Comment by The Diabetic Welfare Queen on April 29, 2010 at 8:29am

Oh, Kat, I feel your pain... I was a pretty fuzzy eater as a child, but... the difference is my mom never even attempted to make good things. We never had any veggies other than the occasional corn and massed potatoes, or the once a year salad at Thanksgiving. It took me a long personal battle to even get used to eating vegetables, love them, and enjoy them... much less fruit. It's not that I ate tons, but... I was also having issues with insulin resistant I didn't understand because of PCOS and Hypothyroidism. For me, success has been in one little change at a time... Because one change at a time, makes things manageable for me... But all of them at the same time, is overwhelming. Maybe that's an exercise he can focus on... Just pick one thing for the week or month to focus on, until he has it down... Until he feels comfortable with it, and can make it his own... If my mom saw how many veggies I eat today, she'd be shocked. She doesn't even buy the stuff... You know, she gave me Coca-Cola in my baby bottle... Since before I could even talk. I finally dumped it for good, November of 2009, and I have not looked back. :) ... I knew I had to take things seriously, because of how I saw my father deteriorate from his D... It's scary, I know... But it made all this REAL to me. That it could and can happen to me, if I don't take care. It was my wake up call, I guess... We can't live lives for others, but... we can encourage, and provide good meals... and communicate. :) .. And then we can pray they have a wake up call of their own. You're a good mom... Don't lose hope.

Comment by Elizabeth on April 29, 2010 at 10:08am

Hi Katsz,

I think all kids go through this phase - believe me, I ate crap when I was a kid too, no matter how hard my mom tried to get me to eat veggies. He *will* get better. I started with salads, then started eating veggies, then learned more about nutrition over the years, gradually deciding that I liked more and more of the foods I never wanted to eat in the first place (I have only just recently discovered a tremendous fondness for spaghetti squash!). The real turning point was when I took a semester long trip to Cairo at 19 and discovered foods I never knew existed--felafel, lamb kebab, all sorts of exotics.

The thing is, don't make it a battle. Encourage him to explore different foods. Maybe get him into different types of cuisines by having a "round the world" night or week (Mediterranean is a great place to start). Even small stuff, like choosing whole wheat over white bread, can make a difference. Food doesn't have to be the enemy, it can be a friend - it's all a matter of perspective.

Comment by Elizabeth on April 29, 2010 at 10:10am

PS there's also a great cookbook out by Jessica Seinfeld that talks about ways to "hide" veggies in foods that kids generally go for, like mac & cheese or pizza - worth taking a look at, if only to get ideas about how to make some of his choices provide a bit more nutritional "bang" for his buck.

Comment by Nyxks on April 29, 2010 at 1:21pm

Different parenting skills that is for sure, when my mom learned she was T2 all junk in the house went out the door, all sources of money that I once had same deal - if I wonted anything I had to ask mom or dad or my granny for it. Mom did it all so I wouldn't try and get stuff from school or other local places that sell junk. I kicked and screamed about it for two years but eventauly it got though my head that it wasn't going to do any good so I stopped.

Years later, its a lifestyle. Yes I love my junk when I can get it, but I love my veggies and hummus more. So I think that you can get children to change, kicking and screaming all the way along - its just a matter of time and once they are use to it then its just a part of life and you really don't know any better.

Comment by Sydney on April 30, 2010 at 10:51pm

hey I am 15 also. I recently went to the doctors and they looked at my stats and told me to cut down on the carbs. It's not hard for me since my dad has it. Seeing what it has done to his health has motivated me more to take care of my self better.
-sydney

Comment by Mitchell Boeshart on May 1, 2010 at 6:01am

I have a 16 year old who is also a T1 and was discovered about a year ago. I myself am T1 and know what it is like to have to limit your carb intake. Like your doc said the limit of 75g/meal is a good number, I try to limit to 60g/meal, but what makes a difference in the meal is the fat. Fat slows the digestion process down where you end up missing the timing of the insulin action. Both my son and I are on the Omnipod so to compensate for high fat meals (aka Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, etc.) Omnipod has an extended bolus feature. This works great to help with the timing action. When I was just doing MDI I would do a "Poor Man's" pump where I would seperate my bolus into 2 injections seperated by and hour and also lower my IC ratio for that meal. There are many different techniques that can help. Your son is probably seeing higher post prandial spikes and also he might be eating later in the evening which also causes a delay in absorption. We, my son and I, try not to eat after 7pm then that gives 3 hours prior to bed where an evening correction can get us within target range prior to bed time. A high post prandial and a high overnight BG is what leads to a higher A1C if your numbers look good during the day. Again, as a father of a T1, I don't want to restrict my son. I want him to feel like his is any other teenager but with an additional responsibility of having to bolus and count carbs. Most of his friends never realized that he had diabetes. He doesn't drink sugar drinks but for the most part he does what any others do and goes and goes and goes.

Once thing I have found to be so helpful with T1 is having a wonderful Endo. It is so important to have an Endo who will work with you, through the ups and also the downs, to ensure good control. An good Endo is there also to listen to you and not for you to just listen to them tell you what you need to do. The Endo I have listens to what I have to say and how I feel and recommends a good path and gives me the tools by which to control my diabetes. They have an arsenal of medications, techniques, and resources to find the best match for you condition. Because in the end there isn't a "One technique" fits all method. The best words I have ever heard from my Endo is "I am here to provide you the tools and the techniques so you can manage your diabetes".

Best of luck and keep up the good work.

Comment by Katsz on May 1, 2010 at 7:42am

We will be having what our Endo calls...an advanced Pump Class soon. We have started already to do the extended bolus thing and it seems to help. W/my son I also need to learn how to change things during physical activity. He goes from sitting and playing video games to climbining trees, biking and kayaking. Exercise plumets him. He is on the OMNIPOD too!

Comment by Domo! on May 1, 2010 at 4:59pm

hmm i could tell you about how my family always mentioned about some cousin of mine abused the pump almost got a leg caught off.. (never met this person). I just got on the pump, had diabetes for 2 years, believe me i did the high school diet of taco bell, burger king, pizza, and yummy mountain dew. And i learned that i didn't know a damn thing about food when i was diagnosed at 21 You just have to learn about new food, and find new favorites, remember you can eat as much meat or cheese and sugar free jello :) Its been two years and i'm still battling eating right... i wish you luck your help will help him (take a cooking class together)

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