It may be difficult to get school staff to understand that a child with diabetes will not always eat the same amounts of food. When using multiple injection therapy or an insulin pump, the insulin dose can be adjusted according to the appetite and size of portion. Sometimes children may need additional snacks to avoid hypoglycaemia if there is a long interval between breaks. The dietician can speak to the staff if necessary.
When school friends buy sweets, children with diabetes may find it difficult to resist joining in. There is always a risk that, instead of being sensible, they will "show off" by eating even more sweets than the others. A compromise could be to buy a small number of sweets to have after lunch, when the stomach already contains some food. At that time and under those conditions, the blood glucose level will not be affected to such an extent, especially if the lunchtime dose is adjusted to cover the sweets. Skipping lunch and buying sweets instead, as some teenagers do, can be harmful for those with diabetes. Children who do buy sweets would be better advised to buy chocolates than sweets made from pure sugar unless they have a weight problem.
This content is based on Dr Ragnar Hanas' helpful book, Type 1 Diabetes in children, adolescents and young adults. Click here to order copies of Dr Hanas' book online.