• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

15 year old not taking insulin

M

MATTYC

Member
Messages
9
my son who has been diabetic for 5months has an insulin pump but refuses to take insulin he goes through these fazes but apart from being angry and irritable and high bms when he can be bothered to take them he carries on with his life okay any suggestions
 
y
 
There's no nice way of putting this, he's not going to last very long at all if he doesn't take insulin. The pump is the most sophisticated delivery mechanism currently available, many people wait years to get one.

Denial is a tricky issue though and comes in various flavours. He absolutely needs to accept that diabetes is with him for the rest of his life, and by making the "grown up" choices now he stands the best chance of making sure his life is a long one. Diabetes never stopped me from doing anything, unfortunately because I was slightly cavalier in my approach to it in the early years I now have to deal with the consequences, and am somewhat restricted in what I can and can't do (e.g. had to give up driving). However I'm not a parent so I'm not sure what the best approach is, but I sometimes wish I could talk to the stroppy teenager I once was!
 
THANKS FOR THE REPLIES HIS LAST BMS HAVE BEEN 24 19 AND 17 BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN HE WILL START TAKING INSULIN AGAIN FOR A WHILE THEN DECIDES HE CANT BE BOTHERED AGAIN HE IS INTELLIGENT AND KNOWS THE SCORE BUT SAYS ITS HIS LIFE AND WE [HIS PARENTS SHOULD BUTT OUT]
 
Sounds like a typical teenager indeed...

It's is difficult to stand on one side and watch, but there is little that one can really do apart from wait until he comes to his senses..

It might be a good idea to give his DSN a phone, let them know what is happening with him and what he's doing etc... Hopefully they can explore this at his next appointment, you might even be able to swing a eariler appointment for him..

It sounds as though in many ways he hasn't as yet really come to terms with his condition and what it all entails on a daily bases, he seems to understand his need of insulin, as you say he does take it at select points, and I suspect that he doing this because he actually knows it makes him feel better when he feeling pretty rotten with his high blood sugars...

It may be that he needs a bit of help to really come to terms with his condition, and being an all male teenager (who happens to know best etc like they all do) he's actually finding this difficult..

As I said, ring his DSN have an heart to heart, not only about what your son is upto, but also how frustrated and rotten you feel in yourself about not being allowed to help him (his choice not yours or theres) they might be able to come up with some suggestion...
 
Matty,

I can't say much better than what's already been said, but I wonder if it would help your lad if he joined a local diabetes club for people of his age group. Perhaps if you get in contact with his dsn, they may know of other teenagers that he may get in contact with for support and reassurance. I do think that you need to stress the importance of taking his insulin to him, those number you give are extremely high and dangerous, I think he needs to understand the consequences of running his diabetes at this level.

Hope all goes well!

Nigel
 
thanks for all your comments have already spoke to DNS and consultant both say same as you just be there for him and be ready to pick up the pieces they also seem to think he is still in honeymoon pe riod still producing some insulin as they feel he should have been really poorly by now i think this is why he seems to think hes not really diabetic because even though his bms are high he says he feels better when high than when say 5 or 6 even though i am a staff nurse myself this is beyond me
 
y
 
tried talkin the thing is he is intelligent knows all about diabetes and his pump just says and i quote i cant be ***** with it
 
I have to say I can completely understand where he is coming from. I am 26 and have been diabetic for 16 years, I am now on a pump and worked really hard to get HbA1c down from 14.8 last January to 6.9. However I still rebel! Went to see DSN last week for a review and I told her I was having an I'm not a diabetic week. I just get peed off with it and refuse to test, count carbs etc. Being on the pump I still took my insulin but had that been pre-pump the injections would have gone out the window. What I'm trying to say is that it gets tiring living with diabetes and sometimes you want some time off even though you know it won't do you any good. He will come round and deal with it when he is ready, you just have to be there to help him when he is. :wink:
 
y
 
Feel for you and your son. Being a teenager is hard enough! I am 5 days in to my new pump and it has taken over my life, I can't imagine having it and not testing or couting carbs as how would you know how to use it? But then like you say, he just doesn't use it properly.............what about scare tactics? There are some pretty desperate stories on this forum from people who have seen up close and personal what bad control of your BG's can do to a person........I wonder how he would feel if he read some of them? or perhaps that would do more harm than good.........as others have said, chatting to others in a similar situation may help, Diabetes can be very lonely, particularly type 1 as there isn't much awareness out there......good luck!
 
thanx for all your replies has taken insulin today after DNS said he had to be hospitalised as ketones + in urine still defiant and says he will take it when he wants but its a start
 
to meela my son started his pump week before xmas and counted everyhting spot on until about the 9feb then whaever happened and i suspect he discovered girls, he just stopped the worse thing is he is taking his anger out on me.
 
MATTYC said:
to meela my son started his pump week before xmas and counted everyhting spot on until about the 9feb then whaever happened and i suspect he discovered girls, he just stopped the worse thing is he is taking his anger out on me.
Click to expand...
I really hope you can help him through this phase, and I;m sure that's all it is. Just wanted to say that he is not alone in rebelling against the condition and I don't think that gets easier with age!
 
meela when you have your im not a diabetic week would you know how far to go and do you have ketones in urine
 
MATTYC said:
meela when you have your im not a diabetic week would you know how far to go and do you have ketones in urine
Click to expand...
Well when I was 15 - yes! Now with the pump I am far better behaved :lol: I do still take my insulin at meals and have a rough guess at the carbs. Prepump I didn't bother and ran in the 20s most of the time. I have almost completely reversed from my previous attitude of I don't care to uber obsessed control freak and in all honesty my 'week' has now become a couple of days before I feel overcome with guilt!
It will get easier, honestly. We all have to accept our conditions, and for some that takes longer than others. For me it was 10 years after diagnosis before I really took control but I think a lot of that was due to a lack of education. Doing DAFNE really turned my attitude around.
 
Hi mattyc,
You must be so relieved.
Teenagers will not be told anything. Just love them for who they are, explain the pitfalls of their behaviour and stand well back. :lol: :lol: Makes them sound like fireworks doesn't it.

Catherine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…