Getting Back On Track After Blood Sugar Spikes

Even with careful planning your child is going to test with high blood sugars – but hopefully not too frequently. There are many reasons for this, including not taking insulin on time or enough, eating too much, not exercising enough, and stress.

High blood sugar in children does not occur as quickly as a low blood sugar will. You may find that over the course of a day or couple of days that your child’s blood glucose levels are creeping upwards. Signs that high blood sugar is becoming a problem is your child needing to urinate more and an increased need to drink (very thirsty). Over time, elevated blood sugar can cause serious damage to eyesight and other organs including the kidneys. With the increased urination, dehydration is also possible if enough liquids are not taken in.

If over the course of a day, your child’s blood glucose levels do not return to normal an increase in their insulin dosage may be required. If you have been managing your child’s diabetes for some time you may be comfortable making these adjustments yourself. If not, call your doctor and get advice on what adjustments need to be made and whether they are long or short term changes.

Evaluate your child’s diet too. Have there been any foods that have been introduced recently that could be causing the problem? Other factors to consider is if your child is ill (some medications can raise blood sugars), and has your child been less active in the past couple of days. If your child’s body is used to regular physical activity, by being sedentary your child’s blood glucose levels will be higher. Until the blood glucose levels return to normal, ensure that your child is getting plenty of fluids – the sugar free kind is the best choice.