Laughing in the nurse's face

Messages
24
I have a T1 11year old girl. She had a visit from our nurse the other day, and she laughed when the nurse was talking to her about how serious it was that her diabetes was spiralling out of control. The problem is, I know its how she copes - she is nervous and she just wants to laugh to relieve the tension of the moment. The nurse got more and more wound up and eventually stormed out of the house saying my daughter would go to the bottom of the care pile if she wasn't careful. I have been begging for emotional support for her for months, because the little darling won't talk to anyone about her condition. There are 7 T1s including her, at her school and she won't speak to any of them. I work at the school and I've talked to a few of them and they know I've tried to make life easier for them - getting hypo posters put up, ensuring medical is available etc, because their parents were not aware it wasn't in place. The other T1s have tried to engage my daughter in conversation, but she's not having any of it. What do I do? How do you all cope? Any advice from any other T1 11 year olds? She was diagnosed nearly 2 years ago, days after her 10th birthday. She was severely DKA at diagnosis and had an NDE. I'm glad she's alive, but I swear, if she tells me one more time she wishes she'd died I'll scream!!!!!
 

flojo1234

Well-Known Member
Messages
62
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Re: Laughng in the nurse's face

hello, im chloe and i am 11 and ive been diabetic type1 for 18 months.
i think what that nurse did was absaloutly disgracefull, not the right thing at all. if you think your daughter would want a internet buddy witht the same thing, i would be happy to give her my email address. thanks, chloe
 

Katharine

Well-Known Member
Messages
819
That is very kind and helpful Chloe.

Sometimes mums and dads wish they could run screaming out of the house too! Grown ups aren't perfect.
 

suzi

Well-Known Member
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754
Dislikes
people who are rude and ignorant, and people who have no patience in queues.
Hi Chloe,
You have come a long way in the last 18 months. To offer help and advise to another young girl with diabetes is very mature. I hope she takes you up on your offer.
Hope all is well,
Suzi x
 
Messages
11
Hi

My daughter (14 year old Type 1 since 2000, last HBA1C 13+) doesn't talk to any of the kids with diabetes at her school. She doesn't test there, or eat snacks or lunches. I guess she is in some sort of denial.

A few years ago she went on a diabetic camp. I had to beg her to go and she said she hated it because of all the supervision - she wanted to escape from diabetes. I remember crying my eyes out the first Christmas after diagnosis because I realised we would never get a day off from diabetes.

We all deal with it in different ways - I guess she is ignoring it and pretending she is 'normal'.

I have a good friend who suffers huge amounts of pain and her way of dealing with it is to laugh instead of cry. I think she does this to protect her kids from seeing how much pain she is in.

It isn't easy being diabetic or a teenager - or being a parent

Good luck
 

hanadr

Expert
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8,157
Dislikes
soaps on telly and people talking about the characters as if they were real.
Hi Mumofteendotter
I've never been in your shoes, so Idon't know about it from your viewpoint, but I did spend my working life with teenagers, so perhaps my suggestion can help just a little bit.
If your daughter wants to be"normal"
perhaps she can be assured that she is. It's just that one little step in her metabolic processes doesn't work properly. She can get round it by using her medicine correctly and that should allow her to be involved in everything her friends are.
We spend too much time warning kids about things, perhaps just by emphasising all the things about her that are just like everyone might be a way to help her back onto the path.
It's like we often tell our kids about the things they do wrong and not enough time telling them what they are doing right.
Hana
I do hope she can get to grips with her difficulty. Teenagers do love to be just like everyone else.
 
Messages
24
Thanks all who did reply to my original post. The D team have referred my daughter for counselling because she threatened extreme behaviour. I've put her with my parents for a few weeks to give us both a break. We are both a lot happier as a result. I really cannot speak to the D team because I find the nurse un-approachable. I spoke in passing to a high up person in the PCT about this and after saying it would be confidential, she went to the nurse and told her.