What symptoms should you watch for in a child with type 1 diabetes?
Even if you're careful and do all the right things, your child can have problems with low or high blood sugar. Teach your child to be aware of the symptoms and what to do if they occur.
Symptoms of low blood sugar include:
- Sweating.
- Feeling weak and hungry.
But your child's symptoms may be different.
Symptoms of high blood sugar include:
- Feeling very thirsty.
- Passing urine more often than usual.
Both low and high blood sugar need to be treated. Your doctor will suggest how often to test your child's blood sugar.
Symptoms in very young children
A very young child with low or high blood sugar may:
- Be cranky or angry.
- Cry.
- Look pale.
- Be nervous or shaky.
- Stare off or not respond when touched or spoken to.
- Have dark urine with a strong sweet odor.
- Be drowsy or hard to wake up.
Treating high blood sugar in children
The best way to prevent high blood sugar emergencies is to treat high blood sugar as soon as your child has symptoms or has a blood sugar level that is well above the target range. Your doctor will give your child blood sugar goals and recommend ways to treat high blood sugar. Here are some general guidelines.
- Treat mild to moderate high blood sugar.
Follow these steps if your child's blood sugar is over the target range set by the doctor. For example, that might be over 200 mg/dL for two or more readings a few hours apart.
- If your child missed a usual dose of diabetes medicine, give your child the missed dose.
- If your doctor prescribed a dose of fast-acting insulin based on the blood sugar level (sliding scale), give your child the appropriate dose. If not, call your child's doctor for advice.
- Test your child for ketones, if the doctor has advised you to do so. Call your child's doctor if the results show a moderate-to-large amount of ketones.
- Wait 30 minutes after giving the extra insulin or the missed medicine. Then check your child's blood sugar again.
- Give your child extra liquids to replace the fluids lost through urine. Water and sugar-free drinks are best.
- Know when to take action.
- Call the doctor if your child's symptoms of high blood sugar become more noticeable or if the blood sugar level continues to rise.
- Get emergency help if your child gets drowsy or disoriented or if blood sugar continues to rise (for example, above 350 mg/dL).
- Recheck extremely high blood sugar.
Follow these steps if your child's blood sugar is extremely high—for example, over 600 mg/dL. Some blood sugar meters read only levels up to about 400 mg/dL.
- Wash your child's finger carefully before checking again. Sometimes sugar on the skin will cause a high reading.
- If the meter reads high, test the accuracy of the meter, and then recheck your child's blood sugar.
- If the meter reads high again, call your child's doctor for advice or seek emergency care.
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