The NHBPM prompt for Day 19 asks us to pose questions to other patients.
We have been riding a carousel with Dylan's diabetes care for quite a while now and I desperately want to get off the ride. Around and around and around we go, repeating the same problems over and over. Now I am asking for help/advice/tips from the DOC.
For as long as I can remember Dylan has been pushing for independence with his diabetes care. He has always shown a high level of interest in doing his own testing, entering carb counts for meals, and calculating his own correction boluses. I oversee everything, and do all of his site changes and setting adjustments, but for the most part, he handles the day to day stuff on his own. This system has worked for us. Until recently.
Just over a year ago, Dylan started forgetting to test from time to time. He'd come home from school and we'd realize he'd neglected to test for his morning snack, but gone ahead and eaten it anyway, resulting in a slightly elevated bg at lunch. I'd catch the oversights early, and the problem would go away. Then a few weeks later it would happen again, and again, and again.
Then last November we adjusted the custody agreement between Dylan's dad and I, implementing a week on-week off schedule. Great for the kids, not great for diabetes monitoring. The forgetfulness with testing became more and more frequent, and without me hovering and reminding Dylan constantly to test, missed bg tests at school became the norm rather than the exception. Upon uploading the pump data, I would immediately see the problem, talk to Dylan about it, and it he would be more diligent at school, at least temporarily.
The cycle has continued on and off since and we don't seem to be getting anywhere closer to a permanent solution. His testing habits at home are great, but school is an ongoing problem. He doesn't have any support worker or aide anymore, and I can't be there to remind him. He has always been very good at recognizing highs and lows, too, so when he feels good, he is more likely to forget to test.
So my question is...
How do other parents ensure that their tween/teen tests at school? What system/precautions do you have in place?
i rebelled so badly as a teen and i do think it is just a thing a teen has to go through. i ended up with my a1c of 10% at 15( i had a lot less support and a lot worse regime) and my doctor turned round went if you dont sort yourself out youre gonna be dead by 30 and overnight i changed. sometimes it just takes a while to mature a bit
ReplyDeleteRemind, repeat, remind, repeat, bash my head against a wall, remind, repeat, threaten to have nurse call them out of class, remind, etc.
ReplyDelete