Monday, February 14, 2011
my son was diagnosed with type 1 a month after entering college about a year and a half ago; he seems lax in taking care of himself; I know he is not actively counting carbs; he relies on a rough guess; he has also started taking insulin after meals since he said he's not sure how much he will eat; his last A1C was 7; his Dr tells my son to keep it between 6 and 7; he uses a Dexcom and will be trying a pump this summer; it seems like majority of folks serious about diabetes care keep their A1C below 6
last, about excercise; he is tall and skinny; plays racket ball about 3x week; thats it; seems like he should be more active - for all health reasons
whats your thoughts
worried mom
Actaully, I think he sounds like he is doing ok given being in college and the miriad of adjustments he has to make while there that are unrelated to diabetes. An A1c below 6 is fantastic, but between 6-7 for a college student in my book is also fantastic.
I have lived with type1 41 years and I can tell you that my a1c when I was in college was not bad, in the 7s. At that time, my doctor said "Are you skipping insulin?" and I said "No!" And he felt my management was to be expected for being on my own for the first time.
Has your son gone on the pump yet? I would imagine that will make some difference as to when he gives insulin. It's a lot more descrete when your with friends and I'm sure between a cgm and pump his A1c will come down.
Hi Ann
Thanks for the reply
My son just started his 3rd year of college and is doing well
Although we ordered a pump and have it, he now is not interested in using it.
In fact, he now rarely uses his Dexcom monitor
I think he is resisting the pump because of the tubing / equipment
as for the motior, he said the read out part is too large to carry in his pocket ...
He normally is not worried about appearances, I think the lack of interest is due to laziness (requires extra effort to hook up and maintain)
his A1C in March was 5.0 and in July was 6.3
He still seems very lax about it; normally takes his insulin after meals
His physical activity is still very low (no regular sports or exercise); still is skinny
His endo thinks he is doing fine
your thoughts ?
Hi Pam!
A1cs are notorious for drifting and his A1c is excellent right now. This is a lifetime disease and he will go thru times of burnout, discouragement and some indifference. All of us do it and especially those of us in our teens and 20s. It's important that parents, spouses, friends recognise the need to take a break and when it becomes too long and damaging. A few weeks is not uncommon and sometimes it months where the bear minimum is done to maintain. the trick is to know what might help spur the interest to get back on top, by using your diabetes technology (meter, pump, cgm). For me, my motivation to stay interested comes from learning about research. I love understanding the body as a whole and the diabetes actually gives me a much deeper understanding of the systems that make up this wonderful and yet dysfunctional machine!
In regard to diabetes tehcnology, I will say I had the same issues and did eventually take off the pump and returned to MDI, but I added the dexcom about a year and half ago and things have been awesome! Taking a break from wearing it is absolutely fine, he'll probably go back on when he sees things swinging back over 7. Here's the blog I wrote on taking a pump vacation. It's hard to decide what is the best MO when it comes to diabetes. One thing you have to realize is that he lives with it and his method seems to be working at the moment, so why critize? There will be times when he does really suffer burnout and he'll need support to know how to handle that storm.
Another apect to help you, is that he was diagnosed at an age that will actually help him ward off complications better then if he were a young child. So he has room for forgiveness, which some kids don't have the luxury. It might help him if he took an interest in some research on diabetes. There is interesting stuff happening. A cure is far off, but huge improvement on insulin and maintaining beta cell function is on the cusp!
It might be interesting for you to connect with Anna (who is on this page) She will actually start blogging for us on the adult side. She is rising junior at Syracuse and captian of her ultimate frisbee team. She is not the norm, however she is inspiring!
She'll have a new blog out at the end of this week.
Also have you read Ginger Vieira's book The Diabetes Science Experiment? This might be a great read for you. Also Gary Scheiner's Think Like a Pancreas. Remember you need to be the calm in his storm and the best approach will be to listen and watch, but also educate yourself to know what to offer when he might ask.