Question:
We are having a difficult time with our 16 year old daughter and her diabetes. She was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 13. She was very much in control and had great counts. During this last year, this has drastically changed. Her counts are high, an average of about 230. She eats the wrong foods, but truly believes they aren't that bad. She religiously takes her shots, but many times will skip her counts. She is very much involved in athletics, and therefore feels she can occasionally eat the wrong foods. She hates us monitoring her and her actions, but we feel she is hurting herself. She doesn't believe she is doing anything wrong. How can we help her see what is happening, and get her back on track?
Answer:
Teenage rebellion is normal and is certainly an extremely common feature of
diabetes. My main message would be to try to ensure that your daughter
keeps taking her insulin and attends regularly for a glycohemoglobin test.
Most teenagers don't do many blood tests and such as they do are often not
recorded. Hang in there -- it will get better.
KJR
Original posting 29 Mar 97
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