Urgent advice needed please

layla42

Active Member
Messages
29
Hi,

I am just wondering if it is safe to take my 3 year old (type 1 diabetic) DD to softplay today - she has been running high on her blood sugars all day and I thought it might bring them down. But I feel like I've read somewhere that she shouldn't exercise with high blood sugar - can anyone tell me please?

Her blood sugar when she woke up was 11 (it's usually "normal"). Before lunch it was 15.something, again it's usually "normal". I made her walk home from school (we usually drive as it's quite a long walk up a steep hill) and gave her a relatively low-carb lunch, but also a treat size milky way before gymnastics, as it's boiling hot in there and they run round for 45 minutes. After gymnastics she was 19.something and now 21.something without anything to eat since!!

She is on Mixtard30 in the morning and Lantus at bedtime, I do have some Novorapid and give 2 units at teatime if her blood sugar is over 12. Any advice please, I wanted to take her at 4pm (as they do a play-and-tea session). The diabetic nurse is not answering her phone.

Thanks, Layla
 

hazey276

Well-Known Member
Messages
177
Hi, I may be shot down by other readers but i think that if your blood sugar is over 15 you shouldn't take part in any physical exercise. It, for whatever reason, actully raises your blood sugar levels even higher.

Hope this helps

Hazey
 

DiabeticSkater

Well-Known Member
Messages
176
I would say ask your girl how she feels. is she able to convey this sort of info to you? personally I would not do anything with a bg of 21.
 

layla42

Active Member
Messages
29
Thank you!! That is something along the lines of what I'd been thinking, though I couldn't remember if I had it right or not. I will test again in 10 mins and not take her if it's still high.

Thanks again for the quick and helpful reply! Layla x
 

LittleSue

Well-Known Member
Messages
647
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi Layla
I agree with Hazey.
She probably won't feel much like running around anyway if she's high.
I'm not a doctor but if she's 21+ it sounds like you need to give her some Novorapid to bring it down, if it keeps going up she could be in trouble.
Sue
 

DiabeticSkater

Well-Known Member
Messages
176
I would also say give her plenty of fluids. dehydration at high numbers can be a real problem and can often make ya feel more unwell than the high itself.
 

layla42

Active Member
Messages
29
She's drunk some water and it's 20.something now. I have told her she can't go unless it comes down. She doesn't really have any awareness of whether she feels good or bad. I wish I'd checked her before gymnastics as that might have made it worse.

I'll give her some Novorapid before her tea - do you think that sounds right or should I give it now, before teatime, just as a correction? (she has tea about 4.30 usually). Our consultant retired on Friday and I don't have the number for the replacement!

Layla x
 

LittleSue

Well-Known Member
Messages
647
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
You could give the correction now or with her tea at 4.30. Seem easiest to just add it to her tea jab as its not long to wait. On the other hand she may not want to eat while its 20 but get hungry later when it starts to come down.
Sue
 

layla42

Active Member
Messages
29
Thank you for your help!!!

I remembered later that Grace's injection had gone funny in the morning yesterday - the needle seemed to jam. I put on another needle and gave her the remaining insulin (6 units) but I guess some of it got lost somewhere. I can't believe I forgot that. My 22 month old son has been waking me between 4.30 and 5.30 every day for 2 weeks though so I can't barely remember my name at the moment!
 

Katharine

Well-Known Member
Messages
819
Hi Zombie Mum,

Quite often when you start the day with high blood sugars you end up chasing it all day trying to get it down.

If a blocked needle wasn't the cause today, it could be that your daughter is coming down with a virus or infection. My sons sugars go up "for no reason" for two days before every cold.

When you are brewing an infection you produce lots of cortisol to fight the infection. Your body knows you are ill before you do! This cortisol works against the insulin making the cells in the body less responsive to the insulin. You are therefore in a relatively insulin deficient state at these times.

The way of dealing with this is to correct the blood sugars with enough insulin. This can often be a lot more than you usually need to give.

Once the sugars are over 13 you need to check the urine or blood for ketones. Your GP can prescribe these or you can buy ketone testing strips over the counter from the chemist. They are not expensive but expire six months after the lid is opened.

If the blood sugar is over 13 with no ketones you give an extra dose of rapid acting insulin to the formula 10% of the total daily insulin dose in units = basal insulin + usual total of all meal insulins.

If there are ketones as well you make the correction dose 20% of the total daily dose.

Do this every 2.5 hours until her sugars go below 10.

You will need to seek help from the hospital team (there is usually a diabetic nurse on call) if you haven't done this before, are not sure why your daughter is ill (if she becomes ill), or if her sugars don't come down with one or two correction shots.

I think you have too much to do to go to the playgroup and activity will be likely to push her sugars higher.