It’s not unusual to check while your child is sleeping. Once he’s on a CGM that will do it for you and as you know you can set alerts so you (and he) will know if he’s doing or rising. But parents do go in and do fingersticks - or swipe the Libre if they use that device.
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Thanks Dorie, that’s what I figured and was wondering if our NOT checking was unusual. Just when I think ‘we;re OK for now, in this moment’ something else always comes to mind! I’m definitely getting used to that part things!!
Hi! My daughter is 6 and was diagnosed last November, it was scary when she was so high, but a resident took the time to show me that her labs showed her body had adjusted slowly to being high so that even though she was 500-609 she wasn’t in ketosis. That made me feel better, and it was quite an adjustment checking her blood glucose so many times a day until we found out when her insulin usually starts working, peaks and how long. Being young and in honeymoon, her insulin needs go up and down, but we just learned to make adjustments slowly, especially before she got the cgm. At 3 months, she got the cgm and it has made life so much easier. It is a big job learning to be a pancreas, I hope you have a good endocrinologist office with great diabetes educators. That is a good start, then the Think like a Pancreas is great, and I learned some techniques from Sugar Surfer’s that have been invaluable to have in the toolkit. My daughter is at the point where we could start getting training for a pump, but we will wait a bit longer and enjoy the simplicity of the MDI With dexcom cgm for now, although I am looking forward to her having it someday. It is kind of like how busy having a baby is at the beginning, but as you go on and get more technology the load will lighten up and it will get a bit easier and less time consuming.
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Most people do overnights for peace of mind. It actually sounds like you are getting a little more settled and at peace, so that’s good. I certainly don’t want you to feel bad - you are still learning after all, and feeling more at peace is an important step. Kudos to you!
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Thanks for the info. From a T1D for 68 years, who is still learning.
Roger
Thanks all for the continued support. I take comfort in the fact that you have the time to respond and hope I can as well someday.
Anyway, I bought Think Like a Pancreas immediately after it was first mentioned in this thread. I am also going to purchase Sugar Surfer as well.
My thought process around the overnight checks is that maybe we should start doing them as his level is getting down near the ‘norm’-ish.
So is this the right thinking, if his bg level is 122 at night before bed, his basal dose will continue to work that down overnight. Right now he is taking a 16 unit dose at 9:00 PM. Depending on what his reading is before bed tonight, I may start the overnight checks. I guess the doc may decrease the basal dose depending on readings in the next few days.
hi @mawa316, for many people, basal needs increase around 3AM. if you are taking enough long acting to have good blood sugars, often times you’ll go high at night, if you take enough to be OK at night, many will be low during the day. Since I am guessing he is making a little insulin now, it’s a good idea to spot check overnight readings as possible. maybe a night (when he goes to bed) , followed by a night (when you go to bed) to check if there is a downward trend to worry about.
So, you night saying in the middle of the night at 3:00 AM for example, but maybe 10 tonight, then 12:30 AM the following night?
No time is a problem, just wanted to understand what you said.
On yet or maybe back to another topic. I think I am going to ditch the Accu-Chek meter. I may have mentioned earlier that when we tested against that used by hospital staff, ours was 30 higher. We have a spare at home from my wife’s dad and when we tested both, the Accu-Chek was 20 higher than the spare, but sometimes they are very close. My concern when using both is that one may be in one dosage range while the Accu-Chek is in the next higher dosage range, which equates to a difference of 2 more units. As you know, I have no idea the difference 2 units might make, but this was the case at dinner tonight. I don’t know if there are very accurate meters out there, but the Contour Next was mentioned.
It’s a lot to ask to get up at 3. So yes an alternative is to check as late as he is up and then again when you go to bed. A flat trend (change in sugar over time) is optimal. The acute danger is an overnight low.
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Thanks Joe, that will be the plan tonight! Maybe I’m jumping the gun but the overnight low stuff scares me big time.
Concern is good. Planning is good. Don’t be scared. You are doing great.
Here’s a link to ask online guide about meters : Best Glucose Meters 2022: Top Glucometers for Blood Sugar Testing | Top Ten Reviews
… as well as an article on maximizing accuracy - it is from an Accuchek website but the recommendations are universal:
https://us.assets.accu-chek.com/tools-tech/blood-glucose-meter-accuracy
I’ve used Accuchek for years and the brand worked fine for me - I have one meter in my kitchen and another I keep in my purse, as well as one in my upstairs bathroom. There are control solutions you can buy to confirm that your meter is accurate within specs, but I would do an occasional side by side between mine and as long as they were close I was fine. Don’t expect to get the exact same reading from two meters even if you use both at the same time.
Now that I’m on the Dexcom G6 - which does not require calibrations - I switched to the Dario meter, which is on the list of the first link. The strips fit in the body of the case and the plunger for fingersticks is built in as well; the lancets must be carried separately. I got it because it is so very compact that if I do need to doublecheck my CGM reading I don’t have to carry a big kit with me any more. It arrived about the same time I upgraded to the G6. I did 2 fingerticks:
G6 reading: 142
Dario: 144
Accuchek:153
I had never heard of the Dario before but someone on the forum mentioned it. I’m really not trying to push you into particular products, just sharing my experience and suggestions as always (are you starting to wonder, “Will this woman ever shut up???” If so, my apologies.
By the way, I know you are looking forward to your first endo visit and will have lots of questions in addition to the ones here. If you haven’t already started, write them down so you don’t forget to cover them. You might want to find out how much time you can expect for that visit and which questions to cover first in case you run out of time.
Keep up the diligence!
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Ok, so I didn’t read through all of the responses, but I was was there, where you are. My daughter was diagnosed at 4, almost 5. I cried for all of the things that she had lost. My husband was great through that. He reminded me that it could have been worse, that this is manageable, that she can have a perfectly healthy life if we took control and taught her to manage it. He is right! My daughter is now 12, almost 13. She has times where she doesn’t want to be diabetic, and at those times I do as much as I can to help and do all of the figuring, loading her pump, and so forth. The pump and Dexcom G6 are awesome, by the way!
The feeling of overwhelmingness…
I didn’t know what to expect. No one on either side of our families had T1D. We were completely new to this! The doctor doing rounds the first day pulled me aside after he evaluated her. He told me that taking home a child with Diabetes home for the first time is much like the first time you brought home your new born. It’s scary, you don’t know what you are supposed to do, but give it 3 months, it will be your new normal. He was so right! Her sister was 6, almost 7 when she was diagnosed. She was doing summer swim team. She came in 6th over all at the City Meet. That time is all a blur to me. I was there, but I wan’t present. Looking back it almost feels like it was an out of body experience. I promise, 3 months, it will be better!!!
Hight BG for now…
I asked about that too. I was told that because they didn’t know how long her BG had been high that it would be like crashing her if we dropped her BG to normal too quickly. Her body had been functioning with her BG so high that we needed to bring them down gradually so that she didn’t feel horrible while we normalized her. It makes sense when you think of it that was. To take your son from 514 to 80 would be so dramatic to his system that he would feel worse, not better. This too will change and get better!
The technology has gotten so much better in the 8 years that my daughter has had T1D, and it will continue to get better. I am hopeful that they will find a cure during their life time! Until then, feel free to reach out if I can help. Just send me an email bly@comcast.net. I will help if I can!
Tracie
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Thanks Dorie and Tracie! It really does feel like a breath of fresh air when I read things like that, and all of the responses.
I’m currently thinking of moving away from the Accu-Check Guide Me. I think its an entry level model. We are having control solution sent to us for it as it wasn’t included. Why that isn’t included I don’t know.
For those using the Contour Next, which model do you use/is best?
I know I’m all over the place, but back to levels at night. To get this clearer for me, let’s say I take his level when he goes to bed and it’s 127. Then when I check when I go to bed it’s maybe 110, is that a big enough drop to signal possible bad things?
I guess until now, when his readings were 200 to 250 at night, I didn’t think of it dropping to dangerous levels overnight, but I guess that’s possible, but hopefully he doesn’t experience it.
Your endo will advise. My opinion is that 127 and 110 are almost the same number allowing for bs test error of +/-10%. If the second one was 90 I’d say it’s a downward trend and needs something. If the doc said 150 Min at bed then I’d treat the 127 with a Little fat/carb like pb on cracker or cheese on cracker. That’s just me. I’ve been watching my blood sugar for over 40 years.
If the second one was 135 I’d probably do nothing if it was 225 I would likely treat. Again. Old hack here.
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That’s the thing, they didn’t give us a bedtime target level and didn’t tell us to test overnight or the his bedtime/my bedtime tests. I can’t really remember as everything was a blur, but I think one of the nurses said that the early morning test was to ensure the long lasting insulin dosage was doing its job.
I’m T1D level 30. My life is amazing. There are no limits. I’m married
Have two healthy kids and am
Living the life of my dreams. I know this is all overwhelming and new. and a whole new rule book. Be patient with yourself and your child. All
Will be fine. Remeber and repeat often. Everything is tough until it isn’t. Applies to everything new. He will
Thrive as long
As he respects the rules. I have no complications either. I’m
Here if you have any questions. No
This is not what we hope
For. But every dream is
Still attainable!!
@mawa316, It’s a conversation to have again then. Pediatric limits are higher than adults, probably 140 or 150 is the low. (Guessing on my part) Normal blood sugar is 70-100 but that’s too tight and low blood sugar is more dangerous in the short term. No worries.
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I’m not sure if I should panic with that or not. His numbers for today with units given…
Before Breakfast - 201; 10 units Novolog
Before Lunch - 260; 12 units Novolog
Before Dinner - 122; 8 units Novolog
Before Overnight Dose - (9:00 PM) - 128; 16 units Lantus
We checked again before he went to bed at 10:15 and his level was 122 or 124, I can’t quite remember as I’m fighting off exhaustion. His safe range from the hospital for now is 70-350.
I was feeling good about his levels coming down, no ketones, etc and things seemed to be stabilizing until I realized we are now approaching the normal range and closer to lows!