Lesson #6

Care at school and work

Managing your diabetes at work or school is not very different from taking care of your diabetes at home, except that you need to think ahead. It's also very important to let others know about your diabetes, so they know what to do if you need help.

Here's a few tips to help you take care of yourself. Check off the action steps below each tip to get started.

Try to eat your meals at the same time each day.

Carry snacks so that even if you can't buy food, you'll still be able to eat regularly.

Wear a watch with a timer that lets you know when you should eat next

Take your medicine and test your blood sugar, as usual.

Make sure you take your medication with you, and bring extra supplies.

If you're at school, make sure the school nurse has extra supplies or you may want to give extra supplies to a teacher.

Wear a watch with a timer that sounds off when you need to test your blood sugar next.

Tell your teachers, friends, or close co-workers about the signs of low blood sugar. You may need their help if your blood sugar drops too low.

Make a checklist of people that you spend time with during the day. Check off everyone that you've told about your diabetes. Make it a goal to check off everyone on this list.

Practice how you are going to let other people know about your diabetes: explain it to a friend or family member and ask for feedback or practice by writing it.

Keep snacks with sugar in them in your desk and carry some with you at all times to treat low blood sugar reactions.

Ask your doctor for a list of all the snacks with sugar in them that you could eat when you have low blood sugar; rather than eating candy bars, you'll have healthy alternatives such as fruits or crackers and jam to turn to.

If you're a parent with a diabetic child, you may feel anxious and concerned about sending him or her off to school. Will Jane remember to take care of her diabetes? Will others know how to help Pete if he needs it? Although parents may have to face their fears, there's some important steps that may help ease parental jitters.

Here's a checklist for when junior heads to class:

Talk with your child about how important it is to test blood sugar regularly.

If your child cannot carry extra supplies, make sure his/her teacher or school nurse has extra supplies.

Make sure you keep your pantry stocked with a few snacks that your child loves in case of low blood sugar.

Consult a doctor to get a list with a variety of sweet snacks; fruits, yogurt, granola bars, or crackers and jam may be healthier substitutes.

Consult your child's doctor about maintaining a healthy weight and an exercise program so that eating sweets doesn't turn into unhealthy habits.

If it will help your child remember, have him/her wear a cool watch with a timer.

Let the teacher know about your child's diabetes. Enlist him/her to be a partner in your child's care. S/he may be able to foster a better environment for your child to manage his/her diabetes.

Alert the school nurse to your child's diabetes and make she that s/he knows what to do or who to contact in an emergency.

Your child should exercise after lunch, not before. Talk to your child's gym teacher about these special circumstances. Your child could also take a snack to eat before gym or sports practice.

Remind your child to test his/her blood sugar before starting an extra hard job, activity or before a test.

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