Sensing lows

[Gwyn]

Looking for some advice on how to help Devin sense lows. She has always been great until now, but lately the numbers are getting too low (like a 48 the other day, YIKES!) before she realizes.

I know I need to let her run a little higher for a while, but how high and how long? any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Kaylee's Mommy]

Kaylee has a hard time sensing lows.. yesterday she his 44, and didn't realize it for a few (she was in my sisters car.. falling asleep.. said something when we got home).. and today she said she THOUGHT she was low.. but wasn't sure.. I asked her if she felt really low (sometimes she says she's low when she's not, just to get a treat.. I told her I can always get the truth and not to lie about that.. its dangerous).. andway.. we were only 1 minute from my parents.. and I said are you really low, or just a little low.. she says, I'm fine.. just a little (I'm thinking she's in the 70s or so.. when she's really low she says her legs hurt).. so I get to my parents, wash hands and check her.. 38!:eek: so I can't trust her to be a judge on 'how' low she is.. we ALWAYS check when she says she's low.. even if we know she's full of it.. just to be safe..

but when she is low I ask her how she's feeling.. so she can clue into it next time.. and today she said, when I'm low i get sleepy and very tired.. and she is right.. so I made sure she KNEW she was right.. so next time, she'll speak up!:)

[momofphoenix]

Phoenix doesnt sense lows at all anymore. :eek: He will say he is low and when we check he will be 30 or below :eek:
I also ask him how he is feeling etc so that next time he can hopefully sense the low before it hits the 30's and below.
He also says his legs wont work, when he is low, he crys over everything but lately he isnt even doing that he just keeps doing what ever it is he is doing and we catch them by chance...... I cant wait to get the CGM (keeping my fingers crossed)

[Nancy in VA]

Phoenix doesnt sense lows at all anymore. :eek: He will say he is low and when we check he will be 30 or below :eek:
I also ask him how he is feeling etc so that next time he can hopefully sense the low before it hits the 30's and below.
He also says his legs wont work, when he is low, he crys over everything but lately he isnt even doing that he just keeps doing what ever it is he is doing and we catch them by chance...... I cant wait to get the CGM (keeping my fingers crossed)

Emma doesn't sense lows very often either - but she's only 2.

I caution you though about thinking the CGMS is the magic bullet to sense lows. It will alarm you but its going to be 15-20 minutes behind a finger stick and if its a quick drop, you aren't going to hear about it from the CGMS until its basically as low as you are reading with the regular BG monitor.

For me, the benefit I would like to see from a CGMS is trending (is this a low going up or a low still going down) which would dictate how I would treat, but I personally would still want to count on my child feeling the low and the finger stick as the most reliable way to know a low.

[momofphoenix]

Emma doesn't sense lows very often either - but she's only 2.

I caution you though about thinking the CGMS is the magic bullet to sense lows. It will alarm you but its going to be 15-20 minutes behind a finger stick and if its a quick drop, you aren't going to hear about it from the CGMS until its basically as low as you are reading with the regular BG monitor.

For me, the benefit I would like to see from a CGMS is trending (is this a low going up or a low still going down) which would dictate how I would treat, but I personally would still want to count on my child feeling the low and the finger stick as the most reliable way to know a low.


I know the CGM isnt a magic bullet and you still have to do the fingerstick but he doesnt sense lows at all (maybe 1 out of 10) he catchs by feeling low. I need to see the trend of his blood sugars many times we get a low and treat it with just 15g of fast acting and he will be in the 400-500 range within an hour (I know it is probably a rebound) but his nurse even said the CGM would show us the trend's of his bs and that would benifit him and how we treat. Besides the school sends him to the nurse 10x a day for a fingerstick so he is missing about an hour a day of class time a day for fingersticks just to make sure he is in a "good" range. Sports are very difficult for us too, lows happen with out him relizing them and before we know it he is passing out on the court. (even checking him before practice/ a game and about every 20 minutes during) so in the long run it would help with the passing out from low bs.

[Gwyn]

I would dearly love a CGMS. We went to see the Minimed one a few months ago, but the rep confirmed that that it can be rather painful to insert. She said it often stings at insertion. Unfortunately, that is a real deal breaker for us.

With all the heat and playing outside all the time, it seems harder for Devin to tell when she's low---or maybe she just doesn't want to stop playing until I make her check!!! I can usually tell by looking in her eyes though, because when she is low her pupils get really small.

Anyway, the pediatrician said to reduce her Lantus by one unit for a few days, so she has been running in the 180s to 240ish today. Hopefully we'll be back to sensing some lows by tomorrow or the next day because I hate to have her that high all day long (she usually gets super crabby when she is high and my MIL is coming for a visit today so we don't need that! :rolleyes:).

[thedad]

Gwyn there are plenty of numbing creams for insertion,Nick says he rarely feels the pump or the cgm ( we are only in our second week of sensors).When we used to get a low I would tell him to remember how he feels....tired, shaky legs.He's 10 now and usually knows when he is in the 70's.

[Mik's Mom]

my dauhter is hypo unaware, she can not feel a low blood sugar coming on, never has been able to. She had a 34 and a 38 this week and never picked up any warning signs that she was going low- i have learned to look for signs of a low- i am always on alert-

i am told that as she gets older she will be able to feel a low coming on- i look forward to that day

happy numbers

~ Missy

[momofphoenix]

my dauhter is hypo unaware, she can not feel a low blood sugar coming on, never has been able to. She had a 34 and a 38 this week and never picked up any warning signs that she was going low- i have learned to look for signs of a low- i am always on alert-

i am told that as she gets older she will be able to feel a low coming on- i look forward to that day

happy numbers

~ Missy

My sons RN at the Endo clinic told me that Phoenix "might" start to sense lows again but not to hold my breath... I hope whoever told you she will start to sense them when she gets older is right, then I have hope my son will sense them again too... :)

[flabby_abi]

Hey Guys! I am 14 and i am a diabeteic. Lately i have had alot of trouble recognizing the fact that i am low. yesturday i checked my blood sugar only to find out i was 43! I had no idea!

I am getting a dog from Heaven Scent Paws that will alert me when i am high or low! Here are some web sites you can check out:
www.gr8ful1.org (my website)
www.heavenscentpaws.com (HSP home page)