For Newbies - Dealing with Halloween candy

We're newly diagnosed this year too but I just plan on treating Halloween as we always do. They get to eat about 5-10 pieces of candy that night, and then we put it all away for treats after meals and now I can save it for lows.

 

May be a repeat but saw this on facebook today:

http://www.diabetes.org/assets/pdfs/youth/halloween-candy-carbohydrate.pdf

 

This is an interesting program:

http://mommiesofmiracles.com/halloween/

I wish we lived in a neighborhood with lots of kids. I'd totally do it!

 

Maybe I am off base but to me this just perpetuates the idea that kids with diabetes can't have candy.

 

We're in the don't-change-a-thing camp. It helps, I guess, that DS was 2 when dxed, so he was never allowed a massive hog-out on or after Halloween, and at 5, he doesn't go to too many houses. Still, he gets a fair amount of candy on Halloween, and we do not take any away afterwards. We also don't use it to treat lows, as I don't want to confuse treats and treatments. He gets it when he wants it, within reason, for a while after Halloween, then he usually forgets all about it, and I get to polish it off!

Like others have said, I find it much easier to dose for just about any kind of candy than for, say, pizza! Even on NPH, we made candy fit into our snack/meal times. There is also no reason why a kid on NPH cannot have an extra shot of his or her rapid-acting insulin to allow for extra Halloween fun. If you are in this position, talk to your endo about how to swing the extra sugar!

 

Don't get me wrong -- I am definitely of the camp of if they did it before D they can do it after.

My previous comment was based solely on the fact that our first Halloween was only 3 weeks after being dx'd and blood sugars were all over the place and we were just getting a handle on things. I liked the idea of switching out the candy for money that first year. Since then he has celebrated Halloween like usual, eating and bolusing as he goes along.

But we can't forget about those very newly dx'd and how overwhelming that time can be to begin with before throwing in a candy-laden holiday. Yes it gets easier but giving them ideas of other things to do that first year isn't a bad idea. :cwds:

 

All I can say for the newly dxd, don't be like me and try to shield your kid away from everything that has sugar in it. They can be like everyone else, but just eat less candy. You might see some high numbers, but you can correct and move on. Halloween is once a year. I definitely hate parties more than halloween.

 

I wished I had never started commenting on this thread because my comments are being misunderstood. My kid eats everything. And then some. When I made my comments I was speaking specifically about our experience with our first Halloween being only a couple of weeks after diagnosis. It was overwhelming that first Halloween because we were still tweaking his numbers and he was only allowed a 15 carb snack between meals. We weren't even correcting at that point.

Fast forward 7 years and now it's no biggie. He eats, he boluses, he moves on. But for Newbies, which is who this post was directed towards, I was giving our experience that first year, 3 weeks post dx.

 

Thanks!

Thank you for posting this and all of the replies. My son was diagnosed on the 4th and we've been wondering how Halloween goes. We have an appointment before Halloween so plan to ask then what their opinion for us is. I have no idea what everyone means when they say that they just bolus for the candy? My son is on Novalog and Lantis. The Novalog we were instructed to only give no closer than 3 hours together... so would I have to eat dinner super early and then give him a shot during trick or treat? We don't let them eat but 1 peice of candy while trick or treating due to us checking it all before they eat it... so I guess his 3 hours would probably be up by the time we get home any way!

 

Just bolus for the candy means to give insulin for the amount of carbs but no correction dose. Be prepared for more candy than 1 piece to prevent lows with the walking. Excitement also drops my kid - but it spikes most. This would be your introduction to YDMV: Your Diabetes May Vary.

Since you're so new, I'll take the opportunity to warn you about snow-lows now. No one warned us, and my daughter hit 40 within 20 minutes. With snow, you'll want less basal on-board, so when a storm is predicted, reduce Lantus!! (Talk to your endo team, though.) Make sure that your child is 150 or higher before going out (eat a snack!) and then tested and eat frequently.

 

Is basal the novalog? Thank you so much! We had a problem last saturday with lows after his soccer game... he's not even a crazy athlete, most of the time he stands on the field and watches with excitement, but his sugars dropped all day long. Thank you so much for the tips!!

 

Lantus is basal. Novolog is bolus. BUT....you can also reduce the Novolog at meals before sports to keep him from going low. (And sometimes both!) We've found it is easiest to keep meals low carb to avoid extra active insulin during sports in general. Exercise can also affect for hours afterwards. I've done too many feedings until 1 a.m. in the past three years as we've figured out what works and what doesn't for us. Before we got the CGM, we would test frequently and feed. Now, except for swimming (Dexcom G4 doesn't read through water), we usually set the CGM low alarm up to 100 and give her carbs without blood testing during activity. It makes life easier and seems more "normal" if there is such a thing when trying to function as a pancreas.

 

Had our first Halloween party today and my 12 yo thinks he has dibs on all his little sister's candy. Time for many, many boluses and blood sugar checks. The list is helpful will post it on the fridge.

 

The three hour thing indicates that your endo has you on a 3 hour duration of the Novolog, meaning that they expect it to last that long in your son's system and don't want you "stacking" corrections. So they don't want you giving insulin a lunch at noon, checking at 2 pm seeing a high and correcting. That would be stacking. However, if a person with D eats at noon, covers that meal and then wants to eat again at 2:00 PM they can "bolus" or cover the carbs eaten and it's not stacking because that insulin is dedicated to that second eating. Make sense?

 

I highly recommend Ragnar Hanas' book, "Managing Type 1" http://www.amazon.com/Type-1-Diabet...8&qid=1382828659&sr=1-3&keywords=ragnar+hanas

 

This is my first post and we were diagnosed a week ago Friday. My dad has been a T1 since he was 10 (46 years ago) and doesn't manage his as well as he could. I am hoping that with my ds's diagnosis, he will start to set a better example. Just nervous about the holidays coming up. I was thinking of letting all three of my boys pick out about 12 pieces and then paying them for the rest, but I have to talk to dh about it. We don't really trick or treat, just family members and my sil has a party as well as his party at school. I am not sure if I should send in a treat for him so I know what he is getting or what.

 

Thank you

Just wanted to thank all of you helping us "newbies". Only diagnosed a little over a month ago, letting him eat 1/2 of a Twix package and some milk made me a little nervous, but reading on here gave me a little common sense. I truly appreciate it.

 

It is understandable to be nervous at first. Eventually you will get to the point where you won't feel nervous about letting your child eat whatever they choose. You will simply do your best to calculate the correct amount of insulin to cover whatever it is they eat and move on.

Danielle wanted to be a cute little kitty.........with a twist.

 

So last night, we gave bolus exactly for candy with milk. He was at 115. He doesn't drop from bedtime until 3 a.m., then he drops 20 - 30 between 3 and 8 a.m.

Last night, dropped to 90 by 3 a.m. or 25 mg/mL! Gave him 1/2 cup milk because if he dropped 30, that would be 60. Adding in the carbs and taking the difference, he dropped 17 in the second half of the night. So, candy didn't do at all what I expected (either a straight conversion and no change or cause it to go higher).

 

As I said in the other thread, one thing you will learn is that with Type 1 diabetes, the only thing you can count on is that you can't count on anything.