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Child Diabetes: Professional Care

Your child may get diabetes medicine. The medicine will help the child feel better and keep their blood glucose levels normal. When starting any medication, you should ask for specific instructions. You should also know whether there are any side effects and which side effects you should report back to your child's doctor. Children with type 1 diabetes may also require insulin shots to keep their blood glucose levels normal. Some children can manage type 2 diabetes without medicine, by losing weight and following a diabetes plan.

Emergencies

You might not need to call your doctor every time your child has a cough or a sniffle. But you will have to watch out for certain symptoms that might point to a larger problem or complications due to diabetes, such as:

• Your child has been sick or had a fever for a couple of days
• Your child has been vomiting or having diarrhea for more than six hours
• Your child has elevated amounts of ketones in their urine
• Your child's glucose levels are high
• Your child has symptoms that might signal dehydration or some other serious condition (for example, your chest hurts, you are having trouble breathing, your breath smells fruity, or your lips or tongue are dry and cracked)
• You are unsure of what to do to take care of your child

Keep track of your child's medications, blood sugar level and urine ketone level. Tell your health care provider how long they have been sick and whether your child can eat and keep food down. It will help to keep a journal of the various symptoms, medications and levels when they start feeling sick.