s/o sweet sneakers: who has successfully taught a kid with hypoglycemia to self-regulate?

[SKL]

My kid is 10yo and has access to goodies from a variety of sources.  She has pocket money, goes to school, and knows her way around the kitchen.  She's well past the age when it's realistic to control what goes into her mouth.

 

We've been through the whole sugar habit thing - tried pretty much everything, finally ended up with "at least eat it in the kitchen."  We've talked plenty about nutrition and why she should limit sugar.  She's aware she likely has hypoglycemia, with various unpleasant symptoms, and we've talked about the best way to eat in order to mitigate the problem.  But, the will power is lacking.

 

Have any of you successfully taught a school-age kid to better manage this?  I'm talking about a kid who really struggles with the sweet temptation.  Is there hope, or do we just accept that she's going to have these problems (behavior and learning and some physical health) until she gets much older?

[SparklyUnicorn]

If she has hypoglycemia it's not a failure of self regulation.  It's a medical condition. 

[fairfarmhand]

She needs to start EVERY DAY with high protein breakfast. If I eat pancakes, bagels, cereal or starch stuff I will crave cookies ALL DAY!

 

She also needs to start thinking about I"m feeling...weepy, shaky, headachy, etc.  And reach for trail mix or nuts in an easy to get to place. I do better if it takes more work to get to the starches (high shelf, in the freezer, etc.) if I open the cupboard and crackers are the first thing I see, I'm sunk.

[maize]

If you suspect hypoglycemia I would have that evaluated by a doctor. The doctor can then explain the ramifications and teach her ways to manage it.

[fairfarmhand]

Don't make it about self regulation. It's about insulin. Help her understand how her body processes sugars. Tell her its okay to have carby stuff but she needs to have it with protein and fat to regulate and stabilize the sugars.

 

So a cookie is okay, but with a healthy serving of nuts or a boiled egg alongsite it. That way it'll be one cookie and a protein snack instead of 6 cookies.

[SparklyUnicorn]

It's very manageable btw!  Sure, not fun.  I can't eat cereal or bagels, for example, (which are so so so yummy), but other than that it's some minor changes.  It can make a huge difference.

 

 

[SKL]

If she has hypoglycemia it's not a failure of self regulation.  It's a medical condition. 

 

I know, but what I mean is managing her diet to mitigate the problem.

 

[SKL]

I should note that my kid will not eat nuts or beans.  :/  Not a big fan of eggs either, though she will eat them sometimes.

 

We have talked about balancing carbs with protein etc.  She knows.  Knowing and doing are two different things though.  :)

[fairfarmhand]

I should note that my kid will not eat nuts or beans. :/ Not a big fan of eggs either, though she will eat them sometimes.

 

We have talked about balancing carbs with protein etc. She knows. Knowing and doing are two different things though. :)

cheese and sandwich meat. Does she like pistachios or pecans?my non nut eaters like those okay

 

 

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[SparklyUnicorn]

Maybe there are some lunch type foods she'd be willing to eat for breakfast?  I get sick of eggs myself sometimes.  So I will often just eat lunch/dinner foods.

 

I rarely eat beans.  Not my favorite....

 

 

[amy g.]

Over the holidays I bought a glucose monitoring kit and started testing family members. As I feared, my 10 year old is on the borderline of type 1 and my sister, who said her prediabetes was under control and she didn't need to be careful with her food choices or test, had progressed to full-blown type 2.

 

I wasn't prepared for my own reading though. It was so low that when I tried to look up causes on the internet, the only thing I could find was " Tell your doctor to lower your insulin dosage."

 

That triggered a memory of being a teenager, and fainting pretty often. My dad took me for extensive testing and was relieved when it turned out to only be hypoglycemia.

 

That was it. No one told me what I needed to do differently. No one told me to eat more frequently or change my diet.

 

I don't really have a sweet tooth. We didn't eat junk food when I was growing up, so I never really developed a taste for it. As a young adult I WAS eating what I thought was healthy.

 

For breakfast, I had whole grain toast and no sugar fruit spread with no butter and a piece of fruit. For lunch I had whole grain pasta and vegetables and fat free dressing and another piece of fruit. For dinner, I had rice and beans or vegetable soup and a grilled cheese for a treat.

 

The problem with my *healthy* diet was that all of those good carbs were creating chaos with my blood sugar and there wasn't enough protein or fat to keep me sane. No wonder I was either raging or crying or sleeping....for decades.

 

The first time I tried eating low carb was in order to lose weight. I did, but what I could not believe was how good I felt mentally and emotionally. No more mood swings, no over sleeping or aches and joint pain. But I still had a diet mentality so when I reached my goal weight I returned to my previous diet of whole grains and fruits and vegetables. And my problems returned.

 

There was a suspicion that my kids might be reacting to dairy, so I got them to agree to a whole 30. Fortunately, dairy didn't seem to be an issue, but my middle daughter, who had always been emotional, discovered that she was a whole different person when her blood sugar wasn't on a roller coaster. There were so many things she thought were just part of her personality that were related to low blood sugar. She never went back to eating the way that she did before.

 

As a family, we now eat low carb, no grain, no leguemes, no sugar. I pack protein everywhere we go and make sure no one goes too long between meals. Everyone is happier. Everyone feels better.

 

I don't believe that the whole population should eat like we do. Blood sugar issues clearly run in my family, and I made my own worse during my years of eating healthy carbs. I don't think most people need to be as extreme as I do.

 

But I think most people would benefit by at least tracking what they eat and how they feel for a month or two.

 

So if I had a 10 year old with suspected blood sugar issues, I would change what I bought and what I cooked for the entire family and try to get her to try a new way of eating for a finite time period.

 

She may feel so much better that she doesn't want to go back to eating junk. I wouldn't worry about the small amount of her diet that she is getting with her own money. My guess is that if there is no sugar or carby junk in the house, an occasional treat that she buys herself won't have a huge effect.

 

Good luck. I think it is great that you are looking at these problems while she is still young.

[SparklyUnicorn]

My story isn't exact, but yes yes yes to many of these things.  I was never officially diagnosed with anything (although I never pursued it either).  When my mother had diabetes and would test, I'd sometimes test myself (ya know..kid wants to play with mom's meter) and I tested very very low. 

But the fainting, shakiness, sense of I better eat 50 pounds of food or I'll die....yes.  I discovered in high school that if I skipped breakfast and lunch I never had the symptoms.  Those were always carby meals.  Cereal or some sandwich on white bread.  Dinner always had meat and vegetables so even with a bit of carbs on the side I was fine.  It took a long time before I got the connection.

 

Now I've never had a sweet tooth.  Not at all.  I might grab sweets when I was feeling desperate because they were ready to go, but if I had a choice between that and something savory, I'd pick savory. 

 

 

 

 

Over the holidays I bought a glucose monitoring kit and started testing family members. As I feared, my 10 year old is on the borderline of type 1 and my sister, who said her prediabetes was under control and she didn't need to be careful with her food choices or test, had progressed to full-blown type 2.

I wasn't prepared for my own reading though. It was so low that when I tried to look up causes on the internet, the only thing I could find was " Tell your doctor to lower your insulin dosage."

That triggered a memory of being a teenager, and fainting pretty often. My dad took me for extensive testing and was relieved when it turned out to only be hypoglycemia.

That was it. No one told me what I needed to do differently. No one told me to eat more frequently or change my diet.

I don't really have a sweet tooth. We didn't eat junk food when I was growing up, so I never really developed a taste for it. As a young adult I WAS eating what I thought was healthy.

For breakfast, I had whole grain toast and no sugar fruit spread with no butter and a piece of fruit. For lunch I had whole grain pasta and vegetables and fat free dressing and another piece of fruit. For dinner, I had rice and beans or vegetable soup and a grilled cheese for a treat.

The problem with my *healthy* diet was that all of those good carbs were creating chaos with my blood sugar and there wasn't enough protein or fat to keep me sane. No wonder I was either raging or crying or sleeping....for decades.

The first time I tried eating low carb was in order to lose weight. I did, but what I could not believe was how good I felt mentally and emotionally. No more mood swings, no over sleeping or aches and joint pain. But I still had a diet mentality so when I reached my goal weight I returned to my previous diet of whole grains and fruits and vegetables. And my problems returned.

There was a suspicion that my kids might be reacting to dairy, so I got them to agree to a whole 30. Fortunately, dairy didn't seem to be an issue, but my middle daughter, who had always been emotional, discovered that she was a whole different person when her blood sugar wasn't on a roller coaster. There were so many things she thought were just part of her personality that were related to low blood sugar. She never went back to eating the way that she did before.

As a family, we now eat low carb, no grain, no leguemes, no sugar. I pack protein everywhere we go and make sure no one goes too long between meals. Everyone is happier. Everyone feels better.

I don't believe that the whole population should eat like we do. Blood sugar issues clearly run in my family, and I made my own worse during my years of eating healthy carbs. I don't think most people need to be as extreme as I do.

But I think most people would benefit by at least tracking what they eat and how they feel for a month or two.

So if I had a 10 year old with suspected blood sugar issues, I would change what I bought and what I cooked for the entire family and try to get her to try a new way of eating for a finite time period.

She may feel so much better that she doesn't want to go back to eating junk. I wouldn't worry about the small amount of her diet that she is getting with her own money. My guess is that if there is no sugar or carby junk in the house, an occasional treat that she buys herself won't have a huge effect.

Good luck. I think it is great that you are looking at these problems while she is still young.

 

[EndOfOrdinary]

Have you done formal nutrition? Ds went through a kid's nutrition course specifically designed for kids with blood sugar issues.

It was taught by nurses at the local hospital. They talked all about fast sugar and slow sugar, pairing the two, a daily eating plan to pace your sugar, drinking enough water, and how your body responds to the different types. They were not mincing words about the fact that if the kids were there, they were having to play a long game with their bodies ability to process food. Mess up and not take it seriously, and there were major (needle related) consequences.

 

He can eat all the sugar he wants, but he feels TERRIBLE when he eats more than a piece or two. I mean terrible! Headaches, dizzy, drooling like a Rottwieler, unable to handle his emotions, sweating, nauseaus. He only had to fall apart once in front of his friends and that was it. He took care of it from then on. I ask him before we go out if he has a snack and if he has eaten. Those were difficult from 10-11. After "the incident" he now really watches it. I think if he did not have such an immediate response, it would be harder. Eat too much and puke for an hour on the bathroom floor with clammy shakes is a pretty good incentive.

 

Do you let her truly make herself SICK? Our doctor openly advocated for it to happen about three times about a month or two apart and I had to be right there with watered down gatorade/watered down apple juice, lunchmeat/string cheese, and a whole lot of discussion about how wretched it was not to listen to his body. It was as if Ds did not get it until he had done it twice. As if we were lying to him.

 

We have almost no white flour in the house. That one is a big one here. He has English muffins, tortillas for quesadillas, and occassionally pasta. This child has a thing for bread, croissants, pancakes, waffles, crackers, any sugar laden white flour. Those were very hard for him to control. He craved them. Now they are treats when we go out if he has eaten "slow sugar" aka protein. He if he can choose a treat at the store, a box of Ritz will win over a candy bar.