Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is when a child (or any other person) with diabetes is suffering from low blood sugars. This can be an extreme and dangerous situation and in the worse case scenarios can lead to a diabetic coma or even death. But with careful monitoring of blood sugar levels this can be prevented.

An important lesson to teach young children with juvenile diabetes is to recognize the signs of when they have low blood sugar. For very young children this is going to be difficult when they don’t have the words or comprehension to explain what they are feeling.

Your child can develop hypoglycemia if they have not eaten enough, have had too much insulin or if they have missed a meal. All of these situations can be avoided but they still happen from time to time. Make sure your child always has some emergency food on hand for these types of situations and knows when they should eat it.

A child suffering from hypoglycemia may display certain symptoms that can help an outsider know what is going on. Especially for young children keep a look out for mood swings, shakiness, paleness, acting strangely or the inability to concentrate. The condition can manifest itself in many different ways but in an individual they usually react the same way to hypoglycemia. Learn how your child reacts to low blood sugars and advise others who care for your child in the course of a day so that they too can be prepared.

If your child is frequently suffering from hypoglycemia, consult with your doctor or diabetes educator. An adjustment to the insulin schedule or the amount of insulin that is given may need to be adjusted. A closer look at the meal plan is warranted too, maybe meal times or the type of food eaten needs to be changed.