Children and teens with Type I diabetes

The U-M Pediatric Diabetes Program provides skilled care from the day a child is diagnosed through his or her 18 th year.

Children with symptoms caused by the onset of Type I diabetes are often seen first at the Pediatric Emergency Department. All newly diagnosed patients are hospitalized immediately in C.S. Mott Children's Hospital where they receive urgent treatment, evaluation and education. Members of the Diabetes Program also help parents or guardians come to grips with the news that their child has Type I diabetes, and learn the “survival skills” they'll need from that day forward.

Newly diagnosed children go home from Mott Hospital after a 24- to 48-hour hospital stay — the less-stressful home environment can minimize the psychological strain that comes with a new diagnosis. As U-M diabetes doctors say, “The worst day is the first day.” But every day in those first weeks, a member of the U-M diabetes team keeps in touch with the patient's family to help with any questions and concerns.

A week or so after the initial hospitalization, children and parents/guardians have their first visit to the outpatient clinic in the Taubman Center , and begin the Pediatric Diabetes Self-Management Program, which is certified by the Michigan Department of Community Health and recognized by the American Diabetes Association.

There, they learn the strategies they'll use both during the the “honeymoon” period (a period soon after after diagnosis, when the body is still temporarily able to produce insulin) and, over the long term, including learning how to manage diet and exercise, measure blood sugar, use insulin, deal with school-related issues, and respond to crises when blood sugar goes too high or too low. They'll also meet in groups with several other newly diagnosed patients and their families, so they know they're not alone.

The Pediatric Diabetes Program at U-M is truly a team effort. Pediatric endocrinology doctors, nurse practitioners and nurse educators, a registered dietician, a psychologist and a social worker work together in a single clinic so that young patients and their families get the best possible care and support. In addition to addressing the physical realities of living with diabetes, the team addresses the psychological and financial issues that come with the disease — including assistance with insurance coverage. They also have ties to specialists in adolescent medicine, neurology, ophthalmology (vision) and psychiatry who can help with special situations.

Nearly 100 new patients a year join the 1,200 children and teenagers who are already being seen by U-M Type I diabetes specialists. The U-M team has trained about 500 young patients to use insulin pumps, which feed insulin directly into the fat under the skin through a thin tube that leads from a small controller worn on the waist like a pager.

To learn more about the Pediatric Diabetes Program, and about a special clinical trial for teens with Type I diabetes, check out this issue of Michigan Cares, the newsletter of C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

If you would like your child to be seen by the Type I diabetes specialists at U-M, call (734)764-5175