My 12-year-old daughter has been running a glucose reading of 126 to 189 mg/dl [7 to 10.5 mmol/L]. Her doctor says she has a high probability of being a diabetic because her A1c is running at 7.1. She recommended I write to you. I am her father and I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 11. My other daughter, now age 15, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two years ago. Is there now something we can do to prevent my younger daughter’s diagnosis? I am giving her a low carbohydrate diet in order to control her blood sugars and checking her blood sugar four times a day.

We live now in Colombia (South America). Both of my daughters are U.S. citizens.

Lo siento pero aparace que tu nina tambien tiene diabetes. Niveles de 189 no son normal no significa solamente una posibilidad de diabetes. Si no tiene simtomas, tal vez es muy temprano y esta muy bien que esta chequeando los niveles muchas veces cada dia. Necesita una specialita en diabetes para examinarle. Si es posible, niveles de sangre de anticuerpos y por seguro un nivel de A1c y niveles de insulina en el sangre para decidir. Con los niveles de glucosa, puede empezar con insulina para controllar el avanza de diabetes clinicamente. Tambien neesita niveles de lipides y horonas de tirodeas para chequer. El dieta con “low carbs” esta muy bien porque no necesitara bastante cantidades de insulina y puede tratarla una porcion de esta condicion en esta manera al principio de diabetes. Varias dias, sera mejor para chequer antes de comidas y tambien 1-2 horas despues y puede decidir la condiccion de los niveles con esta informaccion.

Translation by Marissa Town, BSN, RN, CDCES

I’m sorry but it seems that your daughter also has diabetes. A level of 189 mg/dl [10.5 mmol/L] is not normal and it doesn’t just mean a possibility of diabetes. If she does not have symptoms, perhaps it’s very early and it’s great that you are checking her glucose levels many times every day. You need a diabetes specialist to examine her. If it’s possible, blood auto-antibodies and, of course, an A1C Level and blood insulin level are needed to decide. With the glucose levels, you can start with insulin to control the advance of diabetes clinically. You also need to get lipid levels and thyroid hormones checked. The “low carb” diet is very good because she won’t need large quantities of insulin and you can treat part of the condition in this way at the start of diabetes. Some days it will be better to check before meals and also 1-2 hours after meals and you can decide how her levels are doing with that information.