Hi, I'm new to this all and it's been a horrid shock. Can anyone tell me what her bg levels should be and why they can rise suddenly from say 5 to 24 for no obvious reason?
Daughter 8 with Type 1
- Thread starter ginx
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ginx said:
Hi just wanted to say welcome i'm new to all this too found out my 10 year old daughter had type one just under 3 weeks ago and yes its a horrid shock, this is a great site ive found lots of help etc through reading posts, sure someone in the know will post soon as to why that might be, my daughters BG levels were like that for the first week but seem to have settled a little... there now between 5-9 but she is having hypo's often and seems to be hight through they night so confusing
Joanne
Debloubed
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Hi Ginx, so sorry to hear about your daughter but you've come to the right place, loads of people who actually have type 1 on here so lots of advice available! Which insulin has your daughter been put on? and what is she eating when she spikes up high? it's such early days but going forward, you and she can learn how to carb count and how to adjust her insulin doses to cover what she is eating. I would imagine at the moment you are using the same dose before meals? That could explain the jump from 5 to 24?
Speak to your nurse too, she can help you with dose adjustment
Speak to your nurse too, she can help you with dose adjustment
Sorry to hear about the new diagnosis. We understand the shock and grief you are facing.
Big spikes are sometimes just due to timing issues but in the beginning you really just need to take things slowly and cautiously. There is always some reason that blood sugar has gone up or down but sometimes you never find the cause. Kids can and do go up and down very rapidly and it might be a little while before you get the pieces falling into place. Don't panic about the high spikes but by keeping records you will form a picture of when and what insulin to increase to correct them. It is more important to avoid hypos. Read the total carbohydrate content on lables to try and work out how much insulin she needs with how many carbs. Lots of trial and error!
Wishing you and your daughter all the best. It's a very steep learning curve that eventually just becomes a part of your day.
Big spikes are sometimes just due to timing issues but in the beginning you really just need to take things slowly and cautiously. There is always some reason that blood sugar has gone up or down but sometimes you never find the cause. Kids can and do go up and down very rapidly and it might be a little while before you get the pieces falling into place. Don't panic about the high spikes but by keeping records you will form a picture of when and what insulin to increase to correct them. It is more important to avoid hypos. Read the total carbohydrate content on lables to try and work out how much insulin she needs with how many carbs. Lots of trial and error!
Wishing you and your daughter all the best. It's a very steep learning curve that eventually just becomes a part of your day.
Thank you so much for your message, it really helps. Her levels haven't improved overnight; 4.6 before bed and 4.0 this morning before breakfast. Hypos scare me. We gave her three dextrose sweets this morning then breakfast. I am wondering if it is my fault for giving her a tiny milky bar (chocolate) after tea yesterday ... 7g carbohydrate. The nurse said it was ok to give her small amounts of chocolate if it was with a meal and counted with the carbs which we did. But I do wonder if it was that. No more chocolate. But it was low yesterday before the chocolate. I worry we're miscalculating the insulin but my husband's a chemist and my elder son very good at maths so we all check. Fortunately we tend to eat the same kind of meals (rather dull but practical) so it's getting easier. I've noticed people here note the medication their kids are having and family but I am new to chatrooms so am finding replying difficult!
My daughter has novorapid 0.5 per 10g after each meal and 5 units of glargine before bed. We take her blood levels before each meal. We've been told an evening snack is very important but keep it very low in sugar.
I also have a 12 year old son, 11 year old daughter, and 4 year old son. My 11 year old has just started secondary school and is very resentful she is missing out on attention, my 4 year old has just started school and is very tired and hungry and wants biscuits and sweets after school. It is not a peaceful household and meals are a nightmare. Hey ho. Got to get used to it. I don't work!
Thank you to everyone who replied.
My daughter has novorapid 0.5 per 10g after each meal and 5 units of glargine before bed. We take her blood levels before each meal. We've been told an evening snack is very important but keep it very low in sugar.
I also have a 12 year old son, 11 year old daughter, and 4 year old son. My 11 year old has just started secondary school and is very resentful she is missing out on attention, my 4 year old has just started school and is very tired and hungry and wants biscuits and sweets after school. It is not a peaceful household and meals are a nightmare. Hey ho. Got to get used to it. I don't work!
Thank you to everyone who replied.
Debloubed
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- 828
- Type of diabetes
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- Pump
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- When people say 'Pacific' instead of 'Specific' :-)
Hi ya, sounds like you're doing a grand job so early on! 4 and 4.6 are low but below 4 is Hypo. You are right to be cautious but it's good you are not seeing readings below 4. and yes, your daughter should be allowed chocolate! Keep at it, write everything down to show your DN and you may find that your ratio 0.5 to 10g needs to be adjusted at different times of the day. It's a big learning curve, I've been type 1 for 25 years and I'm still learning! Sounds to me like you are doing well, keep on keeping on as they say
I seem to have written in several areas. My daughter is 8 diagnosed 3 weeks ago with type 1. I'd like some advice on food if anyone has any. Her levels were 4 at 7am, 8 at 11am, 7 at 1230pm, followed by PE - I thought exercise bought levels down? But hers were then 11.9 at 4pm and she was moaning about being hungry. I gave her a carrot (I know I'm not generous but that's what she used to eat pre-diabetes as otherwise she won't eat tea) but do not understand how it can go up from 7 to 11.9 after exercise (running outside)? If she is hungry, should she be allowed a biscuit when she's at 11.9? I was worried she was going below 4. I just cannot tell. Do diabetic children need more snacks? :?:
Hello Ginx,
Excersise does push blood sugars higher, do a search in the forum for excersise, there's a lot of information and tips there.
A carrot is a good choice for a snack if she is high, a biscuit would be a bad idea unless you were going to inject insulin to cover it. What insulin is she on?
Excersise does push blood sugars higher, do a search in the forum for excersise, there's a lot of information and tips there.
A carrot is a good choice for a snack if she is high, a biscuit would be a bad idea unless you were going to inject insulin to cover it. What insulin is she on?
Thanks for tips about looking in exercise forum. I'm still finding my way around. I imagine there are lots of web sites with chat rooms on diabetes? A friend says there's one on Facebook. Perhaps I should join ...
Regarding my daughter's hunger after PE, should I let her have a biscuit when her levels were high? She needs to put weight on (being thin and having lost weight before diagnosis three weeks ago) Knowing sweet things sends levels straight up, I didn't dare give a biscuit. Sweet things are a problem. Everyone wants something sweet after tea but I don't dare give anything out. The nurse said we could if I counted it as carbs but yesterday I did just that and her level dropped to 4.0 at bedtime. I think it was the tiny bar of chocolate (just 7g).
She is on 0.5 units per 10g carbohydrate (think that sounds right!) Novarapid after three meals a day, and 5 units of slow releasing insulin over night that lasts 24 hours (can't remember the name). The nurse today suggested going to 1unit per 10g carb (easier to calculate!) but we're just not sure.
Regarding my daughter's hunger after PE, should I let her have a biscuit when her levels were high? She needs to put weight on (being thin and having lost weight before diagnosis three weeks ago) Knowing sweet things sends levels straight up, I didn't dare give a biscuit. Sweet things are a problem. Everyone wants something sweet after tea but I don't dare give anything out. The nurse said we could if I counted it as carbs but yesterday I did just that and her level dropped to 4.0 at bedtime. I think it was the tiny bar of chocolate (just 7g).
She is on 0.5 units per 10g carbohydrate (think that sounds right!) Novarapid after three meals a day, and 5 units of slow releasing insulin over night that lasts 24 hours (can't remember the name). The nurse today suggested going to 1unit per 10g carb (easier to calculate!) but we're just not sure.
Hi Ginx,
Welcome to the forum. It might be worth starting a new topic to get the replies you are after.
I find it better to give a small snack before exercise. Even though exercise does initially push blood sugar levels up I have found that my son can go rather low in the middle of the night after a very exciting and active day. I would wait for a few hours after exercise to decide whether more insulin is needed as more often than not the bsl is back in range by then.
Considering the small amount of insulin your daughter is on I imagine she is still producing some of her own insulin (the honeymoon phase).
If kids need and want to eat I think it is important to let them. I try and think that diabetes is for life and there is no magic cure just around the corner. You can always just give more insulin if the snack exceeds the carb allowance. You can even leave it up to your child to decide if they want the carb snack and the needle or some other snack that doesn't contain so much carb. This might help stop the resentment of the child with diabetes not being able to eat what everyone else is having and the resentment of the rest of the family feeling like they are being punished because of one member of the family. You'll also face the problem of giving your daughter lollies to treat a hypo and the others missing out. Anyway, I hope you can just manage to keep the same rules you had before diabetes rather than diabetes making rules for you.
One day your daughter will be taking care of her own diabetes and learning to make good choices about what foods to eat and portion control will be a big part of having a long and healthy life.
I don't know how you could say with 4 kids 'you don't work!' You have 3 full time jobs with overtime for diabetes management.
Welcome to the forum. It might be worth starting a new topic to get the replies you are after.
I find it better to give a small snack before exercise. Even though exercise does initially push blood sugar levels up I have found that my son can go rather low in the middle of the night after a very exciting and active day. I would wait for a few hours after exercise to decide whether more insulin is needed as more often than not the bsl is back in range by then.
Considering the small amount of insulin your daughter is on I imagine she is still producing some of her own insulin (the honeymoon phase).
If kids need and want to eat I think it is important to let them. I try and think that diabetes is for life and there is no magic cure just around the corner. You can always just give more insulin if the snack exceeds the carb allowance. You can even leave it up to your child to decide if they want the carb snack and the needle or some other snack that doesn't contain so much carb. This might help stop the resentment of the child with diabetes not being able to eat what everyone else is having and the resentment of the rest of the family feeling like they are being punished because of one member of the family. You'll also face the problem of giving your daughter lollies to treat a hypo and the others missing out. Anyway, I hope you can just manage to keep the same rules you had before diabetes rather than diabetes making rules for you.
One day your daughter will be taking care of her own diabetes and learning to make good choices about what foods to eat and portion control will be a big part of having a long and healthy life.
I don't know how you could say with 4 kids 'you don't work!' You have 3 full time jobs with overtime for diabetes management.
