Could this be a sign of diabetes?

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Liamg0

Newbie
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2
My eleven year old daughter, who is fit and well, really struggles if she does not eat meals bang on time. She gets very pale and irritable, this goes within minutes of having something to eat. She doesn't show any of the other signs of diabetes that I've read about on the website. Any advice would be most welcome. Is it just her age, or should I have our GP give her a check? Thanks.
 
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Katharine

Well-Known Member
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She could have low blood sugars before meals. This is not necessarily a sign of diabetes. Women get this more than men. What may help is upping the protein content of her meals as this digests very slowly over 5-8 hours.

My son has type one but I am not diabetic. I used to get the same way -even as far as becoming very irritable and physically uncoordinated. This has resolved since I started eating a lower carb/higher protein/higher fat diet.
 
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Trinkwasser

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,468
Katharine said:
She could have low blood sugars before meals. This is not necessarily a sign of diabetes. Women get this more than men. What may help is upping the protein content of her meals as this digests very slowly over 5-8 hours.

My son has type one but I am not diabetic. I used to get the same way -even as far as becoming very irritable and physically uncoordinated. This has resolved since I started eating a lower carb/higher protein/higher fat diet.
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Did you ever try any intensive testing? Would be interesting if you had before and after numbers to compare.

Unfortunately I don't either but my very limited experience of testing the Healthy High Carb Low Fat diet as written on my Diabetes leaflet, and memory of how I felt, suggests I was banging back and forth between 10 and upwards and four or less several times a day. Now if I go much over 6 I start to get paranoid.
 
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Trinkwasser

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,468
Liamg0 said:
My eleven year old daughter, who is fit and well, really struggles if she does not eat meals bang on time. She gets very pale and irritable, this goes within minutes of having something to eat. She doesn't show any of the other signs of diabetes that I've read about on the website. Any advice would be most welcome. Is it just her age, or should I have our GP give her a check? Thanks.
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The GP may test at the wrong time to show anything up. If you were able you could get a glucometer and check her BG fasting, 1/2, 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours after eating, see if it shows up a spike followed by a drop - Reactive Hypoglycemia. The treatment is basically to reduce carbs until this does not happen, controlling the highs should make the lows go away on their own.

As Katherine says, a diet replacing some of the carbs (especially in the morning) with fats, more protein (especially good at breakfast) and a load of stuff like this

http://www.diabetic-talk.org/freeveggies.htm

ought to help level things out. More exercise is also beneficial.

If this doesn't help then there's a different problem.
 
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