13 year old Son type 2 bmi 18.5 and active. Advice?

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Ahd

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Hi

My son has other health issues and has just been diagnosed with type 2. I’m not Finding the literature particularly helpful as whilst we’ve improved his diet a bit, it wasn’t bad to start with and he’s already active and gets up at 6.30 even at the weekend. He’s quite a sensitive child and blames himself as the literature suggests it’s his lifestyle. Is there anyone else out there in a similar position?
 
Welcome @Ahd 🙂 Sorry to hear about your son’s diagnosis. That’s a very young age to develop Type 2 and a low BMI as well. How did his diagnosis come about? Do you know his HbA1C? Is he on any medication? Is there a genetic angle to this?

Yes, most literature about Type 2 assumes all Type 2s are overweight. That must make it hard for you. The thing to concentrate on is the amount of carbs he eats - all carbs not just sugar. So, if you were to make a food diary of what he ate pre-diagnosis then you could see places where he could maybe cut carbs and make up for that with some extra protein and fat. You say he has other health problems, is he able to see a dietician for advice?
 
Bumping this for you @Ahd If you can tell us a little more about his diagnosis, and what he’s eating at the moment, you’ll get some suggestions. Do ask any questions you want 🙂
 
Ahd said:
Hi

My son has other health issues and has just been diagnosed with type 2. I’m not Finding the literature particularly helpful as whilst we’ve improved his diet a bit, it wasn’t bad to start with and he’s already active and gets up at 6.30 even at the weekend. He’s quite a sensitive child and blames himself as the literature suggests it’s his lifestyle. Is there anyone else out there in a similar position?
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Ahd, you mention your son has other health issues. I'm not asking what those are, but just wanted to comment that some medications, for other conditions, such as steroids, certain medications for rheumatoid arthritis, chemotherapy and depression (just as a handful of examples), can impact blood sugars. Other non-lifestyle factors can be heritage and genetic factors. Undoubtedly it's not as simple as some of the press would lead us to believe.

There is a bit of research going on, looking at T2 in children. Relative to research into adult T2, it's in it's early days, but it is out there.
 
Welcome to the forum @Ahd

I am sorry to hear of your son’s diagnosis, and that this is alongside other conditions.
pas @Inka has said for anyone with diabetes it is how we process the carbohydrates that we eat.
Our bodies do not have enough (or any for T1) insulin to balance the glucose in our blood. If you were able to work with your son to make an accurate diary of what food he eats, with portion sizes and if possible the amount of carbohydrates in this (good practice for his Maths) it will help you and your team to work out an appropriate way to manage his condition. Other medications do have an impact on how our insulin works so it is worth discussing thus with your team.

Do come back with any questions that you have. Nothing is considered silly on here.
 
Welcome to the forum @Ahd

Sorry to hear about your son’s diagnosis :(

How did it come about? And how did they decide it was T2? Were extra checks run?

He really mustn’t blame himself. No one asks for a diabetes diagnosis, and so much of the stuff written in the press and media is very unhelpful (and often factually suspect!)
 
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Thank you all. It was found when our GP suggested he have a blood test after being on a number of medications (one of which was steroids but only in the form of eye drops, although he was on them on and off for months). Feeling brighter since realising the freestyle libre we were using was completely inaccurate - I couldn’t understand why we were getting such spikes and felt like I wasn’t successfully managing things for him, despite keeping a food diary and counting carbs. Had our first diabetic clinic and his hba1c is down from 59 to 50 in the space of a few weeks. Despite there not a single diabetic in the family I’m coming to the conclusion it must be unlucky genetics and I need to ignore all the unhelpful stuff out there. It‘s just a bit overwhelming to start with and as a parent you feel like its your fault.
 
Good news about the HbA1C @Ahd I’m not sure how much effect the steroid eye drops would have but steroids definitely have the potential to raise blood sugar, so maybe that’s part of it. It’s not your son’s fault - sometimes we just have bad luck. I hope he gradually realises that and that it’s not his fault.
 
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