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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Will my daughter need insulin injections for the rest of her life?

    Related Topics
    Endocrinology Type 1 Diabetes
    My 12 year old daughter is in hospital with suspected type 1 diabetes. If the tests come back positive will she need to inject herself with insulin forever?
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    • Lisa Renn
    • Lynne McCleary
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    Lisa Renn

    Dietitian

    Lisa is an APD with 12 years experience, specialising in helping people identify and change habits that impact negatively on their health. Inspiring change, Lisa … View Profile

    If your daughter's test results show that she has very high blood sugar levels and is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes then she will need to inject herself with insulin forever.
    Type 1 diabetes is an auto immune condition where the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin are destroyed by the body. Without insulin the body cannot metabolise glucose and levels can build up to dangerous levels in the blood. People with Type 1 diabetes have to inject insulin which does the same job as the insulin the pancreas would have been producing to remove glucose from the blood stream.
    Insulin can be delivered to the body by small pen like devices or via an insulin pump. Both these methods would involve small needles and she will also be required to test her blood sugar levels via a finger prick test several times per day.
    This will be a time of immense learning and challenge for you both however you need to keep in mind that people with Type 1 diabetes  can live long and fulfilling lives.

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  • Lynne McCleary

    Credentialled Diabetes Educator (CDE), Diabetes Educator

    I am a credentialled diabetes educator and have been a diabetes educator for approx 20 years. I run a diabetes clinic in Toowoomba, Queensland - … View Profile

    If your daughter does have type 1 diabetes, the reality is that she will need to inject insulin for the rest of her life. But she might not need to inject as such. She could use a pump, which is a little different to actually giving herself a needle every time. However with technology and how things are moving forward, in the next few years, we don't know what might be around the corner as far as diabetes management goes. At present however, insulin needs to be injected as insulin taken orally is destroyed in the stomach.

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