It seems to me that, once again, education is everything. Not just for the kids, but for their parents and medical staff as well. It's all very well giving them their meds and hopefully, regular testing, but everyone involved in the child's life needs to understand what the condition is and what it can do if no-one is taught how to manage it. None of us can be in absolute control of our diabetes, the condition itself won't premit that, but we can try. We can only do so though, if we have the right tools and the right support.
Sadly, it seems to me that folk with chronic conditions that need long term management are not a focus of our health system. It's not just diabetics who regularly slip through the cracks but others too, such as asthmatics. Unless you make a pest of yourself medical folk are going to assume everything's fine.
I was lucky, at diagnosis the doctor I had then sat me down and told me what was wrong, what to do about it and how to do it. He also gave me all I needed to make a start with testing kit, strips (both BG and Ketone), diet sheets and exercise sheets. He and the DSN there weee very supportive, but that I've since discovered is comparatively rare and since my return home, I've had fight to get the care and support I believe I need to handle this thrice dammt Big D. Of course, the Big D itself has thrown me plenty of curve balls so that I don't know what I'd have done if I hadn't managed to beat Dr Idiot into submission and get referred to the clinic.
It's going to give me nightmares knowing that there are youngsters out there without any proprer support.
