My 16 year old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on Dec. 27th 2012. She has been released from the hospital and they are still having us call in blood sugars and making small changes to her insulin dosages. One thing I have noticed is that she is hungry all the time and seems to constantly be eating. She sticks to 15 carbs for her scheduled snacks, but she is eating other NO carb snack at a bunch of other times. I was just wondering is there is a medical reason why she would be so hungry all the time. She's actually been eating more now than before she was diagnosed. I just want to know if I should be concerned.
Hello
After I was put on insulin I felt hungry all the time. I believe its from insulin but you should ask your doctor to be sure.
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Second - I think insulin can make kids hungry but sometimes it is just the adjustment period. My son just needed to eat more at meals. We focused on whole grains and beans and potatoes -things with fiber that fill him up and are very low in calories but full of nutrition to keep him healthy. He hasn't been sick in 7 years. Not once other than a head cold or 2. Just a thought!
Another issue is that your daughter's body was used to a higher blood sugar. Now that it's getting down into the normal range her body feels like it's low, which makes most people hungry. It can take a few weeks or months for her body to adjust to her new normal.
It's more common in newly diagnosed children to have a growth spurt, which requires extra calories. I know your daughter is older but it's still possible her body is making up for lost time. Most people with type 1 diabetes can have diminished glucose absorption and nurtrion for years before they are diagnosed.
And now that your daughter is feeling better, eating probably feels good again. When your blood sugar is high but your body is starving, like her's was before diagnosis, you don't really enjoy your food and the higher blood sugar from eating feels terrible.
Lastly, the 15g of carbohydrate snack isn't very real life. Haven't you ever been STARVING and eaten a bunch? Most people don't do well with a restictive eating plan, but instead do better if they eat when they're hungry. One of the best tools for people with diabetes is carbohydrate counting. Your doctor will recommend a carbohyrate factor which is the number of carbs covered by one unit of insulin (mine is 12:1, so for every 12g of carbohydrate ingested I take 1 unit of insulin). Then your daughter can look up the # of carbohydrates in what she is eating and take short acting insulin to cover that amount. There are apps that give carb counts and also good books like the Calorie King Guide to Calories, Fat and Carbohydrates that you can get at any bookstore or Walmart for about $10. Carb counting isn't an exact science and it takes a little time to learn it. But it also allows a person to eat more normally.
Hi,
My son was diagnosed in2008 and I vaguely remember the same thing. I believe the endo mentioned that for so long his body wasnt truly getting the nourishment it needed, as glucose was not being properly used right before diagnosis. That now his body is almost trying to play catch up.
Could be so many different things, but I agree with Gina ask your endo to be sure :)