How do you make a 16 year old diabetic eat healthy and take care of her health?

she's gaining alot of weight and her a1c is almost 12
She gets mad at me (her mom) when I try to get her to do right. I only buy healthy foods but she has access to them at school and out. Even the health foods she will eat way too much.

She needs some support, have you thought about sending her to a health camp for the summer. She will not have access to large portions or unhealthy foods and she will have many physical activities to participate in as well as a peer group of kids struggling with health issues. She probably feels like she's given up, like she can't be thin anyway so why not eat like crazy. I don't know if it's possible for a diabetic person to ever be at a healthy wieght, but if she's sees real results in her body, she might want to continue. Also try working out with her, if you have the time and money get a membership for 2 to a gym or the Y and take her there at least like 5 days a week and sweat it off together.

You can't make her but you can guide her ultimately its up to her to heed the adivce, try to make her see that her lifestyle is unhealthy and diabetes is not an illness to play around with.

If she gets the money to buy junk from you then you should stop giving her money until she starts eating healthily or moderates her junk food intake.

try taking her to a hospital's intensive care unit and let her look at some of the patients thare. tell the nurse your situation and let her explain what the girl needs to do not to end up like that

She needs all support available. Not complains or terrible stories about future. Try her to meet another Diabetic patients. Ask you doctor to join a group meeting of well controlled ones, it helps a lot!
All the luck

thats a toughie. its a truly difficult disease for teens, especially because the see themselves as invincible. im a registered nurse, ive specialiaed in nephrology. most dialysis pt.s are diabetic, lots of amputees, blindness, etc. any time the blood sugar goes uncontrolled it takes its toll on the body/organs. dialysis in of its self is a horrible way to live.

i would say positive support, love, attention, self esteem reinforcement and lots of education.

this is a great site;

its not easy for someone so young to have to exclude most of the foods her peers eat, and have a life threatening condition to deal with along with all the complications of teenage life. show her by example by eating right and exercising in front of her and encouraging her to join in, one of the best things you can do is get her to exercise more which will help her sugar levels and avoid many of the health problems with diabetes..now I hate to say this but shes going to need to be scared a bit about the complications that arise from not following the correct diet for This disease. tell her about the dangers of losing her sight , limbs etc, get her some books to read on diabetes and the side effects, and find a local support group for her to join, where she can meet other kids struggling with this same illness, finding support and encouragement from peers her own age can be a great help and inspiration for her.best wishes !

Let me begin by telling you that I can see this argument from both sides of the fence. I am a young Type 2 diabetic (24 now, diagnosed at 22) and I have this same dilemma with my mother on a daily basis. BUT... I am also a Diabetes Health Educator with my local health district and I understand your point in emphasizes the importance of healthy eating to your teenage daughter. With that said, let me attempt to give you the best advice I can coming from my perspective.

It sounds like your daughter is just testing her wings and struggling for independence. My mom is constantly riding my case to get me to take my meds or eat right and it bothers me. To me, it's about control... I know she does it because she loves me and wants me to live a healthy lifestyle, but at the same time, a part of me feels like she is trying to control me. Put yourself in your daughter's shoes at the age of 16. This is a communication problem, more than anything else. Try to avoid the confrontational approach as much as possible. My mom eventually gave up the fight and things did a complete 180. After she stops nagging and begging and fussing, I felt like I was in control and I started taking better care of myself.

Your daughter's unwillingness to cooperate and get healthy could also be a sign of an underlying problem, such as depression. Being diagnosed with diabetes and trying to learn to live the disease is very hard and frustrating at such a young age (I know...from experience). Some of my own reluctance to take medication, eat right, exercise, etc. came out of depression. I didn't care what happened to me since I knew I had this horrible condition. Of course, now, I realize that I can treat my diabetes and that it doesn't have to control my every move. This may be something you need to consider and address with your daughter. If you think she is doing the things she is doing out of depression or an emotional crisis state-of-mind, then there is also professional assistance out there for this situation. I see a great counselor now and it has really helped (not just for this problem, obviously though). Be a support system for your daughter.

From my professional standpoint, I can also relate with your burning desire to see your daughter healthy. Diabetes is a "silent killer" in many situations, meaning that it is causing damage without many obvious signs in most cases. Again, it all comes down to communication. Maybe you should give up the reigns and have your daughter talk to someone else...a professional in the field. Consider having a diabetes educator (CDE) talk to your daughter or have the doctor have a very adult (stern, no sugar-coating) discussion with her. Chances are that this will work some better. Sometimes it takes encouragement from an outsider, someone who isn't so closely involved with the situation, to make a real connection.

I hope that I have shed some light on what is going on with your daughter. One last important thing is to remember to just talk and keep the lines of communication open... and listen as much as you talk. If the situation gets out of hand (as in, if communication doesn't improve or your daughter's health begins to suffer) seek some sort of professional help.

I am providing my email address and you are very welcome to share this with your daughter. I am more than willing to answer emails from her and talk to her as a professional in the field if you / she would like.

lindsey_osborne@yahoo.com

Good luck and best wishes....

I am 20 year old diabetic but when I was 14, I found out the hard way what happens when you don't take care of your diabetes. I wasn't growing!

I would say, just let her figure it out the hard way.

You can't that's all I can say, eventually she will get out on her own and care for herself and its out of your hands. I was diagnosed at 13 and my mother tried the same thing to get me to care for myself but I was more rebellious the more she tried. I was taken at the age of 17 to the hospital for DKA and I then turned my life around. Give your daughter something to live for and maybe she will will live for you and herself. Good Luck