September 9: Son, Hypoglycemia, Magic 8-Ball

My son's teacher told us late last week that, about mid-morning, our son starts behaving differently.  He won't follow directions, starts being disruptive, and complains that he's hungry.  His teacher is worried that he's not mature enough for kindergarten.

My reaction when my wife told me this was, "Well, did she give him anything to eat?"

Having been an insulin-dependent diabetic since I was thirteen, I'm very aware of how food, or the lack of it, can affect a person's behavior.  I'm a pretty easy-going guy, but, when I'm in the throes of a low blood sugar reaction, I develop facial tics and a kind of obstinacy that rivals Dick Cheney at a Greenpeace meeting.  I simply don't want to listen to directions of any kind, even if they're along he lines of "no, you can't put that puppy in the microwave."  Blood sugar does that to you.

I'm not saying my son is diabetic or hypoglycemic.  I'm saying that, if a kid's behavior drastically changes and he complains that he's hungry, there might be a direct link between those two things.  It makes sense.  And it's worth investigating.

I'm also not saying I want my son to be diabetic or hypoglycemic.  But there's a small part of me that's thinking, "You know, that problem can be solved with a fruit juice box and a stick of cheese."  The other alternative, that my son is struggling to adjust to his new school/teacher/classmates, will be a much harder fix, involving perhaps special arrangements and rules in the classroom for my son.  Behavior modification techniques.  I'd rather go with apple juice and cheese.

I want my son to do well in school.  Be popular.  Listen to his teacher.  Fit in.  At his first parent-teacher conference, I want his teacher to gush, "He's the best kindergarten student I've had in all my years of teaching."  At the moment, I think we may be headed toward, "We don't like to have him near the scissors."

Which brings me to my questions for Magic 8-Ball Monday:

Is my son diabetic/hypoglycemic?

And Holden's answer is:

...I really am.  That's why I'm so damn skinny.  I was supposed to be on this diet where you eat a lot of starches and crap, to gain weight and all, but I didn't ever do it...

Well, Saint Marty couldn't ask for a clearer answer than that:  "I really am."  Now, he'll wait and see if the doctor agrees.

This is Saint Marty with a low blood sugar.  Really.