I’m having difficulty controlling my son’s diabetes. He was in school today and his blood sugar was 2.7 mmol/L [49 mg/dl], so the teacher give him some Lucozade. On the weekend, his blood sugar was in between 26 and 32 mmol/L [468 and 576 mg/dl]. His blood sugar is just up and down and it is very rarely between 4 and 7 mmol/L [72 and 126 mg/dl]. I’m just wondering what I could do about it. There must be something I’m doing wrong. It’s really worrying because I was told it would take a few weeks to get under control, but he has had diabetes now for four months and it doesn’t seem to be any better. My son’s blood sugar was 37 mmol/L [666 mg/dl] when he was diagnosed and it’s just up and down all the time. He is very hyperactive when his sugar is high. How can I achieve better control?

I can feel your frustration coming through your question. However, don’t panic. What you are experiencing is extremely common especially early on in diabetes. With young children especially, the blood glucose can swing fairly wildly and for no apparent reason. However, the answer usually lies in what I would loosely call “routine.” While modern insulin regimens allow more flexibility and freedom than before in terms of eating (content and timing) and activity, there’s no doubt that sticking to a reasonable routine of activity and eating will make things more understandable in the early stages of diabetes. It is also important to have an open and honest chat about what we could term “dietary indiscretions,” which often occur on the way home from school. I can’t comment on individual regimens but it’s important to discuss with your diabetes team whether your son is on the right system for his activity levels, etc. They will also provide you with “rules” on how to adjust his insulin both acutely and for trends in his blood results. Hang in there.

KJR