Last Updated on Tuesday, 09 March 2010 20:30

So what’s wrong with me? Diabetes stuff.

Why do I need insulin?

An organ called your pancreas, behind your stomach, isn’t working properly.

It can’t make something called insulin anymore.

Insulin is really important. It helps the sugar you get from eating food enter all the cells that make up your body. Once in the cells, the sugar is used to produce the energy your body needs to function properly.

Without insulin, the energy stays as sugar in your blood. Because your body has stopped making insulin you will have to inject it into your body yourself.

With the right amount of insulin, you’ll feel well. You’ll be able to run around. Make people jump. Make funny rude noises. In fact, generally have a whole lot of fun, just like everyone else.

How did I get diabetes?

Ah. Good question. We’re not really sure.

Most times, children found with diabetes are born with it. Diabetes isn’t like a cold – you can’t catch it.

And you don’t have diabetes because you did something wrong.

There are quite a few children with Type 1 diabetes, just like you. Around 16,500 children under 14 have it in the UK and Ireland.

How do we treat it?

We treat diabetes by showing you how to control the sugar levels in your blood. That means injecting the insulin that your body can’t make, eating properly and exercising.

You need to inject insulin under the skin so it can pass into your bloodstream. You can’t swallow insulin because it’s destroyed in your stomach.

You need to keep the sugar in your blood at the right level throughout the day..

That’s why you need to know:

• How to find out what your body’s doing by testing your blood sugar levels
• How to inject insulin

• What to do if you don’t feel well

Just so we’re clear!

• Injecting insulin helps you manage diabetes; it doesn’t cure it
• You’ll have diabetes all your life
• You MUST take insulin, you’ll be very ill if you don’t
• You, and your parents/carers, are the best people to learn how to look out for you

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The information in this section has kindly been provided by BD Medical. You may want to get a copy of this booklet to keep and refer to from time to time. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it