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Parties and Diabeties
by gman2004, Mar 18, 2004 12:00AM
Hey, thanks for the help on my first question, i appricate it
Since i didnt get diabeties untill right before my 16th birthday, its been hard to change my lifestyle, at this age.
Before i was diabetic, i was going to parties everyweekend, chilled with teh same ppl, and enjoyed drinking once and a while, and just enjoyed parties period
since i have gotten diabeties, i havnt gone to a party yet. and this is the main thing that is depresssing me
I know most of you here are parents, who have kids with diabeties. if any of them got it late. how did they deal with this situation? all my friends still do this, and its hard just to change the crowd i hang with.
Any tips on what to do, or how i can enjoy a party? and enjoy my highschool life?
Since i didnt get diabeties untill right before my 16th birthday, its been hard to change my lifestyle, at this age.
Before i was diabetic, i was going to parties everyweekend, chilled with teh same ppl, and enjoyed drinking once and a while, and just enjoyed parties period
since i have gotten diabeties, i havnt gone to a party yet. and this is the main thing that is depresssing me
I know most of you here are parents, who have kids with diabeties. if any of them got it late. how did they deal with this situation? all my friends still do this, and its hard just to change the crowd i hang with.
Any tips on what to do, or how i can enjoy a party? and enjoy my highschool life?
Doctor's Answer
by JDRF-Team-LRS, Mar 20, 2004 12:00AM
GMan,
I was diagnosed at about your age, and now, ~35 years later, I do remember the adjustment and the stresses of JUST being a teen; then adding diabetes was no picnic.
I used a variety of techniques to "manage" -- In those days, there were no finger-stick testing devices, so I'm not sure how badly I was really doing, but I've never been in DKA nor have I ever had a hypo requiring a glucagon shot.
One trick -- when folks were drinking -- was to drink diet cola along with them. My pals were cool enough to not push the issue. Maybe cuz I told 'em about the diabetic who died from over-indulging, they didn't wanna push it. Maybe they were just a cooler than I gave 'em credit for!
Snacks were actually harder (for me) cuz no one pushed 'em or anything -- I just had to develop will-power. I'd eat cheese and try to nibble.
My HS pals and I mostly did things that didn't involve drinking or pot, so my "testing the real limits" happened during college when we all were into enjoying adult life.
I just recently heard someone give this advice to her teen. It resonated with me and so I'll share it with you. As you consider the activities you want to do and as you deal with the pressures of your age, pretend that your children are watching you (I'm hoping you're not a parent!). Pretend they are watching you and learning from you the right way to live. Are you proud of what they are seeing & learning? In most cases, even when we are okay with hiding & concealing from our over-protective parents, we "instinctively" want to do better for our kids.
Is this at all helpful?
I was diagnosed at about your age, and now, ~35 years later, I do remember the adjustment and the stresses of JUST being a teen; then adding diabetes was no picnic.
I used a variety of techniques to "manage" -- In those days, there were no finger-stick testing devices, so I'm not sure how badly I was really doing, but I've never been in DKA nor have I ever had a hypo requiring a glucagon shot.
One trick -- when folks were drinking -- was to drink diet cola along with them. My pals were cool enough to not push the issue. Maybe cuz I told 'em about the diabetic who died from over-indulging, they didn't wanna push it. Maybe they were just a cooler than I gave 'em credit for!
Snacks were actually harder (for me) cuz no one pushed 'em or anything -- I just had to develop will-power. I'd eat cheese and try to nibble.
My HS pals and I mostly did things that didn't involve drinking or pot, so my "testing the real limits" happened during college when we all were into enjoying adult life.
I just recently heard someone give this advice to her teen. It resonated with me and so I'll share it with you. As you consider the activities you want to do and as you deal with the pressures of your age, pretend that your children are watching you (I'm hoping you're not a parent!). Pretend they are watching you and learning from you the right way to live. Are you proud of what they are seeing & learning? In most cases, even when we are okay with hiding & concealing from our over-protective parents, we "instinctively" want to do better for our kids.
Is this at all helpful?
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so you were still able to drink? my doctor told me drinking was 100% out of the question for a diabetic.
http://diabetes.about.com/cs/alcoholdiabetes/a/alcohol_basics.htm
I wish I'd had the guideline to refer to when I was a teen. I think that I "accidentally" followed the guideline most of the time. Since alcohol always has had a strong effect on me, it never took "much" to give me a pleasant buzz. And after that, I don't think it mattered (to me) if folks were drinking more or less than I was.
In college, I really enjoyed hangin' out with pals in some of the college bars (it was legal for me, by then). Not sure when it started, but I would very often give the bartender/server a BIG tip when I arrived (well, big for a college kid!) and ask him/her for unlimited water/diet soda or whatever. They were always very friendly (the tip helped) and kept my glass full. They earned most of their money on tips, and so by giving them money upfront I knew *they'd* feel better knowing I wasn't gonna stiff them after a night of drinking ice water!
I had as much fun, talking, joking, dancing, acting .. well, bizarre ... as all my pals PLUS I was smarter & funnier than 'em all cuz I had my wits about me ;-)
Not everyone goes to college, but I had a great time and it got me started on a good path. What do you plan to do after graduating HS?
And as for what i plan on doing after highschool, i plan on inrolling in the vancouver film school.
Since my spring break just ended, i experimented with what i could do, and what i could handel, and this is what i came up with.
Getting drunk, is FUN, getting hammered, is pointless. over spring break, i went drinking a few times, with a few buddy's. I ate a large, protein filled dinner, and saved some of it, andbrought it with me when i went out. i drank enough to get me just past the stage of buzzing, where i was enjoying my self, but still had the common sense to check my blood sugar every hour and half, and to make sure i munched on snacks threwout the night.
Then when i went to bed that night, i just woke up at 5am, to make sure my sugar's were fine, then went back to bed. and all worked out fine.