In Reply to: HELP..20 yr daughter back in intenstive care.... posted by Mother of Jenni on December 01, 2000 at 01:18:03:

Mother,

I don't think there's any way to MAKE anyone do anything... The only advise I could offer would be DON'T GIVE UP ON HER!

I check my sugars in excess of 7 times a day. I eat the same things every day. I get the same amount of exercise every day. Yet, my sugars after breakfast (Weetabix EVERY DAY) can range from 4.4 mmol/l to 15 mmol/l. Then, I go to my doctor to talk about it, and I get blamed. Told I've been a naughty little diabetic. I do everything I'm supposed to do and my sugars STILL go wild. Then I get depressed. I think that if I feel like I'm doing everything right and I still can't maintain control and get blamed for it, what's the point? Why even try? But I have a seven year old daughter who I love dearly, and that's my motivation to keep at it.

Ask your daughter if she feels this way. Ask her if she's just given up trying. If the answer is yes, find her a new endo... one who is supportive... And you need to be supportive too. Don't lay all the blame on her. Don't make it sound like you think she's bringing on the disease herself. She's diabetic. She didn't want to be. She wants to be 'normal'...

Good luck,

Sue

: My daughter has been in intensive care 40 times
: in 5 years with Ketoacidois....I am losing hope,and afraid I am going to lose her. She knows what to do....but does not follow through. She struggles with ADD which is a terrible
: combination with diabetes. She will not do readings...and I suspect she skips insulin shots. I am out of ideas, plans, hope....nothing seems to work. They say she just has not hit
: bottom yet. I'm afraid "bottom" could be losing
: her. Any suggestions, references.....ways to reach her...make her UNDERSTAND the pending dangers of continuing to ignore her disease?