He's lost lost 7 stone in 2 months

[melaniejane]

hI my 18 yr old son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 8 weeks ago. He's not taking his insulin injections and has lost 7 stone in this time. He was 21 stone. Im very woried about him as he wont attend appointments and says he doesnt want to be diabetic. He has Aspergers Syndrome and ADHD. I dont know what to do for him, he gets very distressed when I suggest taking his insulin and becomes verbally agressive. He doesnt have any symptoms such as hypo's or anything so he thinks he's fine. Thanks for any advice.

 

[sugarless sue]

Hi Melaniejane,I'm sorry to hear that you are both going through this.Does you son have a counsellor at all to help with his ADHD? You really need specialist input here to help with this problem and to help him come to terms and understanding of his diabetes. If he continues like this he will become ill very quickly.He really needs someone with special understanding of Aspergers to be able to explain and help him understand that diabetes is not a condition that he can choose not to have.Please keep coming here and we will try to help by answering questions and giving support.

 

[fergus]

Hi Melaniejane,

Your situation sounds really challenging and i think you should ask your doctor for some support as a matter of urgency. Your son sounds frightened of the risk of hypoglycemia, but this is easily avoidable once the diabetes is under control. If he keeps a packet of sweets with him, he will quickly learn to spot the signs of low blood sugar and treat them quickly and easily.
What is a much more immediate risk is diabetic ketoacidosis. His blood sugar wil be dangerously high without his insulin and this will attack every organ in his body, causing permanent damage if not caught quickly. DKA is the commonest cause of death in diabetics under the age of 20.
Is he frightened of the injections? This is fairly common at first, but he will quickly learn how to do this painlesly. As Sue said, he really has no other choice.

All the best,

fergus

 

[Katharine]

Most diabetic units have a psychologist attached. I think you need their help here. Don't wait till his next appt is due. Contact the team as soon as possible. As has already been mentioned he could get full blown DKA at any time given his reluctance to inject/face the diagnosis.