40 THE QUEENS COURIER • WELLNESS • SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
wellness
5 tips to make sure your teenager
with diabetes is ready for college
Parents across the country are preparing
their teens for their fi rst year of college.
It’s an exciting time, but a stressful
one as well. If you’re a parent with a child
with diabetes, it may also be terrifying as
this may be the fi rst time your teen will be
completely responsible for their own care
(i.e., remembering to check their blood
glucose levels throughout the day and
night, modifying their insulin as needed
and planning their meals in advance to
take their mealtime insulin). Yep, that’s
stressful. However, this challenge - like
the many others you’ve faced since your
child’s diagnosis - can be conquered with
a little preparation. As you and your child
prepare for this next chapter, keep these
tips in mind and your child’s freshman
year of college may be everything you
both dreamed it could be.
• Tell someone. Tell everyone. Diabetes
can be a private matter, but when your
child moves away from home and is
living on their own, it’s best that those
around them are aware of their condition.
Encourage your child to discuss
their diabetes, including warning signs
that something may be wrong and what
to do in the event of an emergency with
friends, coaches, their dorm Resident
Assistant and particularly, their roommate.
Th e more people who can be
watching out for your child, the better.
• Talk to health care staff . It is important
your child gets acquainted with the
health care resources available to them
on campus. Have your child make an
appointment to see a clinician in the
school’s student health service to discuss
their diabetes in depth and learn
more about how the school’s health system
can support them in that care. Your
child should also use this time to learn
more about weekend, night and emergency
care options as well as the location
of pharmacies near campus.
• Reassess their regimen. As your child
will be starting a new daily routine, it
may also be time to meet with their
primary care physician to discuss
their management plan and treatment
options. Th ey can ask if Tresiba® (insulin
degludec injection 100 U/mL, 200
U/mL) is right for them. Tresiba®, a
once-daily long-acting insulin, is indicated
to improve glycemic control in
people as young as 1 year old with either
type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Tresiba® provides
blood sugar control for a full
24 hours, with proven A1C reduction.
Adults can take Tresiba® once daily
at any time of day; however, children
under 18 should take their dose once
daily at the same time each day. If adults
miss or delay a dose, they should take
Tresiba® as soon as they remember,
then continue with their regular dosing
schedule. Make sure there are at least 8
hours between doses. If children under
18 miss a dose, call their health care
provider for information and instructions
about checking blood sugar levels
more oft en until the next scheduled
dose of Tresiba®.
• Read up before they eat up. Food is such
an integral part of your child’s diabetes
management, and college life means
they won’t always make the best eating
decisions. You can help them control
what they eat by encouraging them
to talk to staff at the cafeteria. Th e food
service team should be able to provide
a document outlining the nutritional
information in the meals off ered so your
child can come to the cafeteria every day
empowered to make the best decisions
with their diabetes in mind.
• Be sure they have the tools they need
and a way to get more. Sit down with
your child and make a list of everything
they need - at any point in time - to
manage their diabetes. Once you’ve got
the list, set a plan to make your child’s
dorm room - not your home - the new
ground zero where all supplies will live.
Don’t rely on resupplying when they
come home to visit, because college life
gets busy and you don’t want to worry
about rush shipping an item.
Yes, preparing for that fi rst year at college
can be exciting, stressful and even
scary, but if you apply a little extra planning
with the tips above, your child will
be ready to make their fi rst year of college
their best year yet.
Indication and Important Safety
Information for Tresiba®
Courtesy BPT