Childhood diabetes can be managed effectively with a combination of diet, exercise and medication. Having the right medical support can help to minimise the chances of adverse effects and maximise the child's comfort day-to-day. This can be expensive, but with the right planning, you can manage this on a budget. Here are some tips to getting the help you need.
Finding a bulk billing medical centre
A lot of the ongoing management of diabetes will require trips to the family doctor to review trends in blood sugar levels in order to monitor how effective medication is in controlling the diabetes. It can be very useful to find a bulk billing medical centre so that you can make appointments with the doctor at any point without needing to worry about the cost. This can be useful particularly if your child seems to be having some extra health issues, such as eye problems or potential kidney issues, so that these can be investigated and addressed early.
Shop smart
It can seem very expensive to buy all whole foods and avoid the cheaper processed options, but eating low GI foods can have a huge effect on the ability of a diabetic to control their blood sugar. It can be useful to buy fresh foods on special and then cook some diabetic-friendly recipes in bulk and freeze them for later snacks and meals. Often local diabetes support groups or websites can be a good source of tried, tested and child-friendly recipes that the whole family can enjoy.
Equally, while you need to shop locally for medications and monitoring supplies, there are a range of grants and other sources of funding you can use to buy items like an insulin pump.
Get the whole family into exercise
Another very important aspect of controlling juvenile diabetes is to get the child exercising. To make this into a fun exercise (and not a chore), it's a good idea to get the whole family involved. This can mean getting the whole family to go for walks or hikes, riding bikes or heading to the pool for a swim together. There are a range of free or low-cost activities that can get you all out exercising and having fun together. Talk with your child's doctor for ideas on the best type of exercise for your child.
If you have a child with juvenile diabetes, there are a range of low-cost options that can help you to manage your child's diabetes on a budget.
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