Question from Tehachapi, California, USA:

Since birth, my two year old son has been ill with seizures, which remain unexplained, apnea, asthma, low immune system, chronic lung illness, and numerous other things. He used to get blood taken about once a week and glucose levels were always included in those tests. Never has he had a level below 130 mg/dl [7.2 mmol/L] on any test and some have been as high as 220 mg/dl [12.2 mmol/L]. No doctor has ever checked for diabetes until I started pushing it. He had a fasting glucose of 118 mg/dl [6.6 mmol/L] a week a go. He has also strong smelling urine, sweet breath, and is always thirsty. On his dad’s side of the family, there is both type 1 and 2 diabetes and on my side there is hypoglycemia, including me. Also, my son refuses to eat and has done so for about one and a half years. He was on formula that is soy and milk free until about 3 months ago when he was switched to six cans of PediaSure, which is high in sugar, and recently has started to eat three to four 4 ounce jars of baby food a day. So, I know changing his diet won’t work for him. Before the PediaSure and still, to this day, he is listed as failure to thrive due to his weight loss issues and health problems. Right now he weighs 27 pounds and is 33 inches tall.

One thing that is also bothering me is the fact that he has always had a huge stomach which doctors have told me isn’t normal, but they can’t find an explanation for it. We haven’t done home monitoring, but Id like to, but not sure how to approach the doctor on it. Also, his eight year old half-brother is also now being tested due to his thirst and constant wetting, both nighttime and daytime. His fasting glucose was 121 mg/dl [6.7 mmol/L].

I guess I’m more confused and not sure what to think. I’ve read that my son’s issues, including his constant skin infections, variations in his seizures, and his glucose readings are all signs of diabetes. Also, no one wants to agree on how much glucose to give him for the test. Do you have any idea? Id like to hurry and get the test run. Also, what other tests should I be asking for?

Also, why would a two year old have Triglycerides levels of 296 and sometimes even higher along with blood glucose levels between 140 to 220 mg/dl [7.8 to 12.2 mmol/L]? I’ve read that this is a sign of diabetes.