When you spend most of your time at school, you want to make sure you get the best out of it and are enjoying the experience. Being a teenager doesn't always make this easy! Your teenage years will be filled with changes, like starting high school, having more stress with school exams (and being given bigger assignments and more homework!), starting to date, and making new friends.
Maybe your parents will even ask you for more help with the housework! With all of these things going on, handling your diabetes is still important and will still need your attention. Start thinking about how you might handle your diabetes in some of the following situations. And remember that you spend a lot of time at school, so try to
enjoy it as much as you can!
NEW SCHOOL, NEW FRIENDS
HANDLING A HYPO AT SCHOOL
TEACHING THE TEACHERS
Starting high school often means meeting lots of new people and maybe forming a new group of friends. No one can make you tell any of your new friends that you have diabetes, but it's definitely a good idea to share this with them as soon as you feel comfortable with them. Once you friends know about your diabetes, they may be able to help you with things like remembering to test your blood sugars, or maybe they'll be able to spot a hypo starting before you do!
Even when you're careful with testing you might not always be able to avoid having a hypo. Sometimes getting used to new class times and schedules can really throw you off track! Remember that you might be more likely to hypo just before morning, lunch, and afternoon tea breaks, or during physical activity, but that it can happen at other times too. If you do end up having a hypo while you're at school then don't feel bad about it.
If you feel a hypo coming on then make sure you quickly eat something - even if it's just before lunch break! If you go to a big school where there are lots of other kids and teachers who might not know you, you might want to wear an ID bracelet that lets people know you have diabetes, and that way they can help you when you need it. There's nothing wrong with having diabetes, so don't feel embarrassed about it.
Your teachers should be aware of your diabetes as they will often be the only adults around you during the day and can help you if you don't feel well, plus they will understand if you need to have a sugar hit quickly, or leave the classroom to eat something. If you don't want them talking openly about your diabetes, that's ok, you can ask them not to say anything to all the other students (or ask your parents to ask!).
"Because I get grumpy when I have a hypo, my friends tell me to check my blood sugars [lol]" (14 year old female)
Although your school will already know of your diabetes, you could share this website address with your teachers so that they can get the opportunity to read a bit more about the sorts of experiences you have with diabetes. Just write down this link for them: www.themeter.com.au
