My son likes to keep his numbers HI...

Anita - posted on 03/05/2010

Hi, My son will be 14 in a couple weeks. He has cancer and type 1 diabetes and Is blind because of the cancer. We have to monitor everything but he checks his sugar and then we double check it. The last month and a half he has also been sneaking into the kitchen at night. He ate all the junk food he could find one night. We have baby locks on the cabinets because of my baby girl but he figured them out. He continued to sneak every night. I was scared to death and telling him he was very lucky he didn't get into something that didn't shoot his sugar sky high. When we found out he had diabetes it was by accident. He went in for surgery for a broviak for his Chemo and they happend to check his blood. It was over 800. The Dr said if he had not had the surgery (my son didn't want it btw) then he would have been in a coma by the time we had gotten home. I'm so afraid that is going to happen again and he doesn't care. It's like he has given up and doesn't care about anything. He has an MRI on Monday and I'm hoping the Dr.s can talk to him..
When my son listens and doesn't sneak food his sugar is usually around 86 in the morning or a little lower and under 125 to 135 through the day. He is on novalin and humalog. 20/10 in the morning and 10/5 at dinner. Seems to be an ok dose for him.

Jennifer - posted on 10/19/2009

Hi, I have a 13 yr old daughter who has been a diabetic since 7-2-02. She is now on the pump. I think it has something to do with the age...they dont want to be told what to do and now they have parents and the health care team telling them what to do. My daughter also has the blood sugar sensor that monitors her blood sugars with the pump. I really like it because if she is going low her pump will beep at her that she is going low... it does the same thing when she is going high. I like the sensor because IF my daughter pays attention to the alarms on her pump she can stop a low before it happens. Now getting her to pay attention to it is a whole new adventure. I think the sensor would be helpful to you and your son. I would talk with your helth care team. It is simple to use so I find it wonderful.

Laura - posted on 09/26/2009

Does he have the pump? The great thing about the pump is if you try to correct your numbers 15 minutes after already doing so, the pump knows you don't need it and tells you it's not needed. We haven't had to many lows with the pump. Alway high because my daughter doesn't like to take the time to enter her numbers.

Elizabeth - posted on 09/13/2009

hi cassandra my daughter is 6 yrs old has it since sheis 3. it is so hard to keep the numbers rigrt in ireland its the same between 4 and 10. sometimes aoife numbers could go to hi on the meter. or she could go lo.i have been up all hours of the morning noon and night checking her and the same as your son she hates going lo. i;m just hoping as she is older it gots easer to keep then right. keep in touch liz

Denise - posted on 04/21/2009

I too have a daughter who is type 1, and just like Jayne Lancashire, my daughter, who is 16, just will not take her bg's like she is suppose to. When she was younger, I monitored her and did things for her, and she was willing to help and do alot of her testings herself. I am very scared for her. I am in the US, living in Indiana and her last A1C reading was 10. I've done all I can to help her. Her father, who was also type 1, died this past September at the age of 38, due to uncontrolable diabetes, which caused other terminal illness. Cassandra, have you talked to the doctors about putting him on a insulin pump? They are excellent! I know other children on pumps and the manage very good. He's very independent, as you stated, and he's dedicated to taking and tracking his blood readings. This may be a very good option for him.

Karrie - posted on 04/21/2009

my girl could be in her 15 then within 20 mins 4, i can see it changes the moods, my girl acts different when this happens , i think he dont like it when he drops, ive spoken to some adults and they always say its the crashing they told me alot, my girl do not like the hospcal have you got anyone who has diabetes or someone in the family he can talk to, i can understand why 10 going to bed , because it drops more at night, what about trying another pump, or some people does insulin as well doing the pump, have you look into that, get him talking to people same, mybe he getting fed up with everything to do with diabetes,

Michelle - posted on 02/20/2009

Pray for him. Find a support group for teenagers his age that also have diabetes. Talk with him about why he is so afraid to crash.



I am a type 1 diabetic, I always had high numbers. Mine were just because I didn't check or take my insulin.



The threat from his doctors about complications probably won't faze him, they didn't faze me until I was told that I had the beginnings of Kidney disease, Retinopathy, and sores on my feet that what I was being told as a teenager was true.



For me what has really worked is unfortunately getting pregnant that has helped me to get a good control on my diabetes mangagement.



You may also want to look into getting him into counseling, there could be some underlying issues about why he doesn't want to keep his numbers where they are supposed to be.



I hope that this helps some.



Michelle

Melissa - posted on 02/18/2009

Hi Cassandra. I am new to this group but I have a bit of a different perspective so I thought I would post. I have a daughter with type 1 but what gives me the unique perspective in this situation is the fact that I am a type 1 as well. I am also on the pump.



I have to say that it is scary, it is scary for an adult but it really is for a kid. High numbers cause long term damage but a low number can kill you. It sounds like your son has a fear of going low and not feeling it because he is asleep. You might be able to talk to him about it but if not they are now making device that works with the pump that constantly monitors blood sugar. I don't have one, but I want one. :) You might check into that for him. If he can see the constant numbers it might put him at ease.



One last piece of advice, when you are helping him bring his numbers down go slow. When you spend a long time with high numbers your body becomes accustomed to it and then you feel like you are low even when your numbers aren't technically low. Move the target number down in increments, don't immediately shoot for the bottom of the scale.



Oh yeah and if he insits on treating and testing at night, give him the fastest acting stuff you can find to treat with... ie glucose tabs or lifesavers... something like that.



Hope this helps!



~Melissa

Jayne - posted on 02/18/2009

I feel for you on this. My son is now 18 and hasn't even tested his blood for well over a year. He relies on tasting sweetness in his mouth and needing the loo for knowing he's high and so does insulin - then relies on the shakes,etc to know he getting low and so eats. It is a problem when they are in their teens, but what are the 6monthly readings like, when the doctor takes them? If they are not too bad then backing off the worry a little may help him find his own way for a while and then when the pressure is off a little he may come around. I don't have the answers but I do know from personal experience that the more you stress over it, the more it keeps it in their mind and turns it into an even bigger monster than it already is. Teenagers do not like to be told what to do - they prefer to do it their own way - just pray that you have taught hime well enough. x

America - posted on 02/10/2009

My son is also 13yrs old. He had fluctuations in numbers because he had a growth spurt and at that age, they're changing all the time. Also, as a young teen his appetite has definitely increased and we have to remind him to watch the quantity of what he eats. My son gets nausea if his numbers get to Hi. I fill him up with egg (scrambled, tortilla), granola bar, nuts, beef jerky, chocolate pudding, chocolate fudge pops (dairy protein) to curb his appetite. I'm not sure what my son's doctor would recommend but if it got to your son's extreme, I would get rid of the pump. He's only hurting himself. He could suddenly lose his eyesight, end up in the hospital. Emotions of a diabetic become erratic when the sugar is not under control, let alone a teenager. If he isn't being responsible then he shouldn't be allowed to monitor himself. 15 minutes is not enough time for the insulin to have taken effect. Is there a social worker on the diabetes team that can really find out what he's thinking and set up weekly visits? I hope this helps a little. Good luck.