Hot weather and low BG?

 Do insulin needs tend to decrease in the summer? I have  noticed my son getting low frequently, the past couple of hot days. I am trying to keep up, decreasing basal rates and checking him often, but it has been a little stressful. Since this is our first summer with Diabetes, I just wondered if other kids had this problem. He uses the minimed pump, he is 10 years old tomorrow, and a very active kid.  Thanks so much for any input...

Anne (Jeffs Mom)

I think summertime can be a shift, especially for kids.  Kids who are used to being in school (and fairly inactive) are suddenly set loose and become far more active.  We took the kids out on the lake for a day, I was testing our son with T1 every hour or so, feeding him carbs every hour, having him drink a mix of juice/water all day, and only gave him a total of 2 units of Humalog the entire time.  High activity, coupled with heat, seems to drive our son's BS into the lower ranges.  I think there was a similar discussion on the general disucssion board recently, which you may want to check out.

Mo

 

Thanks!  I thought I was crazy checking my son every hour and being the hoover craft of him with the hot weather!  So glad to know I am not alone.  Will check out the general discussion board, as always thanks for making me feel as though I am not alone!

[quote user="Amy"]

Thanks!  I thought I was crazy checking my son every hour and being the hoover craft of him with the hot weather!  So glad to know I am not alone.  Will check out the general discussion board, as always thanks for making me feel as though I am not alone!

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You're welcome :)

My son is 10 and this is also our first summer with T1, and I am in the same boat as you. He is on the omnipod, and I also decrease his basal rates and give him carbs he doesn't bolus for throughout the day and still he falls low. So you are not alone. It has been very frustrating for both my son and me. But I agree it is probably all the increased activity that comes with summer.

Tanya :)

Thanks it helps alot to hear we are not alone. I am starting to think about extra carbs too, I think I have been focusing alot on insulin. Last night I was feeding him while he was in the pool swimming. He was chewing a glucose tab in the water! I just don't see how I can let him out of my sight to play with friends right now with everything so unpredictable. I feel bad, but it's hard to explain this to other parents, even when it's not hot out!

 Thanks for responding :) 

[quote user="Anne"]

Thanks it helps alot to hear we are not alone. I am starting to think about extra carbs too, I think I have been focusing alot on insulin. Last night I was feeding him while he was in the pool swimming. He was chewing a glucose tab in the water! I just don't see how I can let him out of my sight to play with friends right now with everything so unpredictable. I feel bad, but it's hard to explain this to other parents, even when it's not hot out!

 Thanks for responding :) 

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Anne, you'll start getting a better "feel" for how your son responds to the extra activity.  It's only been a couple of months for us, and already I have gotten used to just handing our son a glucose tablet or having him drink 1/2 water 1/2 juice during activity.  Fresh fruits during the summer are great, too.  Also, after he has a couple of lows, your son will begin to recognize when he needs more carbs, and can let you know, and you'll start recognizing the signs earlier, too.  Believe it or not, I was actually kind of relieved after our son had his first low, because then I knew what to expect and how to spot it.

You may also want to talk to your endo about an "alternative" insulin/carb ratio for days of heavy activity (at an amusement park or at the beach all day).  Our dr told us to adjust his Humalog ratio at breakfast (instead of 1:20, give him 1:30), and reduce his Lantus that night (5u instead of 10u), and to test him between 2-3 am in case he drops at night.  Your dr might be able to give you some idea of how to adjust for the extra activity.

Don't worry too much about other parents.  At our first post-dx park day, I took along a single sheet with symptoms of hypoglycemia and asked each one of the moms in the group to take a look at it so they could spot a low if then saw it coming on.  I think it gave them a clearer sense of what we were dealing with, why I needed to be vigilant when we were out and about, and why we wouldn't be quite as active over the summer as we usually are.  Most parents will understand, some won't (like my neighbor who wanted to take the boys out to McDonald's the week after dx).  But, your focus is on your son and keeping him healthy.  Everything else is secondary ;)

Mo