October 18, 2003
Hyperglycemia and DKA
Question from Newportville, Pennsylvania, USA:
My 12 year old son was diagnosed when he was seven and a half, and lately, his blood sugars lately are running high, and he has had ketones in his urine about four times in the past month. He was sick about two weeks ago and had ketones which would flush out of his system with extra insulin doses and the sick day routine. He got sick last night, vomited, and had a blood sugar of 142 mg/dl [7.9 mmol/L] with trace ketones.
Is it possible he could still have a bug? Could he need an insulin increase all together? He doesn’t display any other symptoms except having dry mouth in the mornings.
Answer:
This is difficult to sort as an e-mail. I would like to see the meter results for a while, and look for some pattern. Obviously, illness does play havoc with glucoses, but children do need more insulin as they grow. I suggest you monitor carefully and visit your son’s doctor for further advice.
LD