I will try and be brief regarding Jocelyn's blood sugar.
We had 2 more "episodes," one being last night and then another one today. Both of them were more minor compared to the others, but enough to be of concern.
For now, we have to check her blood sugar levels sporadically though out the day: when she first wakes up, before eating, 2 hours after eating, and of course during any time where she becomes unresponsive and unable to walk, talk, hold her head up, etc. This just involves a simple prick of her finger and she already seems to be okay with it. I have to document every reading, the time, how much she had to eat prior to, etc. We will do that for awhile and let them know immediately if it goes below 40 since that is the absolute lowest they would like to see it. In the meantime, a blood draw will be sent to a lab to check her insulin level.
If nothing becomes clear with either of these approaches, she will probably see a specialist.
At this point, it is a relief to know that the doctors aren't overly concerned about anything serious yet, since her well child checks all show that she is growing at a good rate and obviously not malnourished! If she were loosing weight fast, that would be a different story.
So for now, our little girl is keeping us on our toes. :-)
I do have need some advice from anyone. We have to make sure that she constantly has a good mix of carbs and protein in any one snack. Plain carbs are too hard on her pancreas so simple sugars are out the question. Even applesauce without sugar added is not good enough by itself. Cheese and yogurt and both good snacks, but they are not easy to pack around without a cooler. Apple slices dipped in peanut butter would be good for her, but that is not convenient all the time. I need a handful of good ideas that I can have with me at all times and things for her to have that are easy for her to get to. Any suggestions? Chelsy...especially from you! :-)
2 comments:
Hi Carrie,
I am so sorry to hear about Jocelyn's blood sugar. I do have a great recipe for homemade Cranberry-Apricot Granola Bars. The ingredients include: granola, oats, dried apricots and cranberries, whole wheat flour, egg, honey, canola oil and cinnamon. These are great on the go bars! Anyway, if you think she can have this let me know and I'll get you the entire recipe. I wish you all the best!
Sarah
Protein ideas: beans, hummus, hard boiled egg, cheese, peanut butter, cottage cheese, deli meat, chicken (or other meats), tuna, milk, plain yogurt (flavored yogurt has a ton of sugar!) or mix plain yogurt with flavored. With each meal and snack you should offer at least one protein food.
You may also want to check labels and aim for a ratio of somewhere around 1:2, protein to carbohydrate. For example, a cup of milk has 8 grams protein and 12 grams carbs, which is pretty close. Make sure you look at "total carbohydrate", not sugar on the labels because total carb includes the sugar. You probably won't find many foods that have that exact ratio, but you could have a string cheese (6 grams protein) and crackers (I have some Multigrain Crackers that have 3 grams protein, 18 grams carbs in 14 crackers).
I would also suggest looking for foods with fiber, since that may play a role in keeping blood sugar more steady. Look for 3 grams of fiber or more per serving. I would avoid really high fiber foods (like Fiber One cereal that has around 14 grams fiber per serving), because for kids' little bodies, that can be too much. (Very few people have to be concerned about overdoing it on fiber because almost everyone is low in fiber.) Generally, the higher fiber foods are going to be higher in nutrients and lower in sugar since they are less processed.
Ok, that's all for now. We'll talk more later. :) Oh, and that will be $50. You think because you're family, my advice is free? Ha ha!
By the way, even though Jocelyn looks sad, that picture is super cute!
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