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Young adult son not testing
Hi. My 20-year-old college attending son checks his blood sugar very infrequently, even going so far as to not check for 4 days while he was a camp counselor this summer. At most, he checked 1 time per day even following a BG over 450. His uncle died at 43 of complications of diabetes. He was blind, had kidney failure with a kidney transplant that failed after 9 years. My son was in great fear of losing his eyesight when he was diagnosed at age 12 but seems now to not have any concerns about the health ramifications of poorly controlled blood sugar. His A1c has steadily been climbing. Since he eats cafeteria food, his ability to correctly guess the carb. count has been challenging. How can we be encouraging and supportive while we are very frustrated and angry at his seeming lack of interest in maintaining good health! We just want to nag and scream at him which we know will not work at all. He also suffers from depression and social anxiety for which he receives on-going treatment through counseling and medication. Thanks
Best Answer
He needs a little nagging. A blood glucose level of 450 is not due to "cafeteria food". It is due to eating like a pig and not taking medications. At the age of twenty he is a man and the suggestion that "he can't count carbs because of the cafeteria food" is absolutely absurd. Checking one time a day is insufficient. You need to test in the morning, before eating every meal, two hours afterward, and before sleeping. This means the testing supplies might be a bit expensive. On the positive side, if you eat "standard" meals (and portions) you need not test every day. You don't mention his meds. He may require injectable insulin, of which there are several types. There are many excellent nurses who provide counseling and dietary advice. One reason for the carbohydrate craving is that it feels good. Sort of like getting a heroin fix. Have him ask his physician about Lantus (the long acting insulin) as well as the other varieties, as well as Metforman.
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