my 10 yr old stays low all night

ashleesmom · #1 (**permalink**) 10-08-2009, 10:46 PM

my daughter was diagnosed about a year ago. Shes 10. She used to never get sick and now shes always sick. If not a headache..its her stomache. We have to change her doses all the time. She is prepuberty but when I start to pms her numbers go up and stay up til im done. Last 5 months like clockwork. Im a 21 day cycle and I swear shes on it with me. Her headaches are worse during that time I assume its cuz shes higher then. Shes recently been having lows 20-50 all night long. I feed her every 30 minutes and retest and she'll still be low. .Doc says keep feeding and testing and eventually she'll come up. Theyve lowered her insilin down to 2 units and last week it was 18. Does this happen a lot? Thelast 5 nights Ive been up til 3 or 4 am re testing and feeding her. Sometimes 30 carbs at a time. Im single mom of 3kids. 18 month 3 years and 10yrs. I get so angry with the highs , lows, aches and pains. The doc tells me that with her in prepuberty and then real puberty its gunna be a bit shaky but this feels insane to me. We have 3 different scales for each meal and they have to change it all the time. I m scared to death of what will happen if she actually gets a flu bug or a cold. Because I have to test her so much , we run out of supplies cuz ins wont pay for extra stuff and I cant work cuz shes at home with high keytones for a week then ok for a week then home for 2 days then ok for a few. God bless her little heart tho she and I keep thanking god its not cancer or somethin. Thats how we deal! she suggested we ask for donations of beads etc and make necklaces to make money to buy the xtra test strips. I told her that was a good idea and she said shed rather give any extra money to to find a cure for cancer rather thatn for diabetes cuz those kids are more sick than her. Proud Mom of three here, didnt mean to go on and on but Ive never been on line to try a forum thingy and have no one to talk to but the doc and ash.

ashleesmom · #2 (**permalink**) 10-08-2009, 11:19 PM

ooooops I did it wrong, I went to a thread about diabetes and headaches andi guess i replied to a thread but if u read this would u go to the headache one and read what I wrote. dont know what im doin cuz im no good with computers or diabetes type 1 . Im too tired to re write what I already wrote in the headache and diabetes parent category but oddly i feel better after venting.

Harold · #3 (**permalink**) 10-10-2009, 01:04 PM

Took the liberty to move your misplaced post. You should get some responses now.

Moonglo · #4 (**permalink**) 10-10-2009, 01:12 PM

What are you feeding her when she goes low? I know you say 30 grams of carbs, but what kind of carbs? And is she having protein with these carbs? If so, the carbs won't get to work as fast as you want them to. I wish I knew more about type 1, but I hope others come along soon with better answers than mine. I know it must be frustrating to have her going through all that.

butterflykisses · #5 (**permalink**) 10-10-2009, 01:37 PM

If your insurance will pay for an insulin pump I would seriously consider it. You (or she) would be able to change her basal insulin (background, long acting insulin) with a few button pushes and the change would be almost immediate. This would be much better than having to wait until her next long acting injection to make changes. She'd also be able to instantly up her basal when her insulin needs go up.

fairyblood · #6 (**permalink**) 10-10-2009, 02:28 PM

One thing I would suggest beyond, perhaps lowing her basals and making sure you are using fast acting carbs, would be checking out this forum for parents with children with diabetes: Parents of Children with Type 1 - Children with Diabetes Forums

Not that DF isn't great but that forum is more suited for issues with children and teens. Wherein DF is a little more adult oriented. You might get more of a response at CWD then here. Good luck and feel free to post more.

ant hill · #7 (**permalink**) 10-10-2009, 05:38 PM

I would back off on the insulin at a unit at a time and of course test. To get out of lows is to recover fast and that is high and fast carbohydrates like OJ with sugar, Jelly beans, Even a chocolate bar. If she is high in BG then go for a walk in the park or something physical. Balance is the key to a happy child.

Richard157 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-10-2009, 05:55 PM

Hello there! I have been a Type 1 diabetic for 64 years and I was diagnosed when I was 6 years old. My early years were also very difficult and I had some bad hypos at night. I have not only survived ut I am very healthy and have no diabetes complications. I think you should talk to other parents who have young children with diabetes. I am sending you a private message. Look for it at the top of the page, on the right hand side.

If you buy the Relion meter at Walmart the strips cost about 42 cents each. That is much less expensive than the strips sold for name brand meters. I like the Relion meter and it can save you money.

Good luck to you and your daughter!

Richard

HollyB · #9 (**permalink**) 10-13-2009, 12:57 PM

Hi Ashlee's mom,

I understand your worry and frustration -- yes, kids that age and in puberty can have volatile BGs but days of high ketones and all-night lows are a sign that something is really off. And too many extreme highs and lows could certainly explain the headaches and stomachaches your daughter's been having.

Are you able to make your own adjustments or do you have to wait for your medical team to review Ashlee's records and suggest changes? I think the key to responding quickly and effectively to children's changing needs is to have the knowledge and confidence to do this yourself.

Start with some good books -- Think Like A Pancreas, by Gary Schneider, and Type 1 Diabetes: A guide for children, young adults and their caregivers, by Ragnar Hanas are both very good. I'd encourage you too to visit the Parents of children with diabetes forums -- some really knowledgeable parents there who can help you wrestle with puberty. And then maybe some systematic testing/adjusting is in order, starting with nighttime so you can both feel safe while your daughter sleeps. (And yes, I'm afraid the adjustments are pretty much ongoing until she's done with puberty and growing).

Good luck, and I hope you are able to figure out what's going on. Your daughter should be able to feel very well (and you have a decent sleep) most of the time.

One last thought -- has your daughter recently taken up a sport or other activity? Exercise can cause delayed lows hours later. Re: the pms connection -- stress will raise BGs. If she's picking up on your stress, or worried that you'll be angry about her high numbers, that could be working against you.

Laty · #10 (**permalink**) 10-15-2009, 12:51 PM

It is quite typical age for a girl to react to things physically, some might even feel they are blind or something. Usually they are not and they and their patients are told "it is functional" and will pass by it self.
Usually there might be somekind of stress in the family.
These aches could be a way to seek attention, which the smaller ones in the family get for sure, but the eldest might get less than needed, though all this concern about sugar levels.
The pain or other possible symptom is real for the child.

Maybe You could benefit of less basal insulin and of low-carb, more fat (and veggies) in diet ?

I guess You all must be very tired, I hope You can get a good piece of sleep somehow.

viewingpete · #11 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 09:31 AM

Hi iv.e been a type1 diabetic for 41yrs i,m 44 now and it was a nightmare when i was younger. The only thing that helped me was when my doctor put me on the novopen,Im on novorapid and levemir.1 injection of levemir at 1800 and then when i eat have the novorapid ,The novorapid supposedly only lasts in your system for 1 1/2 hours , I am in the UK so dont know if its any help but it was a godsend for me, eat anytime i want , at bedtime my sugars stayed pretty level through the night ,hope this helps

HollyB · #12 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 10:01 AM

Oh dear, be careful with that thought about Novorapid. It PEAKS in about an hour and a half, but continues to keep working (and dropping your BG) for -- well, it varies from person to person but say 3 to 5 hours. Aaron has to really watch how much of his bedtime snack dose is still working at bedtime or he'll go low in the night.

viewingpete · #13 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 04:00 PM

I think people need to try different insulins and hopefully you find the right 1,Like i said it gave me a new lease of life and freedom,I moniter bloood suger levels all the time but we dont pay for test strips in the UK,

ant hill · #14 (**permalink**) 10-23-2009, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HollyB

Oh dear, be careful with that thought about Novorapid. It PEAKS in about an hour and a half, but continues to keep working (and dropping your BG) for -- well, it varies from person to person but say 3 to 5 hours. Aaron has to really watch how much of his bedtime snack dose is still working at bedtime or he'll go low in the night.

Yes But in some people. While he's young, The Novorapid will work as they say it would as the child grows up the effectiveness deteriorates and become NovoSlow!!

Fat = Insulin Resistance.