Has your child been diagnosed with diabetes?When your child is diagnosed with diabetes it is understandable that your reaction will be an emotional one. You may feel many emotions, including anger, guilt, frustration and fear of what the future may hold. HMC wants to help you understand your child’s condition and what to expect from our services in order to enable your child to live a healthy and productive life by managing the disease.
Newly diagnosed and inpatient diabetes program
Children who are newly diagnosed with diabetes and those who require inpatient care for diabetes will be cared for at the pediatric unit at Hamad General Hospital. During this time, the diabetes team will work together with parents to give them all the knowledge and skills that they need to be able to take the child home and manage their condition. In the long term, diabetes is a chronic illness that is best managed at home by the family. It is important to know that family education will enable the child to lead a normal life; they will be able to be social and active just like their friends.
What happens at the first clinic visit?
The child will be seen by a physician, a diabetes nurse educator and a diabetes dietician. Each of these visits will last about one hour. A care giver will be with the young child for the entire visit. Adolescents and their parents are welcome to see the clinic staff separately.
What happens in the follow up clinic visits?
Clinic visits are an important part of diabetes care. We follow up with most patients every three months in the clinic - depending on the child's age, how the child’s blood sugar is being controlled and the doctor's recommendations. In addition to these visits with the nurse educator or physician, we encourage families to meet with a pediatric dietician/nutritionist as well. Some families also find it helpful to meet periodically with a psychologist.
Long-term stability
There will come a time when you are able to effectively manage your child’s condition with little support from our specialist team. Please note that even at this stage your HMC care team is accessible to you, should you have any queries or concerns. Your child will also receive a regular health check to monitor his/her developments. As your child gets older we will assist you with educating your child to make the best decisions and continue the level of care you have been providing so that they can successfully manage the transition into living with diabetes as an adult.
