July 5, 2003
Daily Care
Question from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA:
I assume my two year old son, diagnosed with type�1 diabetes six months ago, is still in his honeymoon period because of his low insulin doses. He is on a two insulin injection a day routine, but most of the time he only receives a morning injection of Humalog with NPH because the NPH from morning is still in effect well into the evening and nighttime. I find that during the night his sugar levels are still coming down well after the morning insulin should of worn off.
He wakes around 80-100 mg/dl [4.4-5.6 mmol/L], but occasionally he will run into the 200s mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L] and never come down. He’ll just keep going higher and wake between 250-300 mg/dl [13.5-16.7 mmol/L]. I can’t figure out why this happens. Could it just be due to the unpredictability of the insulin? When he is running high, is his body going on strike and not helping out, and when he’s in good range the body decides to help out? I’ve read that when you are in good control, the honeymoon can last longer.Is this true on a day to day basis?
Answer:
The honeymoon is variable and can last from weeks to years in most newly diagnosed kids with type�1 diabetes. The insulin need in newly diagnosed kids is also widely variable, and you will notice differences even on a day to day basis. You’ll find that as the amount of insulin your son requires increases over the next few months and years, he will be exiting his honeymoon period.
MSB
