type 1 teens

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shelleym

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Hi - does anyone have any advice on how to support a teenager with type 1 who keeps experience lots of high sugars and associated mood swings?
 
Hi Shelley and welcome to the forum sorry i cant help with your quearty but wanted to say hi someone will be along if not tonight then tomorrow to help hun x
 
hi shelley welcome to the forum , i can really help you directly, but there are many parents on here as well as members who had diabetes in their teens who im sure will be in and offer advice amx
 
shelleym said:
Hi - does anyone have any advice on how to support a teenager with type 1 who keeps experience lots of high sugars and associated mood swings?
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hey
what type of regieme is the teenager in question on?
are they getting good support from their medical team and do they get on with them? what relationship are you to the teenager?(im assuming parent?)
the situation needs to be approached very individually. personally i am an 18 yr olf type one female currently on an insulin pump. i have had problems with control in the past and have never had any support from family. i am NOT saying that you are unsupportive at all, you clearly are very supportive by trying to seek advice.
i would say that your teen should definately take the lead all the way. it will depend on how independant they are with their care. personally i was diagnosed at 12 and have always done everything by myself. i realise that this will differ from person to person. if you/they are carb counting then that type of regieme is the best for optimising control. perhaps adjustments need to be made to their ratios/doses/meds?
if the medical team is helpful and your teen has a good relationship with them then it would probably be for the best for them to get in touch with them. perhaps ringing a dsn or dietician or someone similar.
the amount of input that they are looking for from you will need to be set by them. sorry if that is very hard for you to hear as a parent. your best bet in my opinion is not to really ask them about it and just to make sure that you are definately there for them if they approach you on the subject, but keep out at other times. i would make sure that you know how to deal with a serious hypo that may require assistance if you feel that you would be able to assist and your teen would be comfortable with you doing so. it is a difficult situation all round. regarding the mood swings i would try to be as calm as possible at all times really. try to be understanding and non judgemental and don't criticise them. if you feel a mood swing is really getting out of hand don't rise to it and just try your best to keep the peace.
these are just a few thoughts, if you reply with a bit more about your situation im sure we can all chip in a bit more 🙂
i think your relationship with your teen will really be the thing that sets the tone for how you handle this. i.e. if you have the close close type of relationship where they tell you everything about their life then asking about blood sugars and accompanying them into appointments may be appreciated but if you have a more at distance relationship then this may not be what they want. i think that its also really important to remember that how they want to handle situations may be totally different to how you wish to handle them. this can be difficult to handle all around and which opinion is followed will probably depend on their age. i.e. the older they are the more choice they have and if they are a young adult you will have to respect their wishes but if they are still actually a child (13ish) then they will have to respect yours to a large extent.
hope that i have provided you with a few thoughts,
really looking forward to hearing how you get on 🙂
all the best, lucy x
 
Hi and welcome 🙂

My own small input to your dilemma is to reinforce what you probably already know, to stress to your teen that they can't use D as a part of their rebellion to life and all of its stresses, because it is they that will suffer for it.
Find alternative outlets for frustration eg. messy room, abusive or stroppy behaviour, "interesting" clothes/makeup, you know, all the usual teenager stuff, but work at staying in control and healthy.

Whilst I hate the doom & gloom approach, we can't forget that D is actually quite a dangerous thing, if ignored.

Good luck!

PS. feel free to pass on any useful teen-control tips you have 😉
 
Hi, and welcome.

My 14 year old son was having some trouble adjusting to life with D, a bit of denial and moodiness. Some of it was just teenage moods, but the thing that I found helped him the most was to meet some others who have T1. He has met a few adults from this forum, and has chatted with another boy on Facebook. And there is a boy at his school who is also T1.

It is difficult for us non-diabetic parents and family to understand how it makes them feel. We can be supportive and helpful and caring and encouraging, but to share experience with someone who is in a similar situation can really be what they need to realise that they are not alone, or freakish, or unloveable .....

Hope this helps,
Angela
 
Hi Shelley

I'd recommend them joining a forum like this, they can post any questions when they want to or just look through the forum for answers

xx
 
teapot is right, i joined this cause i had questions which have now been answered by the lovely people on here.
as for the mood swings and high levels, i experience them sometimes, usually to do with what i've been eating throughout the day maybe or just how i am feeling in general, if your really concerned talk to them about it and go to the docs?
 
Hi and welcome to the forum🙂
 
hey and welcome to the forum!

as an 18 year old type 1 diabetic i can totally understand where your teenager is coming from! i moved to university in september last year and have been admitted to hospital in intensive care 3 times since then and should have been in many times more than that aswell.
my sugars are rarely below 20 which makes you feel very ill and moody, however the way my parents and close friends approach it is to drop subtle hints about checking my sugars or taking insulin. I feel very independent about it and for some reason dont like people telling me how to control my own diabetes. My advice would be to be there for them when they need it or when they ask for help, let them figure it out on their own with the subtle hints every now and then,

hope this helps

Lauren x
 
I've seen a lot of parents here recommending getting young people together with others of a similar age who also have diabetes. The idea might feel a bit toe-curlingly awful, but there's nothing quite like comparing notes with other people in the same boat as you who 'get it'. Not being the only person scratching their head about bolus level and/or correction factor around a lunch table might help them feel less isolated/no one understands/I hate being weird.

There are special conferences/meetings set up around the country (Friends for Life is one) with up to date info and inspiration speakers which can help young T1s feel supported and empowered to control their own D.
 
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