Summer holidays

[RyansMum]

My 14 yr old son has come a long way since diagnoses last December, the first three months were awful as he struggled to get to grips with his new diabetic way of life (Us too) and his still insatiable hunger. The last five months have been much easier for all of us, he is eating healthier meals and trying things he wouldn't previously eat such as fish and all vegetables now, this is a massive step forward for him as he was so fussy before. His average blood glucose level has been spot on and everybody has been really happy with his progress.
Then the summer holidays hit, he stays up longer than he should, resulting in sleeping all morning. Still pretty good during the day when it comes to meals (excluding breakfast as he's not generally up) but it gets to 9 in the evening and he starts snacking, I had a sneaky look at his meter the other morning and it shows a few high numbers creeping back in. I don't want to make a massive deal if it's not needed as most of our problems in the beginning were because I was constantly nagging him (out of worry obviously, even the nurse told me to tone it down, wondering if I've toned it down too far) but I can't allow him to slip into bad habits just because it's the school holidays. He has an appointment coming up soon and they always pass comment and make me feel as if I'm doing something wrong, he's nearly 15, I can tell him to go to sleep at a reasonable time but it doesn't mean he'll listen to me. His weekend readings are never as good as his weekday ones as he sleeps in (don't all teenagers though?) Are there any other parents of t1 teenagers having the same problems as me? Any advice would be gratefully received, feeling confused and a little worried again. If I'm worrying about nothing id really like someone to tell me so

 

[malhotrn]

Hello Ryansmum,
I am a teenager's mum, and like you I find any changes in routine to be a nightmare when controlling my son's BGs...this includes summer holidays, and even weekends. My son was diagnosed last year. During holidays my son wakes up late (around 12ish ) and goes to bed late too. His breakfast, lunch and dinner timings also go haywire! However, being on a pump gives us the flexibility to cope with such routine changes. Is your son on a pump too?
My experiences so far have taught me the following :1) basal/bolus ratios are important to keep in mind...with most teenagers (I have read) a 50% or 60% basal works best, esp. if they tend to snack a lot...however you must see what works out best for your son. My son was on a 40% basal (40% of TDD). But increasing his basal slightly (now 50%) has worked well for him. 2) Any changes in routine is likely to upset the basal routine set on the pump. e.g. my son needs more basal on a weekend and during holidays. However, when basal increases then it also has a spill over effect on bolus, i.e. his ratios need tweaking too. e.g. On sundays he needs 30% more basal, so his bfast and dinner ratios are 1:8 as compared to weekdays when they are 1:10. Even holidays can be divided into active(when he goes for some activities/camping, etc.) and inactive holidays (primarily staying at home). So we have 7 different basal profiles. 3) Growth, puberty, hormones can all play havoc with BG control....So, I have found that I need to tweak my son's basal doses sometimes as frequently as every 10 days...if we get past 3 weeks without requiring any changes, I find that very lucky!!! So, in a nutshell, during teenage basal requirements are quite erratic.
Amidst these problems I have found the following to be extremely useful as these foods are quite gentle on BGs (however, you must test and see how they affect your son):
Brown Basmati Rice, Pearl/pot barley, quinoa, eggs, chicken, turkey, prawns, rye bread, Burgen linseed bread, spelt pasta/spaghetti, Lots of veg., sweet potato jackets, and cheese and nuts.
Hope this helps! Best Wishes.