Diabetes explanation for 8 year old DD

[RhondaRoo]

Hi, can anybody offer some advice please.

My dad has just been diagnosed with Type II diabetes. Even though it runs in his family (and on my mum's side too - yay for me! ) it has come as a shock and he's taken it quite badly.

DD is very close to her Granddad, and has been playing up a bit (hyper, silly) and then having trouble sleeping (nightmares, main one that we're all going to die!! )

Everything else in our life is fine, so I think it's certain it's this 'unknown' illness that is upsetting her.

I keep trying to think how to explain it to her, I understand it from an adult perspective. How do I explain it to an 8 year old with a very active imagination?

Any ideas/experience greatly appreciated.

Thank you

I explained it to my 5 year old as his grandparents bodies couldn't balance the sugar in their blood properly, so they needed to measure it and take medicine to help their bodies. He seems to be fine with this, although he shows vast enthusiasm for measuring peoples blood glucose

Diabetes is like having rusty locks - the key is insulin and it won't work properly in the cells which are the locks. So the sugar we eat stays in the blood which can make you feel poorly.

Medicine can help get the key in the locks, and eating a healthy diet means there isn't too much sugar in the blood.

The Diabetes UK website has some good info, including some info for children with diabetes. Not relevant for your DD exactly but the little animated explanations might be helpful for her.

Ah, brilliant - thank you both!!

She is quite a visual child so I was going to incorporate drawings/pictures - the link should help.

Thanks again

Have a look at the Diabetes UK website, it has some useful stuff.

I'm type 1, and my 4yo DD knows that my body has a bit inside it (pancreas) that's broken, which means it has too much sugar in it unless I have medicine (insulin) to take some of it away again. But that it's like measuring things on scales, so sometimes the medicine takes too much sugar away which means I have to eat some sweets or sugar to put it back again. And I do blood tests to see how much sugar is there and whether I need some extra medicine or sugar.

Very basic, probably too much so for your DD but it might be a start?

Thank you Rue

She just came down (can't sleep!) as I was looking at the link so we've gone through that and she had a few questions, I answered them as best I can, she seemed happier and has gone back to bed and all is quiet so far.

I like the measuring explanation, I have to say that I thought I had a good understanding of it but reading the replies here and looking at the info on the website, I actually knew very little

Thanks again

sit with her and say " grandads body doesnt like sugar. he has to be careful with his food. look after him because he will like having a helper!"

Simple, straightforward not too much detail but be prepared to answer questions. I don't know much about the specifics of diabetes (& other posters seem to have that covered) but I have had to explain my rheumatoid arthritis to my DS and this is the way we've gone. More questions come with time but I've found he's more accepting and understanding than adults as he takes it at face level.

Thank you all for your replies.

We've had a few basic conversations (helps that I have more understanding now)

We were out at lunch with the GP's yesterday, Dad is in shock I think and finding it very daunting and talking about it quite a lot - DD was a bit quiet and then said "can we stop talking about it now please". So I think she is still upset by it, her main concern was that he would die because of it. I've told her that although it's an illness, lots of people have it and quite easy to take care of with changes to how you eat/exercise (I know it's not 'easy' but wanted to put her mind at rest).

I think just keeping it at her level and making sure her questions are answered should help.

Thanks again.