I’ve been T1 for 53 yrs (onset 5 years old), and I don’t believe there’s any way you’ll get (better) control of Dawn Phenomenon and / or Somogyi effect without a pump. And a CGM.
I’ve been on a pump only 2 years, and the change in diabetic control can’t be understated. Lantus is great stuff - was on it too. But without knowing if (when) you require more insulin you’re working blind. Random BS’s during the night won’t catch dawn effect either.
My basal (Humalog) is set at 0.750 Units/Hr from 7PM until 04:30AM, then I bump it up 0.200 Units/Hr for morning DAWN effect. Nobody wants or needs to get up at 4:30-5AM to inject insulin.
Of course your son is going thru the most dynamic hormonal change his body will ever experience. This also adds to the experience. Hang in there - changes will improve his control.
My son was nine and a half when he went on the pump…two years after dx. He was resistant, too, but we made him go to the class. And he was still resistant, so we made a deal with him…he could try the pump for two weeks in the summer. If he didn’t like it, we promised him he could return to injections. By the end of the first week, he was sold. It gave him so much more freedom and he felt better because he had fewer BG swings.
He uses the Omnipod so he doesn’t have to worry about tubes, which I think was the main thing that was holding him back. He doesn’t like others to see his pump, so he wears it on his tummy or on the back of his upper arm so it is hidden by his shirt. This helps a lot!
If you can convince your son to give it a try, it would probably help the issues you are having with early morning highs.
. He’s still very mule headed about it. Baby steps!