January 25, 2004
Other Illnesses
Question from Corsicana, Texas, USA:
My seven year old granddaughter (type 1, insulin pump) has been sick for over a month. Her eyes are weak, she is pale, and has little appetite. She developed a rash, which still comes and goes, has intermittent fever, and some vomiting. Her family doctor had no idea what was wrong so referred her to her endocrinologist. The only explanation so far is an allergy to an antibiotic she was taking over a month ago for flu-like symptoms. Her parents have not taken her back to the doctor because they don’t know what else to tell him is wrong with her. She looks awful and I am very worried about her. Is there any obvious diabetes-related reason for her illness other than an allergy to medicine?
Answer:
This does not sound like diabetes. The possible causes to consider are very long but sounds like she should go back to her pediatrician and/or endocrinologist, they should consult and further testing should take place. Sometimes virus infections last a while and this is still high on the list of explanations. Time will help sort this out. If you are worried, or this child’s folks are worried, then doing nothing it not the proper approach; go back and ask some more questions.
SB
