My 12 year old daughter is hypoglocsemic {sp?}any tips?

Answer 1

How is hypoglycemia treated?

The acute management of hypoglycemia involves the rapid delivery of a source of easily absorbed sugar. Regular soda, juice, lifesavers, table sugar, and the like are good options. In general, 10-15 grams of glucose is used, followed by an assessment of symptoms and a blood glucose check if possible. If after 10 minutes there is no improvement, another 10-15 grams should be given. This can be repeated up to 3 times. At that point, the patient should be considered as not responding to the therapy and an ambulance should be called.

The equivalency of 10-15 grams of glucose (approximate servings) are:

Ten lifesavers
4 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 can of regular soda or juice
Many people like the idea of treating hypoglycemia with cake, cookies, and brownies. However, sugar in the form of complex carbohydrates or sugar combined with fat and protein are much too slowly absorbed to be useful in the acute treatment of hypoglycemia.

Once the acute episode has been treated, a healthy, long-acting carbohydrate to maintain blood sugars in the appropriate range should be consumed. Half a sandwich is a reasonable option.

If the hypoglycemic episode has progressed to the point where the patient cannot or will not take anything by mouth, more drastic measures will be needed. In many cases, a family member or roommate can be trained in the use of glucagon. Glucagon causes a rapid release of glucose stores from the liver. It is an injection given intramuscularly to a patient who cannot take glucose by mouth. A response is usually seen in minutes and lasts for about 90 minutes. Again, a long-acting source of glucose should thereafter be consumed to maintain blood sugar levels in the safe range. If glucagon is not available and the patient is not able to take anything by mouth, Emergency 911 should be called immediately. An intravenous route of glucose administration should be established as soon as possible.

With a history of recurrent hypoglycemic episodes, the first step in treatment is to assess whether the hypoglycemia is related to medications or insulin treatment. Patients with a consistent pattern of hypoglycemia may benefit from a dose adjustment. It is important that patients check blood glucose values multiple times a day to help define whether there is a pattern with meals or medications.

Answer 2

It made me dizzy reading it, but Laura is right. Keep sugar around and test her often. Most of the time you can recognize hypoglycemia coming on by the people might be red and sweaty. If she isn't doing anything and is sweating, then it's probably coming on. Keep a close eye on her. Good Luck