June 30, 2022
Diagnosis and Symptoms, Honeymoon
Question from United States:
My son has had type 1 diabetes for 1.5 years. He went through a honeymoon period about a year ago. For some strange reason he seems to be producing insulin and has not needed injections for the last two days – he’s only taking around 2 to 3 units, almost like a second honeymoon. We have even double checked his levels with finger pricks and taken off his Omnipod. Yet, his levels are flatline around 70 to 90 mg/dl (3.9 to 4.4 mmol/L). Can you help explain why?
Answer:
When he was diagnosed, were autoantibodies checked? Typically, checking autoantibodies can help determine what diabetes someone has, but they are not always checked. It is worth getting a C-peptide to see how much insulin his body is still making. (See What is C-Peptide?) Also, post-meal is when you see the first signs of impaired glucose tolerance. You could try an at-home 75 gram glucose tolerance test with sprite or similar to see how high the glucose goes after 2 hours. Be sure you consult your child’s endocrinologist about his current numbers and those you find when you do the at-home glucose tolerance test.
