HbA1c And Hypoglycemia

I have a few new favorite kitchen gadgets.  Instead of serving spoons we now use a lot of measuring cups.  It's not unusual for me to go through as many as three different one's in one meal.  I have four sets of measuring cups and it's fun to have some bright colors.  The scale is a necessity for weighing everything from pasta to fruit to baked goods.  It's awesome for calculating the carbs perfectly in certain things.  I love that this set of measuring spoons comes with a 2 TBS.  I give Sweet's 2 TBS. of most condiments and it's made it easier to dish it out this way.  A calculator is sitting right in the middle of my counter at all times now.   I am getting quite handy at dividing fractions and figuring portions per servings.  The plastic cups are re purposed applesauce containers.  I just wash them and throw them in the drawer.  They are perfect for small portions of fruit and snacks and condiments.  They weigh next to nothing and are easy to set on the scale. I use them at almost every meal.

There is something called an HbA1c test that they do every three months.  The blood test can tell the average Blood Sugar level that Sweets has been at for all that time.  The numbers on the scale are broken down like this.  The higher levels Sweets are at for a higher period of time indicate possible future problems with her eyes, kidneys, feet, etc.  As a parent, I want to try to regulate her Blood Sugar levels as tightly as possible to ensure that she is almost always in this green area.  This way, she can live happier as an adult with less problems.

This is why I try to count the carbs exactly, match the units of insulin exactly, get her exercising to bring those numbers down and test her often to make sure her Blood Sugar levels are within a proper range.  I feel as a parent it's my job to do this for her now and to teach her how to do this for herself as she grows.  It is a gift I am giving her now, so she can be healthy as an adult.

Another reason I try to manage her Blood Sugar levels so closely is that it is really easy for her to have the opposite of Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).  Hypoglycemia scares me more than high levels.  It seems that she can get low enough to really have problems in a short period of time.  Within hours actually.  If it's not promptly caught and taken care of, she can become unconscious.  She is becoming better and being aware of the symptoms of low blood sugar and how they affect her body so it's easier to catch and faster too.

Every day we are learning more and becoming more confident in managing her levels with our own knowledge.  We have not been having to contact her physicians daily like we used to because the picture puzzle is clear enough.  This gives us a great amount of satisfaction and control.