I took my four-year old to the doctor today because she has been sick with fever, wheezing, sore throat, and stomach pain for a week. They checked everything. She kept telling the doctor that she was really thirsty. Finally, they checked her blood sugar and it was 199 mg/dl [11.1 mmol/L]. We then went to the laboratory to have blood drawn. I was sent home with an antibiotic and steroid for her other symptoms and was told to wait until the test results came back. Two hours after dinner tonight, I tested her sugar again and it was 162 mg/dl [9 mmol/L]. So, should I wait until the test results come back, which could be four days because they are closed tomorrow, or should I go somewhere else?

It sounds like mild high sugar levels and early diabetes is the correct diagnosis as you suspect – perhaps related to her infection, likely viral. Assuming that there is no weight loss now or ongoing. you should closely observe daily weight and also amount and frequency of urination, any night time enuresis or excess urination means you should re-contact your physician. It would be prudent to monitor blood glucose levels at home as well. We usually recommend pre-meals and also one hour post-meals under such circumstances so that you know what is going on. Values that are moving upwards or persistently abnormal should also be reported to the physician and consideration for early referral to a pediatric diabetes specialist would be prudent since it is likely that insulin will be needed. More specific testing, such as pancreatic antibodies, would also be helpful to validate diagnosis. If you have any question or problems, don’t hesitate to call your doctor again or go to the nearest Emergency Room and show them the blood glucose results.

SB