Question from Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA:

My seven year old son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on January 13, 2005. When he was tested for the disorder, his glucose level was 287 mg/dl [15.9 mmol/L]. It has not gone any higher than 316 mg/dl [17.6 mmol/L], which was on the following day. My concern is that the doctor may have misdiagnosed his condition due to the fact that I can not get his glucose level above 76 mg/dl [4.2 mmol/L].

Today, I have checked my son more than seven times in a four hour period and he has been showing a level of 55 to 61 mg/dl [3.1 to 3.4 mmol/L]. I have given him a glass of orange juice, crackers with peanut butter and, I even went so far as to give him two peanut butter cups. His sugar level never changed. Mind you, the doctor has him on a high level of insulin in the morning and at night. What would cause diabetic type symptoms and not so high levels other than diabetes? It seemed that the symptoms, bed wetting, constant thirst, lack of weight gain, and headaches, came on within two to three weeks. He has no problems with his eyes or any signs of possible organ damage. Am I wishing for this to go away or do I have a valid concern about his diagnosis?