I have type 1 diabetes, and I believe my three year old daughter also has it. They recently put her in the hospital to run tests, but they say it will be six weeks before I can get the results. However, she has way too many sugars that are over 125 mg/dl [6.9 mmol/L] and had three days during which her sugars ran over 200 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L]. I believe that she is in the honeymoon stage right now, but I want to get her on her diet because I know how critical this is. I am trying to find out what her calorie intake should be and how many carbohydrates she should have.

I was not diagnosed till I was 21, and was diagnosed after I had a stroke, so I don’ t want my daughter to end up with the same complications. I want to do whatever is necessary to help her to keep her healthy.

I applaud you on your sincere efforts at helping your daughter live a normal and healthy life with diabetes. The best thing that I can recommend is to meet with a registered dietitian who specializes in working with children who have diabetes. He/she will be able to provide an individualized meal plan to fit your daughter’s food preferences and caloric needs. There is no such thing as “one meal plan fits all people with diabetes” nowadays. Ask for a referral to a dietitian.

JMS

[Editor’s comment: If your daughter has had fasting blood sugars over 126 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L], and random blood sugars greater than 200 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L] on more than two occasions and done by a laboratory, this is diagnostic of diabetes. I fail to understand why it should take six weeks to make a diagnosis. You might wish to ask for a referral to pediatric diabetes team to quickly clarify what is going on.

See Classification and Diagnosis of Diabetes Guidelines.

SS]