Why has it suddenly got so hard?

Jan40 said:

My daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 4 years ago. She has coped so well and we could not be prouder. However at 12 and a half it all seems too much for her. Putting her libre sensor on has even become a fight as she is embarrassed of people at school seeing it. Access to pumps seems impossible as sue has been so well managed so far. If any parents have any advice for supporting a pre teen diabetic I would really appreciate it.

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Hi Jan, have you looked at the various covers you can get for the sensors these days? I don't necessarily mean the covers that are flowery or patterned but still look like a sensor, there are several types available now that you wouldn't even know was covering anything. I wear one that is a sort of large oval shape, very adhesive and flat in surface and you can get them in different colours. I have a black one but you can get colours very similar to different skin tones, the white flesh one for example looks a bit like a sticking plaster. Yes, you can still see it but you would not know it was covering a sensor at all.

Hi Jan,
I was diagnosed aged 11. a long time ago. School days were tricky back then. Sense of denial was an obvious rebellious teenage tactic. I employed it to a point, but it very quickly became self defeating. I wised up after a year or so and learned to recognise my own body. I'm 54 now and don't need a meter to tell me when I'm high or low. It's not pleasant to be at either end of the spectrum so I deal with it for my own well being. That said, I test more regularly now as the tech has moved on and made it easier. I've never got close to a pump and I still don't even qualify for a Libre meter.
Hba1c was 53 at last check up.
I was embarrassed about my diabetes for quite a while, but not anymore.
Play with the hand you are dealt, eat well and live your best life.
Your daughter will be fine.....

Might it help to tell her about about Lila Moss (daughter of model Kate Moss) and her openess about her own type 1 diabetes?

Here's an article from Cosmopolitan with a picture of Lila wearing her insulin pump on the catwalk at Milan Fashion Week:

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/body/health/a37784700/kate-moss-daughter-lila-insulin-pump/

If I was embarrased by a sensor at that age, tellimg me about people like that wouldn't help. It would just make me feel that I was expected to be like somebody else, a person who wasn't me and clearly didn't feel how I felt. We are all different. I was diagnosed aged 10.

Hi @Jan40 Sadly the more you push her the more she will rebel, it's a difficult age as they become more self conscious and aware of their peers, body image etc etc.

If I was in your shoes i'd contact her diabetes team and ask about both support and access to using a pump, my understanding is that as a child it's far easier to access pump funding than an adult.

I taught a T1 child when she was 10 and got to know her mum well. She was full of confidence in testing and pump wearing with us at primary but felt really self conscious at secondary. When I last spoke to her mum, she was coping better (now yr 8) and was happier to be who she was - pump included.

Hopefully your daughter will do the same. But it I've had several t1s over my career and they all seemed to follow the same pattern. Hope your team can help!