Diabetes in adolescents, a doubly complicated stage

When they enter adolescence, the risk of anxiety and depression increases, many are even victims of teasing by their school classmates.

Elvia Salgado began to notice her daughter of a year and a half, declined, took a lot of milk and water and spent a long time sleeping.

"I thought it was a virus or infection," he says.

But once after eating pizza, he vomited and passed out, ran with the slightest direction to the emergency room.

"They tested and discovered that I had the sugar at 800. They told me that I had type 1 diabetes and that the pancreas did not work," he explains.

Dafne Cerna, Elvia Salgado's daughter, is now 15 years old.Since the year and a half, insulin is administered every time they eat and live counting the carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables that must consume.

“I am tired of chopping to inject the insulin.They don't know what I feel, ”says this young girl.

One of the most difficult stages for this minor with type 1 diabetes was at the beginning of his adolescence.

“When I was in sixth grade, about 12 years, I went into depression, I felt sad about having diabetes.I didn't like it.I wondered why me, why I can't be like the other children.I even hid he had diabetes, ”he recalls.

Dafne Cerna confesses that he began to feel a lot of anxiety and suffer panic attacks.

"I couldn't sleep, I woke up scared, all frightened," he says.

At school I also had problems.

"Once I went to a partner because he called me," furlonly, "says.

He has also been a victim of harassment (bullying) on ​​social networks by some colleagues who express rudeness towards their condition.

Unlike type 2 diabetes that can be caused by factors such as overweight, a sedentary life, smoking, and usually occurs after 40 years, type 1 diabetes has a greater incidence in children and young people.With type 1 diabetes practically the pancreas does not work and does not produce insulin, so for life, the patient has to apply insulin injections.In the case of type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does produce insulin but not enough.

Insulin is the hormone that allows food glucose to pass to the body's cells.

For type 1 diabetes there is no cure, it cannot be prevented or referred to.With type 2 diabetes, not only can it be prevented in many cases with healthy eating habits and exercise, but with adequate treatment the person can have a healthy life, sometimes without the need for medications.

Eduardo López, internist and nephrologist at the Medical Center of Kaiser permanent in Panorama City, says there is no evidence of what Diabetes 1 causes, but the reality is that there is a very large growth of this disease in children and young people.

suffering twice

Teresa Medina came the world on top of when one of her twin daughters was six years old and told her "her girl has diabetes."

"What did I fail? I wondered many times, without stopping to cry," recalls this mother, a Mexican immigrant.“You are not to blame, your pancreas was not developed.It does not produce insulin, ”a doctor told me.“But I couldn't find comfort.It was as if he were living a nightmare, ”he trusts.

He says Daniela started drinking a lot of water, to lose weight and get very pale.

The worst for this mother and her family came when two years later, the other twin, Andrea, 8, was also diagnosed with diabetes 1.

“I felt in a well.I told me, and now who is still in my family? ”He says.

In her family of four children and her husband Manuel, the twins, who are the minor daughters, are the only ones that have diabetes.

It was very hard for this mother to learn that she had to learn to inject her daughter and that she had toDo it every time they ate and at night.

But at 16, like Dafne Cena, the Medina twins have learned to take care of themselves and supplies insulin based on food consumption.However, your mental health has not been well rid.

“Why did this touch me?I have said many times.It is a responsibility and fights all day, ”says Andrea.

What is sure is that he does not want diabetes to prevent him from achieving his dreams.

Daniela says that upon entering adolescence she felt very frustrated.“I see my colleagues that they do not have to inject or worry about their health, or miss the school for going to the doctor.I felt tired, it is a lot of responsibility to have diabetes 1, ”he says.

The two distress them to think if someone will want to marry them one day due to their medical condition.

But both Andrea and Daniela have inspired to know the history of famous actresses and athletes who, despite having 1 diabetes are successful."Yes you can!" They exclaim.

mental health risk

Cynthia E. Muñoz, a pediatric psychologist and professor at the University of Southern California, said that these minors have a high risk of seeing their affected mental health compared to the rest of the children because every day the levels ofsugar and inject multiple times.

“Especially during adolescence when they have many changes.Then, together with the high demand they have to review their sugar and blood, the perfect storm is created so that their mental health is impacted, ”he explains.

“Many minors are sent to therapy by their doctor when they have poor control of their diabetes because they are annoyed, tired and depressed of having to put the insulin day and night.Not taking care of their mood, motivation, energy and causes stress, ”he says.

Muñoz is in charge of giving therapies to minors such as the twins Medina or Dafne Cerna, through the Teen Power group that works with the children who treat their diabetes with insulin, but also their families.

"The therapy is for them and their families because it is about everyone to adopt a healthy lifestyle and eat the same food," he said.

He added that parents also need a lot of help.

“Type 1 diabetes creates a lot of confusion, shame and guilt.There are many misunderstandings.With the therapy we teach them to deal with all that, ”he emphasizes.

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