Kids use latest technology to manage diabetes

By Ben Brow, 14, with contributions from Beth Cipriano, 12; Erin Mahaney, 12, and Kelly Sprouse, 11

Imagine giving yourself shots everyday for the rest of your life or having a device attached to your body by a tube. Add to that, pricking your finger to check your blood sugar several times a day and constantly monitoring your diet and exercise. That's the reality for the more than 250 kids in the Upper Peninsula who have diabetes. It may sound overwhelming, but according to kids who have the disease, it's manageable once you get used to it.

"It's not all that bad," said 17-year-old Kaitlyn Brugman, of Marquette. "It's just taking care of yourself a little better than other people might have to."

Brugman was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 7.

The two most common types of diabetes are referred to as type 1 and type 2. Most children with diabetes have type 1, in which the pancreas produces no insulin, the hormone which regulates blood sugar. Without insulin, a body cannot survive. People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin by an injection or a pump.

There is no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes, and as of yet, there is no cure.

In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas is still working but not producing enough insulin. Some people with type 2 diabetes need to take insulin, but oftentimes oral medication, diet and exercise is enough to keep the blood sugar regulated. Type 2 is associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, physical inactivity and race/ethnicity. Type 2 is still rare in children and adolescents but is being diagnosed more frequently.

Nationally, about one in every 400 to 600 children and adolescents has type 1 diabetes.

Having diabetes has not stopped Brugman from participating in normal activities. She especially enjoys playing girls 19 and under AAA hockey and softball.

"In between periods I just have to test my blood sugar and make sure that it's not going too low," she said.

While exercise is generally good for people with diabetes, it can cause blood sugar to drop, which can be dangerous. Low blood sugar can cause lightheadedness, shakiness, and loss of consciousness. When someone with type 1 diabetes has low blood sugar, they have to eat something to bring it up.

High blood sugar, on the other hand, can result in damage to blood vessels, cause blindness, kidney and heart disease. When someone has high blood sugar, they need insulin to bring it down.

Kaitlyn said that testing her blood sugar level is not painful.

"You just poke your finger and get a little bit of blood out and put it on a test strip, then wipe the rest of the blood off your finger," she said.

One of the advancements that has helped Brugman manage her diabetes is an insulin pump. The pump, about the size of a pager, feeds insulin from a reservoir through a tube that's connected to the body. The pump can be disconnected for showering, swimming, etc.

According to Paula Ackerman, a diabetes educator at the U.P. Diabetes Outreach Network in Marquette, an insulin pump takes a little more education and effort to use than shots but some people find it beneficial.

"You have to program it. You have to determine how much insulin you need to take," she said. "It prevents you from having to shoot yourself up four or five times a day; all you have to do is press a button, and every three days you change the injection site."

Dan Menze, 15, of Marquette was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 11.

"When I first found out I was pretty shocked," he said. "I didn't know what the disease was at the time."

Now that he is educated about the disease, he is able to manage it. He uses a NovoLog Pen to give himself insulin.

"Instead of drawing insulin out of a vial, you have an insulin cartridge that is put into a pen, and you screw on a needle and just dial up your dose," he said. "You push in the thing at the end of it, which is the end of a pen, and that gives you your insulin accordingly."

Like Kaitlyn, Menze is active in sports. He plays varsity soccer and skis at Marquette Senior High School and races with the United States Ski Association.

"Sports wise, it definitely does affect me," he said of the disease. "I really have to watch my level closely. If my blood sugar is high I have no coordination. I don't really realize what I'm doing. If my blood sugar is low I can't really function either. So I have to watch my level closely in those situations."

Both Menze and Brugman agreed that the hardest part of having diabetes is having to constantly monitor and control their blood sugar.

"It's really hard to keep it all on track, but you get used to it," said Menze.

Even so, Menze says that the disease can be tough to deal with.

"There's lots of things you have to accept," he said. "If you don't do that, it can be troublesome. It has killed people in the past and you have to be careful with it."

So, what advice would Menze give to a kid who has just found out they have diabetes?

"I'd tell them to stay tough and don't give up because there's always a brighter side," he said. "The medical technology today compared to 50 years ago is highly increased and they're finding new ways to prevent and monitor diabetes."

Camp helps assure young diabetics they're not alone

Ten-year-old Emma Hohman of Skandia has had diabetes since she was 3. For the last four years she has attended a camp for kids with diabetes. The camp, she says, helps remind her that she's not the only kid dealing with the disease.

"It's nice to know that there's other people like you that have diabetes and know what you've gone through physically and mentally," she said.

The two-day Diabetes Family Camp is hosted by the U.P. Diabetes Outreach Network.

"The main goal of the camp was to pull the kids together so that they felt that they were the majority and those of us that didn't have diabetes were the minority," said Paula Ackerman, diabetes educator with the Outreach Network. "Oftentimes these kids are the only one in their school district that has diabetes. We wanted them to feel like they were special, that it was a camp for them. And a secondary goal was to learn a little bit more about managing their diabetes."

Last summer, 27 kids with diabetes attended the camp held at Northern Michigan University. They were joined by friends and family members. The kids participated in activities such as swimming, rock climbing, racquetball, tag, and kickball while their parents talked with each other and medical staff about diabetes.

"It's really nice for both, to provide the education to the parents and let the kids have a great time," Ackerman said.

The Outreach Network, with an office in Marquette, is a community-based organization that works to increase awareness and prevention of diabetes, as well as encourage people to be treated for it. The organization hopes to extend the camp to three days.

Hohman usually brings one of her friends to the camp, and her parents and sister also attend. "It's real fun," she said.

Hohman said she remembers meeting a little girl at the camp who was interested in her insulin pump. "I know what you're going through," she told the girl, "because I've gone through this too."