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Below are points that you could give to your child’s teacher and school nurse.
- When should you do a blood glucose check
- When the child says ‘I’m low’ (especially during or after exercise)
- If the child has symptoms of low blood glucose (irritability, sleepiness, erratic responses to questions, add your child’s particular symptoms
- What to do according to the blood glucose reading
Under 4mmom/L: Give two glucose tablets or sweets, immediately followed by food containing 30g of carbohydrates
4-5 mmol/L: Give one glucose tablet or sweet and if a meal or snack is in half an hour let the child be, otherwise give them a snack including carbohydrate and protein
5-7 mmol/L: Child is fine. If exercise is planned before a snack or meal, the child should snack before exercise
7-11 mmol/L: Child is fine. They could feel low if they were previously high and is now dropping
11-13 mmol/L: Child is a bit high, but not uncommon especially in the morning
Over 14mmol/L: Level is too high. Must drink water or other non-caloric fluids. Child should use bathroom as needed. Need to check urine for ketones.
If ketones are present, contact parents and medical team.
Note: The symptoms for high levels and low levels are similar.
If levels do not normalise despite treatment call parents and medical team.
After an episode of low blood glucose it can take several hours to fully recover, therefore the child should not be expected t perform at the optimum levels. However, diabetes should never be allowed to be an excuse for low school performance.
- When giving sugar the following are suggested
- Two glucose tablets (Sweets containing glucose differ but 10-15g of sugar are recommended)
- One-half of a can of cooldrink (regular not diet)
- Chocolate only to be used if no other source of sugar is available. It is often not absorbed quickly enough due to fats in chocolate.
It is advised that both your child and your child’s teacher, especially games teachers or coaches carry some form of fast acting sugar on sporting events and school outings e.g. dextrose tablets or juice. It is important that the teachers are familiar with symptoms, treatment and prevention of hypoglycaemia in diabetes. |
