Here’s a little rundown of Penny’s needs while she’s at school. If lows are not treated immediately, they can cause seizures, loss of consciousness, and even be fatal. Please do not delay in treating a low.
If you have any questions about the instructions here or about Penny’s care, please email, text, or call Penny’s mom, Sarah, or her dad, Adam. Sarah and Adam’s phone numbers are in Penny’s file.
Jump to a topic:
- Monitoring
- Lunch
- Snacks and Treats
- Treating Lows
- Treating Highs
- Emergency Protocols
- Other Contacts
- School Orders
- Using Penny’s Phone (You shouldn’t need to.)
Blood Sugar Monitoring
Go to this website and make sure the computer’s speakers are on. You’ll be able to see her current blood sugar readings, and the site will alert you if her sugar goes too high or low. Her glucose sensor (Dexcom) sends her readings to this site. If you’re not getting readings, check that her sensor is not coming loose. It looks like this:
To snooze the notifications temporarily, click the following area on the site (it will be highlighted and clickable when there is an alarm active), and select the length of the snooze:
Please notify Sarah by email or text if you give Penny sugar for a low. You will not need to give insulin to correct a high, as Sarah does this remotely.
Lunch
Sarah will dose Penny for lunch remotely, but please email her as soon as Penny is done eating to let her know how much was actually eaten.
For a home lunch, you might email, “bag of chips – 1/2, apple – all, sandwich – all.” Sarah will calculate the carbs and dose accordingly.
If Penny is having school lunch, you will contact Sarah with the total carb count of what Penny actually ate. There is a printout of school lunch items with the carbs on the side of the filing cabinet. All foods and their nutrition are also listed on the SJSD website.
Please consult Erin Molloy, the cafe manager, if the website is not working or you can’t find the specific carbs needed.
Snacks and Birthdays
DO NOT restrict Penny from eating anything the rest of the class eats. Give Sarah as much advance notice as possible regarding snacks and birthday treats.
Penny can have all of it, but Sarah will need to dose her for it.
Treating Lows
Penny has a stash of snacks and juice there in the nurse’s office and another in her classroom. These usually consist of juice, crackers, Smarties, and milk.
Use juice or smarties for a fast drop or dangerous low — use the rest for gradual drops and borderline lows.
Treating Highs
Penny’s phone does some correcting of highs, and Sarah will also correct with insulin remotely.
Please encourage her to drink water if her glucose stays above 250 for more than an hour.
Leaving on the Bus
If Penny is dropping or below 90 when it’s time for her to leave on the bus, contact Sarah or just go ahead and give some carbs and let Sarah know.
If Penny is very low or dropping dramatically, do not put her on the bus without approval from Sarah. Sarah will come pick her up if necessary.
Penny’s big sister, Taylor, rides the bus with her and can help keep an eye, but she does not see Penny’s readings.
Emergency Protocol
Penny has Baqsimi in her diabetes bag at the school. The bag is square and has a gray camouflage design. Baqsimi is a nasal spray to be used if Penny were to have a seizure or lose consciousness due to low blood sugar or an extreme drop.
If you administer Baqsimi, please also call 911 and then Sarah.
Penny also has Glucagon in her classroom in case of a lockdown. It’s in the form of an injection that needs to be mixed. Instructions are on the packaging, but here’s a video as well.
It is a small yellow cylinder, and it has directions on its label. Here is a video on how it’s used.
Other Contacts
If Sarah and Adam are unreachable and you have a question, contact:
- Children’s Mercy Diabetes Help line: (816) 683-8850
or - Children’s Mercy after-hours help line: (816) 234-3188
School Orders
Here you’ll find Penny’s current school orders. However, it directs you to call Sarah before taking any actions, so this is only useful if she and Adam are unavailable.
Don’t hesitate to treat a low if needed. If it’s urgent, just let Sarah know after.