Advice for a dad

I have a friend with a non compliant 18 year old that was diagnosed 5 years ago. He has been trying to convince his son to go on a pump and take control of his disease. He flatly refuses with no reason why. Does anyone have any ideas how to convince him to take control before any damage is done?

Introduce him to an 18 year old girl with diabetes.

I’m not being flip, I think it would work. I just happen to know from personal experience that you can’t tell an 18-year old boy anything - they have no brains.

The only thing that persuades an 18-year old boy is the belief that a particular activity will get him closer to a girl, make him go fast or blow things up.

Now, an exploding insulin pump . . . there’s something to think about.

Terry

Coming from a experienced teenager (I was diganosed at 13 so of course I felt like I knew it all) I think you just have to have to be willing to break a deal with him. He needs to tell the son that we are just going to go look at insulin pumps (whether online or at a convention or something) just so that he has a idea on them. Then maybe trouble shoot as they are looking at the different pumps. Maybe he doesn’t like the fact that he has to wear it on his belt where everyone has to see it. Or maybe he is afraid of sometime going wrong with the insulin site. OR maybe he just doesn’t like the idea of being attached to tubes.

You certainly can’t force him, but if you can get him excited about the fact that he doesn’t have to carry the meter just the laucet and strips (as some meters are attached to the pump) or the fact that maybe a CGM could hook up with the pump or maybe just the fact that he wouldn’t have to give himself shots all the time.

I’m 19 almost 20 and I did not take likely to diabetes. You just gotta take it one step at a time. Things will hopefully work out for them!

You cannot convince him.

,The pump will do nothing to change that problem, nor would anything else for that matter. Its his headspace that is the problem, the issue, not the tools of/for treatment. I do not like the book but William Polansky’s “Diabetes Burnout” seems the right channel for this young man perhaps…

The title sounds like the right direction for him. All one can do is offer help from different directions, he must take the rudder. I wish I disagreed with Terry’s advice above, but a pretty young woman with patience will likely change his channel…

Kissing is far more “convincing” technique than being yelled at most days. “Feminie wiles” are impossible to defend against…

Stuart

I think that the kissing advice is best. Thanks!