Blood glucose-the body's fuel
Insulin is the key
What is hyperglycemia?
Symptoms of high blood sugar are extreme thirst, frequent urination, dry skin, hunger, blurred vision, headache,
drowsiness or being very tired, and being sick to your stomach. Test your blood sugar and record levels. If
your blood sugar is high a lot, more than 165 mg/dl, it's time to talk to your diabetes team--your parent(s),
doctor and diabetes educator--to get back on track.
What should you do?
The sick-day blues
DKA--Serious stuff
Ketones are a sign something is wrong, and your parent(s) should call your doctor for advice. DKA is serious.
If you have nausea and vomiting, stomach pain, and deep and rapid breathing, you may have symptoms of DKA and should go
to the doctor or hospital.
The low down on hypoglycemia
Why does it happen?
Low blood sugar happens in kids with Type 1 for three reasons: 1) They take too much insulin for the amount of food
they eat or the amount they have exercised; 2) They don't eat enough food or don't eat on time; and, 3) They exercise too
much for the amount of insulin they take.
What should you do?
It's always also a good idea to wear identification that says you have diabetes and what you might need in an emergency. Keep
something sweet with you at all times to treat low blood sugar‹glucose tablets or gel, a juice box, regular (not diet) pop or a
couple of hard candies.
An ounce of prevention
The highs and lows of diabetes
Shaking ____
It is important to know how your body feels when your blood sugar is too high or too low. Sometimes you can feel one of the above
feelings when you're high or low. That's why it's always important to check your blood sugar.
f you can't check for some reason, and you don't know for sure if you're high or low, it's a good idea to
treat your reaction as a low.
Stay off the blood-sugar roller coaster!
And the number is...
Tips for checking your blood sugar
It's a cinch!
Blood sugar (blood glucose) is the amount of sugar that is in your bloodstream. Glucose is a
form of sugar that comes from your body's liver, which releases stored sugar, and the foods you eat,
which gets broken down in the digestive process. Blood sugar supplies our body's cells with the energy we
need to stay alive. However, the cells cannot use glucose without the help of insulin.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps the body use glucose (sugar). It is the
"key" that unlocks the "doors" to cells, and allows glucose to enter to fuel the cells.
Your pancreas is comma-shaped gland located just behind the stomach. However, since your pancreas
isn't making enough insulin, you'll have to inject insulin with a syringe and needle or with an
insulin-delivery system like an insulin pump.
High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) is when there is too much sugar (glucose) in your blood, and
not enough insulin. You have high blood sugar when have either poor blood-sugar control or if you get sick.
Keeping your levels as close as possible to your target range will keep you healthier longer. It's OK to have a
higher than normal blood sugar reading once in a while. It's only a problem when you have high blood sugar a lot or
if you have a very high reading.
When you get sick, your blood-sugar level might go way up. Check your blood sugar often and, if you have Type 1 diabetes,
test for ketones in your urine. Your doctor will need to know this information.
Drink plenty of caffeine-free, calorie-free liquids. Try to eat something such as broth or plain toast, or drink some juice, even
if your stomach is upset. Your doctor or diabetes educator can best tell you and your parent(s) on how to treat your diabetes when
you're sick.
When people with Type 1 diabetes get sick, or if their blood-sugar level stays very high, this may cause diabetic ketoacidosis or DKA.
You should check for ketones using a urine test strip if you are sick or if your blood sugar is very high.
Just like when a car runs out of gas, your body tells you when it's low on fuel. Low blood sugar
(hypoglycemia) is when blood-sugar levels drop too low. It often strikes just before meals,
when blood sugar tends to be low, but can also occur while exercising or just afterwards, and
it's becoming more common during sleep.
If you start feeling shaky, weak, confused, grouchy or tired, it's your body's way of telling you your blood sugar is too low.
It's important to treat it right away. So if you're not feeling like yourself, then test your blood sugar right away.
veryone is different, so your diabetes team can tell you which blood-sugar levels mean you're too low. If you don't have your meter
with you, go ahead and treat for hypoglycemia. You can take glucose tablets or glucagon to boost the amount of sugar in your bloodstream.
If those aren't available, drink orange juice, milk or eat fast-dissolving candy. Test again in 15 minutes. If your blood sugar is still
too low or if you don't feel better, eat some more sugar and test again in after another 15 minutes. If it's still low then tell a parent
or other adult and see your doctor or go to the hospital right away.
If your blood sugar keeps dropping you may become confused, have a seizure or even lose consciousness (hypoglycemic coma).
Preventing low blood sugar is important because it increases your chance of having low blood sugar again the next day.
How do you feel when your blood sugar is too high or too low? Put an H for high or L for low or B for both beside those you feel:
Sweating ____
Frequent urination ____
Fast heartbeat ____
Hunger ____
Blurred vision ____
Drowsiness ____
Anxious ____
Dry skin ____
Extreme thirst ____
Irritable ____
Headache ____
Impaired Vision ____
Nausea ____
Dizziness ____
To stay in good control by keeping within your target range, you need to balance all these factors:
What was your latest hemoglobin A1c result? Why have an HbA1c test? It's an average of what your past
three month's blood sugars have been. It tells your doctor what your overall control was like. If your blood-sugar
levels are in your target range at least half the time, your HbA1c will probably be OK.
Everyone knows that blood sugar monitoring is a daily activity, like brushing your teeth. Other daily activities for
someone living with diabetes include taking injections (or changing your site every third day if you wear a pump), eating snacks,
exercise, and wearing an ID bracelet or necklace. Though sometimes it's a drag, doing these activities every day helps keep your
diabetes in control.