To have rushed to the school or am I a neurotic parent??

[WanderingAroundandAround]

DS is 13 and was diagnosed with Type I diabetes 18 months ago. He manages it well in general but regularly ignores low blood sugars until he’s in a hypo. He has a blood sugar monitor and we try to drill into him to treat (with glucose) if he’s going towards a low rather than wait until he’s in one as obviously he feels like crap and it can cause long term effects if he regularly hypos.

Today I got a notification from his monitor that he was in a low and going further down, he also still had a couple of units of insulin onboard. I normally keep checking to make sure he’s treated it and is starting to go up again but he continued going down to 2.7 which is dangerously low. Lowest should be 4. I called the school to ask them to check he’s treated it and make sure he eats a decent amount to counteract the insulin he still had inside him.

They said they’d get him. He continued going down to 2.2 15 minutes later (lowest he’s ever been) at which point I panicked, jumped into car and drive to school with his glycogen injection (school have one but have had it since diagnosis and didn’t know if it was mislaid or whatever), ready to inject as expecting to have to call 999 and DS unconscious!

Got to Reception and said why I was there. The monitor was registering DS as off the scale low at that point. DH had called in as well from work as we were both panicking! Receptionist clearly raised her eyebrows as if to say that I was overreacting. I said she didn’t need to raise her eyebrows as it was a life threatening emergency. She denied doing it and said she was sorry if I thought she had. Kind of thinking now was I was rude but I was very stressed and know how serious it is, a lot of people don’t.

DS then came out with medical lady, who was a bit WTF, and he was laughing and saying I’m fine and very embarrassed saying why did you come to school! Looks like his monitor was wrong which is rare. Medical lady said it was natural that I was a bit anxious as still getting to grips with diagnosis. We have got to grips with it but he was in a life threatening hypo according to his monitor! I think I was right to be extremely worried.

Left feeling rather embarrassed and like I will judged as a neurotic mother and as if I caused a bit of an unnecessary kerfuffle with the receptionist.

I have never gone into school before because DS has gone into a low. Only called once before as he was very high for a long period.

Was I being neurotic? WWYD in that situation.

You did the right thing. Absolutely. People can raise their eyebrows and laugh as much as they like but if your child died would they remember his name in months? Don't consider their feelings as you are the ones who would have to live with a sick child or God forbid without him.

I'd have done the extact same thing. Hypo unawareness is a thing and my father has been awake and conscious at 1.2. They are awake until they aren't basically. Hypos are incredibly serious and need fast action. Does he use the little lift glucose bottles? My father finds them great to carry round because they are small.
I also wonder could he get a smart watch and link it with his cgm so that he can see the alert on his wrist instead of having to take out his phone?

You are completely right to have gone in.
Maybe need to meet with school and look at a strategy for managing his condition going forward, whilst he learns better how to manage it for himself. This may give you all some greater confidence for the future.

romdowa "I also wonder could he get a smart watch and link it with his cgm so that he can see the alert on his wrist instead of having to take out his phone?"

The OP said at 13.21 "We’ve even got him a brand new Apple Watch so he can just look at his wrist. He won’t bloody wear it!"

Keep doing this. You are right to watch your son. Schools sometimes don't have time and things get missed.

No question that you absolutely did the right thing and it was a proportionate response given the numbers. How could you have known that the monitor wasn't working properly. Don't feel embarrassed. And I'm glad it was all okay.

I am a nurse and would've done exactly the same thing. Sounds like the receptionist needs some training around diabetes. She's probably comparing it to an elderly relative with type 2 diabetes. Which is very different from type 1 and much more serious.
Does your son have an EHCP? If he's going to mute his phone to alarms etc... there needs to he a proper plan in place otherwise the next time may not be a monitor issue. Could the school nurse hold his phone? So they are aware of his blood glucose level?

You absolutely did the right thing. He's a teen, his response is expected but I'd be requesting a meeting with school to discuss their response and to make sure they understand just how serious this is.

Apologies but does he realise how serious his illness is? Having his phone on silent and refusing to wear his watch seems to indicate so.

Better to be embarrassed than have a DS in a bad state - which is what the monitor was telling you. You did the right thing.

You thought your son was in a medical emergency. I doubt any decent parent would've acted differently
Ignore the receptionist. Imagine if it had been right and you hadn't gone?

GP (and a parent) here, you 100% did the right thing.

No!!!!

I’ve got an endocrine condition myself so totally understand!!!

my best friends daughter is TD1. I know how bad it can and does get

I would talk with him and with the school about some strategies. I've taught several students with diabetes, and they often have strategies like stepping out of the classroom to check/eat a quick snack. TBH it is easier if alarms are set to vibrate. Most students are able to respond to the vibration though. What is it about the watch that he doesn't like? Is there something small that he could keep in his blaser or pocket to eat without feeling so noticeable?

You absolutely did the right thing. I do think it highlights the need for a better plan that he can follow.

When his alarm goes off in school, he is publicly shamed for having ‘too much sugar’. This is a school culture problem, poor kid.

That’s outrageous

they allow my friends daughter to keep her phone on her…I would kick off a bit as it’s so dangerous to be left. It can be a life threatening illness

The receptionist can do one, especially for that non-apology.

You did the sensible and right thing with the information you had. The receptionist sounds awful.

Absolutely the right thing and I'd do the same thing again if the same circumstances arose, which I hope they don't.

You absolutely did the right thing. I really feel for you.

Does your DS fingerprick if his sensor doesn't match how he feels? If that is the case then maybe getting him to text you if the sensor errors and he's tested OK might alleviate your fears a little. I had 2.2 all night the other night, finger pricked at 6.8 and felt fine so ignored it. Sleeping on them can do funny things, and my experience is the first 2 days are pinch of salt only combined with general feelings (I do have good awareness though which is important for this bit, and I don't have a pump so I'm not relying on the sensor for anything else, other than less finger pricks), and the last day it depends on how well it's sticking. This means I get 7 days of reasonably reliability with Dexcom. I find it matches the BGM pretty well in those 7 days though, more accurate than the libre, you just have to get through the crap at the start. You need to develop a secret signal that says I've tested and I'm fine or I ate and i'm waiting (as the CGMs also run a bit behind) because they will continually over and under-read and this will happen again I can guarantee.

FWIW this tech didn't exist when I was at school so I had to get on with it and do my best, with teachers keeping an eye in the background I'm sure, but it was a finger prick before lunch, PE and if I felt 'off', so no chance of a parent getting rushed in unless I was actually struggling. I think the CGMs are much better than finger pricking but I do also wonder how much anxiety it causes in patients and parents. Sometimes my levels look like they are tanking if I've been a bit active a bit too close to eating but then flatten out lovely as soon as I sit back down at my desk for example. In the olden days I'd likely not have known unless it went low and I felt low, or I had another reason to test such as driving, next meal, sport etc. but the tendency to panic about the drop is now greater, and that's just me. I'm nearly 40 and nobody else is watching my monitor.

You need to have a serious talk with your son. He needs to hurry up and grow up and take care of this. It sounds like he is going to ignore anything he is given to help manage this, and it’s just bloody stupid. If he can’t manage then you may consider hiring a nurse to sit in his classes with him. Not sure if that’s a thing in the UK but plenty parents did it where I was born if their child had a medical condition and needing help monitoring because of their age. Your son just needs to grow up.

Not unreasonable at all, a colleague of mine was hospitalised because he went into hypo. It’s far better to cause an ‘unnecessary kerfuffle’ than ignore it and potentially suffer the consequences.

Perhaps next time instead of asking them to check him you should ask them to get him from class and put him on the phone so that you can speak to him and be reassured that he’s treated himself or that it is a false alarm. If they won’t do this then I would absolutely do the same as what you did today.

This is YOUR baby. Not the teachers, receptionists etc . You absolutely did not overreact. Hopefully it will be a reminder for your son to take power/full control over his situation (which I can imagine has been alot for you and him to get your heads around). You sound like a lovely mum!

@MyLadyTheKingsMother DS is 13, he IS growing up, but you can't expect him to Be grown up at 13.

Do you have diabetes? If not, maybe you don't understand the mindfuck it is