My daughter was diagnosed at 4yrs old. That was 10 very long years ago...
I've always felt like I wasn't doing my job when her numbers were out of whack. In fact when I picked her up after her first year of camp when she was 10, I even thought CPS would be waiting there to accuse me of child abuse/ neglect. I assumed that the medical staff would be much better at controlling her numbers than me! To my surprise they weren't. She spent the better part of 2 days in the MASH unit with very high bg #s !
We've tried the pump...but...besides needing some maintenance, changing the site, resevoir changes, batteries, it was too much for her to deal with. Even with our help. It also tends to leave a trail... High BG #'s., times bg # checked, (missed) insulin bolus's...
Just recently we found out that she was just making up number's, not even checking...I'd ask what her number was...and she'd just pull one out of her head. It wasn't until I found her kit after she had forgotten to take it to school...that I found out. We already had an appt that week to see her Dr. A1C had gone from 9, which isn't great...to 12.4. Very scary...for us that is. Her not so much...
I'm so afraid that by the time she finally get's IT. It'll be too late and she'll have dangerous health issues due to these difficult teen years...She's seen various therapist's...She know's what they want to hear, and that's what she tells them...Wish I could find one that specialized in dealing with kids diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes.
At least in reading through some of the other posts here, I can see that I'm not alone...
My heart goes out to you Karen. I am also dealing with a (pre)teen 12 yr old that is doing the same thing. She is still on the pump though. She had her first seizure this past Saturday from a low. I know its hard and you don't want to seem like you are harping. I feel the same way. But I just keep on her gently about taking care of her self. She just wants to be "normal" and not have to worry about it. She does not want anyone knowing she has it. I'm here if you need to talk.
we all go through this my son is 12 and he does the same how can we help them? who can help us ? i thought i was alone i thought my son was the only one to make up numbers to lie im not alone i just wish we could figure out how to make them understand why they need to do this before its too late
well I try not to nagg and ride her to hard about it. she does do the right things sometimes...last night she was high after not checking her self for most of the day...(after a number reminders to check) She gave her self a correction and got a diet power aid and drank it down with out me even saying anything about it. As crazy as it sounds I guess its like trying to get them to do homework or turn the bed room light off. We have to ask everyday until one day the learn. Just protect them as best we can. I always check her at night when she is sleeping.
Wow. I had exactly the same thing. My daughter was making up numbers. I was so focussed on her numbers being good in her tracking book I never dreamed she would take the time to write down false numbers. She was missing insulin all over the place. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I was so frustrated. The nurse at clinic finally got her to show me her numbers on her tester. I downloaded a behaviour contract from Dr Phill’s website and adapted it to work for this situation. Part of the contract sets the expectations, such as showing me her meter everyday, 4 tests, all insulin, and not falsifying her numbers. The other part is the consequences and rewards. I picked the things that meant the most to her, such as her phone, sleep overs, Starbucks gift cards, etc. We have been running it for a month now and it has done it’s job. She is meeting expectations way better. Her averages went from in the 20’s to 9’s. Here’s hoping it continues to work.
While we are not quite in the teen years yet, it is so helpful to read these posts. My daughter was diagnosed at 4, and is now 11. She has always been very open about her diabetes, but very recently she has started to not want to wear her Dexcom, or her pump site, where anyone can see them. She doesn’t want to look “weird” It is such a vulnerable time in their lives–they are trying to concentrate at school, figure out where they fit in, deal with friends, get their homework done, and manage diabetes. It’s a lot, and I think that for my daughter, she is starting to not want to deal with the diabetes part of her life. It is beginning to be a frustrating time, but I have hope after reading these posts, that we are not the only ones dealing with these issues, and that they are fairly common. Thanks for the hope!