July 8, 1999
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from West Lafayette, Indiana, USA:
Our 6 year old diabetic son’s dietitian told us that he should have a snack 2 hours after his breakfast, which he has at 7:30 A.M. He has being doing this for over 2 years. During this spring break, I was very curious about his reading at 9:30 A.M. I was shocked to find out that the average of 8 days reading at 9:30 A.M. is 263. Did I do more harm to give him 1/2 cup of juice and some crackers during this time? He has 3 H /10 N every morning. I am feeling really bad and want to cry very hard.
Answer:
Do not cry! You are doing the best you can. Being a parent is a tough job, let alone a parent of a child with diabetes. I would suggest you do several more blood glucoses in the A.M., and share these results with the diabetes team. He perhaps needs more fast-acting insulin in the A.M. I do not think the snack is doing him any harm, but check his blood glucoses at noon and see where he is at.
You might wish to talk with the team about any support group for parents of kids with diabetes. It is always nice to know others are in the same boat.
LSF
