[kel4han]

My husband thinks our 6yr old (dx'd in Dec) should have her own meter at school, (besides the one in the nurses office) and bypass the nurse for checking her own numbers when she feels "low". He thinks she can take her glucose quicker this way if needed. I cant believe I married such an idiot. I just want to scream what the #$@! is wrong with you, you idiot! Dont get me wrong, I completely intend on her managing herself as she gets older, but HELLO! We are 2months into this, and we are 6 for gods sake! I feel disgusted that he could even think it was so simple. Just had to get that out.

[Emm]

Why are you against the idea?

[SueM]

There is nothing on earth wrong with a 6 yr old testing her blood sugar, most 6 yr olds do their own shots too if diagnosed at about 5 yrs of age.
Let your youngster progress so she feels as if she has some control. The more you smother and control her the more she will rebel as time goes on.

[mzizgayle]

I also feel she should be given the chance to learn to manage on her own, along with monitoring from the school nurse and of course her parents. They are never too young to learn. I just saw on TV, a 4 year old boy knew exactly what to do when his mother fell into a diabetic coma at home. They started working with him at the age of 2. This is going to be with her for the rest of her life and the sooner she does learn, the more she will be able to accept this.

[JediSkipdogg]

I can see this both ways. I however (remember this was when meters weren't as common) went to the nurses office till 1996 for testing, all through elementary and middle school. Not until high school did I have a meter to carry with me and test when I wanted.

I think part of the benefit is it depends on how good your child is with making corrections themselves. If they are running low, do they know how much to eat without going super high. Sometimes a nurse may be better help with that. I think ultimately it depends on how comfortable you, the school, and your child are.

[right2fight]

Hi, The sooner she learns how to tend to her own needs, the better. Many schools do not have nurses and the people trained to manage her care in school, do not always make the right choices, or seem to be able to follow the health care plan. So, I see no harm in allowing her to test and treat in the classroom, actually it could prevent a severe low while walking to the clinic. My son has always carried glucose tabs in his pocket as well as the required supplies in his lunch box. Best Wishes to you and your familly, Margaret

[samsmom]

The problem is that she may not know what to do with the number...example is that what if she was 250 before she left for school, gets to school 15 min later and feels low, tests and the meter reads 115..while that is not a low number, she may not understand that the 250 to 115 in just a few minutes is quite a drop, 6 is a little young to understand about "continuing to drop"......my sons meter is kept in his classroom and his aid is called whenever he wants to test..he does the testing and the aid oversees the numbers.....she would call me and say "sam feels low, he is at 115" I would direct her what to do becuse i know that he will continue to drop.....so while being able to test whenever is fine, a 6 yr old may have trouble knowing what to do with the number......

shannon

[type1tenorlady]

I don't think 6 years old is necessarily old enough to take complete care of one's diabetes, but your husband has a point that the time it takes for her to tell someone and make her way to the nurse's office is time that is taken away from being treated. I was diagnosed at 11 and there were times when I was with my family and told them that my BG was low (if we were waiting to eat a big meal together for instance) and there were some times they didn't take me seriously until they could see my hands shaking and I started to sweat. This is not to say that the adults at your child's school won't be accommodating, but this is something that she will have to deal with, all day, everyday for the rest of her life (as you know) so the sooner she can learn to take control the better.

[kel4han]

um..the problem is she is six!!! She does use her monitor herself at home, and I do inform her of what her numbers mean every time. I have every intention of her caring for herself and learning as soon as her knowledge permits. The problem is that she can hardly count to 100, much less understand the "timing" of her insulin. There is a big difference being say, 160 feeling like you are dropping fast and being 100 and level. I just think there are too many things to consider and only having 2 months of knowledge with this, it is alot to hand over to a six year old. She is very in tune to dropping fast which to me, is the first step, learning how you feel and what it means. She is NOT a mature child for the age of six. You would think her dad would realize that.

[Emm]

I would completely agree that she's not old enough to have full control of her diabetes - but while it's still new to her its a great time to learn. I'd let her have the meter, but make sure she has to double check with a teacher before taking any action. The more involved she is now, the better she may feel about the whole thing in years to come.

It worries me that she has to walk across the school to see a nurse... what if her BG is falling fast? What if the nurse is busy and she has to sit and wait for 20 minutes? If she can take her own blood sugar then she'll be able to tell someone if it's urgent and hopefully prevent anything going wrong.

If she has her own meter at least you all have a record of what her numbers have been like in between expected tests.

Personally, I can't see any harm in it. So long as she knows how to use it carefully, and to wash her hands, and never let anyone else use it.

[xMenace]

I'm not going to express much of an opinion, but I was driving cars at 6.

There have been several times when I thought my kids had good understandings of certain things only to find out it was a very limited understanding and were not at all prepared to deal with major variation. You need to let her have freedom, but you also need the safeguards in place. What those rules are are up to you.

[right2fight]

I think all of have offered some good advice and as long as she is allowed to test in the classroom, then I would let her and be sure it is written in her health care plan who will be assigned to assist her with her needs, and a backup in the event that person is not available. Be sure to cover your bases so she is always safe and that the school is providing the "due care" she is entitled to.
Best Wishes, Margaret

[sweetcheeks]

Originally Posted by xMenace

I'm not going to express much of an opinion, but I was driving cars at 6.

lol

i was driving my dad's bulldozer at 5..... considering i was sitting in his lap, but none the less i knew how to work the gears and which way they went and what they did.


IMO i think it would depend on the child, 2 months into this maybe a bit too soon, especially if she can barely count or understand her numbers...

i think in one way this would benefit.....if she's under lets say 70 or less then she may need to tell the teacher to get a nurse instead of walking to the nurses office or let the teacher carry her there (if needed)


but i agree with everyone else on her learning and managing as early as her brain and understanding allows her



for instance... i was always really really good with my toys as far as taking care of them, not tearing them up etc (bad example but gets the point across) **most** kids like to tear them up not put them up, and you have to basically yell at them for not taking care of them etc...

i had to start wearing glasses when i was in third grade, I wanted to wear contacts instead later on like in 5th grade. My mother said I wasnt ready for them as i might not take care of them (i could have done it in 5th grade but she refused) I clearly remember taking care of thing really good and not doing anything wrong. so this was a case that earlier wasnt necessarily a bad thing.....



i guess my point is i could have done it, but other kids the same age would have been careless and disregarded the instructions

[delvec]

As you can see theres alotta valid points on both sides. Its great that she learn how to manage and understand everything. However too much info at once is also bad. A 6 year old may know numbers but they also dont know the value of what a large drop means (as already noted). Remember, as of right now, this will be with them for the rest of their lives. As long as theres a constant transition to self care, having help isn't always a bad thing. We, as parents in all honesty, have the choice to walk away. Our precious kids, don't have that option anymore.

As for your hubby. Cut him some slack. He's not an idiot. He is looking at the big picture in terms of your daughters future care, while you are looking at the present picture. Each kid adjusts on their own.

[HollyB]

I have actually been very concerned to find that at so many schools kids are required to go to the nurse's office to test. The thought of a child who is already low tottering down the hall to the nurse would REALLY make me anxious! My son was taught from day one, if in doubt treat first, then test, and we were taught that a kids having a low should never be left alone.

It seems to me a compromise position might be possible, if not now then when she's a little older. If she feels low, your daughter could test and if she is ACTUALLY low (that's an easy thing to teach: below xx), she could eat the number of glucose tabs you prescribe, with the teacher's supervision if you prefer. She could then go to the nurse for follow up/call home if you feel that's important. If she's not technically low, but feels low, she could go to the nurse for advice.