Goneme, 12-year old and is a freshman student. She hasjust been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Her parents took her toa private health care provider after Goneme complained of beingconstantly thirsty and hungry for over a week. Her Hemoglobin A1Cis 10.3%. Despite this, she has lost 5 lb. They note that she had aflu about 1 month ago but seemed to recover from it. Her mothersays that Goneme seemed lethargic for several days. She reports noform of regular exercise. She does not follow any special diet athome. Goneme and her family must now learn to manage her diabetesusing the combination of diet, exercise, and insulin therapy.Monitoring her blood glucose level is important in determining howmuch insulin she will need every day. Goneme’s meals and activitywill need to be coordinated with the insulin doses. Goneme and herparents will need to watch closely for signs of hypoglycemia.
Questions:
1. What are the possible causes of Goneme’s diabetes?
2. Explain what a Hemoglobin A1C lab tests tells thehealth care provider?
3. What does Goneme need to monitor for when he getssick?
4. Intensive therapy will be a goal of her treatment.How can you help Goneme and her family decide if this should beaccomplished with insulin injections or an insulin pump?
5. What are some strategies to help an adolescentactively participate in her disease management and maintain optimaldiabetic control?
