# Not checking blood sugar



## Krystal (Feb 26, 2019)

Hi there, I am really worried about my 17 year old son. He has stopped checking his blood sugar levels regularly, almost two weeks between checks when I looked at his meter. Averaging at about once a day every 5 days. He gets really defensive when I try to talk to him about it. He was only diagnosed last March and was managing his plan really well until around November last year. I would really appreciate any guidance in getting him back on track. Thanks.


----------



## Ralph-YK (Feb 26, 2019)

Hello Krystal.
What type diabetic is your son?  Is he on insulin?


----------



## Krystal (Feb 26, 2019)

He is type 1 on insulin. He was diagnosed last year and hospitalised with DKA. His numbers look ok, ranging from 5 to highest of 10. Thanks for responding.


----------



## Sally71 (Feb 26, 2019)

Oh that must be terribly worrying for you!  Unfortunately he's on the cusp of becoming an adult and is trying to find his own way in the world, he probably sees diabetes as getting in the way of that and is doing some serious rebelling against it, and is probably blocking out the fact that it could make him seriously ill if he doesn't take care of himself - teenagers think they are invincible!  And the more you try and talk to him, the more he will probably shut down and not listen, because he'll see it as nagging.

One thing which might get through to him, is he planning on learning to drive?  Because the rules regarding blood testing before and while driving for people on insulin are very strict indeed, and he won't be able to get a licence unless he can show that he tests regularly and knows what to do with the results.


----------



## SB2015 (Feb 26, 2019)

Krystal said:


> He is type 1 on insulin. He was diagnosed last year and hospitalised with DKA. His numbers look ok, ranging from 5 to highest of 10. Thanks for responding.


Welcome Krystal
At least your son’s few readings are not insanely high.  In fact if I managed to keep all my readings between 5 and 10 I would be pleased with myself.  However Sally71 has a good way that some teenagers are more likely to respond to.  Most want to drive and he certainly won’t be allowed to without evidence of testing.

It would also be worth contacting his specialisation team, especially whilst he is still likely to be with the paediatric team who will already know him from his diagnosis.


----------



## Krystal (Feb 26, 2019)

Thanks everyone for your kind replies, it's really appreciated. He is starting driving lessons next month so will have a conversation around this, hopefully that will help. He is amazing and so brilliant and brave and this is out of character for him so makes me worry that he needs some support but just gets angry at me. Will think about contacting his team at the hospital but when I suggested this previously he was adamant that he didn't want to do that. I don't want to lose his trust. Thanks again for the advice.


----------



## Pumper_Sue (Feb 26, 2019)

Krystal said:


> Thanks everyone for your kind replies, it's really appreciated. He is starting driving lessons next month so will have a conversation around this, hopefully that will help. He is amazing and so brilliant and brave and this is out of character for him so makes me worry that he needs some support but just gets angry at me. Will think about contacting his team at the hospital but when I suggested this previously he was adamant that he didn't want to do that. I don't want to lose his trust. Thanks again for the advice.


Unfortunately your son will not be allowed behind the wheel of a car due to his lack of testing. So please point this out to him in the nicest possible way.

Your son is going through the denial stage of having diabetes (everyone does it) and unfortunately teenagers do tend to press the self destruct  button harder than most   The only advice I can give really is to make sure you don't nag otherwise he won't see it as concern but just you and the rest of the world are against him


----------



## Northerner (Feb 27, 2019)

I was fortunate(!) to be diagnosed aged 49, so my life was pretty settled, and although it was a shock I didn't have loads of other things in my life to try and manage at the same time. I wish there was some way to convey to these young people that yes, testing is often inconvenient, but it takes a few minutes out of each day then you can just get on with anything you want to do. The consequences of not taking those few minutes now may mean much more to deal with a few years down the line that will really get in the way of things  How to get that across convincingly to a teenager is, I'm afraid, beyond me - I know I was drinking and smoking at his age with no concerns about possible effects on my future health.

If, as you say, his levels are between 5-10 then presumably he is not going 'the whole hog' and gorging on pop, junk food and sweets, which can happen, and is using his insulin properly. Does he suffer hypos at all? His next HbA1c will probably shed some light on how he is actually doing. I would certainly not condone not testing, given that it is a very useful tool in managing your diabetes, but it should be borne in mind that until relatively recently it wasn't actually possibly to be particularly accurate measuring blood glucose levels - many of our members here grew up only being able to pee on a stick to get a comparatively vague idea of where things stood, and managed well for decades before blood testing came along, so try not to become overly concerned. Ambitions to drive, of course, will most definitely be thwarted unless he gets into the few-minutes-a-day habit!


----------



## HOBIE (Mar 1, 2019)

A Freestyle Libre might be the answer. I like them a lot.  Good luck Kids ?


----------



## HOBIE (Jun 8, 2019)

I used to be able to get blood out of my fingers without a sharp. Previous holes after more than 50 yrs of T1. Ouch but keeping a check on things PAYS !


----------



## Lizzzie (Jun 14, 2019)

When does he go for a check-up?

Obviously his doctors can not discuss his case with you, but you can discuss his case with the doctor.  Id advise a quick tip off:  'THIS is happening and I'm worried' but then I'd trust him to go to the appointment on his own, and try to resist mentioning it for at least a week afterwards.

This wins you brownie points because you've backed off.

It shows that you trust him and are not crowding him.

You already know what's going to be said in the appointment ('test your blood sugars') so you are not missing anything.

It is easier to ask for support without your Mum there, when you're a teenager and its something you and she are always 'having words' about.

When it's a responsibility you're trusted with rather than something you're 'nagged' (unfair word) about, it's sometimes easier to step up.

At worst you can point out that you NOT 'nagging' didn't improve the situation in the slightest.

Worth a try?


----------

