My son is 12 years old and has Type 1 diabetes. He is scheduled to test for his black belt in tae kwon do next month. The test will last for 1.5 – 2 hours with no break in between. It will be physically exhausting. What would be the best way to ensure that his glucose will not get too low during the test?

Blood glucose monitoring is the key to your son’s success. It will be tough not to be able to check his blood glucose 30 minutes into tae kwon do. I suggest that you speak with your son’s instructor and try to come to some mutual agreement that will allow your son to check his blood glucose 30 minutes into the activity to insure his safety. In any case, do check your son’s blood glucose before tae kwon do. If his blood glucose is less than or equal to 100 mg/dl, have him eat a snack. If his blood glucose is greater than 100 mg/dl and no more than 250 mg/dl, go ahead and let him exercise. If his blood glucose is over 250mg/dl, check for ketones. If his blood glucose is over 300 mg/dl whether he has ketones or not, do not allow him to exercise, as he would be in poor control. If your son’s instructor will still not allow him to check his blood glucose during the test make sure your son brings a snack that he can have during the test.

PL