That doesn't mean they can toss out good nutrition. Eating right and maintaining tight control is the key to managing the disease and avoiding dangerous complications. Life for the diabetic child, however, does change. It means finger pokes several times a day to make sure their blood sugar levels don't get too high or too low. They live by the numbers that pop up on their monitors.
Anxious parents become protective, hesitant to allow their children to spend the night with friends.
Outsiders might consider them too protective, but even their critics admit they'd be afraid to watch the children. Part of the fear comes from the danger of blood sugar levels dropping too low, especially during the night. During the day there are plenty of clues when a child's blood sugar has dropped - a shaky feeling, sweats, extreme fatigue. But while the child is asleep there are no warning signs. Blood sugar that is too low can lead to frightening and dangerous convulsions.