Low Blood Sugar

J.,
I'm not a doctor, but I too have hypoglycemia. Everyone is different. Diet and exercise are key as some foods bring you up and drop you down faster than others. Proteins are generally good compared to simple sugars (i.e. candy, one of my favorites unfortunately). This doesn't mean I can't have pie at family get togethers, it just means I can't eat 17 pieces. The doctor should have more information for you especially if it's type I or type II diabetes. If it's just low blood sugar at this point then it's hypoglycemia because the body can still take care of going too high, just not bottoming out.
Good luck
-B., Wichita, KS

The doctor gave a diagnosis without telling you what the treatment should be? I would call the doctor's office back and ask them to tell you what should be done in this case. If they can't tell you, I'd consider going to a Pediatric Endocrinologist or at the very least, getting a second opinion. There could be other things going on that are causing the low blood sugar. I think they should actually run more tests to determine if there are other issues as well. Don't be afraid to ask questions. I have found medical care is not what it used to be and you have to be your own and your childs advocate. Everyone is offering great and helpful information on here but I really think it needs to come from your doctor. Its why they make the "big bucks." Hold them to it.

It kind of depends... what was her blood sugar, did they give you a number? Some people's blood sugar just runs "low" but that's normal for them (mine is usually in the 70's) and that's normal for me. Is she diabetic?
Many things can affect your blood sugar- when was the last time she had eaten? Has she been sick? Was she feeling faint or dizzy?
I would suggest her eating several small meals throughout the day and keeping a small snack on hand if she being feeling dizzy, faint or "funny".

I was diagnosed with low blood sugar at her age and it's really important that she keep this in check because it's the main factor in a reproductive disease where she won't ovulate regularly (pcos). I was put on the glycemic index diet. It's the same diet that you get for diabetes.

This article has a bunch of exchange lists that will tell her which foods are good and which aren't. http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DA/00027.html

Now this doesn't mean she has to skip out on the sweets in life like diabetics. It means that she needs to be aware that eating those will cause her to crash a lot harder after the sugar high so she needs to balance them with the other foods, especially protien.

I have finally gotten control over mine enough to have a "normal" reproductive system at 36, now that I don't need it any more.

Give lots of protien and just watch what she eats. She is Hypoglycemic. It actually runs in my family on both sides. Watch what she eats and also watch that it very well could turn into diabetes. if you need any more advice please do not hesitate to contact me at ____@____.com. I will continue to help you as much as I can since I am hyploglycemic.

Keep in mind for the *future*, this can adversely affect glucose testing during pregnancy (and COULD worsen any pregnancy nausea). In the meantime, snacking often, lots of good protein snacks, will help her from being light-headed/fainting. Also, chlorophyll (available at natural food stores like Wild Oats in liquid or capsule form - I recommend capsule as the liquid discolors your mouth) helps regulate blood sugar levels among its other health benefits.

My blood sugar normally runs low. Most important thing for me is to keep a regular eating schedule and healthy snacks in between meals. I can always tell my blood sugar is getting low, I get cranky, sweaty and sometimes dizzy.

She should be able to have a normal healthy diet.

Make sure her school knows. She may need a midmorning snack and a one after lunch.

Watch the junk food, candy, etc. That can cause the blood sugar levels to rise and fall rapidly. I have had issues with this since I was a teenager. Scares the heck out of people when I faint because I haven't eaten. LOL! Just make sure that she eats frequently and drinks plenty of water. Apples always worked for me.

I would train her to make sure she always eats a protien source with any and all sweets, breads and fruit. That will minimize any sugar spikes which usually come before the blood sugar falls.

Suzi

My sister was diagnosed with hypoglycemia when she was about that age. As the others posted, she just had to watch her diet. Basically following a diabetic diet. She learned at an early age to decrease the sugary sweets, which really wasn't that hard since we rarely had sweets in the house and we were only allowed to have sodas on special occasions. She used to eat a lot of hard boiled eggs and cheese for that extra boost. I learned that if I did see her with a sugary sweet, then I avoided her for the rest of the day because she got really, really cranky.

Low blood sugar, hypoglycemia, means you probably need to eat 4 to 6 small meals a day. I went through the same thing in high school. Just have them take 2 to 3 snacks with them to school.

I'm very shocked the doctor didn't give her one for being hypoglycemic. They should of at least given tips on how to keep it up. I know things like juice are good for raising sugar levels, orange juice in particular. I think just giving foods with sugar in it can help, peanut butter and stuff like that. I have a cousin who in high school was diagnosed with it and during volleyball she had to keep packets of something in our med kits in case it dropped while we were playing. But I would talk to the doctor to find out for sure or to a nutrition specialist.

My sister and I have the same thing, but it isn't bad enough to need any medication. Our doctors have recommended that we eat five to six small meals a day, versus three regular ones; to spread out our caloric intake. I've heard that it is better for all of us to eat that way anyway. Also, it better for her to eat less processed foods, that will digest faster than non-processed ones; i.e. corn instead of corn chips, whole chicken breast, instead of chicken nuggets and etc.
I hope this helps. It sure has made a difference in my sister and I's lives.
Best of luck,
A.