April 13, 2004
Exercise and Sports, Hyperglycemia and DKA
Question from North Carolina, USA:
At school, if my daughter has a 10 a.m. reading of 250 mg/dl [13.9 mmol/L], she does not have a snack. Lunch then follows at ll a.m. and she has 40 grams of carbohydrates. At 12:00, she has physical education. Generally, when we check at 3 p.m., she is high, 250 to 350 mg/dl [13.9 to 19.4 mmol/L] on physical education day only. The physical education, right after lunch on a high number, I think, is causing the 3 p.m. high. Does this mean she should not participate if her blood sugar is over 250 mg/dl [13.9 mmol/L]? Should she check her number before physical education to determine this? What do most children do?
Answer:
I would not restrict activity for a blood sugar of 250 mg/dl [13.9 mmol/L], unless she also has ketones in her urine and is getting sick with her diabetes. I would suggest reviewing 7-14 days of blood sugars with your diabetes team to make an insulin dosing adjustment to better meet her needs and avoid the high blood sugars.
MSB
Additional comments from Brenda Hitchcock:
To see what others do or have done, you should search our previous questions at Ask the Diabetes Team.
BH
