BG checks in the night

[ppalmer]

Hi - my son will start on a pump this Monday.  I know for the first two weeks that I need to check his BG at 12 and 3 a.m.  I have been asking parents about BG checks in the night following the first two weeks.  Most parents I spoke to check every night and only a few do not check.  The clinic really scared me when they said that my son could go into DKA in 3 hours!   I would be interested in what other parents have to say.  thanks Patrice

[karen081995]

Hi,

My daughter is 13 and has been on the animas ping pump for 3 years.  We check her blood every night at 12 and 3am.  The doctor has said that we do not have to check.  But, At least one night a week her blood is either really high or really low.  I feel safer by getting up to check it.

[karenlcz]

Hi,

Our son is 12 and tomorrow is the 8th anniversary of his diagnosis.  He has been pumping with Medtronic for almost 7 years.  We definitely do check every night before we go to bed, then once in the middle of the night (about 2  am) and then in the early morning.  We have caught him (with no apparent reason) at 45 and once at 450 with moderate ketones.  It just makes sense to check at night for us because we feel safer.  We have used the sensor with a baby monitor, but it stills goes off and then you have to get up and check his chart.  My husband and I take turns and for us it is just a part of his diabetes that cannot be avoided.  We don't see it as being overboard when his safety is at risk.  Good luck with the pumping.  For us, it is soooo worth the work involved.  My son cannot imagine going back to shots.

[Kates Mom]

My 11 1/2 year old daughter started the pump in May. She added the CGM in June.  She checks herself at bedtime and then I look at her CGM when I go to bed (between 10:30 and 11:30).  Whether or not I get up and check again is based on what I see on the CGM.  If she is under 120 with an arrow going down, I will test her BG.  If she is low, I'll treat the low and keep checking until she gets in the range I feel comfortable with...I may also set a temp basal rate decrease for 1/2 hour to fight a stubborn low.  If she is over 200 with an arrow going up, I will check her BG and then determine next course of action---if under 240 I might increase basal with temp basal for 1 hour and then check again.  If over 240, then I give a correction by pump, check in an hour...and follow the usual protocol. 

But if she is between 120-200...and the CGM is showing a pretty flat line, then I don't recheck in the middle of the night.   She gets up at 5:40 every morning.  She is pretty good about waking up when her CGM goes off, and our dog has even woken me up when the sensor is alarming (the dog sleeps between my room and Kate's).  Kate has even treated her own low...scary for me to find out after the fact, but then again, I won't always be living with her.  And I did tell her to please let me know when it happens, not later....

Our endo gave us permission to set temp basals 3 months after she started pumping...this was extremely helpful during volleyball season as Kate tends to drop rapidly 2 to 3 hours after sports.

Love the CGM...not perfect, but I couldn't do this without it!

[tracyd]

Our son is 2 1/2 and just got put on the pump in August.   We check him at a minimum at midnight and 4am. Now if he ever needs a bolus or a snack, we check him every two hours to ensure he doesn't crash and to ensure a high blood sugar is coming down.

[Helfen]

I know many other diabetic kids and they do not do checks in the middle of the night - sometimes I think I am being that over-protective helicopter mom by keeping such close tabs on my 14 yr old sons Blood sugar #s.   Thank you so much for making me see there are other concerned parents that still do night checks - and that Im not some sort of freak.
FYI Alec does have a Ping & a Dexcom but doesn't wake to either.

[ppalmer]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond to my question.  It has been very helpful.

(I don't know what I would do without the help of other parents).  thanks again, Patrice

[alabr2]

My 11 year old has been on the Animas pump since June.  She checks at bed time and treats if below what our doctor's goal is for bedtime.   I will check her when I head to bed around midnight.  Her number then determines if I will get up at 3 and check again.  Since she is just entering puberty we seem to be adjusting basal a good bit.  I always check midnight and 3 am for the first week after a basal adjustment as well.

[ppalmer]

Hi - when I was at the clinic yesterday (for pump start) they said it depends on your comfort level.  If the number is in the range at bed, then you can choose to check.  If the number is out of the range - then check.

[Grete Anderson]

My daughter had started pumping today.And I was totally scared.But thanks for all the suggestions here.
Relocating to Australia