I have two dd playing 10u and 12u. They both have diabetes and sometimes struggle with managing their blood sugars while playing. Any other players or parents dealing with diabetes and how are you managing it while playing?
Players with diabetes
- Thread starter Michael McCandless
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
We have 2 girls in our organization that have type 1 and wear pumps.
One girl is on 12U and the other on 16U.
Both girls are amazing athletes.
Their families have educated the teams about diabetes and it was really a great experience/bonding for our girls.
Even the HS team and coaches had our 16U player (who plays on the team) come in and teach them about it and tell them some of her warning signs.
We make sure the girls drink their fluids and check their sugar reguarly. If one of them is acting strange (silly and just not themselves) we can usually tell her sugar is prolly getting low. We know about the insulin, glucose tablets, etc....
One girl is on 12U and the other on 16U.
Both girls are amazing athletes.
Their families have educated the teams about diabetes and it was really a great experience/bonding for our girls.
Even the HS team and coaches had our 16U player (who plays on the team) come in and teach them about it and tell them some of her warning signs.
We make sure the girls drink their fluids and check their sugar reguarly. If one of them is acting strange (silly and just not themselves) we can usually tell her sugar is prolly getting low. We know about the insulin, glucose tablets, etc....
- Feb 16, 2012
- 165
- 0
My DW is a long time type 1 diabetic, insulin dependent. I am assuming by their age they are too. Exercise has a lowering affect on blood sugars. They need to make sure to take a sugar reading before warm ups and determine if they need a snack or not. They should always have snacks handy or a drink that has sugar in it in case of a sudden drop in their blood sugar level. They should be able to feel it. If they act unusually silly (think drunk like) it could be a low blood sugar. Coordination could be off too. If they take shots they shouldn't take one less than an hour before a game unless it is high. If they are on an insulin pump there are other issues. The heat can cause a change in insulin so that it becomes ineffective. We learned this last year with my wife.
Normal blood sugars range from 75 - 120 and both extremes are dangerous when you get well beyond these numbers.
Normal blood sugars range from 75 - 120 and both extremes are dangerous when you get well beyond these numbers.
And sometimes the umpires and other coaches give them crap at first thinking they have their phones on them. And asking what it "pump" is. We are all use to it so it's funny to us. But at the same time we are thinking yea shes a doctor on call.
- Jun 24, 2013
- 1,059
- 36
DD has always played with 1 player that has this. Morning games seemed to be a struggle and she sits out more then she should. As she is getting older and more responsible no one even knows anymore, I just know because we have been with them for so many years.
If you want PM me and I will send you their Email address, I am sure they would be happy to discuss it with you. (If you talk to them, my DD is a better pitcher then theirs.
)
If you want PM me and I will send you their Email address, I am sure they would be happy to discuss it with you. (If you talk to them, my DD is a better pitcher then theirs.
)Both of my kids struggle with doing what the need to do, test and correct, test and correct. We can't be with them 100% of the time so they need to be more responsible but they are only 9 and 11. Maybe I should get another wife so we can be everywhere we need to be. Ha ha of course.
S
ScottPilgrime
Guest
Well they have to have control over their diet and should take medication regularly. Unless if they do, they won’t be able to control it.
My dd was diagnosed 11-1-11. 6 days later it was basketball tryouts. We struggled with the whole process that first year. Everytime we thought we had it worked out, she switched sports and that would jack everything up.
Keep a close eye on your dd during sports. Someone said that exercise will lower your blood sugar, but thats not true for all kids. You have to pay close attention for a season to see how things affect you. We learned that during a game or even worse a tourney, do not correct for highs. If you do only correct for about half of the amount. During intense activity and in the hot weather your body will be flooded with hormones, your body will only use some of them at a time. So if your dd is high, she might have enough insulin on board. Her body might not be choosing to use it. So if she is high and then takes a correction dose, at some point the body is going to use all that insulin at once and her blood sugar will crash. happened to my dd in a semi final game while she was pitching. She dropped to 50 while on the field. It got ugly for a minute there.
My dd is now wearing a pump, its helped a lot. But during games she takes it off now. She has found that her sugar levels are close to normal after the games. the exercise counter acts the lack of insulin. But its different for each kid you have to try different things.
As for wearing the pump during games, my dds coach would explain what it was the other ump prior to the game, so he would know what it was and why she was wearing it. A couple of times coaches would ask about it, and the ump looked like he was a very knowledgeable person and would explain it. No problems until the one jack rear kept insisting it was a communication device and even protested the game to the TD. My dd was brought in for the ITB and struck out the side after we had scored a run. It was a great performance, but this rear would not shut up about it. All I heard was him yelling to the umps that she was illegal, I thought he was talking leaping. Its probably a good thing I didn't know what he was talking about.
I have talked to every coach in every sport she plays in, to explain what it is and how to recognize dangerous levels and what to do about them. I have given out information pamphlets and I have showed the coaches the glucagon injector and how and when to use it. Basically this is for practices because we never miss a game. But its better for them to know.
Right now my dd is at a basketball camp with her HS team. I am more concerned about the food (she also has celiac) then I am about the diabetes. She is 16 and in the almost 2 years, once she was out of the hospital, she has done every single injection and inset change by herself. At this point we never have to remind her to change an inset or do anything necessary. As your kids get older hopefully they will be more compliant. I could go on forever as this and celiac have become the defining thing in our family. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me, I am no doctor but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once (with a diabetic kid)
Keep a close eye on your dd during sports. Someone said that exercise will lower your blood sugar, but thats not true for all kids. You have to pay close attention for a season to see how things affect you. We learned that during a game or even worse a tourney, do not correct for highs. If you do only correct for about half of the amount. During intense activity and in the hot weather your body will be flooded with hormones, your body will only use some of them at a time. So if your dd is high, she might have enough insulin on board. Her body might not be choosing to use it. So if she is high and then takes a correction dose, at some point the body is going to use all that insulin at once and her blood sugar will crash. happened to my dd in a semi final game while she was pitching. She dropped to 50 while on the field. It got ugly for a minute there.
My dd is now wearing a pump, its helped a lot. But during games she takes it off now. She has found that her sugar levels are close to normal after the games. the exercise counter acts the lack of insulin. But its different for each kid you have to try different things.
As for wearing the pump during games, my dds coach would explain what it was the other ump prior to the game, so he would know what it was and why she was wearing it. A couple of times coaches would ask about it, and the ump looked like he was a very knowledgeable person and would explain it. No problems until the one jack rear kept insisting it was a communication device and even protested the game to the TD. My dd was brought in for the ITB and struck out the side after we had scored a run. It was a great performance, but this rear would not shut up about it. All I heard was him yelling to the umps that she was illegal, I thought he was talking leaping. Its probably a good thing I didn't know what he was talking about.
I have talked to every coach in every sport she plays in, to explain what it is and how to recognize dangerous levels and what to do about them. I have given out information pamphlets and I have showed the coaches the glucagon injector and how and when to use it. Basically this is for practices because we never miss a game. But its better for them to know.
Right now my dd is at a basketball camp with her HS team. I am more concerned about the food (she also has celiac) then I am about the diabetes. She is 16 and in the almost 2 years, once she was out of the hospital, she has done every single injection and inset change by herself. At this point we never have to remind her to change an inset or do anything necessary. As your kids get older hopefully they will be more compliant. I could go on forever as this and celiac have become the defining thing in our family. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me, I am no doctor but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once (with a diabetic kid)
I understand what you are saying. Sometimes I don't think people truly understand the difficulties diabetics playing sports face. I'm not judging people because I no there are other diseases children face that I don't understand. It's just comforting to talk to other people who truly understand the difficulties. I also have diabetes but didn't get it until I was 21.
Both of my kids wear the pump and take it off during games. We struggle with them testing between innings or between games and correcting. They play for the same orginization so we are going to the same tournaments but we are always on different fields. When they play at the same time I can't be with both of them at the same time. Our Head coaches understand but we have an assistant that's a real rear and I can see that he treats my kids diabetes as a nuisance rather than accepting and dealing with it.
Both of my girls are working on becoming pitchers and I'm more worried about how many innings they will be able to pitch before getting low.
Both of my kids wear the pump and take it off during games. We struggle with them testing between innings or between games and correcting. They play for the same orginization so we are going to the same tournaments but we are always on different fields. When they play at the same time I can't be with both of them at the same time. Our Head coaches understand but we have an assistant that's a real rear and I can see that he treats my kids diabetes as a nuisance rather than accepting and dealing with it.
Both of my girls are working on becoming pitchers and I'm more worried about how many innings they will be able to pitch before getting low.
Michael, you and your children are type 1 diabetic?
I was very sick at age 30 and became type 1 diabetic. Although I was relieved to find out I had something manageable, I have struggled to stay as active as I would like. After dealing with it myself I feel for the young ones that have it. Some don't understand the importance to managing their diabetes. I have seen professional athletes that have diabetes, but I would like to know more on how they manage.
I coached a girl last season that was diagnosed for less than a year and her parents did not know how to manage it. She was a pitcher and they were so fearful of her lows they had her sugar at 300 before a game. I did my best to explain that a) its not good to ever have that high of sugar and b) she will not perform well if it is too high. Please continue to add more details on how your daughter's manage. It help us that are still trying to understand what works best for our diabetic athletes.
I was very sick at age 30 and became type 1 diabetic. Although I was relieved to find out I had something manageable, I have struggled to stay as active as I would like. After dealing with it myself I feel for the young ones that have it. Some don't understand the importance to managing their diabetes. I have seen professional athletes that have diabetes, but I would like to know more on how they manage.
I coached a girl last season that was diagnosed for less than a year and her parents did not know how to manage it. She was a pitcher and they were so fearful of her lows they had her sugar at 300 before a game. I did my best to explain that a) its not good to ever have that high of sugar and b) she will not perform well if it is too high. Please continue to add more details on how your daughter's manage. It help us that are still trying to understand what works best for our diabetic athletes.
