Diabetic Kid's in School

This is a very important subject to me. I think for the most part I have had very positive dealings with schools & how they accommodate my diabetic child. But, we have had some issues over the last nine years that have had to be dealt with. I thought it important that I share them with you & how we deal with them.

I think most diabetic kids just want to be treated like everyone else. They don't really want to bring attention to the fact that they might be different than other children. So I think it is important to have a 504 plan in place that meets all your diabetic child's needs.

I am always amazed at the amount of parents who have no idea what a 504 plan is. I think diabetes educators need to give parents of newly diagnosed children this information. There are several web sites with information on 504 plans. Here are a few good ones:
Children have rights in school
Sample 504 plan
ADA Discrimination at school

Here are some simple things that should be listed in your childs 504 plan:
Blood sugar Testing: When and where?
You need to outline how many times a day you want your child to test their blood sugar. Exact times are good. Also where you want them to test and if they need supervision. This of course depends on the childs age.

Bathroom access:
Most schools limit childrens use of the bathroom. Our 504 plan states unlimited use without question.

Water:
We also want to make sure our children are well hydrated. I'm sure you know the risk of dehydration to a child with high blood sugar. We have unlimited access to water or that Ashley can carry a water bottle.

Snacks:
Some children must have snacks at certain times. Make sure this is outlined in your 504 plan. Exact times and how snacks will be dealt with. A piece of advice. Other kids in the class might become jealous that Johnny is getting a snack and they are not. This can lead to teasing. So you may want them to go to the office for their snack.

Low or High Blood sugar:
You need to really go into great detail on how you want this handled. Don't leave anything to the discretion of the teacher or school nurse. When Ashley was in grade school I kept boxes of juice in all her classrooms. The PE teacher carried glucose tabs in case of a low during PE. Make sure they know that your child should not do any physical activity if over 250 or below 70.

Something that I put together when my daughter started middle school was a medical pass. It looks similar to a student ID card. We put Medical pass on the front with Ashley's name & picture. On the back we put special instructions. For instance: Unlimited bathroom access, unlimited water access, etc. The Medical pass & all attached instructions were included in the 504 plan. If your child needs to use the bathroom, get a drink of water, check their blood, have their snack or etc. They simply show the pass to the teacher and leave the classroom. Ours is set up that the teacher just says okay or nods their head. This is meant to be discreet and not call any attention to the diabetic child. Of course you must point out to the child that this can not be taken advantage of. It can only be used for whatever reasons you specify to your child. Also make sure your the teacher has the 504 plan available to Substitutes.

Something else included in our 504 plan is that Ashley must check her blood before taking a test or exam. Her blood sugar effects her test scores. If she is above 250 or below 70 she does not take a classroom exam. We will make plans for her to test at a later time where her blood sugar will not effect the test scores.

All kids are different and will have different needs. A 504 plan is put in place for your childs safety while at school. Call your principle today and ask for a meeting to put together a 504 plan. If you find your principle (Dean) to be unhelpful call the school district and ask to speak with the super intendent of schools. A 504 plan is your legal right. If you are not getting cooperation from the school district contact your local American Diabetes Association office to find out who can help you in your community.

by Kimberly Advent - kimberlydadvent@aol.com

This Newsletter we will be reviewing the Deltec Cozmo Insulin Pump.

The CozMore™ Insulin Technology System combines insulin pump therapy, blood glucose monitoring, personalized insulin pump programming and data management. Every CozMore™ System Includes: Deltec Cozmo® Insulin Pump CoZmonitor™ Blood Glucose Module CoZmanager™ PC Communications Software Only the Deltec Cozmo® insulin pump includes all of these features: Deltec Cozmo® Insulin Pump is Waterproof! IPX8 - Waterproof to a depth of 8 feet for 30 minutes or 12 feet for 3 minutes (Pump only) Small and lightweight; similar in size to a cell phone Personalization of screens to fit your lifestyle Custom bolusing by grams of carbohydrates or units of insulin Correction bolus to accurately adjust for high blood glucose Missed meal bolus alert notifies you if a meal bolus has not been taken Site change reminder alerts you when you should change your infusion set Blood glucose test alert reminds you to test your blood glucose The retail price is $5,595.00. For a typical 3 month order of supplies, 4 boxes of infusion sets ($110.00/bx), 2 boxes of cartridges ($81.25/bx) and a box of IV Prep Wipes ($14.25/bx) for a total of $616.75 for a standard 3 month supply.

Stem cell foes use false premise April 1, 2005 BOSTON GLOBE

GOVERNOR Romney and other opponents of therapeutic stem cell research claim moral and ethical reasons for their opposition, but their reasoning is based on a false premise -- that an embryo is a human life (Page A1, March 30). No embryo has ever become a human being without implantation. Implantation in a fertile womb is an absolute necessity for the creation of a human life. Pregnancy tests will only register positive after implantation. Even in humans it is estimated that about 30 percent of embryos fertilized through sex don't implant and are discarded naturally.

Prior to implantation an embryo is a mass of undifferentiated cells. An acorn does not become an oak until it is implanted in fertile ground. At best, an embryo is a blueprint for a human life. A blueprint does not become a building until construction begins.

At some time we will be able to point to one or more dreadful diseases the cure for which was delayed many years because of the opposition to embryonic stem cell research. And we will be able to count the thousands of lives lost or damaged in those crucial years. It is morally and ethically reprehensible to delay therapeutic stem cell research.

IRVING ITZKAN
Boston

Stem Cell updates come from The Stem Cell Information Newsletter run by Steve Meyer.

Coconut Pie
Makes 8 servings
Each serving: 1/8 pie
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 30 - 40 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup 1% fat milk
2 large eggs
3/4 cup SPLENDA® Granular
1/4 cup self rising flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Melt butter and mix in milk
Beat in eggs and SPLENDA until mixed.
Beat in flour and vanilla
Mix in coconut.
Pour batter into a greased and floured 9" glass pie pan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Nutrients Per Serving:
Serving Size - 1/8 pie (61g)
Calories 130, Carbohydrates 9 g, Protein 4 g, Dietary Fiber 1 g, Total Fat 10 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 65 mg, Sodium 80 mg.
Diabetes Exchange:
Starch 1/2, Fat 2
Recipe brought to you by LifeScan

Links to Web sites for Kids!! If there is anything special you would like to see in this area don't hesitate to write to Kimberly.

LifeScan Kid's Clubhouse You'll find info about diabetes -- in kid terms plus fun features like kids' recipes, artwork to color, and stories from other kids with diabetes.

An adventure with Strippy teaching kid's about Diabetes. Kid's Learn about Diabetes

The Starbright Foundation & Eli Lilly has a free Diabetic game kid's can order with their parents help. Starbright Foundation Game.

Hey Teens (I can't forget you) did you know the ADA has a great area on their web site for Teens? Check it out!! ADA's For Teens

In this area you will find tips that should be helpful to Diabetics. If you have any good tips or tricks please send them to me Kimberly.

Traveling Tips for Diabetics Part 2:
The following Traveling Tips & tricks were sent to me by Ceege who works for the Department of Foreign Affairs. He is a Diabetic & does a lot of traveling. He was kind enough to share all these tips with us. Thank you Ceege.

- if you travel to a place where English is not spoken, put some commonly used words and phrases on note paper that you might need to handle an incident with diabetes and get them translated into the language you need. For instance, I travel to Austria fairly often so I have flash card with German translations for phrases like "I have type 1 diabetes", "I need sugar", "where is the nearest pharmacy?", "does this food have sugar in it?" and many more. If you can't pronounce them well, you can point to the right one.

- some airport and hotel bathrooms have sharps disposal boxes. If you can't find a place to dispose of needles, lancets and used test strips, bring along a tupperware container or thick zip-lock bag and empty them out when you find a disposal box or take them back home with you.

- talk to your medical team before leaving if you need to deal with a time change. You will likely need to alter your intermediate- or long-lasting insulin to compensate for gaining or losing hours.

- always carry a sugar source on you.

- bring more supplies than you think you need. Not all types of equipment and medication are available everywhere (I learned that the hard way when I ran out of my rapid-acting insulin last week in Florida). It's better to have equipment and not need it than need it and not have it.

- for long flights and long drives, don't stay sitting for too long without stretching. Make pit stops when driving. Walk up and down the aisle if you're in a plane or train.

- for more accurately calculating the carbs in restaurant food, bring along a small digital scale. Weighing bread, rolls, fries and other carb-heavy foods can help you better determine the right amount of medication. When I go to restaurants, I always bring along a backpack that contains my kit, my notebook, a small digital scale, a copy of a nutritional guide and a sugar source.

- Test your blood more often than usual. If you are too high or too low, you can compensate. You can also indulge in local specialties that you otherwise might not get to try.

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Kimberly Advent
Ashley's Diabetes Information Center
kimberly@elviradarknight.com
Copyright 2005 Kimberly Advent