October 5, 2000
Behavior
Question from St. Louis, Missouri, USA:
My 15 year old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes eight months ago. Her close friends know she has diabetes. However, she does not like me to ask if she took her insulin or her blood sugar in front of anyone. Even family! She has a part-time job, and she hasn’t even told the people she works with she has diabetes. I asked her what they think when she takes her Insulin, and she says “I would rather they think I’m a drug addict”. I believe she would benefit from a support group so she could talk with other teens who have diabetes. She and my husband both feel she is handling this just fine. I do not.
Also, I guess she’s still honeymooning since her insulin dose is still very low (14 NPH am and one unit for every 100 mg/dl [5.6 mmol/L] at dinner) Her HbA1c levels were 8.5% at diagnosis, 5.8% four months ago, and 7.4% last month. Isn’t this an unusually long honeymoon? Her endocrinologist said she didn’t need to do an antibody test. She said that although she believes she has type 1, in the end what matters is her glucose.
Answer:
It is not unusual for a child or adolescent with diabetes to have concerns about testing and giving injections in front of other people. Most kids get through this without much difficulty and go ahead and tell their friends and family about their diabetes. Those who continue to struggle with this would benefit from talking to a counselor, social worker or diabetes educator with experience dealing with these difficult issues. Your daughter’s pediatrician or endocrinologist should have some good recommendations for you. In addition, this is not an unusually long honeymoon.
You also ask about the antibody tests for type 1 diabetes. These are not always necessary, and I would follow the advice of your endocrinologist or pediatrician regarding their necessity.
MSB
