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My child

E

Emmy74

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hi all,

My child has been diagnosed with type 1, we as a family have no real history or dealings with any type of diabetes. So to say this was a shock is an massive understatement! Even though it has only been a few weeks he is adapting really well!

Thing is he also has ASD, his hyper sensitivity is flavour/texture/noise, so we are struggling with what to do if he has a hypo! He will not even entertain the glucose tabs, flavoured drinks etc. The best we have found to try is the glucogel, he hasn't had a hypo (yet thank god), but we let him try a small amount, he did manage it BUT didn't like the rubbing it in to his mouth! I have been having a little look online at the gluco juices, they would be perfect! BUT for what I can see they only come in 2 flavours in the UK, berry & lemon and lime, he has flatly refused either after smelling them!!

So on to my actual question!

Are there any flavourless/textureless alternatives? I have seen a few things pop up online, but I don't want to go buying loads of different things if they aren't going to be suitable etc!

Could somebody please offer some advice! All is welcome and thank you in advance!
 
Hi @Emmy74 Does he like full sugar drinks like Lucozade or Coke? Or fruit juice?

You can buy unflavoured glucose powder and stir it into water, but I've never tried it so don't know how it tastes.

Also, would he take a crushed glucose tablet with a tiny amount of water or jam or similar?

Or how,about sweets like jelly babies?

Kendalls Mint Cake?

Let us know what flavours he likes and I'm sure you'll get mor suggestions
 
Last edited:

Hi,

Thanks for the quick response. No he will not entertain ANY sweets, fizzy drinks, squashes, jam etc! Also if there were to be any grains in the water that the tablet had been ground in to he would just throw up.

We looked at the powders, but not sure he would cope with doing them alone? Unless we measured them out and put them in to 'baggies'?

Thanks again!
 
welcome here Emmy74
hope you´ll find lots of information and help from other fellow parents in here <3
 
how about mixin it in some yoghurt then ? or icecream ?
 

Is it the sweetness he struggles with or something else? What was it about the glucojuice that you thought he would like in preference to other sweet drinks?
 
Milk and sugar?
 
azure said:
Is it the sweetness he struggles with or something else? What was it about the glucojuice that you thought he would like in preference to other sweet drinks?
Click to expand...

Hi,

He hates the 'feel' of fizzy drinks, he hates the 'funny' taste of squash! He HATED (with gagging) the smell of the Gluco Juice! These are his words, not mine. It is his way of explaining, he struggles with explanations etc because of his ASD. He does love 'proper' fruit juices, looking for something that is in a small carton that doesn't have to be refridgerated, got some apple juice yesterday.

Just worrying that we aren't using 'Medical' stuff, do you get what I mean? We truly knew NOTHING about the proper diabetic diet before now, were under the same misconception that you manage sugar and sweet stuff! Just want to make sure we're doing the best for him as he struggles to make these choices and decisions himself!Also the gluco juice, we thought he'd be more inclined to use it as it is clear and texture free!

Thanks again
 
We used to heat it up in microwave for 30 seconds...you could always add a glucogel into it.

I have a tommee tippee mug as I have been known to hurl things years ago whilst hypo.

Tommee tippee enables it to be constantly shaken without spillage and would allow the glucogel to mix in to it...
 
Emmy74 said:
No he will not entertain ANY sweets, fizzy drinks,
Click to expand...

What if you let the fizzy drinks go flat, you could then portion it up into individual bottles (enough to treat a hypo).
 
The mini cartons of orange juice would be ok. Also, mini cartons of 'friuit drinks' eg Ribena BUT do check they have sugar in. Far too many seem to have sweetners now.

Hypo treatments don't have to be 'medical' Although glucose tablets are called 'tablets' there's nothing medical about them. A hypo treatment just has to be sweet and quickly absorbed.

How old is your son?
 

Hi,

Again a misconception on our part! This is all so new!! He likes the fruit based juices, but not squashes (as he sees them?) such as ribena etc.

He is 13

Thanks
 
noblehead said:
What if you let the fizzy drinks go flat, you could then portion it up into individual bottles (enough to treat a hypo).
Click to expand...

Hi, He doesn't like the 'feel' or generally the 'funny taste' as he puts it! I kinda get what he means but it is so difficult to explain!

Thanks for the reply
 
Emmy74 said:
Hi, He doesn't like the 'feel' or generally the 'funny taste' as he puts it! I kinda get what he means but it is so difficult to explain!

Thanks for the reply
Click to expand...

Very difficult @Emmy74 , perhaps you should have a word with his diabetes care team to see if they can suggest something. Best wishes and hope you get sorted.
 

Theres plenty of little 200ml cartons of orange juice / apple juice that have about 15 g of carbs, all sugar, don't need keeping in the fridge and perfect for treating a hypo.

You don't need anything medical to treat a hypo, you just need fast acting sugar.

Baby food is a good place to look for the pouches/pots of fruit purée. They're usually 15-18g of carbs and don't need refrigerating - a bit more like a smoothie than squash. Anything with banana or tropical fruit in will be have fast acting sugar for good hypo treatment.
 
Is this the same 13 year old that has been asking about hypo treatment on the forum this week who said they had texture issues? Without the full picture it does sound to me like some parental responsibility is needed here.
 
Emmy74 said:
He does love 'proper' fruit juices, looking for something that is in a small carton that doesn't have to be refridgerated, got some apple juice yesterday
Click to expand...

You've found your own answer! Apple juice is a common hypo treatment for lots of people. The fruit sugar in it, fructose, is one of the simplest sugars, pretty much as simple as glucose, so, especially already dissolved, will get to where it needs to be pretty quickly.

How about honey? Plenty of light, soft, smooth flavours to experiment with. It's about 90% neat sugar so has the sort of sugar content you're looking for to deal with a hypo. Bit messy to carry a jar and teaspoon around, but might be handy at home.

Emmy74 said:
were under the same misconception that you manage sugar and sweet stuff!
Click to expand...

Generally it is a case of managing sugar and sweet stuff, but hypos are an emergency situation which actively require some (not a lot) of quick acting basic sugar like glucose. Your DSN will keep you right about the amount.
 
noblehead said:
Very difficult @Emmy74 , perhaps you should have a word with his diabetes care team to see if they can suggest something. Best wishes and hope you get sorted.
Click to expand...


Hi,

Yes I will, his 'back to school' has been a bit of a rush, he has been off for a few weeks as he has been so poorly! But I will definitly consult with them!
Thanks
 
mahola said:
If the "texture issue" is psychological and not a physical issue, I'd be limiting options and telling my child to "eat this or die".

I'm a monster momma
Click to expand...


Hi,

That isn't really what this is, as my son as Autism and is hyper sensitive to texture/flavour. I am very 'harsh' with many of his 'issues' and he has overcome many and learned to deal with others. But with this I won't chance anything, I will be looking at every avenue that 'fits' with him and what he feels comfortable with.

Thanks
 
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