My 31 year old husband was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 5 months ago, after a severe blood infection. He was put on fairly low doses of NPH and Humalog insulin (18N8 H A.M.; 16N, sliding scale H P.M.); gradually he went to about 12N, 4H A.M., and 10N, 4H P.M. A month ago, he became ill with a stomach virus and has not taken insulin since. His sugars have been very stable. His HbA1C two months ago was less than 4. No one can seem to tell us if this is honeymoon or “cure”. Do you have any insight on Type 1 diabetes after illness and the honeymoon period?

I’m afraid that I can’t tell you either whether this is honeymoon or cure. There are certainly plenty of examples of people who have had severe illness and have been temporarily diabetic. I would have thought that your husband’s doctors would at least be able to tell you if he had any other signs of pancreatic infection. They may even have looked for diabetes related antibodies. If he was treated with steroids, then this would also be pertinent. In the meantime, it’s obviously important to go on monitoring the situation.

KJR

[Editor’s comment: Besides continued monitoring of the blood sugars, I’d also suggest continued strict adherence to the meal plan, and continued regular exercise to help maintain normal blood sugar levels.

WWQ]