Day 7 - Tenth Camp Blog Post (Final Post - Session 1)
July 24th, 2009 by SteveHere is the background for our Diabetes Challenge Question of the Day.
We had several family members of former diabetes campers on the medical staff this week. Several were siblings of persons with type 1 diabetes. Chances are very good that a child with type 1 diabetes has a non- diabetic brother or sister (over several). I saw lots of siblings waiting around at check in. I’m sure I’ll see more today at check out.
Non-diabetic siblings often experience a wide range of feelings surrounding their diabetic brother or sister. Some may state (like my sister did at one point), that I got all the attention and special privileges she never did. Some sibs may live in fear that they might develop diabetes too. Often, the only persons explaining anything to the siblings are the parents. And if the parents don’t have the necessary training, the information that they do share may be inconsistent or sometimes simply incorrect.
Some older siblings may get placed in the position of acting as a “junior parent” to their younger diabetic sibling. This might include giving or watching insulin injections and blood sugar checks, preparing proper meals, or even making self care choices for their diabetic brother or sister.
Over time, a chronic family focus on the diabetic child may make the non-diabetic sibs angry or even resentful. Many sibs may be severely conflicted by these feelings.
So, today’s Diabetes Challenge Question is the following: How did growing up with a diabetic sibling affect you as a child and later as an adult? Did it permanently affect your adult relationship with your diabetic brother or sister? If you overcame this challenge, what do you think contributed most to your success? Feel free to be specific in your comment below.
Dance Night
The dance was a big success as always. Campers were made up and dressed up as well as one could at camp. I have several great photos below. If you are looking for the youngest campers, they were on camp out so the Rec Hall was less crowded than usual, but nonetheless just as active. Our med staff BG check table saw steady business all evening.
Last Day of Camp
Friday is the last day of camp. It’s been a privilege to have the opportunity to provide a safe and enjoyable camping experience for 215 children from across the state of Texas. My staff has also enjoyed this challenge and all are prepared to hand over campers to their parents on Friday night (or Saturday morning at 8AM for the 42 campers staying over). I will not be able to meet with the parents of campers discharged on Saturday morning since I will be occupied with orienting incoming new medical staff for Session 2, which starts at 1PM on Sunday July 26th 2009.
Free Photo/Video DVD
We shot over 2000 photos and 1 hour of video (Night Court). Mike Koch is working to create complimentary DVD’s in time for check out. These have great music tracks as well. This is Mike’s 8th year volunteering his time for the diabetic camping sessions. He was also involved with the organization of the Webinar the other evening (and this coming Wednesday evening too).
Texas Lions Camp
My medical team is very appreciative of the Lions Club and the Texas Lions Camp. The people who established this camp had their diabetes camping program vision almost 40 years ago. I’ve been lucky to be part of it each year since 1981. I encourage families to consider making donation to the camp. Every donation is appreciated and put to good use to serve the children and families of Texans with diabetes. The medical staff applauds Mr. Stephen Mabry, the camp’s CEO, for the quality team of individuals who operate every facet of the camp and effectively interface with my volunteer medical staff. The camp’s website is http://www.lionscamp.com. Photos of campers from this session can be purchased on the Lions Camp site.
Webinar
We have corrected the sound feedback problem for next week’s Parent’s Day Webinar so there will be no “echo chamber” effect. Updated links are posted to the webinar site. Attendees from last Wednesday night are invited to rejoin the webinar next week if you had to leave early. Also, the twitter site http://twitter.com/Dr_Steve_Ponder and this blog site form part of the alternative approach I’ve tried to develop to replace the former 2 hour Parents Day program in the Rec Hall we used to have. I will also have the pleasure of visiting with parents over dinner on Friday evening July 24th at 5:15 PM. If you have any questions or comments about camp, please let me know anytime by sending me an email at Stephen.Ponder@dchstx.org.
Diabetes Housecall
About 2 years ago I created a revolutionary new approach to diabetes care for children. It’s called Diabetes HouseCall. I currently have patients with diabetes in this modern version of my practice who have been seen as far away as Iowa. Texas patients as far away as 600 miles are seen just as easily as if they were in town. I encourage you to check out my practice website for HouseCall that explains how this innovative care program operates (http://www.diabeteshousecall.com ) to allow me to see you in the comfort of your own home, also while having access to all your relevant diabetes self care information. The rules of participation in this exciting program are explained on the site. I received some exciting news today that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas is embracing this program as a covered service starting around the end of September 2009. This would be a first for home based telemedicine care for children with diabetes in Texas. Advantages of HouseCall include 30 minutes or more of direct face to face time with the diabetes specialist. No waiting rooms, no long car rides, no time out of work or school, to see the diabetes doctor. Does this sound pretty good to you? Let me know if you need more info or would like to talk to one of the families already enrolled in my HouseCall practice. There is also an online community forming around HouseCall at glucoKIDZ.com and I know at least one of our families there would be more than happy to tell you more about their experience.
See you at Parent’s Night!!!
Last 5 posts by Steve
- Halloween and Diabetes CAN mix! - October 5th, 2009
- Introducing Healthy Families of South Texas - October 5th, 2009
- Complications 101 - About Kidney Failure - August 23rd, 2009
- The Sleep Bolus - August 18th, 2009
- The Dirty Truth Behind DCCT - August 16th, 2009
July 24th, 2009 at 11:03 am
how did…growing up with a diabetic sibling affect you as a child? Did it permanently affect your relationship with your diabetic brother or sister?
I did not have a diabetic sibling, so my teen-aged daughter included her reply instead:
I haven’t found it that hard…he’s always been a brat! And blood sugars don’t change much there. It hasn’t really affected my relationship with my brother (type 1) we’ve always been good friends. He’s the same person. Diabetes didn’t change him, even though he does get low, and grumpy, but I can’t tell between his lows and him just being a pre-teen.
As for the attention, I don’t count having to put his site back on or the extra concern he receives, like in the middle of the night when mom has to check on him, as positive attention. None of this is extra attention taken away from me.
I give credit to my brother, because he really doesn’t expect special attention due to his diabetes. He doesn’t expect me to take care of him, or baby him, even when his numbers are high or low.
The only time his diabetes affects our relationship, is when we’re playing some game (Wii or other) and he gets really mad about losing or how the game turns out. But that could be the case even without diabetes.
So, I don’t see growing up with my brother’s diabetes anything but normal.
July 24th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
I am a parent and didn’t grow up with a diabetic sibling either, but I often notice that our son’s disease unintentionally dictates the house. Meaning if he is having problems my attention is on him even if something is scheduled for his sisters. His sisters are young and very sweet, but I feel that sometimes they may feel “pushed aside” I think it would be wonderful to have some sort of program for them. Please post if you know of one.
July 28th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
I am the younger of the two kids in my family. I was 6 and my brother was 9 when he was diagnosed. Growing up with a brother who is diabetic leveled the playing field in our house. Everyone always says that the “baby” in the family gets spoiled and gets all the attention. The needs of my brother’s illness offset a lot of the attention. There were special diets and only certain things that he could or would eat. There were boiling glass syringes and needles (yes, this was back in the stone ages of the mid 60’s). in our family it was a team effort and we all did what we needed to do to keep my brother healthy. I think that made us stronger as a family. Even though we are all grown up we get along very well, and I still think he a pretty great big brother. His compassion and understanding of this disease has made him also made him a really great doctor.