Hi I have a daughter her name is Wendy. We live in Manitoba Canada. Wendy was diagnosed November 26, 2006. With Type 1 Diabetes. Wendy's blood sugar was 58.... She had fallen into a semi coma and had diabetic ketoacidosis.
... Wendy had very unstable blood sugars for a long time and still has but they are lower then they use to be. Some days her blood sugars are in the single digit numbers sometimes are in the teens or higher. ...
There are two different measures of blood sugar on meters, and in the USA most people use a different one than in Canada or Europe. I believe in the USA meters are set in mg/dl and in Canada/Europe they are set to mmol/L.
So Wendy's blood sugar of 58 with ketoacidosis was mmol/L, very dangerously high, and when her readings are in the single digits in mmol/L, that's lower than 180 in mg/dl.
I checked the
ChildrenwithDiabetes.com webpage:
One mmol/L is equivalent to 18 mg/dl.
I should have used the
Children with Diabetes converter to come up with this list:
32 mg/dl is 1.8 mmol/L - dangerously low
41 mg/dl is 2.3 mmol/L - dangerously low
76 mg/dl is 4.2 mmol/L - low
124 mg/dl is 6.9 mmol/L - slightly high
149 mg/dl is 8.3 mmol/L;
166 mg/dl is 9.2 mmol/L;
180 mg/dl is 10 mmol/L;
200 mg/dl is 11.1 mmol/L;
216 mg/dl is 12 mmol/L; hmmm
280mg/dl is 15.55 mmol/L; uh oh
320 mg/dl is 17.8 mmol/L - oh, dear
350 mg/dl is 19.4 mmol/L - yeow
400 mg/dl is 22.2 mmol/L - dangerously high
580 mg/dl is 32 mmol/L - dangerously high;
1044 mg/dl is 58 mmol/L - I am so thankful that Wendy had the best medical care.
I think if it's over 600 mg/dl most meter screens read "Call a doctor" and some may say that with a reading under 60, or certainly under 40 mg/dl.
The advice below is gold.
... So be patient with yourself and and your child just do your up most best to take care of her and don't be bullied by people that don't know what you are talking about or understand you or your child be firm and just keep going don't give up.
It's frustrating and stressing at times. I had to battle with the local school and other people and professionals who didn't know or understand this disease.
Its not like popping a pill and forgetting about it. Wendy takes insulin 4 to 5 times a day. She is so brave and gives her own insulin.
It is worrisome that some doctors in hospitals are less educated about diabetes than they need to be. Although there are big differences between Type One and Type Two diabetes, every patient deserves more frequent blood sugar testing and appropriate treatment while they are in the hospital. More training and awareness should be available in offices and clinics, and of course in our schools, too.
My son's blood sugar could drop unexpectedly so quickly that we set his target blood sugar range to 100 - 150, with no panic but immediate treatment at 80-100 and 150-180. Under 80, apple juice immediately with a snack and testing until it was over 100; under 60, two or three cans of apple juice, and sweet snacks until over 100.
If he is unable to drink due to unconciousness or seizures we use the glucagon injection emergency kit. If his blood sugar is over 130 he drinks water or the occasional diet soda; if it's over 180 he also has short acting insulin on a sliding scale.
Of course parents and trained caregivers will give juice, frosting, or glucagon for serious lows (and fast acting insulin for high readings) in hopes of avoiding any wait for an aid car or a trip to the emergency room.
Most first responders do not carry and are not be able to administer glucagon injections, or insulin. Only specialized paramedics are able to put in an IV line, and they often arrive after the first aid car, so that's another reason my son carries emergency supplies with him at all times. Juice, snacks, water and diet soda are included as emergency supplies and of course he carries a meter, test strips and insulin.
My son uses Lantus long acting insulin as well as small doses of Humalog fast acting, temporary insulin, so we are very careful not to mix up the two.
Giving him extra Lantus by mistake puts him in jeopardy for at least 24 hours; giving him a large dose of humalog can be harmful up to the point of being fatal very quickly and last about 3 hours.
He tests his blood sugar 8 to 10 times a day, and I've always tested him once in the middle of the night in case of an unexpected low. They do happen, even with the best of care.
Pam W
SE of Seattle
Type One Diabetes - Insulin Dependent 
