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Original poster

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

273 replies

WanderingAroundandAround · 05/03/2024 12:42

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.

OP posts:
Bunnybear42 · 05/03/2024 19:24

Hi my husband is type 1 diabetic and has been for 23years! My experience of dealing with his hypos are he can have a blood sugar of 3.3 and be very disoriented wobbly and chatting rubbish ... similarly he has ignored / not noticed a low until 2.1 and been very coherent only said he felt tired which I found staggering!
Since getting the automatic sensor alerts it fills you with so much peace of mind that they will be alerted when asleep etc lifesaving stuff and so different to what my DH had in the early days but even when treating a hypo it can take some time to build up and register can't it and it's nerve wracking- much more so for you as parents when your not with him !
I think it will take time but fwiw I would have done the same thing as you!
I often hear DH alarm going off when I've gone to bed and he's in the living room - if I hear it more than twice I can't sleep and have to pop in and check !
You will never regret double checking - and if your sons a bit embarrassed it might jolt him to treat his symptoms a bit quicker next time to avoid mum coming to school 😃

girlsyearapart · 05/03/2024 19:26

not quite the same op but one of my dds is anaphylactic and massively blasé about her allergies.
we had a call from school to say that she was reacting due to having eating a known allergen
asked them over the phone if they’d used the epipen ? Oh no do you think we should ?
me and Dh were in the car on the way before the conversation finished
her mouth was very swollen , paramedics were amazed the school had to ask if they needed the epipen
I will never apologise to the school or to dd for showing up / speaking up at times like those!

DuckyShincracker · 05/03/2024 19:46

We are happy to be neurotic still and he's 23 this year. I'd have gone nuts in your situation. When he was at college I did find they did not understand the severity of type 1. They did after I'd finished with them!

gloriawasright · 05/03/2024 20:02

gloriawasright · 05/03/2024 19:13

Treadsoftlyonmy dreams
Apologies if I have responded to you with my last loose .i have got confused .

Post **

YouJustDoYou · 05/03/2024 20:19

You love and worry for your son and his device was registering dangerous levels. I hate it when school staff make out like we're just a bunch of overreactive morons.

MissHoollie · 05/03/2024 20:21

I would say he should do a blood prixck to check the monitor results

DreamTheMoors · 05/03/2024 20:23

What stands out here is:

”…she was sorry if I thought she was.”

She obviously was.

That’s the most condescending apology in the history of all apologies.

LightSpeeds · 05/03/2024 20:24

You did the right thing.

Best to deal with things yourself rather than leave it in the hands of someone you don't know you can trust!

If your child's health/safety/life is at risk, there's no question that you need to get to them as soon as possible.

Lucky it was an error and I'm glad he's alright.

Cakeandcoffee93 · 05/03/2024 20:25

im a type one- it’s normal to be anxious about having it. Lowest I’ve been is 1.5 and standing. Everyone reacts differently to hypos some people get really low. Please don’t panic if he is between 2-3 he should be ok if you give glucose.
she was wrong I would file a complaint ! Always think if it goes below 2 then panic!

Tryingmybestadhd · 05/03/2024 20:26

Children and adults die every year from similar . Personally I would make a formal complaint and contact ofstead too since that is a serious risk . You need to make sure school understands the real life risk . Do not apologise , go hard on them

LostFrog · 05/03/2024 20:29

I would have done the same thing. Imagine if you hadn’t, and he had collapsed somewhere and no one else knew?

Moonwatcher1234 · 05/03/2024 20:32

Hope you feel reassured by these responses OP - you did completely the right thing and no need to second guess yourself - what a worry that must have been.

Mostlyoblivious · 05/03/2024 20:43

No, you didn’t over react. There was a break down in communication and I think you need to review with the school how this situation is handled, including the relay of information to you and your husband, if it were to happen in the future and not be a false alarm. I would also mention the reaction you received from the receptionist - try the ‘they are representing the school’ angle as opposed to she’s the complete idiot and cheeky cow angle.

Jl2014 · 05/03/2024 20:51

Not sure what they expected you to do. He has a monitor for safety. The monitor registered an issue. You responded (presumably) as advised. Would have been pretty weird if you’d ignored it. Carry on as you are.

AGoingConcern · 05/03/2024 20:53

Tryingmybestadhd · 05/03/2024 20:26

Children and adults die every year from similar . Personally I would make a formal complaint and contact ofstead too since that is a serious risk . You need to make sure school understands the real life risk . Do not apologise , go hard on them

What exactly are you suggesting OP file an OFSTED complaint about?

When OP called to alert the school, they said they'd go get him and make sure his low was being treated, and they did exactly that. OP was being fed inaccurate info by the monitor - very scary, but not the school's fault.

It sounds like OP, the son & the school need to add a communication step to his care plan to keep mom & dad in the loop if they're going to be monitoring numbers from home with no other info available to them, but that doesn't mean anyone did anything wrong here. This is a relatively new diagnosis and they'll likely need to revise that plan repeatedly between now and DS leaving school.

ichundich · 05/03/2024 20:56

WanderingAroundandAround · 05/03/2024 12:42

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.

I would have done exactly the same. Who cares what the school think; if the reading had been accurate it would have been life-threatening.

HazelBiscuit · 05/03/2024 21:04

Just another one coming to say not unreasonable.

my dad has type 1. His mum still worries - she’s 96! And as a kid we all knew what to do if we had any doubt Dad was high or low - call 000 (that’s our country’s emergency line).

When my dad is low on sugar he will tell you he is fine. He is NOT. So checking for yourself with a teen that age is not unreasonable. I too have a 13yo boy so know what they can be like.

I actually think my dad has had similar reactions with vaccines before so I suspect that may be an unfortunate thing for you to deal with ongoing. But even so I still would have checked if I was in charge of his health and the glucose monitor was indicating problems.

I suspect the school would have given you much more than raised eyebrows if he did end up in a coma and you’d done nothing. So know you’re protecting them from themselves even if they don’t!

take care of yourself - it must have been an awful awful fright.

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 05/03/2024 21:36

gloriawasright · 05/03/2024 19:10

Yes it is !
Diabetes is very serious.just because there is medicine for it does not take away the seriousness of this condition.
It kills.
Jesus people need to learn about this condition and not make assumptions about it .
Throw the fact that he is a kid into the equation makes it harder.
And To anyone who is saying he needs grow up and start taking care of himself.
Christ on a bike .how do you force a kid to grow up faster? I'd love to know how .

Show quote history

It was a follow on from my post right before. I was making the point that dyslexia is not life threatening…..

gloriawasright · 05/03/2024 21:43

Treadsoftlyonmydreams.
Ah
Apologies then,I was out in the car and came back to the thread half way through,while parked up. I should have waited till I got back home and had time to catch up on it properly.
I think we agree then .😀

Blakessevenrideagain · 05/03/2024 21:44

When DD was 14 and diagnosed type 1, the diabetes nurse from the hospital went to the school and spoke to staff so they understood what it was and how to help DD. Is it worth speaking to the diabetic team to see if they do anything now so the school staff get training OP.

DDs best friends went to the hospital when DD was first diagnosed as she was kept in a few days while they got her levels under control. The hospital staff were amazing. Her friends were highly protective of her while she got to grips with living with the condition.

OrlandointheWilderness · 05/03/2024 21:59

Student nurse here - damn right I would've been t the school, hypos are not to be taken lightly.

OrlandointheWilderness · 05/03/2024 22:03

What @Libre2 said. And very fitting username 😂

anon4net · 05/03/2024 22:09

You did the right thing @WanderingAroundandAround you sound like a loving parent and were right to be concerned especially as it was the lowest he's ever been and kept falling. Glad he's okay Flowers

Em1ly2023 · 05/03/2024 22:12

WanderingAroundandAround · 05/03/2024 12:42

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.

Based on the reading, it was dangerously low & your son is your priority! Thankfully your son is ok, that’s what’s important. Don’t worry about how you’re perceived 💐💐

Wayk · 05/03/2024 22:18

WanderingAroundandAround · 05/03/2024 12:42

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 were 💯 right to go to the school. I would have gone sooner as my anxiety would have gone through the roof. The receptionist was rude. You are great parents and your son knows he is loved and well cared for.