
February 23, 2005
Honeymoon, LADA and MODY
Question from Mexico City, Mexico:
I am 18 years old and I was diagnosed with MODY diabetes three years ago, although that diagnosis was never confirmed. Initially, I was treated with insulin, but one month after using it, my blood sugar levels were normal, so I suspended the treatment with insulin. I was told by my doctors that I was having my honeymoon. Ever since then, my blood sugar levels have been controlled with diet and exercise. Is it possible I’m still on a honeymoon?
Answer:
It is possible this is a long honeymoon although this usually is a term reserved for type 1 insulin dependent diabetes and not type 2 diabetes. If you lost weight and were overweight previously, changed your total carbohydrate intake downward and/or increased daily activity, these may also allow you to stop insulin or drastically reduce your insulin needs. Measuring C-peptide levels would let your doctors, and you, know if you had sufficient insulin reserves. Same with A1c levels. Measuring your own blood glucose levels postprandially (some 30 minutes after food, some one hour and some two hours after food) for several days in a row would also let you know indirectly how your pancreas is responding since you may have okay preprandial blood glucose values, but still transiently high postprandials.
SB