People with Type 1 Diabetes are still the people they were before their diagnosis. They will still laugh at the same things, eat and drink with you as usual and enjoy the same activities. The only difference will be that they will have to monitor their blood glucose levels and, remember their insulin, and find out the carbohydrate content of each snack or meal.
They may find that their blood sugar drops and they need to eat some sugar quickly to help them feel better, or they may find that their blood sugar rises too high and they don’t feel very well, but these are usually temporary.
You can help by:
Treating your friend or family member exactly the same as you always have. They will more than likely still want to join in with everything they did before they were diagnosed.
Being patient whilst they test and give themselves insulin.
Don’t be afraid to ask them, or their parents/carers questions if you want to know more. There are a lot of myths out there about T1D, and having the right information is a great way of supporting someone with T1D.
If you are eating together or sharing food, either find out the carbohydrate content of the portion of the food you are offering or tell them in advance so that they can find out. Remember they can eat anything. There is nothing they can’t eat, unless of course they are allergic to it!
If they are having a hypo (low blood sugar) don’t panic, but ask them if they need help and call an adult/parent/carer to help if they do.