Last night, a shadow appeared at my bedroom door

It was my gorgeous daughter Lucy, 8 years old and diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at aged 2.

'I think I'm low, Dad', she said.

'Ok', I said, and dragging myself out of bed, we walked hand-in-hand down to the kitchen to do a blood test.

Lucy has always been a night-owl, but 10:30pm was a little late. So we did a blood test, and she was 10.6mmol (190mg) so she was not actually low.

'Can I see the chart Dad?' she asked?

'Sure', I replied smiling, 'Do you like doing that?'

'Yes', she said simply, 'it's the only thing I understand.'

I've now realized that the charts give her this reassurance. Most adults have very little idea of how insulin works, but through the charts, even eight year-old Lucy can understand what is going to happen, and how long it will take.

We've been using ManageBGL for some time to log Lucy's BGLs, and to chart and predict them. It is a great tool, and when we use it consistently and count carbs accurately, - especially for Lucy - it gives her the confidence to go to sleep knowing that she is not going to get low or even die. It has certainly helped us to identify missing carbs or extra carbs, and helped us to correct for it quickly rather than wait until the next morning.

Her overnight target is 8.0mmol (144mg), and the chart showed how her active insulin would bring her back to target around 1am.

She was lower than expected this morning, and the ManageBGL Coach recommends 0.649 units less insulin. Well, Lucy's Lantus needs fluctuate periodically, so tonight she will be back to 9.5 units Lantus (down from 10).

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