October 9, 2001
Daily Care
Question from Broomfield, Colorado, USA:
My neighbor’s four year old boy has diabetes, and even though she has been doing everything she should, today his readings were off for no apparent reason. His doctor is out of town, and she’s looking for a reason why the readings would skyrocket. Does his condition change as he grows older? They have no access to the Internet so I’m asking on their behalf.
Answer:
This sudden loss of blood sugar control might have a number of causes such as a change in exercise pattern, or of appetite; but most probably it could be due to the metabolic stress of an incipient minor infection. What it does show is that the family might be helped by sharing the care of their son with a children’s diabetes team which usually consists of one or more doctors together with a nurse educator, a dietitian, and a medical social worker. These teams normally have 24 hour telephone access. Your neighbour might also be helped by reading one or more of the many books on looking after children with diabetes.
DOB