Sarah's been pretty good all day. Had dinner around 4pm with the insulin to cover her vegetables, meat, bread and a little dessert. She actually didn't finish the dessert, so I thought for sure the kid was going to end up low. So... we drove over to her theater class, got there early so we walked around the block in 100 degree heat (it was shady and better than sitting in the car!). She had a giant water to drink.
So halfway through her lesson she tells me she feels faint, and tests at 145, then 135 a few minutes later. Drinks more water and finishes the lesson. She auditioned for the next musical, so she might have been a little anxious about that.
She's hungry so she tests again as soon as we get home (it's now 3.5 hours since dinner/insulin), and she's 200! How is that even possible?
Anxiety and hormones can play mean tricks on your blood sugar. How old is Sarah? When I am out in the heat and humidity, it sends me sky high. If she was stressed about her audition, that could have been the culprit. Sometimes I think I have this disease figured out, and then it surprises me again! Hang in there!
The amount of fat in the diet (meat, butter, dessert) plays a role in when the carbs actually get into the system. Fat holds carb out of the system (stores it) until later (sometimes 4-5 hours for my son). If she is on a pump, that is where the dual bolus comes in handy.
I see Sarah is 10.....have you considered a CGM? (Continuous Glucose Monitor) I know a lot of members on Juvenation wear them. They tell you so much stuff and help you to identify patterns in blood sugar levels.
I think I will ask about the CGM at her next Endo appointment in a couple of weeks. Poor kids been a little ill for the last week. She's felt fine the last two days, but had a weird rash on her face and feet so I took her to the doctor today. Between my last post and this one I received an email from the lab that her culture was positive for Strep! Oy... Guess that might have something to do with it too...
I think what I hate the most is that I will never be the master of this disease! I am on top of everything and we are going along just fine then bam! she is low for no reason or high for no reason. It drives me crazy.
Good luck with strep, I had it so much as a kid it is miserable!
Thanks Meg, I think she probably got off pretty easy. She had a fever a couple of days, and is still coughing a little bit, but she only complained of a very minor sore throat (which is why it never even occurred to me to have her checked for strep). I remember having strep when I was a kid and I remember it HURT!
that is strange but like everyone else is saying it must have just been the anxiety, i know before i have any stressful event coming up, my bgs go crazy!
Sounds like Riley. She can be dropping low pretty good like that then bam be high a hour later with no changes. I notice if she doesnt have regular insulin often enough she will drop to a certain point then start going up again. Mostly it happens in the mornings. She doesnt always like to eat right away she will be at 120 ans dropping and then bam 180. Also hormones and any stress at all big or small can send her numbers up up and away.
I guess I was thinking the heat was more likely to make her low than high. It was probably the anxiety over her audition. I sure hope they let us know soon one way or the other so she's not anxious all weekend!
Lol, yep, you told me so. Now I think she's having a delayed bloodsugar reaction. She was totally normal all week, and today before dinner she was 280! She did have chinese food for lunch and I had her sister check her level two hours after chinese food and insulin, and she was 158. Somehow she climbed a whole bunch after that, and now she's super grumpy.
Lol, yep, you told me so. Now I think she's having a delayed bloodsugar reaction. She was totally normal all week, and today before dinner she was 280! She did have chinese food for lunch and I had her sister check her level two hours after chinese food and insulin, and she was 158. Somehow she climbed a whole bunch after that, and now she's super grumpy.
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Michelle - Chinese food can be tricky for many of us T1's. You never quite know how to carb count it, or what's in it, exactly, in what proportions... plus, foods higher in fat will digest more slowly, which causes that rise in blood sugar you saw later. For those of us on pumps, we use the Combo/Extended Bolus for those meals - and for people who do injections, you can break up the total amount of insulin into two seperate injections - one before you eat, and the rest is given a couple of hours later. For example, if I'd normally give 10 units for a meal that I know is higher in fat content, I would break it up into 7 units before I ate, and give the other 3 a couple of hours later. It's something you have to experiment with to see what works for you/her.
I think it's really interesting how different people react to anxiety and heat. I find that heat makes me go low - at least, it seems that way whenever I take a shower. Also, anxiety/stress seems to raise blood sugars but nervousness (for me with auditions...) sends some people low.
Strep is no fun but it does clear up quickly with antibiotics, at least.
Yeah Kim, I knew it was going to be tough, but both my girls were seriously missing Chinese food! I tried to manage it by buying it from Panda Express (because they have a nutritional menu), and measuring out her servings carefully. She only had a very small serving of rice and noodles, and then ate mostly broccoli beef and chicken (not fried), so it shouldn't have been too bad.
I've never thought about administering some insulin before and some after a meal, that's something to think about. If I suspect I didn't give her enough, I will periodically test her two hours after a meal and give her a little more if necessary. She is just getting over being sick, so I think that's contributing to her craziness.
Oh, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with eating it... I do!... it's just tricky to figure out. :) You are probably correct that getting over a sickness has her numbers a little elevated, too. I hope things straighten out soon for you and her!