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

Daughter not testing .... think she's in denial.... help please - worried sick parent :(

i used to be like this when the same age. i didn't even bother injecting when i ate. had no thought as to how many carbs were in anything. just did what all my mates did and ignored the diabetes. now i have some background retinopathy and hard to control blood sugars.
i can't really remeber what kicked me into taking it seriously (it might be an age thing) but when i did i was also given an Accu Chek Expert meter, which allows you to input carbs and helps work out your dose of insulin.
this has made it a LOT easier to comprehend.
i still find it hard to control but it doesn't get ignored anymore.
i hope your daughter will be able to tackle it head on soon
 


Well done for no longer ignoring your Diabetes, It's so very important that we Don't.
 
I'd just like to repeat what others have been saying; having a high or low blood sugar is not the end of the world (if that is in fact what your daughter thinks when she reads her blood sugar level result). A blood sugar that is hyperglycaemic or hypoglycaemic for a short period is not a serious problem and isn't uncommon amongst people with type 1 Diabetes so there really is no reason for your daughter to beat herself up about it.

Testing your blood sugar frequently is very important since you have a better chance of noticing your blood sugar when it has begun to rise or drop so that you can take remedial action right away. Testing infrequently isn't effective since your blood sugar will likely be at it's highest or lowest sticking point.

It is important to note that letting your blood sugar stay at levels that are unhealthy has far more scary consequences than testing and playing the 'balancing act' that T1's have to play day in day out.
 
Hi

I was diagnosed at 14 and can understand what you're going through - my parents went through the same thing. I too didn't test regularly in my late teens/early to mid 20's - in fact for years I didn't even have a glucose monitor!!

Others have mentioned DAFNE and for me it may well, literally, have been a lifesaver. Whilst the educational element of the course was excellent what I found invaluable was meeting and comparing notes/experiences with other Type 1 diabetics. I don't know about your daughter but prior to the course I didn't know a single diabetic other than myself. What I found was that my experiences were not unique - be it falsifying blood glucose readings in my diary prior to hospital visits, worrying about testing/injecting in public or simply emotions that I felt at varying stages during my teens.

Get her on a DAFNE course - hopefully she'll even make a few Type 1 mates which is always a nice bonus.

Good luck!!!
 

Agree totally with going to meet other T1's on a dafne course.

Its very lonely being a T1 in all honesty. In 30 years (besides hospital visits I've only known 4). 2 living fantastically for 50+ years after diagnosis and 2 that have not kept to and are still not keeping to better control.

It is not nice feeling different amongst friends and family. Nobody really wants to be different and T1 is noticeably different.

I wonder if having a meal together and placing pen and blood kit near by would prompt her to do. If this was an everyday occurence ..WITHOUT asking her what her levels are but waiting whilst she tested etc would help. It does good to eat together and all the family to avoid making daughter feel different. Don't mention anything about diabetes etc, even if she doesn't test or inject. If she doesn't just at end of meal give her the kit without sayinganything as you clear away the food. Do this for a month and she would hesitatinglynstart to comply. Even better if you could serve lower carb meals so if she didn't test n inject her bloods wouldn't change horrendously.

I would add in to this that all families could benefit from sitting down and wating together.. Also all families will benefit from the realisation of just what a T1 feels like by having to test and inject.. Obviously not telling you to do such a thing, but making a meal time for a family to sit at a table together is important. Choosing foods that don't bump up the bloods and doing it as a family is good.

Dafne and internet wasn't around for me, and dafne would have helped me feel less isolated.. Definitely.
 
I too used to just take my insulin and never tested. It is a worry for a parent.
Perhaps you want to check this new meter out where you dont have to finger prick anymore. Maybe a new gadget will give her a little kick in the right direction?
https://www.freestylelibre.co.uk/
I went on a pump. At the time it was a new gadget and it sort of gave me inspiration to take control.
 

I fully agree with this post. meeting other diabetics is a good idea. Your clinic can arrange a DAFNE course with more younger people on it. I did DAFNE and it was the best thing ever.
 
Hi I am Nate
I am 39 and have been a type 1 diabetic since I was 3 years old.
The long and short of it is that my amazing mum looked after my diabetes until I was around 12 that is when you start getting your own mind and thinking you're invincible and experimenting with alcohol/drugs and eating what you want. My mum did as the consultant told her, she had to let go! By the age of 21 I had my first eye check up in around five years. It found that I had diabetic retinopathy. I had lots of laser treatment on both eyes.
This was a kick up the backside for me. I managed to get better control.
I consider myself extremely luck as I have smoked for a large part of my life however I do check myself regularly so I can make necessary adjustments if I need to.
My diabetes is not perfect and truth be known I don't think any type 1 diabetic could have perfect control!
Let your daughter know the dangers of poor control that's all you can do!
If I could change anything in my life it would be my control as a teenager then my vision maybe better than it is now! I am lucky as at present I can still drive and have my eyes checked every 6 months.

Hope this helps
God bless

Nate
 
I too got my kick when I had my eyes done. I was told I had maculopathy which leads to blindness. I panicked and thereby turned my life around. My vision is not too good and I have serious neuropathy pain in my feet. Luckily these conditions have not got worse and are now stable. I am hoping that with good control these conditions may reverse over time.
 
Hiya
Like many your daughter seems in a similar situation to me and my parents also "don't know what to do " as they've tried nagging ect.

I think it's kind of because it's easier to ignore it slightly but do something (still inject). It's not because we don't care about complications it's just very hard to live your life now so that you can prevent something later, especially when you've never experienced any complications and your fine now.

Maybe considering a pump or something would be something new to focus on or maybe the new Libre meter(obviously not that simple but maybe something to consider) .It could be a kinda new start sort of thing.
Hope things start to improve

Hebe


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
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.…