Getting around in the morning.

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Almost every morning my oldest son (at home) wakes up with a headache, stomachache, etc. He drags himself to the shower and stays in there forever, and sometimes I've even found him sleeping on the floor of the shower! He gets out, gets a big blanket and lays down on the couch, until five minutes before the bus comes and then does the mad dash to get ready. He's really mean and hateful too, but if I can get him to drink juice or eat something, his demeanor changes. He often misses the bus, and then I have to wake up his sister who also has AS and she does not like to be woke up that early, so then I have another fight on my hands. By the time I get them both in the car, we're often a few minutes late.

I make coffee or tea each morning, have all kinds of breakfast foods available, but he says he doesn't feel like eating. His family doctor said he has low blood sugar and although I've asked about it two or three times, he claims most kids his age have it because of the growth spurts they're going through and it's nothing to worry about.

I met with the teachers, social worker and guidance counselor Monday and tried to explain some of his problems, along with the AS, and this morning I get a letter in the mail that he has Saturday School for being tardy three times this year! He was ILL and when he started to feel better, I took him to school. I wish I could get just a little understanding from them. When his blood sugar is low, I can barely deal with him.

He's thirteen, and this is actually the first year he's liked school (freshman) so I don't think it's school avoidance. I think he genuinely doesn't feel well. I wish the doctor would have done a little further testing or gave me advice on how to handle it.

Wow, that doctor doesn't sound very helpful.

I'm wondering if maybe one of the things diabetics do to keep their blood sugar more consistent throughout the night would help. Unfortunately, the methods vary from person to person. I'd suggest starting with a small snack before bedtime with some carb and protein. Maybe cheese on crackers if he'll eat that. Or some nuts. Not too much though or it might interfere with sleep.

Also, try to make sure he gets some food in after his juice, or he may have a terrible blood sugar crash later on.

Another thing I'm thinking of is the recent discovery that teens need a lot more sleep than people realized and that school schedules are very hard on them. This was certainly true for me. Maybe he needs an earlier bedtime, or could you possibly arrange a later arrival?

I would also ask for some blood tests, just to make sure his blood sugar is within normal ranges. Or if you think he'll do it, you could get a home meter and test. It is a little painful and scary at first though, so it might be a hard thing to get cooperation.

Have you checked into food intolerances?

Teenagers need a lot of sleep, especially autistic ones that get more stressed out from day-to-day activities. How much sleep is he getting? My sleep patterns are highly uneven and I feel tired if I don't get 9-10 hours.

But sleeping on the shower floor? This sounds indicative of more the teenage tiredness. Has he been evaluated for sleep disorders?

I also have low blood sugar but they do not produce those symptoms. I get nauseous, shaky, sweaty, pale, doing things in automation, etc. I have trouble eating enough. I'm on a GF diet and it helped me feel better with other symptoms and it also made me eat more, which is why I asked about it, because eating more is easier when the food doesn't make you feel bad. I believe there is also a type of hypoglycemia when symptoms occur after eating.

I am not AS but I have lived with low blood sugar my whole life. I can sympathize with your son on how difficult it can be to get up and get going in the morning. Real low blood sugar can completely suppress your appetite so it makes sense when he says he doesn't feel like eating. I would make a habit of juice first thing but as willaful said this can be followed by a crash if he doesn't also eat something within a reasonable amount of time. Perhaps if he drinks a glass of juice first thing upon waking up he will start to feel hungry after a shower. There is not much that can be done medically for low blood sugar though diet modifications can help some people. The idea behind most diets I have read is to limit the pancreatic stimulation as much as possible because low blood sugar is typically caused by an over-active pancreas (as opposed to an under-active pancreas in some types of diabetes). This means strictly limiting carbohydrates especially simple carbs. I don't know of any medical studies that have been done just anecdotal evidence that says some people have been able to greatly reduce the highs and lows experienced by many people with low blood sugar by sticking to a very low carb diet. As another poster suggested, other food sensitivities or allergies could also be at work.

In part, he's being a typical teen (teen bodies are not designed to wake up early, apparently), but it does sound like there is a medical issue. Regular doctors really are not trained in diet issues; to get deep into that, you need someone specialized in it. I would definitely pursue the possibility of food sensitivities, and if it does turn out low blood sugar is the only issue, I would scour the internet for possible protocols (you'll find a lot of junk, but some things you might find will probably just make sense, and if they fall into the "can't hurt" category, you have a winner).

As for the Saturday school - I would go straight into the office and protest it. Sounds computer generated; we had similar issues when my daughter was sick for 3 months straight, and I decided that late to school was better than never at school.

And don't forget the most basic one ... force him to go to bed earlier.

He was on a gluten free diet for three years, but was never officially diagnosed with celiac disease, so he decided to go off the diet when he started his freshman year. His older sister and I are biopsy confirmed celiacs, and his two younger siblings are gluten free because they have the symptoms, but have never been diagnosed. His younger brother and I are both casein free as well. I really didn't notice that much difference in him while he was on the diet, but he never gave up casein either. He definitely does not have a low carb diet. That is something I will work on with him.

I'm going to make him go to bed early tonight and see if it makes a difference. He usually goes to bed around 9:30, but has trouble falling asleep. He has a prescription for that, but I think he's only taken it three or four times. He hates to be medicated in any way.

I bought a blood glucose meter a couple of years ago and tested his morning blood sugar for a while. It was always under 70, and often in the 50's. When I mentioned it to the doctor, they just said it wasn't uncommon for his age and to make sure he got a good breakfast. They drew his blood that day in the office and said it was low and that was the extent of his testing. I mentioned it again this fall at his school physical and again, they said it wasn't unusual. The main problem I have with him is that he's so unreasonable when he gets up that it's hard to get him to drink that juice, but then he always apologizes later.

He hasn't been evaluated for any sleep disorders, but he used to walk and talk in his sleep and also have night terrors. He doesn't have any of that anymore.

I'll try harder to get him to eat better and see how he does. I doubt that I'll get him to go gluten free again without a diagnosis, especially with his age and trying to fit in with peers. Celiac can be very hard to diagnose...it took doctors over ten years to diagnose my daughter and over twenty years for me. I've got another older son that probably has it too, but won't get tested. AS too.

For me, it didn't matter what I did. It was not physically possible for my body to function that early. It's ridiculous how early some high schools start classes. Mine would start at 7:20 AM, and most of the kids were walking zombies for the first couple of classes. Start at 9:00, I say. It would be far more productive.

I would say his evening eating patterns are like other teens...nonstop. He comes home from school and fixes himself a hotpocket or frozen pizza, has a bowl of popcorn or chips, eats supper with us later (though never any veggies), then has a bowl or two of cereal and more chips or pretzels. He's going through a growth spurt right now, but he had the symptoms of low blood sugar long before that. In the mornings, he sometimes doesn't want to eat at all. At school, he gets a lunch and lots of add ons like hot pretzels, fries, or other junk food. He definitely needs a better breakfast.

Since he's currently so heavy on the carbs, I'd suggest some protein before bed, to try to even things out a little. Moving away from carbs might be a good idea in general - they make low blood sugar feel better for a while, but can make things worse in the long term. But I have my own little carboholic, so I know that's easier said than done.

CCat
Your description of his diet makes me cringe but I really wouldn't wish the task of trying to change a teen-aged boy's eating habits on my worst enemy! I agree with willaful, those are some disturbingly low blood sugar levels. You could try making some changes a little bit at a time. Replace some of the snacky foods with lower carb options that he might still find tasty, nuts, beef jerky, string cheese, pork rinds (laugh if you must they have the crunch of a chip without all the starch). It is hard becasue most of the conveniently prepared foods are high in simple carbs. Remember that not all carbs are bad. Compelx carbs can be an important part of the diet because they provide some of what the person is craving. Whole wheat bread or crackers made from whole grains can satisfy the craving for grains without over stimulating the pancreas as much as white bread and potato chips. My personal experience was that the changes built on themselves. I changed a few things and started feeling better and more changes became easier to make.

His diet makes ME cringe. I eat tons of veggies and could survive on them, beans, lentils and brown rice. He's exactly the opposite. He eats meat and carbs only. I puree veggies all the time and try to slip them into his foods, but he can detect the tiniest taste of veggies or speck of green. He's had problems since he was really small, anything with a strange texture or taste set off his gag reflex, especially any kind of vegetable. He loves beef jerky, it never lasts a day here. Once in a while he'll eat nuts, which surprised me. I made spiced nuts and he really liked them, so that is definitely a good option. He only eats American cheese, or melted mozzarella on pizza. The pork rinds might go over.

if he wont eat before he goes out the door, pack him some of those spicey nuts, a single dose yogurt, and some orangejuice to consume on the bus, when he finally does wake up.

write the school a letter "excusing your son from tardy punishment" because you feel his lates were justified and acceptable to you, his parent. If they would like to discuss your reasons, here is your phone number.

tell him that his missing the bus is happenning too much. That it disturbs the flow of the house. Get an alarm clock for the couch room and set it for 4 minutes before the bus. Arrange with him that every time he misses the bus, you get to add 100grams of vegetables to his dinner plate.

Edit: --- Nah Forget all that ---
Try this:
Put a glass of orange juice beside his bed 10 minutes before the alarm goes off, or before you try and wake him up.

1. The rustle of you being in his room will "start the waking process" before the actual waking process. "Priming" him to awaken at due time.
2. The orange juice will be there when he does open his eyes. He may or may not drink it, but there will be at least a few days where he does - if only as an excuse to delay sitting up and moving.

Try it on your daughter too.

Here's a thought: Maybe the gf diet may need to be revisited. I am on a gf diet (although not a confirmed celiac) and my ONLY symptom was zombie like sleepiness all day, but especially in the mornings. Hunting around on the net for something unrelated planted a seed of an idea that gluten could be my problem. After 3 weeks of an increase of zombie like sleepiness (typical withdrawal), my energy levels normalized.