Need help with my daughter

[Happyhomelands]

hi guys I’m new here my daughter has type 1 diabetes and is 14 she’s just come to live with me as her mother got sectioned for the third time. I’m very worried about her as she is extremely lazy refuses to even get dressed as she’s always tired she says

Here’s what I’ve found her diet to be like so far which worry’s me
4 litres of Diet Coke sometimes more a day!
She constantly eats chocolates big bags of them. Minstrels and choclate stars and Easter eggs.
Always eating choclate yoghurts
Crisps
She won’t eat meat
The only thing she will eat is
Pizza plain cheese
Mash potatoes with plenty of butter carrots and peas
Chips
Beans and toast
Pasta with tuna

She does have a little bit of weight on her bit I’m at wits end as she’s always bored but won’t even attempt to get dressed and when we say let’s go do something she always says she’s tired

I think it’s her diet but she’s stuck in that diet from her mother I’m hoping you guys can give me advice or help in any way thanks guys

 

[Happyhomelands]

Hi Davey, I cant comment on the diabetes because I'm type 2 and fairly new at that. My heart went out to you when you mentioned that her Mum has been sectioned and not for the first time. Stress affects us all in different ways, it certainly affects my blood glucose levels, it wont be helping hers.
You all will be coping with so much right now, practical aspects of continuing with normal life alongside supporting Mum. Teenagers hate inconsistency and change. Teenagers with parents experiencing physical illness become afraid and exhibit difficult emotions, which show as difficult behaviour. She will be frightened for her Mum but also for her own health. Your daughter will need as much routine as you can manage, and enough slack to open up to you or whoever she feels most comfortable talking to. This may not be you at present, she may need someone more detached as she will know that you are under strain too. I would encourage you to seek support from Chums, Childline or other local services for teenagers. Hopefully managing her stress (and yours) will have a positive impact on her glucose management. Good luck.

 

[Happyhomelands]

You may have hit the nail on the head right there unfortunately she has no one to talk to and now she’s moved down south with me she has no friends here she’s starting a new school next week so all very stressful for her

You also got the nail on the head she was caring for her mother as her mother wasn’t taking her meds’ and on top of that her mother was using illegal drugs so it wasn’t a great combination

I want her to feel and know she’s safe with me so trying everything I can to make her feel loved and safe but I never know if I’m doing it all right

 

[Happyhomelands]

Sounds like you two are making a brilliant start. If shes already talking and agreeing to have a go at new things well done to both of you. As she is starting a new school you need to give them the heads up. Most schools will have a pastoral support system. They may offer an EHA, Early Help Assessment, this is nothing to be concerned about. It is offered to avoid problems further down the line, and involves professionals working together to support the child. In many cases this can fast track you to counselling and sometimes even practical support. It will support the GP to request services fir her. Another poster recommended that she use the forum for support, I think its a great idea, with the proviso that she protects her identity by using an avatar / false name. Good luck.

 

[DCUKMod]

@Davey119 - In some areas of the country, education days/courses are run for parents of young Type 1s. In the area where I live there is also a support group for the "children" and their parents, and it's lively!

Whilst my own local support group doesn't have any young T1 members, we do have one set of grandparents of a newly diagnoses infant and various other folks who don't have diabetes themselves, but are married to, look after or just friends with someone dealing with diabetes.

There are resources out there for the pastoral care, as well as the medical stuff, because diabetes is a mental, as well as physical game. Talking with others in the same boat can be extremely helpful.

Sounds like you're doing everything you can to help, but I'm sure it'll take all of you a bit of time to adjust to your new circumstances. Good luck with it all.

 

[Davey119]

Sounds like you two are making a brilliant start. If shes already talking and agreeing to have a go at new things well done to both of you. As she is starting a new school you need to give them the heads up. Most schools will have a pastoral support system. They may offer an EHA, Early Help Assessment, this is nothing to be concerned about. It is offered to avoid problems further down the line, and involves professionals working together to support the child. In many cases this can fast track you to counselling and sometimes even practical support. It will support the GP to request services fir her. Another poster recommended that she use the forum for support, I think its a great idea, with the proviso that she protects her identity by using an avatar / false name. Good luck.

I think we are getting there slowly but surely that’s a great idea about the pastoral support il ask when I go i

Sounds like you two are making a brilliant start. If shes already talking and agreeing to have a go at new things well done to both of you. As she is starting a new school you need to give them the heads up. Most schools will have a pastoral support system. They may offer an EHA, Early Help Assessment, this is nothing to be concerned about. It is offered to avoid problems further down the line, and involves professionals working together to support the child. In many cases this can fast track you to counselling and sometimes even practical support. It will support the GP to request services fir her. Another poster recommended that she use the forum for support, I think its a great idea, with the proviso that she protects her identity by using an avatar / false name. Good luck.

Trying to catch up on the messages I missed as I’ve been offline spending some time with her I have tryed to tell her to come on this forum but she’s very shy and reserved so hopefully in time she will but I suppose right now she’s being a typical teenager and not listening lol the school support I hope will help and glad you mentioned and reminded me I’ve wrote it down so I remember to ask I’m still learning and finding this forum extremely helpful

I know another guy and he just uses one pen my daughter has three different colour pens is there a reason for that?

 

[DCUKMod]

I think we are getting there slowly but surely that’s a great idea about the pastoral support il ask when I go i


Trying to catch up on the messages I missed as I’ve been offline spending some time with her I have tryed to tell her to come on this forum but she’s very shy and reserved so hopefully in time she will but I suppose right now she’s being a typical teenager and not listening lol the school support I hope will help and glad you mentioned and reminded me I’ve wrote it down so I remember to ask I’m still learning and finding this forum extremely helpful

I know another guy and he just uses one pen my daughter has three different colour pens is there a reason for that?

Davey - I don't use insulin so won't comment on that.

Your daughter wouldn't necessarily be identifiable if she joins up. She just chooses a user name, as you did, and her email address she would use to join up is not revealed.

I don't know if you are using a laptop or a phone/tablet to access the forum, but there is an App lots of folks use, and that would allow her to read as much as she likes. Lots of people read for ages, until they either have a burning question they'd like to ask, or they see a thread they'd like to participate in.

 

[Jaylee]

I know another guy and he just uses one pen my daughter has three different colour pens is there a reason for that?

Hi @Davey119 ,

Welcome to the forum.

It would help if you could find out what the contents of the insulin cartridges in the pens are?

Normaly Type one diabetics these days have two kinds of insulin. One is a long a acting background basal. One is a short acting bolus, taken with food to counteract the carbohydrate eaten..

The third could be a glycogen pen? This is not insulin. But only used in the event of loss of consousness due to hypoglycaemia.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-medication/glucagon-injection-kit.html

Then again, your daughter may just have a collection of realy snazzy pens.. (I tend to opt for a metallic design.)
They can come in different tasteful colours, knowing the actual corresponding contents help.

 

[EllieM]

I know another guy and he just uses one pen my daughter has three different colour pens is there a reason for that?

There are different pens for different insulins and also some manufacturers produce different colour pens just as a fashion statement. (I have 4 injections a day, one of long acting insulin to carry me through when I'm not eating and 3 of short acting insulin to counteract my 3 meals.One of my short acting pens is pink and the spare is green, even though they're both the same insulin!) If she's got 3 different pens then it's likely she's on 3 different insulins but it could be that one pen is a spare! It's very common to be on 2 different insulins (one long acting and one short acting) but there are many different insulins and regimes.

At her age she's still growing so her insulin requirements will be changing - she needs regular access to a diabetic clinic (or a gp who is competent on juvenile diabetes, but a clinic is probably better).
The tiredness could be depression but if she is running her blood sugars too high it could be the diabetes. Do you have any information from her previous doctor/clinic? She and/or you should know what types of insulin she is taking (if she doesn't know then the cartridge in the insulin pen should have the insulin name).

Also, if you're looking after her then you should be aware of what happens if her blood sugar goes too low (under 4). At this point her brain is not getting enough sugar to function properly and she could become confused and (ultimately) unconscious. She would need to be given something sweet to eat or drink so make sure you have something available. Most diabetics recognise the symptoms and self medicate (have some sugar, glucose tablets etc) but you could talk to her about this and get her to explain "hypos" to you.