Looking for Advice: Trip Teen Diabetic

[momoftwins]

I am taking my 14 yr old DD and her 14 year old friend to Disney in July. I know HOT, but this is really the only time that works for all of us.

My DD's friend has just been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes last month. I want to make sure this trip is enjoyable for her.

What should I be aware of? I know vague question, but I am not really sure what to ask. Will the heat affect her more? I am assuming she will have to eat fairly regularly. Water in the heat is a must for anyone in July.

Does Disney Dining still not give out Carb info? Any food items and their carb info that you may have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and have a great day.

 

[mickey&minniealways]

At 14 she should know pretty much what she can and cannot eat. I would also check with her parents. I might also pick up a copy of Open Mouse by Passporter. Or ask her parents to. It is a Disney guidebook for those with disABILITIES. It covers everything and I mean EVERYTHING. Also when at a table service resteraunt while at Disney mention to your server that she is diabetic. The chef will usually come out to speak to her. He/she will either point out what she can eat or offer to make something special for her. Hope this helps.

 

[SueM in MN]

I moved this from the disABILITIES Community Board to the disABILITIES Board for more answers.

TO answer the question about carb counts, WDW doesn’t give out carb counts, so she will need to estimate carbs. There are books and iPhone/other smart phone apps that will help with the estimates.

If you follow the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread, post #3 has some links that will be helpful. Scroll down a bit in the thread to the alphabetic list of conditions or concerns. There is a section about special dietary needs and also a section about diabetes, including a link to some information on allearsnet.com written by a family with several members with type 1 diabetes.
Many people with diabetes don’t eat ‘diabetic’ or artificially sweetened foods - the reason is that some of the artificial sweeteners can have some ‘upset stomach’ type side effects and most of them are the same (or even more) carbs as the food without those sweeteners.

Water, heat and the amount of exercise she does will make a difference in her blood sugar - many people find they run low because of all the walking around, so watching the blood sugar and having something with at all times to treat lows is very important.
Since she is not your child, make sure that you have complete contact information and a notarized form from the parents that allows you to authorize medical treatment if she needs it. You can search on the internet for a form - a lot of sleep away camps have their permission slips on line.

 

[DumboDash2006]

First of all you need to talk to her parents. As Sue mentioned you need that letter, insurance information and information on dealing with the basics of type 1 diabetes and any emergencies that could come up.

It depends on what type of insulin regimin (sp) she is on but most people with Type 1 diabetes no longer need to stick to a strict diet and schedule. Since she's only been diagnosed a month I doubt she is on an insulin pump yet. Even so she's probably using insulin where she can eat what she wants and counts the grams of carbohydrates in what she eats and give herself an injection with the amount of insulin based on that carb amount.

Heat and exercise definitely affect blood sugar. She needs to check her blood sugar very often. And may need to take breaks if her blood sugar is running low. That means sitting down for a little bit while treating it with glucose tabs, candy, soda etc.

Make sure she takes everything she needs with her and then, oh double that. Things happen and you don't want to be without. When I went with dd who was six at the time I took at least double if not more. I myself wore a rather large fanny pack with everything and dd wore a smaller one with just the very basics in case she went off with another family member. I would make sure that at the very least that this girl carries her meter kit, glucose tabs or candy, syringes, insulin in a small cool pack (see below), syringes and emergency glucagon kit (which you should be given a short lesson in how to use it though it's highly unlikely to be needed). PB crackers and or protein bars would be good too.

Insulin can be left at first aid and picked up before leaving the park but honestly IMO that's a huge hassle and time suck. I used this and it worked very well.

http://coolerconcept.com

Oh for the carb counts if she doesn't already have this book, she should get one. Obviously WDW won't be in the book, but she should just use the closest match and check her blood sugar often.

http://www.amazon.com/CalorieKing-C...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1296344980&sr=1-1

ETA-You are a wonderful person to be taking this girl on your trip. So many people wouldn't.

 

[daneenm]

If she was just dx a month ago, she will have a lot of changes to her regimen before you head out in July. Have a meeting with her and her parents to get the run down as you approach your trip. Suggestions to have double (at least) of all supplies and carry any emergency supplies with her at all times (including easy to eat snacks, glucose tabs, etc) are good ones. Most importantly and the thing you can help remind her of ...


TEST, TEST, TEST!!

The heat, the exercise, the excitement, you name it can effect her BG numbers. So better safe than sorry.

We do not feed our son food that is any different than we eat (with the exception of diet soda rather than regular) so we had no food issues to speak of. This may or may not be the way she and her family manage it, so I would just ask.

There is a terrific reference that I used before our trip with DS (7 at the time) written by a family with lots of experience in the parks...

http://allears.net/pl/diabetes.htm

As a parent of a child with T1D, I applaud you for asking the questions and being willing to still take the friend with you. It is not always easy to find parents who are willing to take that on. That can be hard on our children...they want to be just like everyone else. Bravo!