It's particularly taxing for toddlers, who may not understand why they must eat that whole sandwich or stop running around in the back yard because it can drive their blood sugar too low, Michelle Truax said. Older diabetic children face other issues, such as coping with their peers' insensitivity or learning to give themselves their shots. Regardless of the child's age, local parents said the hardest period is right after the child is diagnosed. It's a cold slap of reality. Your child's life depends on all these new skills you just learned.
Diabetics can die in a matter of hours if their blood-sugar levels go too low or too high.
They are also more likely to face complications like kidney damage and blindness as adults. When the time came for her injection last Wednesday afternoon, Sarah first protested and then lobbied for a less painful location. Still, the blonde tot sat bravely as her mom pushed a 2-centimeter long needle into her skin and delivered her insulin. Two injections a day usually keep Sarah's blood-sugar levels in check, but things like illnesses or extra illness can make them shoot up or dive down. Then her parents must check her levels every two hours through the night.