My son Garrett had a frightening experience in a class at school one day. Suddenly he was having difficulty writing. He had a hard time remembering how to spell simple words, and started to feel strange. Dizzily, he walked to the front of the classroom and approached the teacher. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t remember how. He stood in front of the teacher trying to say something, anything, but the words wouldn’t come. Finally a look of understanding crossed the teacher’s face. “You’re a diabetic, aren’t you?” she asked, and quickly led him to the cafeteria, where he was able to drink some juice. Fortunately, this teacher recognized my son’s symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) before he became unconscious.
Children with diabetes need to be encouraged to test their blood sugar at least four to five times a day, and six to eight times would be better. This is especially true because some kids can develop a condition called hypoglycemic unawareness. It means pretty much what it sounds like… the state of being unaware that one’s blood sugar is too low.
Typically, there are very obvious physical symptoms of low blood sugar that a person experiences. Rapid heartbeat, perspiration, shaking, anxiety, hunger, confusion, and irritability are some of these signs.
A diabetic who doesn’t “sense” that he or she is falling into the low blood sugar “danger zone” can literally become unconscious before being able to get help. And this can be a life or death situation.
Tips for Parents
- Get your child into a scheduled routine of testing blood sugar. Testing before eating and sleeping is a good plan. If you are firm in seeing that your child tests before all meals, snacks, and bedtime, eventually it will become a habit.
- If your child gets a low blood sugar reading, especially if it is below 70, treat with a sugar substance. Afterwards, ask about what he was feeling while he was low. Write down the symptoms he describes every time he’s low, and discuss them with your child to help him become more aware.
- Make sure teachers and caregivers are aware of your child’s particular symptoms of hypoglycemia. When in doubt, the teacher or caregiver should give the child juice, soda (not diet) or candy such as sweet tarts (that dissolve quickly).
- Your son or daughter should keep juice boxes or emergency candy on hand for times when symptoms appear.
- By keeping accurate records of your child’s blood sugar readings and insulin doses, you can watch for patterns of low blood sugar. My son Riley was getting low blood sugars every day just before lunchtime. We decided to give one unit less insulin at the breakfast dose. This way we he was less likely to have a dangerous low blood glucose reading prior to lunch.
- Set up rewards for your child when he consistently checks his blood sugar. Plan a movie or trip to someplace fun when she has been testing herself at least five times a day without fail for two weeks or a month.
Kristyn Crow is the author of this blog. Visit her website by clicking here. Some links on this blog may have been generated by outside sources are not necessarily endorsed by Kristyn Crow.
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