames.
• Put guards on open fireplaces, wood stoves or radiators.
• Don’t smoke or use matches when you’re alone. A fire could start if you drop it during a seizure.
Medication Safety
• Know the main side effects of your seizure medicines. Talk to your doctor or nurse about safety risks of the medicines you take.
• Be especially careful if you take a medicine that can affect your balance, coordination, walking or vision. These problems can cause people to fall or injure themselves.
• Be aware that some side effects occur from interactions between your seizure medicines or with other ones you take. Any medicine, even over-the-counter and herbal products or supplements can cause problems. Some foods (for example grapefruit juice) can affect medicine levels and lead to too much medicine in the blood.
Georgia Driver Licensing Laws
• A person with epilepsy may obtain a license to drive cars and trucks weighing less than 26,000 pounds if he or she has been seizure-free for 6 months.
• A person who has only nocturnal seizures may be eligible for a limited license for daylight driving only even if he or she has been seizure-free for less than 6 months.
• The Department of Driver Services may require periodic medical reports as a condition of licensing.
Links to more information:
• https://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/communications/features/firstaid.htm
• https://www.choa.org/medical-services/neurosciences/epilepsy
• https://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/managing-epilepsy/checklist.htm
Reference: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/seizure-first-aid-and-safety/staying-safe
Seizure Basics
Usually, electrical activity in the brain involves neurons in different areas sending signals at different times. During a seizure, many neurons fire all at once. This abnormal electrical activity can cause different symptoms depending on the part of the brain involved, including unusual sensations, uncontrollable muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness.
People with epilepsy have repeated seizures.
Short video about seizures to be embedded: https://youtu.be/frhzr8_spNo
Epilepsy tips:
• take medicine as prescribed
• avoid triggers (such as excessive stress, lack of sleep, antihistamine drugs)
• get help for any learning or behavior problems
• sees the neurologist as recommended
Safety Tips for people Epilepsy
General Safety
• Arrange your home, and if possible, work or study space, to be safe should you have a seizure. For example, pad sharp corners, use non-slip carpet, avoid scatter rugs, and put barriers in front of fireplaces or hot stoves.
• If having a seizure during a recreational activity could lead to injury or harm, avoid the activity. Use common sense. Talk with your medical team for individual advice and precautions.
• Plan for what you and your family should do during a seizure. Create your own Seizure Response Plan so others know what to do if you have a seizure and how to prevent emergencies.
Driving
• Do not drive if you are having seizures or side effects that affect your ability to be safe on the road!
• Be honest with your doctor about your seizures. Safety comes first!
• Be honest with the DMV. It may protect you legally if problems occur later.
Water Safety
• Use common sense. If you do swim, use a buddy system. Wear a life jacket with any water activities.
• Make sure someone is around that knows how to swim, has lifesaving skills, and knows how to respond to seizures.
• Take showers instead of baths. If seizures are frequent or you tend to fall, use a shower chair and a flexible shower hose. Or sit on the bottom of an unfilled tub to shower instead of standing.
Fire Safety
• If you have uncontrolled seizures, be very careful around heat or flames.
• Put guards on open fireplaces, wood stoves or radiators.
• Don’t smoke or use matches when you’re alone. A fire could start if you drop it during a seizure.
Medication Safety
• Know the main side effects of your seizure medicines. Talk to your doctor or nurse about safety risks of the medicines you take.
• Be especially careful if you take a medicine that can affect your balance, coordination, walking or vision. These problems can cause people to fall or injure themselves.
• Be aware that some side effects occur from interactions between your seizure medicines or with other ones you take. Any medicine, even over-the-counter and herbal products or supplements can cause problems. Some foods (for example grapefruit juice) can affect medicine levels and lead to too much medicine in the blood.
Georgia Driver Licensing Laws
• A person with epilepsy may obtain a license to drive cars and trucks weighing less than 26,000 pounds if he or she has been seizure-free for 6 months.
• A person who has only nocturnal seizures may be eligible for a limited license for daylight driving only even if he or she has been seizure-free for less than 6 months.
• The Department of Driver Services may require periodic medical reports as a condition of licensing.
Links to more information:
• https://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/communications/features/firstaid.htm
• https://www.choa.org/medical-services/neurosciences/epilepsy
• https://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/managing-epilepsy/checklist.htm
Reference: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/seizure-first-aid-and-safety/staying-safe
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, Inc. – Georgia Chapter
2751 Buford Hwy. Ste. 780Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 982-0616 Main Client Number
(404) 982-0656 Fax
http://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/chapters/georgia/