Hypoglycaemia in kids?

[runforyourdog]

Does anyone know anything about this?

We are away in France at the moment and will take DD7 to docs when I'm back as I just think there's something not right. So not trying to self diagnosis on the internet! But quite curious.

She's generally a healthy happy child but she does seem to have issues around food at times. Sometimes she eats really well but often (and on holiday) she just hardly eats anything, she's hardly had a proper meal since we got here 10 days ago. She is thriving generally and growing well (v tall) but very slim. Still on healthy BMI scale but on 4th centile.

You can just see the energy zap out of her frequently and she goes really pale. This has been an ongoing thing but we normally just get some grub down her and she's fine.

Anyway, today she's not really eaten anything all day of any substance. Been travelling and then swimming. She started saying her tummy hurts but she often says this often when she's hungry. Got to the restaurant and she vomited. Mostly water. ☹️ brought her back to our caravan and she was starving! Seems fine now after a bit to eat.

I don't think it will be a bug as we've kept to ourselves for the last 2 weeks but read random vomiting like this can be due to low blood sugar.

Not sure what I need to do to help other than try and get her to eat better? Or could it be some underlying condition? (I don't think she's type 1)?

When are you travelling? If she were to be diabetic vomiting, not eating and fluctuating blood sugar could be serious. Is she dehydrated? Will she suck boiled sweets, ice lollies or similar?

We are back in the uk on Friday. She seems fine now and eating and drinking. I don't think she is diabetic as doesn't seem to have those symptoms but I don't really know anything about type 1 tbh!!

Does is sound like she might be?

She is definitely different to DS5 who can also be fussy and a bad eater but it doesn't affect him half as much.

Difficult to tell. Is she thirsty, need the loo a lot? Is it a recent thing or has it come on over time? Friday seems a way away if she continues to be sick and not eat.

It doesn't sound like Type 1 to me. If she were an undiagnosed diabetic, she would most likely be constantly thirsty and also hungry. She certainly wouldn't have low blood sugar, more likely dangerously high.

I would just try and make sure she eats/drinks frequently. If you are on holiday and more active than usual eg swimming this is even more important. Fruit, or fruit juice, if it is easier in warmer climates.

Diabetes does not result in hypoglycaemia unless it is diagnosed and being treated with insulin which is dosed incorrectly.

Diabetes is chronic hyperglycaemia.

My son is exactly the same! If he misses a meal, even by just an hour, he goes pale, clammy and inevitably the vomits.
We have a very narrow window of time between him being hungry and going past the point of being able to eat without being sick.

Our GP said it could be a build up of acid in his stomach. We were given some mild omeprazole for him to take as soon as he starts feeling 'off'. He's only taken them a couple of times so not enough to know if they work, we just try to make sure he eats something every 3 hours.

We were concerned it could be related to diabetes/blood sugar but he had none of the other classier symptoms of diabetes.

That sounds just the same! Glad it doesn't sound like type 1.

@ScoobyDoNot does he normally eat well or can he lack appetite / be fussy?

Why is she not eating?
I can’t imagine letting a child go all day not eating until the point that they’re ill?
What is happening at mealtimes?

Generally quite well (as in not picky) although he doesn't eat very big portions..he doesn't really have a huge appetite.
His weight is perfect for his height & age though so I don't stress too much about the amount he's eating but just make sure he eats frequently. Little and often works best for him.

She just pics at stuff, she has eaten a bit but like she had a small amount of croissant and a few chips at lunch. A bit of fruit. Had one small biscuit when we got back from swimming.

She will just go through these stages where she doesn't eat well and if that coincides with being somewhere abroad everything is 'weird' or 'different'. Last time we came to France when she was 4 she loved crepes but now apparently she doesn't like them anymore. Or chips. Or hotdogs. I don't think it's a control thing and other times and holidays she eats fairly normally.

So frustrating!

She's a bit strange for a kid as actually loves fruit and vegetables and then plain carbs and protein of her choice at the time.

Not heard concerns from school but she often tells me she's had something like 'a plain jacket potato with green beens and tomato'

She understands what a balanced meal is but just doesn't seem able to eat it half the time!

@ScoobyDoNot please look up ketotic hypoglycaemia ; needs to be diagnosed with blood tests when acutely unwell (will show up as acidotic) and checked out by a paediatric metabolic consultant. This is the very mildest version of what could be wrong, there are more serious manifestations and other issues. I would be asking GP for a referral to a paediatric metabolic clinic. Sorry to hijack thread but I’m very concerned about your post (I have a DD with the condition that was caught at the very last moment (if you catch my drift) in hospital. All fine now and well managed).

My child has ketotic hypoglycaemia and the pattern is exactly the same. Look it up! Also, get a blood glucose monitor and see a GP with some readings. Anything below 3.0 is low. My child wakes up very low if they haven’t eaten much the night before, will vomit, eventually have a sleep and then eat like there’s no tomorrow.

Cross posted with @Winkydink ! Luckily mine has never had to be hospitalised as the SOS glucose drink does work.

Mine was diagnosed after many consultations with the local paediatrician and then a referral to GOSH, but has now been discharged as we are managing well. Mine is a fussy bugger so we’ve just had to give in to them not eating much dinner but then having toast at bedtime to keep sugars stable overnight.

Oh and finally- 💐 @Winkydink

Was going to post the same as winkydink. Is there any smell off your DD’s sweat or breath? To me ketones smell like vinegar in sweat and bad breath rather than the common description of pear drops/acetone. In the UK you can buy urine test strips that check for ketones/glucose etc so you might be able to pick some up in France too.

We have never had the vomiting problem in a morning but they always have fruit and milk just before bed. Seems one thing they actually eat. I think it's only happened twice. The time before we put it down to a 'bug' but DD vomited after usual pale/ tired episode then was Starving she ate 1.5 adult subway wraps!! She then vomited in the night I think because she ate so much!

She was really hungry again today very shortly after she was sick. so she had some rice and sweetcorn (was wanting more but limited it). She was full of beans again!

Does sound like she's had a ketotic hypoglycaemic episode but hopefully just due to poor diet on occasion?

@Coldsteadyrain haven't noticed today but I have smelt it on her before, mainly when she first started school (and probably didn't eat!)

I recognised it from when I'd investigated a low carb diet for myself.

I get this. If I don't eat frequently and enough I go very pale and tired and then puke, and often feel better afterwards and happily eat.
Unfortunately both DC have inherited this from me and do the same. We have quite often had to have 2 days off nursery because they don't eat their dinner, get too hungry and puke before breakfast, and then can't go in for 48hrs. Ds2 had a particularly fussy stage and missed so much nursery because of this. Phoned the gp but they basically said he ate enough of a variety even if not very much and would be fine.
Ds1 generally gets this worse and is also very tall for his age and very slim, same as your DD.

@bluesky45 how have you managed this with fussy eating? Is it better to just get anything down them?

I gave DD a biscuit and then a drumstick lolly, was trying to get her to drink juice/water.. but she just needed to vom I think and then felt better and was hungry for proper food. Weird thing for her is hunger / feeling sick feels the same? Have you experienced this?

She just sounds like she needs to eat more regularly
Everybodys blood sugars would be low after having a bite of croissant, few chips and a piece of fruit and then going swimming!
How much food are you offering, and what happens when she refuses?

She's offered a lot!! They normally have cereal for breakfast (from home) but she doesn't like that because milk in France is different apparently. We had croissants, didn't want that. Loads of snacks offered in the car. Raspberries, crisps, chocolate.

Lunch was cheese and ham baguettes or hot dogs or chips and an ice lolly. Didn't eat much of that.

Then we went swimming at new campsite with no snacks so that was maybe the problem. But no one said they were hungry.

Biscuits when we got back then meant to be going for proper dinner but then the vomit happened.

Not the most nutritious of days as we were travelling but she had plenty of opportunity to eat very normal food.