Should I Be Worried About Low Blood Sugar in My 4 Yr Old?????

No need to worry.
Everyone's blood sugar gets low when we haven't eaten in awhile.
With him throwing up for a few days, low blood sugar is to be expected.
When he can hold something down or sip on some ginger ale his blood sugar will rise again.

Although low blood sugar is often associated with diabetes... it can happen in children who are NOT diabetic at all. This is especially the case if a child fasts for too long between meals... or is sick and vomiting. (in fact vomiting a lot can really screw up blood sugar levels even in healthy people)

I would sometimes have low blood sugar as a child if I forgot to eat breakfast and went out to do an activity- it usually caused me to faint. The doctor diagnosed it as "hypoglycemia" and I was just told to eat a piece of hard candy or drink some juice... but ideally, I had to remember to eat!

I was VERY skinny, by the way. So I didn't have much for "fat stores" when I was out playing, which made me more prone to it. When you child gets closer to puberty and towards he shouldn't have as many problems with it... hypoglycemia (literally "low glucose") without diabetes is really uncommon in adults.

However, I did have gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy, but not with my second (because I lost weight and changed my diet)- that means that I do have a higher risk for diabetes down the road if I don't "take care" of myself. I never got type 2 diabetes... phew! Hypoglycemia does not mean you WILL have diabetes... but it is a risk factor and a good reason to make sure your son eats healthfully and doesn't LIVE off of carbs and starches.

So relax... don't "forget" about it- but you don't need to freak out either. 65 is low, but is not REALLY low... next time your son is sick- double your efforts to keep him hydrated, and try to give him pedialyte or some other electrolyte drink if he cannot keep down any foods. If this problem happens again when he is not sick- you could check with the doctor and have him tested for diabetes if you want- but I am pretty sure he is just fine!

Good Luck!
-M.

PS- diabetes itself is actually the opposite of "hypoglycemia"- it is "hyperglycemia"- HIGH blood sugar- BUT, if you have chronic hypoglycemia... that is a risk factor for diabetes- later on in life (to clear that up)

My husband is a diabetic and usually an illness will send his sugars sky high like in the 2-300's and its very hard to manage sugars when he gets sick. I wouldnt be concerned with a 65 blood glucose reading especially if he's been sick with the stomach bug cant keep much down. You can always keep an eye on him going forward and see if he gets cranky or kinda spacy if its been a while since he's eaten anything or when he first wakes up he could possible have a mild case of hypoglycemia but i would contribute this to the stomach bug

I think this is in response to the stomach issue he was having and not having eaten for so long. Diabetes causes high blood sugar, not low.

Talk with your doctor if you are concerned about this.

When I took my son to the ER in January, there was a littl eboy-maybe 3 yrs old. His mom was on her phone-and no I swear I was not listening on purpose. She was telling someone that his blood sugar was really low. he was in for dehydration from the stomach flu form the past week. She also said that she was really worried about it and scared but later the doc told her that she should arrange for her ped to test him after he gets over the sickness to see where the level is. I think he calmed her down but she was also blaming herself for the dehydration because she did not force him to drink when he kept throwing up. Ah, the life of a mom. We left first so I hope she felt better later.

we were there too... my 4.5 year old got it on wed night. by friday afternoon she hadn't peed in 24 hours. the ER at winchester hospital is great. the low blood sugar is what makes them naseaus and not want to eat or drink, but not eating or drinking makes it low..... it's just a cycle.....
my 2.5 year old got it on saturday.

fruit loops worked for us. they had a whole day of just grazing on fruit loops and juice all day... and then the next day dry fruit loops for breakfast, and grazing on other snacks.... and this morning they asked for their regular breakfast stuff.

Hi K.! Low blood sugar is called Hypoglycemia and Type 1 Diabetes is Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). So,yes, it is possible and very common to have low blood sugar without having diabetes. It's also possible to have low blood glucose without having Hypoglycemia.
A blood glucose(BG) of 65 isn't dangerous. Normal BG runs from 70-110 or 80-120, depending on the individual. Your son probably had a lower BG reading due to the sickness he was experiencing.

I wouldn't be concerned at all, especially if your doctor didn't seem concerned about it. Don't hesitate to ask your doctor what he thinks though! There is nothing like peace of mind!

I hope your son is feeling better!

.

Normal, not at all a sign of diabetes. Kids don't have the glycogen reserves that adults do (not enough fat stores to get through periods of starvation). 65 is low for kids, but not dangerously so. I am an ED nurse so not a ped MD, but know some stuff :) Hope he is feeling better.

i thought diabetes caused high blood sugar b/c you are not producing the insulin to lower it. Talk to you doctor though if you are concerned.

I have a son with type 1 diabetes. Just for fun one day we tested my husband who was 65. (non diabetic) I think sometimes people do just have a lower blood sugar. If your son wasn't eating that could surely affect his blood sugar. The main reason why a diabetic would get a low blood sugar is because they have too much insulin in their body from a previous injection. However there have been instances where a person can have a low blood sugar before being diagnosed with diabetes. The pancreas gives out spurts of it. I don't think that is the case with you though. I think not eating and vomiting was the culpritl.

I suggest that you talk with his doctor to get an accurate medical opinion. Diabetes occurs when our body doesn't appropriately use carbs. A diabetic can have high levels of insulin and low levels of insulin. The body is unable to accurately produce the amount of insulin it needs in relation to the carbohydrate consumption.

One discrepancy I noticed in the posts is that diabetes causes high blood sugar. Diabetes also causes low blood sugar. To have diabetes under control one must eat am appropriate amount of carbohydrates. When we eat too many we cause our body to produce more insulin which causes low blood sugar, for example.

I also suggest that the low blood sugar was caused by him not eating but I'd call his doctor for clarification. I also think that a bg level of 65 is not dangerous.

I'd ask your pediatrician any & all questions about that!

My daughter had that awful tummy bug, too. She threw up 8 times in 10 hours, and the next day hardly ate anything (just crackers and jello!).
The next day, she felt better and went to preschool, but the next day, she had to leave school. Turns out she wasn't sick again, she was just hungry! although she was feeling better, her eating hadn't quite caught up with her and she just didn't have any energy to play! I bumped up her eating and gave lots of nutrient dense foods for a few days for her body to catch up.

I think no need to worry - he was just sick and hadn't eaten. Normal for blood sugar to be low in that case (I think). Just bump up his nutrition for a few days - extra healthy snacks and more of them. He'll be back to his normal self in no time.

If you are concerned, talk to the dr., but it sounds totally normal to me.