Is this some kind of warning sign?

[Pam H]

My 7yo D ds, weighs 46 lbs. He has had a voracious appetite since being dx'd on 5/26. He eats everything I will let him have. This has been a huge frustration for both him and me.

This morning his bg was 56 ( ! ) but he's also saying that his heart feels like it is trying to get out with a knife. My gut says that he's just experiencing heartburn from all the odd combos of food he's eating. But if this is a symptom of a greater danger, somebody tell me!

[Nancy in VA]

I don't know about the heart pain but the eating is typical. He probably lost weight prior to diagnosis and his body, now that it can process food effectively, is making up for it. Most of our kids ate a ton right after diagnosis

[jacobandhannah]

When Jacob had a bad low of 38 a couple of weeks ago, he kept saying his chest hurt really bad. That was the first time he had ever described that as a feeling of a low.

[danismom79]

A racing heartbeat can be a sign of low blood sugar, and can feel like chest pain or palpitations.

[Sarah Maddie's Mom]

Maddie and I were watching a really interesting show on TV last night about the human body and how it deals with stress. One segment on athletes "hitting the wall" was really interesting to both of us as it related to low BG. It got us talking about how she feels when she's low and how complicated the feeling is.

It's the whole body, and brain, pretty much freaking out because it's starving. And the show, it's on their website ( The Discovery Channel - Human Body, The Brain and Stress) really gave me insight into how crummy she must feel when low. Also as your son is newly dx'd, he's just learning how to process that low and the heart pain is probably, IMO, driven by the low and his physiological reaction to it.

Obviously if it persists I'd talk to the Dr. but that's my though given what you've told us.

Hope that helps. :cwds:

[Abby-Dabby-Doo]

For at least a month after dxd my daughter ate everything she could get her hands on. IMO- it's the body's way of replacing, getting better, healing (whatever word you want to use).
Sounds like the chest pain could be a warning sign for him going low. When he is low, always ask him how he feels, try and help him pinpoint the warning signs his body is giving him that he's going low.

[Sarah Maddie's Mom]

Just curious... Did your son feel better ( no chest pain, specifically) after his sugar came up?

[Pam H]

Just curious... Did your son feel better ( no chest pain, specifically) after his sugar came up?

Yes, Sarah. His chest stopped hurting. Only now his sugar is 328! We've had a crying spell this morning over how much we hate the diabetes.

How do we live this way?

[Ali]

A racing heart is for many a sign of falling or low blood sugar. It is actually a good thing to have as it alerts the child/adult to check and treat their blood sugar. If you can help him to notice the increase in his heart rate ASAP then he can test and treat a low before it gets bad. Good luck and check with your Dr., please. A phone call may be all you need. Ali

[Sari]

We always spike after a low. So don't let it get to you that he is high now. It does all get better.

[hawkeyegirl]

Yes, Sarah. His chest stopped hurting. Only now his sugar is 328! We've had a crying spell this morning over how much we hate the diabetes.

How do we live this way?

Your son has only been diagnosed a very short time. You WILL get back to a normal life. It just takes time. You'll probably figure out how to avoid big spikes after a low - write down how many carbs you gave him this time, so next time he's low, you can look back and know to give him a few less. Recordkeeping is SO important with this disease - write down what works, and even more importantly, what doesn't! There's so much trial and error involved, I know it's frustrating.

Big hugs to you guys. The early days are so, so hard.

[Sarah Maddie's Mom]

The learning curve on D is huge. You just have to get up over that hump, and you will.:cwds:
I really like Ragnar Hanas' book, Type 1 Diabetes. It's my favorite resource, and we're 5 1/2 years into this and I still look things up ;).
Hang in there, we all understand what you're going through, so keep asking questions. Lots of good people here :)

[Mama2H]

You asked "How do we live this way?

In the first few weeks it is one hour at a time and eventually it will be one day at a time. I try to think of each day as a new day, a way to start over.

[chocoholicsc]

I just wanted to add that we also noticed the voracious appetite after dx. He ate everything in site for about 3 weeks and then went right back to his picky self!:rolleyes: I found that 3 weeks to be a good time to introduce new foods he wouldn't have looked twice at before.
As for the crying, I still do that. I know many people on here say that they are years in to D and still have down days...it's normal I guess. Let yourself grieve for yourself and your son. But know that you will both be ok! We all understand how you feel so if you ever need an e-shoulder to cry on...you know where to find us!:p

((Hugs))Candy

[Pam H]

You guys are the greatest! I can't tell you how I needed the encouraging words.

I have been keeping a log of times and bgs and units of insulin given, but not what he's had to eat. I'm going to do that too.

After the 56, he had 50 carbs for breakfast, 328, then 2.0 units of Novolog and he's down to 171. (whew!) Now he's outside playing and I know that's supposed to do something to his bg, but not sure what.

I'm going to look into a good course on Type 1. I'm going to start another thread on that. I've got the rec from Sarah for Ragnar Hanas' book. One thing I've learned is that there are differing schools of thought on all things diabetes.

[hawkeyegirl]

You guys are the greatest! I can't tell you how I needed the encouraging words.

I have been keeping a log of times and bgs and units of insulin given, but not what he's had to eat. I'm going to do that too.

I think that will be really helpful for you. I didn't keep a food log until I found this site, and it's been one of the things that has helped me a lot with Jack's management. It's nice to be able to look back and say, "Okay. Last time he had Chicken Selects and fries, he was high in 2 hours, so I'll tweak the dosage a bit."

After the 56, he had 50 carbs for breakfast, 328, then 2.0 units of Novolog and he's down to 171. (whew!) Now he's outside playing and I know that's supposed to do something to his bg, but not sure what.

Typically, playing hard will lower sugars. I check Jack every hour or so during times of extreme activity.

I'm going to look into a good course on Type 1. I'm going to start another thread on that. I've got the rec from Sarah for Ragnar Hanas' book. One thing I've learned is that there are differing schools of thought on all things diabetes.

I second the recommendation of Ragnar Hanas' book. It's a really, really good, comprehensive reference. I pull it out all the time. Another good book is "Using Insulin" by John Walsh. It's dry as toast, and pretty technical, but very, very useful for fine-tuning and understanding the effect of insulin on the body.

[speakup4kids]

One thing I have noticed a lot more since logging is that after a low like your son experienced there really is not a pattern to the rebound highs. What I mean by that is that today he was 56 then had 50 carbs for breakfast and went to 327. In my experience it is hard to tell what part of the high number is attributed to food and what part to the rebound from the low blood sugar. Tomorrow the same amount of insulin could give different results if he starts out at a normal blood sugar levels.

I know it's confusing but when I am working on averages and trying to find trends in numbers I tend to ignore the lows and rebound highs because they just screw everything up.

When my son exercises or plays hard his blood sugar will actually go UP, but then it shoots down about an hour later. This is another thing that varies with each child so it is kind of hard until you figure out what your child does.
The first few months you just have to test, test, test to figure out the patterns if you can and then it does get a bit easier. :)

[redmcgee]

My 7yo D ds, weighs 46 lbs. He has had a voracious appetite since being dx'd on 5/26. He eats everything I will let him have. This has been a huge frustration for both him and me.

This morning his bg was 56 ( ! ) but he's also saying that his heart feels like it is trying to get out with a knife. My gut says that he's just experiencing heartburn from all the odd combos of food he's eating. But if this is a symptom of a greater danger, somebody tell me!


We can relate to this issue, when Tasha was first diagnosed (up to a year later, even) she complained of her chest/heart hurting, I asked if it could be diabetes related (and of course they said no) so we did some tests everything came back fine. I say it is diabetes related, somehow. I think their little bodies go through so much that parts of their bodies just doesn't know how to react. She never complains anymore of it hurting.
She also ate like crazy right after diagnosed, and she still has spurts (alot of highs) that she will want to eat alot, I try to explain to her that she really isn't hungry it is just her body reacting to all the highs but her belly is telling her something different.

[Mama Belle]

When my DD was dx'd she couldn't articulate exactly how she felt when low. I would ask her if she felt shaky or sweaty and she would always say, "no, I just can feel it in my heart." When she'd experience a low the initial adrenaline dump would make her heart beat rapidly and it always makes her heart feel weird.

[ADHDiabetic Mom]

My 7yo D ds, weighs 46 lbs. He has had a voracious appetite since being dx'd on 5/26. He eats everything I will let him have. This has been a huge frustration for both him and me.

This morning his bg was 56 ( ! ) but he's also saying that his heart feels like it is trying to get out with a knife. My gut says that he's just experiencing heartburn from all the odd combos of food he's eating. But if this is a symptom of a greater danger, somebody tell me!

Tachycardia and weight loss can be a sign of hyperthyroidism (Grave's Disease). Since it is also an autoimmune disorder, it often is found along with d. Might check?

[RosemaryCinNJ]

Hi Pam. If your son is low at bedtime try doubling up on the nighttime snack before bed.
Are you testing during the night or no? I swear to you, it does get a little easier. You are only at this a very short time.. For a low try regular fruit juice or chocolate milk and follow it up with a protein snack. You are doing great..you found this place :)

[sugarmonkey]

When Phillip woke up for his 3.30 test last night he said his heart felt funny. Then he tested and was low. I never thought it was related to the low. I might ask him if he's felt this before.