Hi Lizzie, thank you for your question to the forum.

That’s such a shame your friends aren’t inviting you to their parties.  It may be that your friend’s parents are a bit afraid of diabetes and are unsure of how to manage it.  You and your parents probably didn’t have much idea when you were first diagnosed – there’s such a lot to learn! 

It might be an idea for your Mum or Dad or someone at home to speak to your friend’s parents about diabetes and how to manage it if you stayed over at parties or sleepovers.  Once it’s explained to them they will hopefully feel more comfortable.  It’s not that they don’t want you to go it’s because they probably a bit scared if they don’t understand diabetes. People think they can catch diabetes!  

Get them to look on this website www.diabeteskidsandteens.com.au and go to KIDSZONE and check out the games especially “Brains” and how you get diabetes. They may also be worried that they might give you the wrong food – they won’t realise that it’s actually not that difficult!  Also if your Mum and Dad can be contacted by phone your friend’s parents will feel better.

Sometimes diabetes can make you feel different from your friends - you have to do things like finger pricks and injections, always eat on time and think before you do everything. Remember, you are still the same person, you have just got to think about a few more things than your friends.

Sometimes if you explain diabetes to them, you will usually find that they understand and see that diabetes is just a part of you, and they will like you just the same. You can do things like show them your meter, show them pictures or a DVD like Professor Bumblebee’s Guide to Type 1 Diabetes”. If you think they don’t understand, talk to someone at home and think about having a grown up talk to your class about diabetes.

We think that the best thing is to be open and say how you feel but that can be difficult.  Try speaking to your Mum or Dad or someone at home, or an adult at school who you trust.  Also it can help if you have your friends at a sleepover at your place and they can see that it isn’t that scary.

Useful Links

diabeteskidsandteens – Your Feelings

http://www.diabeteskidsandteens.com.au/kids6.asp 

diabeteskidsandteens – KIDSZONE

http://www.diabeteskidsandteens.com.au/kids.asp