Fupadi: Children with diabetes learn to take care of themselves in a recreational way

For four days, small patients participated in a camp where doctors, diabetes specialists, taught how insulin should be controlled and use to help their parents with treatment.

With entertaining games and simulating everyday situations to test autonomy against health care, more than 40 pediatric patients with diabetes participated last week in an entertaining camp organized by the Paraguayan Diabetes Foundation (Fupadi).

Amid the revelry and the lush nature of the city of Caacupé, the boys and girls aged 10 to 16 spent four days playing and learning about the techniques they will have to use in their daily lives to cope with diabetes, a disease in which theBlood sugar levels are above normal.

This is a recreational and educational camp that aims to make the boys socialize and share experiences with others that are in the same situation - teach children how to adjust the daily insulin dose, how to apply to themselvesHormone, how many carbohydrates have to consume and what types of food should avoid, according to Dr. María Alejandra Rolón, dietologist and pediatric endocrinologist.

"The camp is basically a way of being with them very closely from the side of the office. We interact directly with them to see how they are doing things and mainly we look for autonomy, because parents are very aware of them," he explainedThe doctor.

Erica Vargas, Alan's grandmother Emanuel Martínez (13), stressed that her grandson, after participating in the camp, already apply insulin, measures the carbohydrates that she will consume and that this was a relief for the family, andThat everyone was very aware of him, even his twin brother, Alan Ezequiel, who wonders why he has no diabetes, feeling a little jealous because of the attention his brother receives.

Alan Emanuel was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two months ago, the grandmother recalls.In a week the child had dropped 5 kilos suddenly."We took him to control and they told us that this was only for age, that he is growing, but it had already been that he already had diabetes," Erica said.

Alan recounts that he must bring his own food to school, that not only he takes care of food, that everyone in his house supports him and that his twin brother is always aware of him, controlling the glucose three times a day."In the camp I learned a lot. Now I just take care of me, my grandmother doesn't have to worry so much," says the patient.

Dr. Rolón emphasizes that this recreational and educational space lifts children to self -esteem, because they socialize with other patients who should also take great care."Here they realize that they are not alone," he said.

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