Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on June 5, 2010 at 6:29am

I think you hit the nail on the head here, Anna, "so long as everything usually runs fine".

That is the problem with some kids/teens, overnight everything is not running fine. David has had diabetes for almost 7 years since the age of 10. We started a 3 a.m. check after many mornings of extreme highs. We can't change his basal setting as this is the not cause. The cause is a combination of a variety of sports activities from one day to the next, together with hormones and growth spurts. About one day a week he is running so low at 3 that he needs to be woken up to drink a juice, about three days a week he is within target and the other three days a week he is running high. Waking up high is the worst as it makes him pissed off and groucy.

Cheryl

Permalink Reply by Dad of Mark on June 3, 2010 at 7:57am

thank you again for your advice. my wife and i both try really hard to make it as relaxed as possible for him.

Permalink Reply by Jan on June 2, 2010 at 3:15pm

I think checking midnight and 2am or 3am is necessary, at least in our case. Rarely has my niece been stable at night, though her blood sugars do not fluctuate as much during the day. Evenings, up until 2am, we are correcting a lot of highs or lows on tested basals. Since every night is essentially a basal test night, I know it is not her basals. If I am tired, I just do a 2am or 2:30am check. Usually able to catch the high or low by then and it makes a difference getting more sleep. There are still many nights I do a 3 or 3:30am check, though.

Permalink Reply by myhandsful on June 3, 2010 at 10:17am

Hi,
I am a mother of three children, ages 10 and under, all of whom have type 1. My eldest was dx'd at 14 mos in 2001 and my youngest was dx'd at 9 mos in 2006.
I know that the rule of thumb is "when in doubt, test" and it is a good thing to follow. So I guess what I would hope is that as you grow through more and more experiences with your son and get through more and various events you will become more confident that you know your kid and you can tell when you need to be watching more closely. As a mom, I have always felt that the more uninterrupted hours of sleep they get is always the best scenario for children. So when we came home with a new diagnosis, or after starting any new regime, we would test in the night for several days, but then we would back off and only test if they had some sort of problem in the night that awoke them anyway. We learned early on that we could micro manage until the cows came home, but in the end it raised the anxiety level of everyone. At some point we had to go to sleep at night trusting them to the good care that we had established and ultimately to the One who made them and knew them inside and out.

Permalink Reply by Dad of Mark on June 3, 2010 at 11:02am

wow! 3 children with D under 10?!?! GOD bless you. We have 4 other children but my son is the only Diabetic. i am always nervous though to think that they might be diagnosed one day:( thanks for the great advice. and GOD bless you again

Permalink Reply by Ursela on June 3, 2010 at 8:27pm

My daughter was diagnosed 7 months ago at the age of 11 years. We have ony been pumping since March (also on the Minimed). I only check my daughter when she is high or low right before bedtime. I will also check her bg at night when her activity has been more strenous than normal during the day. Like on Tuesday when she swam for 2 hours with her school. She didn't go low, but it was worth it. I also have her sleep with me. That way all I have to do is turn on a light and grab her hand and neither of us have to wake up too much to get some peace of mind.

Permalink Reply by sarhow on June 4, 2010 at 3:56am

A few comments have included, "it won't kill them." Well, extended low blood sugars at night *can* kill people (the "Dead in Bed" syndrome). Not to be overly obsessive, but there is a concern here.

Also, I don't think testing at night if they sleep through it will give them anxiety in the future. Adults are different, and usually would wake up for low blood sugars. I do, and I don't test myself at night (I have type 1), but I test my son. I don't have any anxiety that I should be testing myself every night, even though I'm up anyhow. And sometimes I do, but testing at night does not necessarily equal obsessive anxiety.

Permalink Reply by Dad of Mark on June 8, 2010 at 2:44pm

thank you for the kind words

Permalink Reply by Allie on June 4, 2010 at 12:58pm

Our daughter is almost 8 and has had it for over 1 1/2 years. She is on the pump, and we still check her at night. Don't feel bad- you are looking out for your child! Maybe figure out his nighttime pattern, then you can get it down to just one check during the night. My husband goes to bed late and he usually just checks it then, around 11:30 or so. If he feels it is too high or low, I set my alarm and check it around 2 or 3. We have thought about CGM, but at this point, I don't want to have to stick another thing into her little body!!!

Permalink Reply by Dad of Mark on June 8, 2010 at 2:48pm

we did do some basal testing and figured out the right # . however there are so many variables throughout the day that can throw it off. "too" much excersizing, allergies, certain foods etc....... We too thought about a cgm however it is really hard for us to find a good site for the pump let alone a CGM :(

Permalink Reply by Dianna on June 7, 2010 at 10:26am

Hi,
My son David was diagnosed when he was 2 1/2 years old and is now 8 1/2. He has been on an insulin pump for 2 years now. We still check in the middle of the night. Sometimes I think I'm being too obsessive about it, but David now has low unawareness which means most of the time he can't tell he is low. I believe it is better to be safe then sorry.

Permalink Reply by Dad of Mark on June 8, 2010 at 3:01pm

"better safe than sorry" is what keeps me doing it :) Mark has low awareness when he is up (usually) however he has never woken up because of a low.

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