October 24, 1999
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Tecumseh, Michigan, USA:
My son felt ill during the first hour of a fair we attended. He wanted to lay right on the ground. I took him to the paramedics and they said they should check his blood sugar level. His blood sugar was 266! He had only had a bowl of cereal about 5 hours earlier. He vomited and became very sweaty with headache as well. He did have a slight cold and sinus problem at the time as well. I did not let him have anything to eat or drink after 11:00�P.M. that evening.
The next day we went to the doctor and he registered 240. They said he was diabetic. He did not have any sugar in his urine. When we got to the hospital about 2 to 3 hours after the test of 240, he registered 77! They said he was probably in the very early stages and may develop full blown diabetes in a week, month or 2 months or even longer down the line.
I have been testing him with the finger test. He has been registering the last 3 days at the most 124 and the low of 88. Is it normal for such quick highs and lows? How often should I check him? Is it best to check him in the early morning prior to eating? Should I check him immediately after eating? I am so confused. Will he, does he or not have diabetes Type 1? I am a basket case right now. I did notice that when he has a headache it appears higher. Is that a symptom? He does not have frequent urination, in fact, he only goes a couple of time a day. He does drink a lot and hungry all the time. Can he be in the very early stages? Is there such a thing as early stages?
Answer:
Some of the fasting blood sugars are certainly abnormal; but the fact that there was no glucosuria suggests that the rise in blood sugar might have been short-lived and due to stress. To set your minds at rest, I think it would be wise to talk to your doctor about getting an antibody test. Two numbers to call for details are Quest Laboratories at 1-949-728-4235 (or 4990 for fax) or the DPT-1 trial at 1-800-425-8361. A negative test would mean that it would be very unlikely that your son was about to develop Type�1A (autoimmune) diabetes, by far the commonest form in Caucasian young people in North America.
DOB
