I’m a teenager with T1D

Hi I’m Alyssa!!! I’ve had diabetes ever since I was 13 I’m about to be 18 in may!!! I’m definitely here if you need anything! :))

Hey my name is Grace. I’m 13 years old. I was just recently diagnosed this past August also. So in about 5 months it will be a whole year. But I have been recently looking for other kids with T1D and thank you to JDRF I can do that. But I know exactly how you feel and I am so glad to know that there are other kids out there that have the same thing so thank you to anyone out there that are so kind and helpful and I am always here.

1 Like

Hi! I’m Sally. I’m 12 years old, so this is my mom’s account. I have had diabetes for 6 years now, and I’d love to talk with you about it. If you’d like to private message this account with a way to contact you then we can chat. :upside_down_face:

For any teens that are 16 and over how do you deal with blood sugars while driving… I just got my license and I am having a hard time keeping my blood sugars up.

1 Like

@nerdgirl1963 , I got my license at 17, some people go high when stressed, some go low. If you go low the best thing is to lower basal (on a pump) just like you would do for exercise. If you are on shots, snacking is probably just easier. Watch your CGM or test more, probably every time you drive and then every 30 minutes till you get it a little figured out. Good luck.

Hi @nerdgirl1963! I’m not a teen - I was diagnosed in 1963 but thought I would respond. I got my license when I was 16. No pumps then, only injections - and no BG meters either, much less CGMs, so we were told to have a snack before driving and always keep some fast acting carbs in the car.
Now, if you use a pump, you can manually adjust your basal rate, or turn on Activity mode if you use Control IQ, but timing can be an issue if you have to get up and go.
I’ve read that the rapid eye movements used when driving can lower your numbers. CIQ is great but not perfect and I really do not like driving if I’m under 100, so I like to be around 120 to allow a cushion if I start to drop - Your “driving number” may be different but I suggest you speak with your nutritionist to make sure the foods you eat have the staying power you need to keep them numbers stable and safe overall and for guidance on snacks to eat before you get behind the wheel to prevent that drop.
I think we get a bad rap when it comes to driving that is not always deserved. Thank you for being so responsible!

1 Like

Hi! Congrats on become a recent driver. It’s been a while since I was 16 (I’m 28 now) but hopefully the things I did then will help you now. I also still do them now!

So first things first- if you’re on a cgm, make sure you look at it before you get behind the wheel. If you’re trending on the lower side and have IOB a small snack can help. Sometimes even eating some beef jerky or like some nuts just to help me stay steady helped. If I’m below 100 and I see my arrow going slightly down or down I eat something and wait the 15-30 minutes until I’m up. I’m not driving until I know I’m safe again. If I’m let’s say 100-120 and the arrows flat, I feel safe driving there (actually to be honest unless I’m having a bad diabetes day I feel fine with driving at 80+ as long as my line is flat and I don’t have a ton of insulin on board). Also, I turn my cgm low alarm up higher too (usually keep my low alert at 75 but while driving and sleeping I bump it up to 85). If you’re not a cgm please test before you get behind the wheel! Anytime (unless of course it was like 5 minutes). There have been many times where I’ve been ready to drive and then say wait I should check and I’ve dropped beyond what I’m comfortable driving at and then I treat with whatever will help me. You will only learn the more you test/watch your cgm. I agree with the comment to treat it like exercise :slight_smile: just watch and test until you have some patterns down.

Longer drives have a tendency for me to drop low. Don’t know why but it has always been that way for me. My friends and boyfriend laugh because my car is literally a convenience store but I have all sorts of low snacks tucked in the glove department including peanut butter crackers, skittles, gatorade, jolly ranchers and gluc tabs. I also always keep about $20 in the glove compartment. Just in case I need to get a snack or water or whatever will help me keep my sugars good.

3rd test as often as you need to. If you feel even slightly like you’re dropping low, pull over and test. Better safe than sorry!

Really once you figure it out, driving’s a breeze but really moral of my long rambly driving post is be prepared with more than enough snacks and just keep an eye on things!

1 Like