When your child is first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, you probably find yourself experiencing emotions such as anger, confusion, depression and fear. Many questions will start to run through your mind: How do I explain this to my child? What do I tell friends, the school or the baby-sitter? Will my child be able to lead a normal life? Will he ever be cured of diabetes?

You may feel that you are not quite ready to make adjustments to a routine that you have grown comfortable to. You need to face testing blood sugar levels, injections, changing the diet habits of not just your child but for the whole family. These are adjustments that you probably do not relish at the first thought.

It is understandable if you need to take some time to handle the shock of a diagnosis of diabetes. It can be a rather emotional time. However, it is best that you pull yourself together, so that every one in your family can work as a team and in the best interest of your child.

Juvenile Type 1 diabetes can affect almost every organ in the body of the patient. While Type 1 diabetes can strike at any age, many of its sufferers are children or young teenagers. As such, a child as young as 5 years old can get this form of disease.

Although the causes of type 1 diabetes are not entirely known, researchers say that the body's own immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. It is not caused by obesity or by eating excessive sugar, which are two common myths associated with this disease. Currently, more studies are underway, to investigate genetics and environmental factors as possible causes type 1 diabetes.

The control of blood glucose levels is key to avoiding complications such as insulin comas and shock. If your child has been diagnosed with Juvenile Type 1 diabetes, he must be allowed to test his levels, eat food and take injections whenever necessary.

If he is not allowed to follow this routine, consequences can be severe. It is possible to train and educate your child to better take care of himself. Sometimes, he may need to wear a device that monitors blood sugar levels continuously, or an insulin pump that will inject the insulin as needed.

He will need insulin to be taken daily to live. A Type 1 diabetic condition is caused by the body's rejection and destruction of insulin-producing cells. Without insulin, the body cannot use glucose for energy and turns to burning fat cells instead. You cannot leave a Juvenile Type 1 diabetes condition unattended as complications can arise over a period. These include heart disease, vascular complications, stroke, amputation, and possibly, comas.

First, it is important that you help your child deal with the fact that he has Juvenile Type 1 diabetes. He may also have emotional responses like anger, worry and fear. Allay his fears. It is crucial that he knows that he still can function normally. However, he needs to understand that he has to exercise more care about his health, from now on.

Your child needs to eat a healthy diet so as to keep his blood glucose levels in control. Plan out a diabetes diet program so that you know what foods are allowed and what are not. Also, educate your child about what he can and cannot eat.

Exercise is also important for your child. Do make it fun for the whole family to exercise together as well.

Manufactured insulin works differently for each person. Your doctor may need to experiment to find the best manufactured insulin to use, or a combination of insulin that will best match what his body produces. You will need to learn how to give insulin injections, understand the purpose of insulin, the different delivery systems available.

You need to inform your child's school so that the teachers can be aware of any special needs or any potential issues that may arise while your child is at school. Rope in the teachers to help keep an eye on what your child eats during snack time.

Also, ask the school if there is a responsible teacher, who can be trained in emergency treatment of diabetes symptoms. In fact, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation recommends that a child under eight years old to have an adult assigned to him. This adult will be in charge of properly tracking the child's blood sugar levels, and must know what to do in a diabetic emergency.

It will be a good idea if the teacher can also help educate the other children in the class about what Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes is about. However, your child may not want his friends to know about his condition. If this is the case, let the school know about your child's wish for privacy or work with his teachers to find a way in handling any emotional issues that your child faces sensibly.

Children and teenagers diagnosed with Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes should be allowed to take part in team sports, physical activity classes, and field trips. It is safe for them to join in as long as they are able to keep their blood glucose levels within safe limits.

Children diagnosed with Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes require a good health care program. You need to be in consultation with your family doctor on a regular basis. Start to ask questions and to learn all you can about the disease.

You may also want to read books and search up more information on the web. A good diabetes dictionary will help you learn the terms and medical talk that goes with a diagnosis of diabetes. This dictionary will prove to be valuable in learning diabetes related terms and what they mean.

Lastly, it is highly recommended that you connect with other parents who have children diagnosed with Juvenile Type 1 Diabetes. Being in a support group allows you to trade experiences, tips and even recipes for cooking for your diabetic child. There are several