12 year old struggling to accept

[sharon3570]

Hi,im sorry if youve already read this but i posted it in another section and then i spotted parent section.
My son was diagnosed just over 2 years ago just before his 10th birthday,hes now 12.
At the start he took it all in his stride and apart from the odd blip everything was fine....until about a year ago.
He became very angry and fustrated understandably and since then hes just totally rebelling against it.
His levels are all over the place,he will never test nor inject anymore without me "reminding",he will sneak down during the night to help himself to whatever he likes and if i say anything i get my head bitten off.
I have never nagged him and always done what i thought was best as i didnt want it to become a big issue.
It has now come to light that he has been missing injections occasionally,the doctor suggested i watch him do it for a while,well he about went mad saying i dont trust him etc,i feel like im dammed if i do,dammed if i dont.
He has just came out of hospital again yesterday,with a virus,his doctor said that as he has been running high he has now developed a problem with his cells being unable to fight off infection so now has to go back for yet more blood tests.
His Doctor tried his hardest to get through to him in the best way he could but my son just sat there shrugging his shoulders and began crying and i was basically told that until he learns to accept what hes got things will carry on the same.
Hes seen the diabetes psychologist a year ago which didnt really help him and he has now been referred again.
I think its making it harder as hes now getting older and plays out with his friends so i am no longer with him 24/7 watching his every move.
I feel helpless at the minute and its very upsetting to see him unwell but i really dont know what else to do
Has anyone else been through this,any advice would really be appreciated.
Thank you
Sharon

 

[Celsus]

As young diabetic the worst was the permanent control, surveillance and never ending questioning from parents/adults/clinical staff. Its like you never had 1 single minute alone in privacy. Very challenging, as you feel you are not allowed the freedom you need to become yourself and develop/gain the experience on your own. Which is actually vital as you need this to become an autonomic individual and its you with the disease for the rest of your life. Not the others. Just check out the teenagers' forum area, and start listen to them instead of just being the one always deciding and always knowing better. Your son for sure would find a great group of likeminded there to socialize with, and will easier be influenced by peers than old restrictive mothers and doctors in white coats.

 

[catherinecherub]

I don't know if you seen this
A SPECIAL NOTE TO PARENTS:

Being a parent to a teen with diabetes can be a tough, frustrating job. You must walk a difficult path between taking good care of your teen while also encouraging independence. You need to care, but not care too much.

We hope this card will give you and your teen some new ideas about how to survive diabetes together. No need to follow all of these etiquette points, and give yourself a pat on the back if you are doing any of them!

Let this be the start of a conversation, a new beginning for you and your teen.


http://behavioraldiabetesinstitute.org/print-preview/BDITeenEtiquette.pdf

Teenagers are a pain, with or without diabetes. Your son is on the cusp of being a teenager. They think they are grown up and hate parental intervention. Difficult time for you and your son and I don't envy you.