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

My daughter wont take her insulin

Sorry, not fat tumours (lipoma) but lipohypertrophy, caused as you say by frequently injecting into the same site. After 35 years I have an area of this and it needs to be avoided for injection as it can - and does, for me - interfere with the absorption of insulin.

@SD5390 I have nothing to add to some of the very good advice above, and especially those who say there's no way you're a neglectful parent, but I do feel for you. I hope you find a way to help your daughter turn a corner xx
 
I have a now 21 year old daughter who has had diabetes since 4. Always had problems with injections - I did it for her (even going into school) till she was 18. Then she wanted to start going on holiday with friends and that was our turning point. For 2 years previously I had found a device - available on NHS - called Insujet. There are no needles and it works with pressure. It changed her life. No dealings eith putting needle in - and removing safely. No squeamishness over needles. No declarations at airports which embarrassed her.
It is so easy to do. She always would only do in her legs and was getting lumps. Now she will just lift up her top and do in stomach too. It is unbelievable the change it made. Really easy to dial up
You do feel the pressure but no needle pain. She has now taken control FINALLY of her insulin admin and her levels are so much better because of it. She had a fear of pulling out the needle as once one snapped off in her leg so understandable. Also the stigma of a teenager doing needles. This has taken all of that away.
Google them (Insujet) or ask your GP - everything on her repeat prescription.
 
Also she tends to eat low carb = less insulin- and maintains a very healthy weight - slim not thin. She is a real foodie so loves preparing her food. But then she is 8 years older. It will get better I promise - I never thought it would.
 
Also soon theee is a 24 hour monitor you stick on your arm so she can choose when to wear it. Gives 5 minute updates. So she could wear in week and not weekends or whatever but helps build a picture. My daughter would not consider the libre - something stuck in her arm for 2 weeks but she is waiting desperately for this to come to market. She runs a lot and would help with her blood sugar information. Again - google sugarbeat.com. Due to ve released in UK soon.
 
Just to add to the Banting story, this one of the woman who with her husband had to learn to make her own during the occupation of Singapore is a good legend and inspirational to me anyway!
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blog/201... was diagnosed with,by making her own insulin.
 

Hi I am so sorry to hear that your daughter isn't coping very well, pleased be assured that you are not neglecting her, is there a friend/teacher that you both can confide in about any concerns you both may have, I am a type 2 diabetic and ended up insulin for for about 10 years like your daughter I neglected myself by not taking the insulin and I ended up in hospital two years ago with an infected diabetic for ulcer, subsequently I had to have the toe taken off, I was diagnosed in Dec 2005 just before my thirtieth birthday, on a plus note I am now of the insulin and well controlled on oral meds now this was done under the guidance of the hospital
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think you should try finding other girls her age who have settled in taking insulin and let them socialise together. She needs some peer group support. That will be of more value to her than hearing from “dumb” adults who don’t know anything.
 
Btw is that a German short haired pointer in your profile pic?
 
Dear SD5390,

I really feel your pain. You’re such a caring parent and trying so hard. Don’t give up!

I went through similar difficulties with my son who was diagnosed at 10 and put on injections. It sounds like your daughter is injecting too. Our challenge was that my son would not allow me to inject him but did all his injections, which meant i had to wake him up every night and get him to take insulin. This ended up in an argument as he’d be tired and uncooperative. it wasn’t until a year later when we had enough and turned to our clinic with a request for a pump. When we eventually got a pump this was life changing and I believe ALL children should be offered a pump straight away. No more injections, no pulling up clothes in front of people, discreet and no wiring (Omnipod).
I suggest you speak to your clinic. Your child will be growing and insulin requirements will be higher. Whether she’s worried about pain from injecting or privacy this should help massively. You should also enquire about CGM such as Libre or Dexcom - no more finger pricks. I truly believe this is a life changer for children and yourself and makes their life as close to normal as possible. Wishing you all the best.
 
Hi,

I have had type one from the age of 10 (now 28) and I was like this. I stopped taking my insulin at 14 because I found out it was a growth hormone and was being bullied for being big at school. I also believed it would not affect me
I am now 28 expecting my first baby and have had no end of problems. I am having to have my baby a month early so I can have an operation on my left eye as my site has completely gone! I spent years of eating what I wanted and guessing my insulin, believe me it will catch up with her. If I could tell myself back then what I know now I would be living such a better life. I hope she starts listening to you and your family members. I am at the hospital on a weekly basis it interrupts my home and work life it’s just not worth it. Can she not have an insulin pump? I have a libre sensor in my arm which I change every 2 weeks and scan with my phone to test my blood sugars and also awaiting a pump. It’s made such a difference as it’s so much more convenient.
 
Can it be your daughter has Diabulimia? This is fortunately well recognised by the medical community now. There is help and advice on Diabetes UK, here https://eating-disorders.org.uk/information/diabulimia/ and here http://dwed.org.uk/
I had this many years ago throughout my teens and went on to develop other eating disorders. I survived (I'm now 66!) but I think one of the worst things was not knowing that other people had the same problem. Nowadays there is so much more recognition, advice and treatment, so I think that makes it easier for help to be sought and given. BUT at the time I would NEVER have told my mother about it, or taken her advice; considered her feelings or taken on board the possibility of long term effects!! My heart goes out to you as it is so hard to see your child going through something like this, and even harder not to intervene, and to worry that interventions might make it worse. I do suggest that you contact someone on these websites to get advice for you on the best way to help your daughter. It may help to be in touch with other parents going through this. You are a wonderful caring mother going through a painful time and are not to blame.

(edited by mod)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Like you I only woke up to really taking it seriously when I was planning to be pregnant . Until then being slim seemed so much more of a concern. I also then had a vitrectomy in both eyes but after she was born which was a scary time. Very successful op by the way but not what you want when you have a baby to look after...I have 3 healthy kids so it can be done.
Wishing you lots of joy and best wishes for your eye op.
I still doubt my silly younger self would have taken any notice of my wiser self though!!
 
How is it going by the way?
 

Hi
I've had Type 1 Diabetes for 38 years.
I was diagnosed when I was 17 months old so have gone through the teenager ups and downs whilst living with Type 1 Diabetes.
Firstly, as much as Diabetes is a scary thing for the person that has it and the family, you have to remember that at this age there are a lot of things going on that would be going on regardless of whether she has diabetes or not.

Secondly, because this is quite new to her she is just doing the normal rebellious things teenagers do but also because she probably feels different now to the rest of her family/friends she is probably finding it quite difficult to figure this out in her head on top of the other normal confusing things that happen to a teenager at this age.

I remember when I was 5 I did my own injection and I got a present from a lady at my dad's work because of how big a thing it was at that age as my dad was clearly very proud of what I had done, however I stopped doing them again until I was 13.
What made me start doing them again was there was a school trip where we were going abroad and none of the teachers or welfare staff were allowed to do my injections so it was literally a case of step up or miss out on the trip which I really didn't want to do.

At the time I was using a syringe needles as pens had not long come out however after discussing with the hospital they changed me over to the pens to make it easier to do, which it did.
The one thing I found which I know other insulin dependant diabetics have felt at some point is that having anyone watch you do your insulin can be a very daunting experience for anyone, especially a teenager. I used to go into another room or if I was out I would nip into the loo away from people because even though Diabetes is now very common, the attitudes of others unfortunately hasn't changed meaning friends from school might make a nasty comment simply because they don't understand, even being really horrible and saying she is a druggy which no one wants to hear.

As for doing her injections in front of you I really don't think you should be asking to watch her because having the condition is making her feel uncomfortable enough which being like a "freak show" so to speak that will make her dig her heels in even more in my opinion. Maybe ask her why she won't do her injections and ask her if there is anything you can do to assist her, and if that means doing it for her then so be it, eventually she'll get sick of mum or dad doing it for her so will end up doing it herself to stop the embarrassment it causes.

I was told to see a psychologist a couple of times simply because I cried about my condition in front of the doctor at one of my appointments because it is something I felt at the time they were not listening to what I wanted or how I felt, they were repeating all the complications the dangers the everything and what got my goat at 14 was when my consultant said i was overweight which in all honesty was just puppy fat and because of this I stopped having.

If you or her want to chat some more I'm more than happy to, please send me a PM. Good luck.

(edited by mod)
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Hi
I've had Type 1 Diabetes for 38 years.
I was diagnosed when I was 17 months old so have gone through the teenager ups and downs whilst living with Type 1 Diabetes.
Firstly, as much as Diabetes is a scary thing for the person that has it and the family, you have to remember that at this age there are a lot of things going on that would be going on regardless of whether she has diabetes or not.

Secondly, because this is quite new to her she is just doing the normal rebellious things teenagers do but also because she probably feels different now to the rest of her family/friends she is probably finding it quite difficult to figure this out in her head on top of the other normal confusing things that happen to a teenager at this age.

I remember when I was 5 I did my own injection and I got a present from a lady at my dad's work because of how big a thing it was at that age as my dad was clearly very proud of what I had done, however I stopped doing them again until I was 13.
What made me start doing them again was there was a school trip where we were going abroad and none of the teachers or welfare staff were allowed to do my injections so it was literally a case of step up or miss out on the trip which I really didn't want to do.

At the time I was using a syringe needles as pens had not long come out however after discussing with the hospital they changed me over to the pens to make it easier to do, which it did.
The one thing I found which I know other insulin dependant diabetics have felt at some point is that having anyone watch you do your insulin can be a very daunting experience for anyone, especially a teenager. I used to go into another room or if I was out I would nip into the loo away from people because even though Diabetes is now very common, the attitudes of others unfortunately hasn't changed meaning friends from school might make a nasty comment simply because they don't understand, even being really horrible and saying she is a druggy which no one wants to hear.

As for doing her injections in front of you I really don't think you should be asking to watch her because having the condition is making her feel uncomfortable enough which being like a "freak show" so to speak that will make her dig her heels in even more in my opinion. Maybe ask her why she won't do her injections and ask her if there is anything you can do to assist her, and if that means doing it for her then so be it, eventually she'll get sick of mum or dad doing it for her so will end up doing it herself to stop the embarrassment it causes.

I was told to see a psychologist a couple of times simply because I cried about my condition in front of the doctor at one of my appointments because it is something I felt at the time they were not listening to what I wanted or how I felt, they were repeating all the complications the dangers the everything and what got my goat at 14 was when my consultant said I was overweight which in all honesty was just puppy fat and because of this I stopped having appointments. I was 17 when I restarted attending my appointments simply because I wanted a driving licence but due to my DKA's at 16 the DVLA wouldn't allow me to have a licence.
I messed around a lot at that time not testing etc but to my cost delaying something which I could've got much more quickly but at the same time it didn't kill me.

I had my son 14 years ago which was very touch and go as to if he would survive because my diabetes wasn't brilliant throughout the pregnancy as I was put on the basal bolus regime to help but it did the exact opposite, which sounds like your daughter is on. There are alternatives you just have to not be afraid to shout loud enough.
Find out if this is part of the issue. Again listen to her don't tell her all the bad stuff before you've established what her reasons are otherwise it is just pointless. Have you enquired about the pump or the Freestlye Libre as both have totally changed my life even this late on.

Please try not to pressure her or tell her how you are feeling all the time. Listen to what she feels and what she wants and then compromise so you are both ok but remember this is about her, your worries and feelings can be addressed once she is on board.
I've been where your daughter is doing the things your daughter does so maybe she would like to get in touch or maybe you would. You are doing a great job and you are no way neglecting her. It's one of those things that unfortunately will require a lot of compromise on both your parts.

Feel free to send me a PM if you wish to chat further as I could probably give a few more pointers having done this but learnt from it and come out of it the other side. Good luck

(edited by mod)
 
Last edited by a moderator:

I do feel for you, and I'm hoping that you get the appropriate help. I am wondering if your daughter is aiming to do well at school/future studies? The attached extract is from page 211 from "Pumping Insulin". The last paragraph may be food for thought.
"Relatively normal Glucose levels are necessary to realise full growth, especially height. One motivator for a child or teen to manage their diabetes well is that they will be taller and perform better at school and sports with improved glucose control during their growth years. Avoid DKA in children because each episode lowers a child's IQ by a small amount."
 
Hello, the issue for many young people is that they already feel they stand out in a negative way and being diabetic needing to take injections is another embarrassment for them, if somebody who is of the same age and in the same situation can buddy up with them even via Skype etc they can share the load and not feel isolated. I wish my parents and loved ones when I was first diagnosed had been as supportive as you are.
 
Hi, as soon as I read your post, I understood what you and your family are going through. My son was diagnosed 3 years ago, within a month of his 13th birthday. After diagnosis he did his own injections for a couple of weeks and then just stopped. He said it was too sore and would not allow me to do his injection either. I called the hospital and a doctor wanted to speak to him to encourage him to do this while she was on the phone. He then locked himself in the bathroom so that he could not speak to her, while she was urging me to go into the bathroom to do his injection. Very stressful! She then suggested an aid which can be used for younger children which can relieve the pain a little. My sons dad was working near the hospital and collected this whilst the doctor was on the phone. He then agreed to do his injection. The aid is called a “buzzy bee “ and comes with a gel ice pack, which is optional to use. After the above mentioned incident, my son asked me and his dad to do his injections as he did not want to do the . We did this for about 3 weeks and then he started doing this himself with the Buzzy Bee and ice pack. He used these for every injection for months and then just the bee itself. He now does his injections without help.
It is still a struggle though and he still guesses carbs and insulin. He will listen to me when I tell him to do so much, but his testing is not good, as I say to him LOADS to check his blood, so that insulin is more accurate.He also stopped doing his Levemir and Lantus for weeks. Has now settled on Tresiba and using daily.
We also have input from social worker, and has also had DKA almost a year after first diagnosed.
i think your daughter will realise that she needs to do her insulin as it will make her feel better, it is so difficult for them (and you) . I don’t think there is a magic fix. I know a friend whose daughter had diabetes at same age and she also had similar issues.
Keep plodding on and I think you will eventually get there. All you can do is offer as much encouragement as you can, which you are doing. You are doing a good job and don’t let anyone tell you, or make you feel otherwise.
 
Hello, I'm sorry to hear about the challenges diabetes is causing your family, it can be really tough. I have T1D myself and went through a long period of denial as a teenager. I am now a Dramatherapist and chose to write my master's dissertation on the emotional toll of diabetes. I identified all sorts of areas that can impact an individuals response to their diabetes including guilt, shame and trauma. You may find looking into the 5 stages of grief useful. Receiving a diagnosis can be compared to grieving for your old life. Denial is one of the natural stages and it doesn't mean she will be in that frame of mind forever, it may just be something she needs to go through. This must be incredibly hard to watch when you are aware of the potential issues that may arise.
I did develop some complications as a result of my teenage years however I found engaging in creative therapies really helped me as they offer a non-direct approach to therapy. I would not have been able to talk about my challenges to a professional either because I simply wouldn't have known what to say - the issues lay far deeper than that.
I would be more than happy to discuss my situation with you further.
Warm wishes x


Edited by moderator
 
Last edited by a moderator:

I'm sorry to hear about all your troubles, the teenage years are probably the worst, but it should get better with time. remember your daughter too is under a lot of pressure which is only her perception of it. different people react differently to the same things - I was one of the lucky ones with very few issues attached to my diabetes or my perception of it. My parents did more worrying than I did initially as there was so little information available in 1965. Diabetes UK does weekends where children and their parents/carers pay for a weekend of fun and learning. Your daughter will be with children in her own age group who are all having difficulties with their diabetes in some form or other ie having/giving their own injections, carb counting, types of food and how much to eat, the results of eating the right and wrong foods, accepting their condition, medical technology and their uses etc
The children have a programme where they have set learning/discussion sessions with their own age group, then they have enjoyable periods where they go skating, swimming, tenpin bowling, play areas, walking, sailing, play games & crafts etc - what ever the area the hotel is in provides for. With the holidays I helped out with, the older groups went skating and the tots went for a walk along the sea front and did crafts. We all went to an adventure playground and also did 10 pin bowling. The Hotel had a swimming pool where parents and children could disappear to in the evening after meal times. The older children also made their own pizza and salad up in the hotel kitchen which they ate in the evening. They also made a sweet, but I dont remember what that was. They counted up the carb value and worked out the appropriate insulin to inject etc.
Everything diabetes wise is catered for. There are Paediatric Doctors, Dieticians, DSN's and numerous helpers with a diabetes background in some form. The parents have talks on all aspects of diabetes with all parent and helpers in a group where they can discuss problems and learn more about diabetes in general. Problems can be discussed privately with the individual healthcare workers if need be. The weekends have meals with everyone there at their own tables although some of the children likes to sit together too. We had a group of 3, 8-10yr old who were nicknames The ladies who Lunch because they always sat together to eat. It was fantastic seeing the difference in everyone over that weekend from being up tight to really relaxed and mixing well. Friends were made and children & parents (a dad and grandparent too) learnt to give injections and deal with situations within their own sphere and just knowing that there are other people in the same situation as yourself and seeing how other individuals deal with these situations can be a real eye opener. As they say - NO MAN IS AN ISLAND. I would recommend these weekend to one and all children & parent/carers. You may find that she will shun the idea, as a lot of the children do. But it is well worth it all round. New friends and a positive experience results.
In the mean time stick with it, try and relax a bit more (not easy I know). She will have to learn to take responsibility for both herself and her condition in the long run, and its a lot to learn not only for you, but for her too.
Unfortunately I doubt if these weekends are happening right now with corona, but once things return to normal, see if there is anything happening near you. All the best.
 
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.…