November 8, 2003
Blood Tests and Insulin Injections
Question from North Carolina, USA:
I’m hoping my seven year old daughter is not dropping low and rebounding during the night. What time is the best time to check her during the night to monitor how she is doing?
Answer:
The best time to check would be about six to eight hours after the evening dose of intermediate-acting insulin. For example, if your daughter takes her insulin at 6:00 PM, you would monitor at about 2:00 am. However, I would nor think that you necessarily need to do this on a daily basis.
If your daughter’s blood sugars are running about 120 mg/dl [6.7 mmol/L] at bedtime and about the same in the morning, I would doubt there is a problem with lows during the night. On the other hand, if you are finding that her fasting levels are high, you might suspect rebound hyperglycemia and begin doing some detective work.
SS
