During your first visit to the Children’s Wisconsin Diabetes clinic, you will meet with a diabetes provider. Then, you will go to a class to learn more about diabetes.

Classes are offered at Children’s Wisconsin Appleton and Milwaukee clinics:

• Appleton clinic: 2575 E. Evergreen Drive, Appleton, WI 54913
• Milwaukee clinic: 8915 W. Connell Court, Milwaukee, WI 53266

Before your first diabetes clinic visit, you may be told to visit an urgent care or emergency room once a day. This is to get your child the long-acting insulin shots they need.

Before Your First Clinic Visit:

• Offer your child 3 meals. Give no more than 1 snack between each meal.
• Offer as much water or sugar-free drinks as they want. This includes drinks like diet soda, sugar-free Crystal Light®, or sugar-free Kool-Aid®.
• If your child drinks milk only offer unflavored milk. This could be any animal or plant-based milk. Limit it to 8 ounces, or 1 cup with each meal.
• Do not offer drinks like regular soda, Gatorade®, regular KoolAid® or Hi-C®, or any drink with added sugar.
• Call your child’s doctor, nurse, or clinic if you have any questions or concerns.

On the Morning of Your First Diabetes Clinic Visit:

• Your child should only drink water or sugar-free drinks. They should not eat. They will have breakfast with the nurse at the clinic visit.
• This visit will take about 4 to 5 hours. It is important for all caregivers to come to this visit. The clinic only has space for 4 caregivers to attend.
• There are no food services at the Appleton clinic. Bring breakfast and a sugar-free drink or plain white milk of any kind for your child. Also bring food for yourself.
• The Milwaukee clinic will give your child breakfast and has food services.
• Your child may have blood tests done if they were not done before this visit.
• You will first meet with a diabetes doctor or diabetes nurse practitioner.
• You will then spend most of the morning with a diabetes nurse and dietitian.
• You will get a prescription to bring to a pharmacy. This will be for insulin, a blood sugar monitor, and other diabetes supplies.

What Else Can You Do Before Your First Clinic Visit?

Take care of yourself.

Take some time for you, your child, and your family. This is a hard and stressful time. While diabetes is a life changing condition, your child can still thrive and do everything that they love to do. As you feel ready, tell your loved ones and support systems about your child’s diabetes diagnosis.

Let your child’s school and coaches know they have diabetes.

At your first diabetes clinic visit, we will create a school plan for your child. You can choose when and how to tell them your child has diabetes. Set up a time that works for you, to meet and discuss how they can support your child.

Watch these educational videos!

• What is diabetes?:
  
• Insulin:
  
• Comfort during pokes:
  
• Carbohydrates:
  

To learn more about diabetes, review this resource: Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) at: (https://www.breakthrought1d.org/)