Remember how I said in a previous post that we figured out how to quell Elise's cries of, "I HUNGY"? Well, we didn't . I mean we did for a few weeks. But now they're back. And with a vengeance.
I don't get it. I look at the amount of food she's eating, and it looks like enough. But not 30 minutes after she eats, the cries begin. She's even waking up at 2:00 in the morning and saying she's hungry.
I don't know who to ask for help on this. We have zero relationship with the dietitians at our endo's office, and the few times I have talked to them, we don't really see eye-to-eye. They have a very cookie-cutter way of approaching things. They don't know Elise and they don't know me.
Plus, this might not be diabetes related. I wonder if there could be another issue that's causing the extreme hunger (I know when I was dx hyperthyroid, I was STARVING all the time). Could it be the mother-of-all growth spurts? I even wonder if she's doing it for attention.
We were at a party last night, and after getting her in range after a low BG of 62, we gave her a bedtime snack. Even as she was eating, she was moaning that she was hungry. And after she ate. So we gave her some chicken, and after she was done that, she was STILL asking for food.
It continued during the car ride home, and even as we were putting her to bed. Throughout all of this, her BG was around 145.
Has anybody experienced this with their kiddos? I just don't know what to do for her anymore, and I feel like I'm punishing her by withholding food. Any advice you have is welcome...
I would guess she is growing. Zane is eating like a PIG right now and that is all I can guess. He asks for food ALL THE TIME! We will finish breakfast and not even 5 minutes later he wants a snack.
ReplyDeleteI usually let him snack, sometimes I make him wait. I think part of it might be that he is bored, but other times I think he is really hungry.
I hope you get it figured out for Elise. :)
That sounds just like Elise, but usually when she goes through growth spurts we see higher numbers, and she's been pretty good lately.
ReplyDeleteDoes Zane's BG go high when he's growing?
I know when my boys are low, and I feed them, they want more and more. Their body aches for food until their sugars are up to where they should be. They will eat the appropriate snack, and whine for more. I tell them if they are still that hungrey in 10 minutes, they can have another snack and they usually don't want one.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know that they ache for food after they have a big drop in blood sugar. Even if they are in range, if they have this drop, they have the urge to eat. It is a survival mechanism I guess.
I know it sounds strange, but to me Elise's pangs of hunger aren't unsual to me. It happens here all the time, which leads me to think it may be due to her body changing and coping with blood sugar changes.
Or, she could just want a midnight snack, seriously, It's all a big guess isn't it?
Good luck on your quest for understanding!
(((HUGS))) Elise, Aunt Meri is always hungry too!
Sometimes we see higher blood sugars with growth, but not every time.
ReplyDeleteI wish Diabetes was more predictable! Then we could just assume they were acting the way they are acting because of their age and not because of D.
I agree with Meri, when Zane drops fast or has been low recently, he wants to EAT!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI know Joe becomes RAVENOUS when Low or coming up from a low. Could she be going low? I don't like to withold food...sounds like you are on it and you know Elise's needs better than anyone. When Joe was younger I would definitely stick with no carb snacks when he was complaining of hunger at a time that he would not normally be eating...this was simply because I didn't feel my psyche could take the subsequent roller coaster ride that his blood sugar would be on for the next few hours. xoxo
Addy eats constantly. And I mean ALL. OF. THE. TIME!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen she's low, she's starving and acts as if she hasn't eaten all day!!!
Lows aside, she needs a snack just about every 1.5 - 2 hours at home. She does well at school, but gets lunch plus 2 snacks in the 6 hours she's there.
She still eats 3 balanced meals, but in between will have a handful of nuts, a piece of fruit, cheese sticks, yogurt, pretzels, and/or an occasional treat such as a fruit roll up or cookie.
She grazes. That's the only way I can describe it. It's been like this since her dx...possibly before, but it's hard to say because she was dx so young.
But her sisters are grazers too...but I don't think they eat as much/often as Addy.
She's 75% height and 50% weight...she's going on 7 years old and wears a 6x/7 pant size. She's is completely appropriate for her size...she just likes to eat alot, I guess!
Wonder where she gets that from?
Addison's blood sugars tend to change when he is growing - sometimes trending up sometimes down.
ReplyDeleteHe will eat a lot but it only lasts for a little while and he doesn't usually wake up hungry in the middle of the night. If you are getting a gut feeling about Elise's hunger being related to something else you should follow it! Maybe taking her to her reg. pediatrician if she has one and seeing what they have to say?
It stinks to have the D factor and not know if things are related to that or not eh?!! Especially when your child is so young.
All three of my kids go through phases in which they're always hungry and can never seem to get enough food. They're grazers in general, too. Jack is my only one with T1D, and he, in particular, has a tremendous appetite, especially when he's low.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jen. Trust your intuition. Moms usually know when something's not right. If you suspect something isn't right with Elise, take her to the doctor.
I hope this is nothing more than a growth spurt! Keep us posted!
Wow! This post (and comments) is a HUGE eye-opener for me!!! That is why I LOVE our D community!!!
ReplyDeleteI have been having major issues with Jacob CONSTANTLY asking for food. I never equated it with the diabetes... Silly me!! I should know by now that its all connected. Now I will have to start watching where his sugars are and how their moving during the worst of his "I'm Hungry!!" moments.
Thanks for the insight ladies - and thanks for the great post Joanne! =)
No advice on the hungry part because Liam never wants to eat ( I wish he would so I could fatten up those pump sites- we'd have more choices!) but I just heard something interesting today at our pump start. The educator teaching it was talking about which doctors were type 1 in the group, and she mentioned that one of the dietitians is type 1.
ReplyDeleteI know that won't bridge all gaps between people, but maybe if you can figure out which one it is, you may be able to relate better to her?
I know you'll figure this out! :)
Joanne,
ReplyDeleteI don't know how it works in little ones, but some of the research speaks about the lack of production of Amylin along with insulin, which is a hunger-regulating hormone. For adults, there is now an injectable drug called Symlin which slows gastric emptying and helps create a feeling of fullness. I know a few adults who use Symlin and they say that until they started using it, they had a never-ending, constant sense of hunger (even after finishing a meal).
Meghan does the same thing- we can get up from the table and she'll say, "I'm hungry" even though she's literally JUST finished eating. She also is extra-hungry after a low (as well as when she's running quite high)...not that any of this helps you with Elise, but it may be one more facet to her hunger....
word verification: coses
The insatiable hunger of our kids has many coses! (causes) :)