Teachers and School Nurses: Will You Be Ready?
Probably every August or September, I have written something about what parents need to do to prepare for a new school year when their child has type 1 diabetes.
This year, I’m talking to the teachers and school nurses.
It may very well be that you have never had a child in your classroom dealing with type 1 diabetes. But someday, you probably will.
Will you be ready?
One of two things may happen.
The first is that you will receive a message from a parent telling you their child has type 1 diabetes and will be in your class. They will want to meet with you. They will want to explain what their child faces every day—and the role you may play.
Please understand something about that parent.
Type 1 diabetes is a game changer in every household it enters. There is no vacation from it. No day off. And when things go seriously wrong, the consequences can be frightening.
That parent may temporarily forget that you have an entire classroom filled with children, each arriving with their own needs, allergies, medical conditions, challenges and concerns. They may believe their child’s diabetes needs to move to the “front of the class” (pun intended).
Your challenge is to let them know two things:
You care. And you’re willing to learn.
You don’t have to become a diabetes expert overnight. But you do need to know what to do when that child needs you.
And perhaps the most important thing you can do is very simple:
Listen to the child.
If a student with diabetes comes to you and says something doesn’t feel right, let them speak.
They may not know exactly what is happening, but many children with diabetes know when something is happening.
“My tummy hurts.”
“My head hurts.”
“I’m really thirsty.”
“I’m hungry.”
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
“I feel funny.”
Don’t automatically dismiss these complaints. Depending upon the circumstances, they can be related to blood sugar levels and should be handled according to the child’s diabetes medical management plan, usually in cooperation with the school nurse or other trained school personnel.
Now for the second scenario, and this one is different.
The child sitting in your classroom has not been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. They are suddenly drinking water constantly. They are asking to go to the bathroom again and again. They’re exhausted. They’re losing weight. They’re not acting like themselves. Perhaps they’re nauseated or vomiting. Of course, a stomach bug is far more common.
But just know that it might not be.
Excessive thirst and frequent urination are classic warning signs of type 1 diabetes. Unexplained weight loss and unusual fatigue can be others. If vomiting, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, confusion or extreme drowsiness develop, particularly along with those earlier warning signs, the situation can become a medical emergency.
Diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, can be the first indication that a child has type 1 diabetes.
And tragically, children have died because the diagnosis came too late.
I share this not to scare you (well, maybe just a little) but to put one more piece of information into that enormous bank of knowledge teachers and school nurses accumulate throughout their incredibly important careers.
Be aware.
That’s all I’m asking.
You are entrusted every school day with the most important things in our lives: Our children.
So, as another school year begins, I wish every teacher, school nurse, administrator, aide, coach and staff member a wonderful year. And perhaps someday a child will stand in front of you saying they’re incredibly thirsty, they’re going to the bathroom constantly, they’re exhausted, or they simply don’t feel right.
And because you read something like this, a little voice in the back of your mind might say: “Wait a minute…could this be diabetes?” That moment of awareness could change everything.
And THAT is all I’m trying to do.
Thank you for caring so much.
I am a diabetes dad. Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like.’
Tagged diabetes, diabetes dad, diabetes inspiration